2 A Red Hot Start

Walking into the Pokemon Center I find several young teenagers scattered about the white tiled lobby. Some are watching what looks like a news program on tv, others are minding their various pokemon.

The variety is stunning, there are pink Wurmples, the blue water rat thing, Marill, even that ridiculous pineapple, Ludicolo.

I probably shouldn't stand around staring!

Walking over to the counter I don't find the expected Nurse Joy. Instead its a blonde young woman with her nose buried in a thick textbook.

As soon she sees me approach, "Hi there! My name is Cindy, how can I...What happened to you?! Are you alright?!"

Hmm, well I could put on an act again, but I don't think that really solves anything.

I'll just get to the point, "Well you see Miss, I just woke up like this. Almost drowned off the beach nearby. I can't remember what happened for the life of me, and even worse I can't even remember my name!"

"Oh you poor dear!" She gasps, "Follow me upstairs, you can shower up in one of the empty rooms and I'll have the manager comp you a night. We can grab you some clothes from the lost and found. Once you've cleaned up, come down and I'll have the Doc look at you."

Well I'm not too proud to deny a bit of charity in this crazy situation. After following her to a staff area, I pick out a rather nice red jacket, grey shirt and jeans. Another bin actually has a pair of grey hiking shoes that fit me. Cindy assures me it's all been washed.

The room upstairs feels like a standard, budget hotel. King size bed, small desk with a lamp, closet and bathroom.

In the shower I run over everything I know about the pokemon games in my head. I've got the Blue version critters easy, it's the rest that's a problem. Some scenes from the endless seasons of anime come to mind. Might have to study up that whole type chart thing at a minimum.

I need some kind of basic plan to start, I highly doubt there is some convenient method of returning home...wherever that was.

Sighing, "We'll at least it wasn't some crazy fantasy world where my life is on the line or a freaky sci-fi monster world... well it is but... whatever. This is all gonna be kid stuff right? These people kick their kids out to roam the nation when they're ten!"

The hot water washes away the exhaustion. Strangely, I feel really good, as if I was only barely in the water for a few minutes earlier.

Maybe I should be freaking out more, but no, this is figure shit out time. Solve one problem, then the next.

This isn't a video game either. That means I need a place to stay, food, and income. I don't have time to worry over the what ifs right now.

"Suck it up eh?" A small laugh escapes me as I turn off the shower.

Once back down in the lobby I see that most of the trainers have gone to their rooms for the night.

Cindy walks over, "Come on back. Doctor Lacy will give ya a look over."

As we head down a hallway you'd find in any hospital, I see open doors to rooms containing all sorts of space age looking equipment.

"How is all this stuff paid for?!"

Cindy gives a single laugh, "You must have really hurt your head to forget how painful taxes are! Well, there's also the percentage of league profits."

We enter a room that actually looks normal. Outfitted with the standard stuff humans would need in a clinic.

A redhead gal closer to my own age as far as I can tell... Alight she's gorgeous, like movie star level. My opinion might be swayed by the fact that underneath the classic white lab coat is a silky green dress with deep lines and… did she spill something on her lap?

Her golden eyes look me up and down, "Since when do drowning victims look like magazine models?"

Speak for yourself lady!

Struggling to not look like a teen asking a girl to prom, "Good evening Doc, sorry if I pulled you away from home?"

She waves her hand with a bit of a snort laugh, "Nonsense, I live next door. Most folks know where to find my family, the Cutters. Sit down and let me check your noggin." Cindy hands her a clipboard of paperwork, "Thanks. Besides, if ya didn't guess by the dress, I was on a dumpster fire of a date anyway."

Our resident nurse scowls, "He seemed so nice though!"

"He wouldn't shut up about his glory trainer days. Then he spilled my drink going on about a gym battle."

I plop down on a stool and watch as she walks over and takes my pulse, and looks in my eyes.

She must know that from this angle, the neck of her dress is hanging quite dangerously.

