Author's Note: This story is an original Mystery Dungeon story, and serves as a spin-off to my Pokémon Cosmic Quest series. As such, it contains many original Pokémon from my region of Tenno, created for my Pokémon Luna, Terra, and Sol Versions game concepts. For more information on these new Pokémon, including images and Pokédex descriptions, be sure to visit the Pokémon Cosmic Quest Official Website (find it by searching "Pokémon Cosmic Quest"). There's also episode updates and reviews, character bios, bonus content, and even information on my upcoming Sol Version fan game. Thanks for reading.

Everything is completely black. Nothing can be seen. Through the darkness a weathered and tired voice says, "You know, you and I… we're not that different… We're both fighting for the same thing… We both want what's best…" The source of the voice coughs and then grunts in pain.

Another voice, equally distraught, responds, "No. We are nothing alike…" Cough. "We are different because I know what must be done…" More coughing. "This is the end. Goodbye."

"No! Don't do-"

The blackness is suddenly consumed by an intense flash of blinding white light. There is loud rumble and a fierce roar, as if the world itself is being shaken apart. And just as suddenly as it left, the darkness returns, but is now accompanied by an unnatural silence, the sound of death.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

Cosmic Destiny

Chapter 1: The New World

"No… No… No… Why…?" A Turcell lies unconscious at the shores of lake. Turcell is a small turtle Pokémon colored various shades of orange and yellow. Much of the top of its shell is covered in glossy black panels resembling solar panels. Its nightmare seems to reside, at least momentarily as it becomes still once more.

In a forest clearing, a Kappaqua stands surrounded by three Wimpish, looking ready to fight. Kappaqua is a bipedal aquatic Pokémon, appearing somewhat like a cross between the mythical kappa and a space alien. It's colored blue and purple, has webbed hands and feet, and a fin atop its head. Much of its large head is covered in oversized black eyes.

Wimpish is an imp-like Pokémon colored primarily black and dark purple. From its back and top of its head, what looks to be a phantasmal flow of purple energy with black globules flows like a burning flame. Its eyes seem to glow a vivid crimson.

Kappaqua shouts, "Come at me! I'll take all three of you down by myself! I don't need any help! Come on!"

One of the Wimpish says in a hissing voice, "Are you the one? Are you the Vestige?"

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"We shall find out!" The Wimpish suddenly vanishes from sight, only to reappear behind Kappaqua to attack it with a fist cloaked in shadows.

Kappaqua grunts in pain and quickly leaps around. "Take this! Water Gun!" Kappaqua spits a torrent of water at the Wimpish, but it vanishes from sight once more, avoiding the attack. Kappaqua, attempting to hit any target it can, spins to use its Water Gun on the other two Wimpish, but they too disappear.

Kappaqua cautiously looks around. "Right, I've heard about you, Wimpish. You're made of dark matter, so you can disappear at will. Well, if you want to attack again, you're going to have to reappear! So, what are you waiting for!? I'm right here!"

One of the Wimpish suddenly reappears in front of Kappaqua and attacks with a dark beam of energy. Kappaqua jumps up and over the beam, and counterstrikes with another Water Gun. It hits its mark and the Wimpish is knocked to the ground.

Kappaqua lands and laughs. "Ha! You guys aren't so tough! At least not as tough as me! You're looking at the next Master Ranger!"

While he's gloating, the two other Wimpish reappear behind Kappaqua and each attack with another beam. Kappaqua falls to the floor. He tries to get back up and attack back, but then the third Wimpish also fires a beam at it.

One Wimpish says, "He is clearly not the one. He would have reacted by now if he were."

A second says, "And his power would have been far greater if he were."

The third agrees, "We waste our time with this one." All three of them disappear.

Kappaqua, on his knees, says with disbelief, "They think I'm weak…?" Seeming at war with himself, he murmurs. "I'm not weak…" Then he shouts, "I'm not weak!" He suddenly gets back up and shouts with anger, "Get back here you cowards!" Realizing they won't do that, Kappaqua sighs. Deciding to spin this in his favor, he shouts, "That's right! You better run! The next Master Ranger won't lose to anyone!" He sighs again. He kicks a nearby rock in frustration and says, "Whatever, I'll have plenty of strong opponents once I get off this backwater rock."

