One of the few pieces I'll be posting here includes a Pokemon fan fiction I have in the works at the moment. Please bear with me, as I threw this together in about ten minutes after getting the idea.
Part 1: Inscrpition
Part 2 (Coming Soon)
Let me know what you think, and I'm open for any ideas you may have for the future of this story, since I do not have the entire plot planned as of now. Thanks in advance!
Part 1: Inscrpition
You know, normal days don't usually start like the day I purchased Pokemon White 2. I was looking forward to playing it for the first time, but I realized that I was wasting my money. I figured it wouldn't be long before I finally forgot about the game, and I could move on with my life, but at the time, my only goal was to open the game. Thoughts raced through my head as I was conflicting myself about the game. Should I be doing this? Why did I even waste my money on this in the first place? What's going to happen if I keep playing this? I had no clue what would happen until I turned on the game for the first time, and even now, I'm still clueless as to what happened over those past couple weeks.
I put the cartridge in my DS...the thing was already beaten to a pulp, and trying to put a brand new game into it was a big enough challenge, but turning it on was what really tipped me off about the game. As the screen lit, it did not show the usual screen. Instead, the screen lit a dark blue, and it seemed like a message was inscribed in the screen, yet it was completely illegible. As I tapped the bottom screen, I noticed that the only option for the DS menu was to play the game. I was confused, but I thought nothing of it. Little did I know, or was I aware of, the top screen had another illegible message inscribed in it.
The game lit up the scream like a work of art; my mind began to empty, pouring into the game as the main menu shone before me, but I didn't notice all of the options. New Game...Restart Game...Wi-Fi Connection Settings...I didn't see the last option...FIRELEAF. I continued to start a new game, thinking nothing of the restart game option. Just like any normal Pokemon game, the main professor had her rant about Pokemon and whatnot, but something seemed off about the scene. Instead of talking about Pokemon, all she would say was "FIRELEAF". She said the word once in every text box, and nothing else. The Poke Ball she was holding...I knew it would appear with a Pokemon inside, but I was wrong. As the Poke Ball fell to the ground, a plume of smoke began to fill the screen, blurring the professor and the touch screen. The screen continued into a think gray, and the text box appeared one last time.
"FIRELEAF".
The game continued into the opening scene where the town would usually be displayed, but once again, it seemed off from normal. Instead of the lush green fields that would usually be shown, it seemed as if they were replaced with ash. Everything was covered in soot, and it seemed completely uninhabitable. Nothing else showed up on the screen, and going into the main character's house, s mere three words filled both screens.
"Welcome to Fireleaf".
I was confused. I knew the game wasn't supposed to do this, but why was it happening anyway? The game proceeded into the main character's room, which was filled with an eerie fog, and the walls seemed to be painted with an odd graffiti of sorts. The character at the center of the screen, awkwardly enough, looked like the first generation trainer from the original Red and Blue versions. What was going on, and why was it happening to me? That was the only thing I could think of, and yet it happened so fast, I didn't know what else to think of it. I proceeded down the steps, and quickly realized that the game was taking place in that of a 4th generation world. I was beginning to think that I should stop playing the game, but a sudden urge begged me to keep playing, and so I went on.
The game was obviously broken. All anybody would say is exactly the same...fireleaf. The yes and no options were replaced with the words "fire" and "leaf". I had no clue what to think of the game, and yet I was oddly intrigued by the feeling I got from playing the game. At the same time, I was somewhat scared to see what was going to happen. The game was already a nightmare, and I hadn't even been playing for five minutes yet. The main character didn't have a parent, and yet the text box still showed up for the potential character, but the dialogue still wasn't any different. Fireleaf...what did it mean? I wanted to try and ignore it, but I sooner realized that the graffiti on the walls had the inscription of the word on the walls. Whatever it was, and whoever had the idea, I figured they were trying to burn the idea into my head so that I couldn't ignore the fact that it was there. Outside of the house, the screen remained a think gray from the introduction, and nothing could be seen. The text box appeared, and out of nowhere, my name appeared with actual dialogue.
"Caleb. You need to leave. This is
your only chance to get away from
this.
If you don't take your opportunity
now, you'll end up stuck here for
the rest of your life, and you
won't be able to escape.
Please, heed my warning. I had the
game before you, and I know that
you should not have the game.
This is all you need to know."
The gray smoke on the screen began to fade to show a complete wasteland. And, as usual, the same inscription lay on the floor, the walls of the buildings, and even the trees...fireleaf. I directed the character to go north from my location, as my house seemed to completely disappear. Sure enough, it was completely gone, and I figured there was nothing I could do to get it back. I was thinking about the dialogue for a long time, but I never seemed to get anything out of it. I tried to turn the game off, but my DS would remain on, no matter how many times I pressed the power button. I tried to let it die out, but it never seemed to lose its power. I eventually put it down and decided to try and ignore it, but after a couple hours, I noticed that it wasn't in the same place I had put it. It was sitting on the kitchen counter, beckoning me to play it. I took it and through it in a drawer in my room that I never used, but sure enough, it eventually found its way in front of me again. I soon realized that I would be stuck with it until I decided to begin to play it again, but I knew I couldn't. I decided to take the dialogue's advice, and yet, it's still resisting everything I try to follow it. Finally, I cracked, and I ripped the cartridge out of my DS, and smashed it with a hammer in the basement, but to my surprise, the game hadn't stopped. Every part of the game was perfectly fine. I then led the hammer to the DS itself, and smashed it into dozens of pieces. I knew my work was done.