The doctor grabs my chin with a smirk, "A friend from Kalos gave me this dress. Works a bit too well."

"Well, I'll be sure to thank your friend on behalf of every man out there…" What? What am I saying?! That was stupid as shit!

Her laugh sounds like she could be a professional singer, "Well, if the wine doesn't come out, I won't miss it. Tilt your head down."

I follow instructions as she combs through my hair looking for any bruises or bumps I guess.

She sighs, "Hmm, well there doesn't seem to be anything up here. Do you really not remember anything or are you just using a new idea to pick up single ladies?"

The nurse speaks up from the door, "Chancey would have given him a Pound if he was messing with us."

Ya, I'd rather not find out if that Pokémon's fists are fluffy as they look.

"I really don't remember anything past an hour or so ago. I didn't even remember about pokemon till I was startled when I walked into town."

The doctor frowns, "That sounds pretty serious… I can run a scan on your noggin, but that isn't free. Otherwise I don't see anything to be concerned about other than your wandering eyes. You can check around town tomorrow and see if anyone recognizes you."

With a shake of my head, "I'll keep it in mind but I figure the locals downstairs would have recognized me if I was from around here. Say I come up empty on finding any clue who I am, what should I do?"

So how does a guy get started in a whole new world?

She smiles, "Charm a nice unmarried gal into adopting you, get a job and start over. Or, you can just wing it until you find someone who recognizes you. Play at being a late blooming trainer, who knows, maybe you're a natural and make it into the league. Being on tv across the nation would surely be the best way to get found by someone who lost you."

As she sits back, the slit of her killer dress spills away from a pair of perfect legs.

"Well I like the sound of that first part of option one." Alright this is a serios conversation damn it. "Being completely broke makes the trainer route seem rather rough starting out. I certainly don't know the ins and outs of obtaining a starter."

"For sure," Lacy nods, "There's no way you can pass off as young enough to use the government program like the kids to get a starter pokemon." Her judging gaze takes another pass over me, "How bout this? Tomorrow morning I'll take you out and help you catch something to get ya started."

"Thanks Doc, too bad that dress isn't fit for hiking." That's it, she's a witch. She's turned me into an idiot that can't keep his mouth shut.

"Ya know, you should be careful, most gals will get offended if you think they'll date any hot guy who happens to wash up on the beach." Her cheshire smirk says she knows I'm hooked, "Get some sleep, I'll see ya in the morning…" the pen pauses on the paperwork, "You're going to need a name I suppose… you feel like a Burt, or a James. How bout Brad, Chad, no, Kurt!"

I mean, who wouldn't want the same name as Snake, I just need an eye patch and leather jacket, "Kurt sounds great, good night Doc."

Cindy leads me out and back to my room with only a quick, "Good Night!" The sound of her dashing back down the hallway suggests workplace gossip is a thing in every world.

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In the morning, I'm woken up fairly early with a knock on my door.

Doc Lacy has on a slim hiking jacket and shorts. Her hair in a loose braid that catches the beams of sun coming in the hall window.

"Morning Doc," maybe I can get through today with some measure of charm, "I thought we were gonna catch me a pokemon, you look set to find a young guy instead."

Or not.

"No need for that," Her smile is full of mischief, "I'm bringing you with me after all."

I surrender, she wins.

Out of her bag comes a signature, red and white pokeball, "Now I'm assuming you'll need to owe me for the cost of a ball at least?"

Holding up the net ball, "Nah, some kid dropped this on my way here yesterday. Let's get to it!"

We head east out of town, the sign reads Route 116. The only other person we see is a fellow on his way to work. He poorly hides his eyes checking out Lacy's outfit.

She grins, "Morning Jerry!"

The guy actually trips and eats dirt. He quickly gets up and nervously waves before briskly walking off towards one of the larger buildings in town.

Lacy points at it, "That's the town's fossil lab. Once you've earned a bit and found a fossil, come back here and they can clone the DNA into an egg to hatch a pokemon."

