This is filler to keep the Chapter 1 thing in the CENTER of the PAGE.

Chapter 1

In the Beginning

Why do I feel so sad?

These were the first thoughts of Coran, when he woke up alone in a grassy field. The second thought, although not quite related to the first thought, was more related to the situation at hand.

Where am I?

The third thought, following the pattern of having nothing to do with the other thoughts, and more following the pattern of someone who had just woken up, was the thought Coran decided would be a good idea to follow through on answering.

Would it be okay to just sleep another five minutes?

Yes, he decided. Yes it would be.

Unfortunately, the field did not share his opinion on the matter.

Squirtle the Eevee had to clear her head. What she was undertaking was not easy in the slightest, and pressure is never a good thing to force onto one's mind. She decided to take a walk. But where? she asked herself. The hiking trail near her house was too rigorous and exhausting, but the beach a bit farther down the path was too breathtaking. She did not need breathtaking. She needed emptiness. Blandness. A place with no distractions, where she could think. She decided on the fields on the west outskirts of town. She had not taken many walks there, and decided now would be a good time to start.

Upon arriving there, she found to her delight that it was both empty and bland. Perfect. She could think without distraction. She went on about the action of thinking and pondering, hemming and hawing, so caught up in her thoughts, that Squirtle (the Eevee) did not notice the small Pokemon she was tripping over, until she got a face full of dirt.

Studies have shown that having an inattentive person trip over you, most likely kicking you in the ribs, before falling over you, inflicting pain over you and themselves, is one of the absolute worst ways to wake up. (Studies have also shown that people are more likely to believe a statement if you put the statement "Studies have shown" in front of it, but I digress.) Needless to say, Coran was not happy about this method of waking up.

"Ow."

"Sorry," Squirtle said. "I wasn't paying attention."

Coran laid on the ground, attempting to lull himself back into a trance, convincing himself that he can fall back asleep if he, ironically, exerted himself hard enough. Sadly, this was not enough, for although undeniably unpleasant, having an inattentive person trip over you is also one of the most effective ways to wake up.

"It's fine," Coran replied, even though he felt that this Eevee interrupting his pattern of rest was anything but fine.

Squirtle was about to head on her way, and resume her thinking, when she abruptly turned around. "What are you doing out here, anyway? Why sleep here?"

Coran was about to answer, but found that he couldn't. He was unable to tell this Eevee why he was here, or why he was sleeping, for that matter. But he had to say something.

"I...um...heard that grass is comfier to sleep on than a mattress, and wanted to try it out. See if it was true."

"What's a mattress?" Squirtle asked.

"What, you don't have them around here?"

"Apparently, no."

"Well, mattresses are a large piece of fabric, usually stuffed with something soft and you sleep on it."

"Oh, okay."

There was an awkward silence among the two. Coran didn't speak because he had run out of things to say, and Squirtle didn't speak because Coran was still on the ground, and hadn't moved. She decided, since she had nothing better to talk about, to address this.

"Why haven't you moved an inch?" She asked.

Coran didn't respond. He was a little shocked. How did I not notice that? He got up, and realized that he was only about a foot taller than this Eevee.

"That's strange..."

"What is it?"

"Well, I imagined Eevees to be a lot smaller. Didn't expect them to be four and a half feet tall."

"I'm not. I'm almost a foot tall."

It was then that Coran noticed his body. Blue paws, a little white section about halfway up each arm; a snout; two long floppy black ears; a blue tail, and two black dog-like legs. He did not go into shock, however, but became even more confused.

"Was I always like this?" He asked himself.

"I'm pretty sure there's no basic form to a Riolu, so probably."

"That's strange," Coran said again.

Squirtle (the Eevee, in case you've forgotten) was a bit put off by this eccentric display before her. She didn't know how to respond. Although her guardians taught her about stranger danger, this Pokemon looked genuine, and she wanted to offer help.

"What's strange?"

Coran laughed lightly, failing to take the situation in as a whole. "I can remember something like mattresses, but I can't remember if I've always been a Pokemon."

Squirtle's eyes grew wide. She hadn't even started helping yet, and she felt she was in way over her head. "Sounds like you have amnesia. How much do you remember?"

Coran closed his eyes, and concentrated. "Mattresses, blenders, board games," He listed, going on.

Squirtle cut him off. "That's great and all, but that doesn't really tell me who you are," she said frankly, taking a mental note to ask what "blenders" and "bored games" were.

"Okay, okay. Um...I remember grass, like this, a house with...two floors. I think I lived there. Uh...two parents...wait, no. One. Where'd the father go? Um...Divorce? Oh...that's sad. Uh...two dogs, and-"

"Wait, did you say divorce? What's that?"

"I think it's when a couple is married, and they don't like each other anymore and split up."

"Sounds like a human practice."

"A human practice? You have humans here?"

"Well, we did."

"Oh." Coran didn't wish to press it any further for the moment. "Well, I guess that means I'm a human turned Pokemon...?"

"It seems that way. Well, glad I could help. G'bye!" Squirtle resumed her walking, glad that awkward encounter was over. Now she could keep on with her thinking.

Coran was left standing there, thinking for himself as well.

I'm a human. A human turned into a Pokemon. I'm glad I got that puzzle solved, but what now? What do I do? Wait until Scotty beams me up back into the human world or something? Coran pondered and pondered. Then he realized that his only guide to this world and the only thing that knows he exists is walking away from him, lost in her own thoughts.

"Wait!"

Squirtle turned around, looking back over the field to that strange Riolu who she thought she was done with. Apparently not. "Yes?"

"W-what's...what's your name?" He asked, obviously out of breath.

"Squirtle." Squirtle replied.

"Uh...okay. Excuse me for saying this, but that's a weird name for an Eevee."

"I know it is. Now if you'll excuse me..."

"Wait! You are the only Pokemon who knows I exist, and I have no idea where to go, and no idea what to do, and I'm here, not home, and I...I...I'm lost!"

Squirtle was shocked by the outburst. She did not expect a Pokemon so calm and collected before to burst out like that. Nonetheless, a puzzle piece clicked into place that seemed to solve her problem. This Pokemon, however erratic, seemed perfect. Riolus were fighting types, and that meant they were strong. Squirtle liked to think she was strong, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

"What is your name?"

"Coran."

"Well, if you want, you could help me with something, and in return, I could give you a place to stay."

Coran jumped at the chance. "Yes! Thank you...I don't know what I would've done on my own...but what do you need help with?"

"A business venture."

Well, that's the prologue. Fun Fact: This story was originally going to have two segments, a human part and a PMD part. I scrapped the human part because that would make it way too long.

This story is part of a trilogy. I have another book in the trilogy up, and you can read it on my profile. But you don't have to. The only reason I'm calling it a trilogy is because the plots relate to each other in a way I won't spoil yet. Each one still works as a standalone story. So you can read all three, only two, or just one. I'm writing them like this because the other two are in different categories (Mario and Kirby) and I don't want people who are only Pokemon fans to suffer because they don't know a Bonkers from a Scarfy. So no, you don't have to read it. But if you're a fan of Mario and Kirby and like this story, chances are you'll like Canon Fodder and Window to the Past too.

Here we go!