A couple weeks later, I decided to play my PS3, and as I turned it on, to my surprise, the opening screen was much different than before. Just like my DS, the dark blue screen lit up the television, and the same inscripition was there, and it was still illegible. I ignored it and went to play my game, but the only option that showed up was "Play FIRELEAF". I was confused, and I didn't want to have to go through the same thing again. I turned off my PS3 and turned on my XBox, and sure enough, the same thing happened. I tried the same thing with my Wii, and it ended up doing the same thing. I knew something was up with the whole "Fireleaf" thing, but I didn't want to have to deal with it. I ignored every trace of electronics for almost four months, but it eventually caught up to me. Even televisions that weren't even on began to show the dark blue screen, and at that very moment when it started, I knew I had to do something about it.
I went to the closest GameStop and asked the manager about the game, and he didn't seem surprised to hear the complaint.
"You know, a lot of people have been coming to me about the Fireleaf incident lately. I tried it myself, and the game works perfectly fine. I'm not sure how you are all coming up with the same story, but it has to be something of a coincidence. I'm sure there are a lot of people who aren't having the problem, if it were even real..."
I knew he wouldn't be of any help, so I left to try and figure out an answer for myself. The next morning, I turned on the television to watch the Today show, and surprisingly, the top story mentioned an ample amount of reports of the same thing I was dealing with.
"A barrage of children are reportedly seeing a surprising inscription in Pokemon games called Fireleaf, and it seems to be, not only a small amount of people, but it is affecting children on a worldwide scale."
I was surprised that it wasn't just a handful of people that were experiencing the problem. The news continued to report that everybody who tried to play the game stopped, but they reportedly were seeing visions of the fireleaf insription on almost every electronic device in their homes and other places, whether they were on or not. I wondered to myself what would happen if someone were to complete the game, so I went back to the same GameStop and asked the manager about a new DS.
"You know, you're the first to ask about that in a while. You know, I like you, so I'm going to show you the best in the business. This GameStop has a prototype DS in the making that is designed to run over 15 times smoother than a regular DS. If this doesn't help you with anything, then nothing will."
"Thank you very much...where is it at?"
"Oh, don't worry about that, I'll give it to you on the house."
Ten minutes later, the manager came back with a chrome plated box, and it seemed a lot bigger than what a DS would fit in.
"Here you go...good luck, son."
"Thank you, sir."
I took the box and walked out of the store, and noticed that the GameStop sign no longer read GameStop. I took a second look at the sign, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
FIRELEAF.
I put the cartridge in my DS...the thing was already beaten to a pulp, and trying to put a brand new game into it was a big enough challenge, but turning it on was what really tipped me off about the game. As the screen lit, it did not show the usual screen. Instead, the screen lit a dark blue, and it seemed like a message was inscribed in the screen, yet it was completely illegible. As I tapped the bottom screen, I noticed that the only option for the DS menu was to play the game. I was confused, but I thought nothing of it. Little did I know, or was I aware of, the top screen had another illegible message inscribed in it.
The game lit up the scream like a work of art; my mind began to empty, pouring into the game as the main menu shone before me, but I didn't notice all of the options. New Game...Restart Game...Wi-Fi Connection Settings...I didn't see the last option...FIRELEAF. I continued to start a new game, thinking nothing of the restart game option. Just like any normal Pokemon game, the main professor had her rant about Pokemon and whatnot, but something seemed off about the scene. Instead of talking about Pokemon, all she would say was "FIRELEAF". She said the word once in every text box, and nothing else. The Poke Ball she was holding...I knew it would appear with a Pokemon inside, but I was wrong. As the Poke Ball fell to the ground, a plume of smoke began to fill the screen, blurring the professor and the touch screen. The screen continued into a think gray, and the text box appeared one last time.
"FIRELEAF".
The game continued into the opening scene where the town would usually be displayed, but once again, it seemed off from normal. Instead of the lush green fields that would usually be shown, it seemed as if they were replaced with ash. Everything was covered in soot, and it seemed completely uninhabitable. Nothing else showed up on the screen, and going into the main character's house, s mere three words filled both screens.
"Welcome to Fireleaf".
I was confused. I knew the game wasn't supposed to do this, but why was it happening anyway? The game proceeded into the main character's room, which was filled with an eerie fog, and the walls seemed to be painted with an odd graffiti of sorts. The character at the center of the screen, awkwardly enough, looked like the first generation trainer from the original Red and Blue versions. What was going on, and why was it happening to me? That was the only thing I could think of, and yet it happened so fast, I didn't know what else to think of it. I proceeded down the steps, and quickly realized that the game was taking place in that of a 4th generation world. I was beginning to think that I should stop playing the game, but a sudden urge begged me to keep playing, and so I went on.