Our chatting wanders pointlessly as she fills in the blanks of my memory of the pokemon world. I finally manage to hold a conversation without defaulting to bad flirting. Not that she ever seemed to mind.

I learn more about the town and the locals. Some of it ringing bells with memories the anime.

Nearly a half hour later, and we're square in the midst of a lightly wooded area near a mountain side. Tall trees line the trail as she signals to me that it's time to quiet down.

A light breeze passes us by, a few Taillow fly over us, playfully performing acrobatics in the morning sky. It still shocks me every time I see another Pokémon.

Moments later a Zigzagoon waddles onto the trail. Like a much more adorable version of a trash panda.

Lacy chants, "Go, Archy!"

With a flash, the sound of a bird caw is followed by the appearance of a bird like, small dinosaur, an Archen.

Small yellow feathers fall behind him as he dives through the air to cut off the raccoon pokemon's escape with a vicious stare.

She shouts, "Nice Leer, give it a Quick Attack! We'll try for a one shot."

I take out my net ball to be ready. It's not the matching type of pokemon but I don't have room to be picky.

Zigzagoon barely manages to dive away from the crazy fast dino bird.

As I'm caught up in the action, I feel something fuzzy land on my neck sending a shiver up my spine.

Glancing over my shoulder I spot something small, red and hairy, "Holy Shit! What the Fuck!"

I swat at it and jerk my body around trying to get the giant bug off of me.

In my flailing I suddenly smash my forehead into a tree branch. As I fall to the ground a quick flash of light blinds me.

Lacy runs over as I try get my bearings, rubbing my head.

"Are you alright?! The Zigzagoon passed out but when I turned around you smashed into the tree!"

Slowly I sit up, the raccoon thing is also getting up and about to get away.

I quickly grab the net ball off the ground and throw it. It opens with a flash of light and reveals a spider the size of my head with only four legs and shiny red hair. It simply lays on its belly, clearly just as dizzy as I am.

The doc yelps, "When did you catch a shiny Joltik?! Just now?"

My head throbs with pain as I shrug, "I guess, I just felt it land on my back and I looked back to see a creepy hairball."

She plops onto her butt and knees, "No way! Do you know how many researchers would kill for luck like that."

Still massaging what will be a nasty bump on my head, "Tell them I recommend smashing their head against a pine tree."

"How traditional." Lacy laughs as she looks at the cut on my hairline, "Let's take it back and patch the both of you up. Oh, you should give it a name! Everyone names their first pokemon."

I pick up the little thing, it seems fairly docile. Sitting in my palms, it looks at me with watery eyes, clearly blaming me for the pain of running us both into a tree.

"Is it male or female," I ask.

Lacy gives it a quick check between the legs, "It, is a She, and a gorgeous one at that."

Well I agree the hairs have a very clean, metallic red sheen, "It's an electric type right? I'm gonna call her Tesla."

"I like it." Lacy nods, "Well, looks like you've got your starter Kurt!"

The little Joltik seems to nestle into my hands, I guess she likes the name.

I hold up the net ball and press the button and return Tesla inside.

If only the moment wasn't totally spoiled by something sharp digging into my head.

Squatting back onto the ground, "Hey doc, do I have anything in this cut, it stings like crazy!"

She leans in front of me and pulls my head closer to check.

Gentle fingers comb through my hair, pilling a rather large sliver. Then there's a slight glint to her golden eyes, "So, isn't this the part where you sneak a kiss or am I gonna have to push you down myself?"

Before I can process a response she leans in and seals my lips with hers. My brains completely stalls.

She takes a breath, "you can't be this hot and suck at kissing!"

"Well excuse me for not expecting a kiss on the first date!"

"Shut up and try again!"

"Yes Maim."

Unfortunately, movement from a nearby bush catches my eye. The Zigzagoon is back, glaring, and it brought a few snarling friends.

Quickly tapping Lacy's hip, "I think we're gonna need to make this a house call instead Doc."

"What?!" She looks back where I'm pointing, "Ah, Skitty Shit."

Really?

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