After a momentary pause, he pulls out a small object. It looks like a perfectly smooth and round piece of shiny metal. Whatever its purpose is, if any, is not clear. After staring at it for several moments, Kappaqua says, "It's almost time for me to finally embrace my destiny." He pauses again before asking himself solemnly, "But am I really strong enough…?" He shakes his head quickly, puts the metal piece away, and strolls off into the woods.

The Turcell remains passed out. It tosses and moans. It murmurs, "The end… the end has come…"

Then Kappaqua strolls into sight. "What the…?" It runs over to the Turcell. "Hey, are you alright?" He shakes it in an attempt to wake it.

And so Turcell wakes, suddenly screaming in terror, "Nooooooo!"

Kappaqua leaps back in shock. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Turcell pants deep breaths, as if he had just awoken from a nightmare. His eyes are clenched shut. He asks, "Was it all a nightmare? Is that possible? I'm not… dead?"

Kappaqua suggests, "Must have been some nightmare."

Suddenly Turcell leaps up in panic. "My hands! I can't feel my hands!" It looks around frantically.

Kappaqua is beginning to look weary. "Um... buddy… I hate to break it to you… but Turcell don't really have proper hands."

"Turcell?" He looks to Kappaqua for the first time. "Aah! A talking Pokémon! What in the world!?"

Kappaqua slowly backs away, careful not to make any sudden movements. "Um… yes…? You do… know that you're a Pokémon yourself… right…?"

Turcell suddenly freezes. "What?" He runs over to the edge of the water and looks down to his reflection. At the top of his lungs he screams, "Aaaaaah! I am a Pokémon! How is this possible!?"

Some time has passed, and Turcell seems to have calmed down, mostly. Kappaqua is still keeping a safe distance. He asks, "Look, start over. You're telling me you're not a Pokémon?"

Turcell nods. "Absolutely. I'm a human, I swear."

Clearly not believing the story, Kappaqua asks, "Okay Turcell, then how did you become a Pokémon?"

"I… I don't remember…" Turcell's eyes widen. "I don't remember anything! All I know is that I used to be human and that… and…"

"And what?"

"And that I should be dead…"

"Well, Turcell, that clearly is not the case, on either account."

"Would you please stop calling me Turcell? That's not my name."

"Okay, then what is?"

Turcell is about to answer, but then realizes that it can't. "I… I don't know… I can't remember…"

"Then Turcell it is."

Turcell shakes his head as he desperately tries to recall anything at all. "I can't be here. I was in the middle of something important. Something that I had to finish." He shouts in frustration. "The memories! They're all there, I just can't access them!"

Kappaqua gives him even more space. "Is it possible that your amnesia is just giving you delusions? Like you're trying to fill up your lost life with a fantasy?"

Turcell looks angrily at Kappaqua and asserts emphatically, "No, the only thing I know with absolute certainty is that I am a human."

Kappaqua sighs and says sarcastically, "Alright… well… not that I'm not fascinated by the prospect of meeting an actual human… but I have a schedule to keep… and I really should be going…" He begins to walk away slowly, but crashes into another body.

It's a Wimpish. Kappaqua immediately jumps back and prepares to fight. "You again! Come for round two?"

Kappaqua looks around to see the other two appear as well.

Turcell asks with worry, "Who are these guys?"

"No clue, they assaulted me in the woods earlier, but I chased them off." He looks directly at the one he bumped into and says, "I hope you don't plan on running off this time."

Ignoring him, the Wimpish says, "The Turcell, it must be him."

"What, me?"

Suddenly a burst of golden energy momentarily burns around Turcell. He looks very concerned by this. "Wha…? What's happening to me?"

Another Wimpish announces, "It is! He is the one!"

The energy stops and Turcell says, "I'm scared…"

Kappaqua chuckles. "Luckily for you, you're with me. I can take the three of them."

Turcell looks even more worried. "In that case, we might have a problem."

More Wimpish have begun to appear. Now at least twenty of them surround the two Pokémon.

Kappaqua gulps nervously. "Oh…"

One Wimpish says, "Come quietly, we have someone who wishes to meet you."

Turcell, not knowing what to do, suddenly bolts for an escape. He runs right into Kappaqua, toppling him down onto Turcell's back, and he keeps on running with Kappaqua hanging on, riding atop the terrified Pokémon.