The game was obviously broken. All anybody would say is exactly the same...fireleaf. The yes and no options were replaced with the words "fire" and "leaf". I had no clue what to think of the game, and yet I was oddly intrigued by the feeling I got from playing the game. At the same time, I was somewhat scared to see what was going to happen. The game was already a nightmare, and I hadn't even been playing for five minutes yet. The main character didn't have a parent, and yet the text box still showed up for the potential character, but the dialogue still wasn't any different. Fireleaf...what did it mean? I wanted to try and ignore it, but I sooner realized that the graffiti on the walls had the inscription of the word on the walls. Whatever it was, and whoever had the idea, I figured they were trying to burn the idea into my head so that I couldn't ignore the fact that it was there. Outside of the house, the screen remained a think gray from the introduction, and nothing could be seen. The text box appeared, and out of nowhere, my name appeared with actual dialogue.
"Caleb. You need to leave. This is
your only chance to get away from
this.
If you don't take your opportunity
now, you'll end up stuck here for
the rest of your life, and you
won't be able to escape.
Please, heed my warning. I had the
game before you, and I know that
you should not have the game.
This is all you need to know."
The gray smoke on the screen began to fade to show a complete wasteland. And, as usual, the same inscription lay on the floor, the walls of the buildings, and even the trees...fireleaf. I directed the character to go north from my location, as my house seemed to completely disappear. Sure enough, it was completely gone, and I figured there was nothing I could do to get it back. I was thinking about the dialogue for a long time, but I never seemed to get anything out of it. I tried to turn the game off, but my DS would remain on, no matter how many times I pressed the power button. I tried to let it die out, but it never seemed to lose its power. I eventually put it down and decided to try and ignore it, but after a couple hours, I noticed that it wasn't in the same place I had put it. It was sitting on the kitchen counter, beckoning me to play it. I took it and through it in a drawer in my room that I never used, but sure enough, it eventually found its way in front of me again. I soon realized that I would be stuck with it until I decided to begin to play it again, but I knew I couldn't. I decided to take the dialogue's advice, and yet, it's still resisting everything I try to follow it. Finally, I cracked, and I ripped the cartridge out of my DS, and smashed it with a hammer in the basement, but to my surprise, the game hadn't stopped. Every part of the game was perfectly fine. I then led the hammer to the DS itself, and smashed it into dozens of pieces. I knew my work was done.
A couple weeks later, I decided to play my PS3, and as I turned it on, to my surprise, the opening screen was much different than before. Just like my DS, the dark blue screen lit up the television, and the same inscripition was there, and it was still illegible. I ignored it and went to play my game, but the only option that showed up was "Play FIRELEAF". I was confused, and I didn't want to have to go through the same thing again. I turned off my PS3 and turned on my XBox, and sure enough, the same thing happened. I tried the same thing with my Wii, and it ended up doing the same thing. I knew something was up with the whole "Fireleaf" thing, but I didn't want to have to deal with it. I ignored every trace of electronics for almost four months, but it eventually caught up to me. Even televisions that weren't even on began to show the dark blue screen, and at that very moment when it started, I knew I had to do something about it.
I went to the closest GameStop and asked the manager about the game, and he didn't seem surprised to hear the complaint.
"You know, a lot of people have been coming to me about the Fireleaf incident lately. I tried it myself, and the game works perfectly fine. I'm not sure how you are all coming up with the same story, but it has to be something of a coincidence. I'm sure there are a lot of people who aren't having the problem, if it were even real..."
I knew he wouldn't be of any help, so I left to try and figure out an answer for myself. The next morning, I turned on the television to watch the Today show, and surprisingly, the top story mentioned an ample amount of reports of the same thing I was dealing with.
"A barrage of children are reportedly seeing a surprising inscription in Pokemon games called Fireleaf, and it seems to be, not only a small amount of people, but it is affecting children on a worldwide scale."
I was surprised that it wasn't just a handful of people that were experiencing the problem. The news continued to report that everybody who tried to play the game stopped, but they reportedly were seeing visions of the fireleaf insription on almost every electronic device in their homes and other places, whether they were on or not. I wondered to myself what would happen if someone were to complete the game, so I went back to the same GameStop and asked the manager about a new DS.
"You know, you're the first to ask about that in a while. You know, I like you, so I'm going to show you the best in the business. This GameStop has a prototype DS in the making that is designed to run over 15 times smoother than a regular DS. If this doesn't help you with anything, then nothing will."
"Thank you very much...where is it at?"
"Oh, don't worry about that, I'll give it to you on the house."
Ten minutes later, the manager came back with a chrome plated box, and it seemed a lot bigger than what a DS would fit in.
"Here you go...good luck, son."
"Thank you, sir."
I took the box and walked out of the store, and noticed that the GameStop sign no longer read GameStop. I took a second look at the sign, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
FIRELEAF.
Part 2 (Coming Soon)
Let me know what you think, and I'm open for any ideas you may have for the future of this story, since I do not have the entire plot planned as of now. Thanks in advance!