Kappaqua shouts, "Hey, wait! Don't run! I never run from a fight!"

But Turcell ignores him and keeps on running as the Wimpish begin their pursuit, disappearing and reappearing as they move.

Turcell weaves through trees and bushes, doing his best not to trip over his two new feet.

Kappaqua looks back and says, "Those Wimpish are still on your tail! There's no way you can outrun them!" Kappaqua looks ahead and suddenly freezes up. "Wait a second… I know this area…" His eyes widen in panic. "Stop! Stop running or we'll-!"

It's too late. Turcell runs through some bushes and right over the edge of a cliff on the other side. The two Pokémon plummet.

Several Wimpish stand at the edge of the cliff and look down. One asks, "What should we do?"

The other suggests, "Some of us will go down, others will wait up here in case they climb back up this way. Though I doubt the odds of that are high."

Drop-Off Canyon 1F

Turcell slowly comes to after the long fall. Kappaqua, standing above him, says, "Good, you're not dead." As an afterthought, he adds, "Not that I should care, after that stunt you pulled. And look where it got us."

Turcell looks around. They're at the bottom of a rocky canyon, so deep that there's little sunlight. "What happened? Where are we?"

Kappaqua says with annoyance, "You sent us straight to the bottom of a Mystery Dungeon."

"A Mystery Dungeon?"

Kappaqua sighs. "Right, how would you remember what that is? A Mystery Dungeon is an abnormality in the fabric of space. It's an ever-shifting labyrinth. Every time you enter one, it's completely different than the last time." Kappaqua looks around. "And you just had to run us straight into one." He sighs. "Oh well, I guess I'll just use this as practice for becoming a ranger." Kappaqua walks off.

Turcell runs to keep up. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm finding a way out. Follow me if you want, but please try not to get in my way."

"Right…" Turcell cautiously follows.

After they've walked for a while, making their way upwards, Turcell notices some movement off to the side. "Huh?" What he thought was a rock turns out to actually be a Geodude. "Hey, maybe he'll know a way out of here. Hey! Over there!"

Kappaqua looks around to see what Turcell's talking about, "No, don't!"

The warning is too late. The Geodude has noticed them and is angrily running at them. It mutters something indecipherable and angry.

Turcell's eyes widen. "Was it something I said?"

Kappaqua leaps forward and declares, "Water Gun!" It launches a torrent of water at the Geodude.

While causing damage, the attack also seems to make the Geodude even angrier. It begins to pick up and hurl rocks at the two Pokémon.

Turcell says to himself, "Alright, well, if I'm really a Pokémon, then I should be able to do this. Go, Flamethrower!" Turcell opens its mouth wide expecting a jet of fire, but instead a few feeble embers come out. "Oh… just Ember… and not a good one at that…"

Meanwhile Kappaqua has created an orb of water between its hands and throws it at the Geodude. "How about my Aqua Bomb!" The orb of water explodes on impact, sending the Geodude running. Kappaqua turns to face Turcell and demands, "What was that? Why'd you alert it to our presence?"

Turcell cowers back. "Well… I thought that maybe it might know and could help us out. It is another Pokémon after all."

Kappaqua sighs. "Wow you're clueless. That was a feral."

"A feral?"

Kappaqua sighs, annoyed at Turcell's ignorance. "Ferals are Pokémon that long ago decided they didn't want to live a civilized life, and instead decided to live like our ancestors, as wild animals. And there's nothing a feral hates more than a civilized Pokémon. I promise you, any Pokémon you see in a Mystery Dungeon is going to be a feral, so don't go calling out them. Got it?"

Turcell nods. They resume their trek. As they walk, Turcell says, "I suppose I should thank you."

"And why's that?"

"Well, for putting up with me. You must have thought I was crazy at first, with the whole human thing."

Kappaqua questions, "Who ever said I don't think you're crazy now?"

Turcell ignores the remark. "If you weren't there when I woke up, I don't know what I would have done. Not that I really know what I'm going to do now, but at least I've gotten past the hard part… or at least I think I have…"

Kappaqua then asks, "I can already guess the answer, but do you know what's up with those Wimpish? They seemed to be specifically looking for you."

Turcell shakes his head. "No, I'm afraid not. Since I don't even belong here, I can't imagine how they would know to look for me." Turcell gasps. "Could they have something to do with me turning into a Pokémon?"

"Unlikely. How about that golden aura? Any clue what's up with that? I've never heard of anything like that before."

"I'm as clueless as you." They continue to walk in silence.

Drop-Off Canyon 2F

As the Pokémon move ever so steadily upwards, a screech is suddenly heard from above. Kappaqua looks up to see a swarm of three Zubat descending to their position. Kappaqua shouts, "Duck!"

Turcell instinctively pulls into his shell, while Kappaqua lowers down close to the ground. The Zubat fly right over them but turn around for another assault.

Turcell emerges from his shell and shouts, "Let's try again! Ember!" Once more in a rather unspectacular display, all Turcell manages is to spit several small embers that quickly fizzle out. "Oh…"

Kappaqua shouts, "Pound!" It leaps up at the closest Zubat and smacks it with his arm. The Zubat gets knocked into the other two.

Turcell cheers, "Yeah, you did it!"

But then the Zubat regain control and resume their attack flight. Kappaqua prepares for another attack, but Turcell jumps in front of it and says, "I'll do it for real this time! Ember!" Perhaps there's a stronger glow to the resulting embers, but overall, it's just as pathetic of an attack as before.

Kappaqua pushes him to side and declares, "Just stay out of the way. I don't need your help. I can do this all by myself. Water Gun!"

The Zubat weave out of the way of the Water Gun, and then all attack by emitting powerful soundwaves from their mouths in a Supersonic attack. Kappaqua leaps to the side to dodge, leaving Turcell helplessly in the way of the attack.

Turcell covers his ears and shouts in pain. "Aaaaaaah!"

Kappaqua has managed to make it to a vantage point above the Zubat, and with them focused on Turcell, is able to surprise them with an Aqua Bomb. Once it explodes, the Zubat fly away in fear.

Turcell looks to Kappaqua with annoyance. "What was that? You let them attack me!"

Kappaqua doesn't seem to think it's that big of a deal. "I told you to stay out of my way. Maybe if you weren't trying to hog the spotlight, you wouldn't have been in the path of their attack."

"Hog the spotlight!? I was trying to help!"

Kappaqua laughs. "Oh, is that what you call that pathetic excuse for an Ember."

More embarrassed than angry, Turcell defends, "Hey, I have no idea how to use a Pokémon move, remember?"

Kappaqua scoffs that off. "Sure. Whatever you tell yourself to feel better. Enough of this, I need to get out of here already."

Drop-Off Canyon 3F

As they've climbed higher, things seem to be getting brighter. Sunlight now shines across much of the dungeon. Kappaqua says, "It won't be long now. We're getting near the top."

Without prompting, Turcell asks, "Kappaqua, you don't believe me at all, do you?"

Kappaqua doesn't hesitate to answer, "Not in the slightest."

Turcell hangs its head. "That's what I thought. I mean, I don't blame you. I'd probably think I was crazy too, if I were in your position. Look, the more I think about it, the more certain I am of it. And also… the more certain I am that before I died, I was doing something extremely important. I know that certainly enough that it's causing me distress to be here instead of there… wherever there is…" He pauses. "I wish there was some way I could prove it to you." Another pause. "What am I going to do once we get out of here?"

Kappaqua looks back at the distraught Pokémon walking behind him but has no words of console to offer. Instead, he looks ahead, resolving to make it out.

Drop-Off Canyon Brim

Turcell and Kappaqua have climbed up onto a relatively large and flat area of ground emerging from the side of the cliff. Turcell looks up and cheers, "Hey, I think that's it! The top of the canyon! We're almost out!"

Kappaqua looks relieved. "Then I'll never have to see you again."

A look of hurt crosses Turcell. It looks to Kappaqua questioningly.

Before any further words are said on the matter, the hissing voice of a Wimpish says, "So, you made it out after all."

Turcell and Kappaqua look towards the source. Three Wimpish block their path out.

Kappaqua shouts, "What is it you want!?"

"All we desire is the Turcell. Let us have him, and you are free to go."

After Kappaqua's previous words, Turcell is frightened as to what Kappaqua might do.

But instead, Kappaqua shouts, "No way! It is my dream to become a ranger! And that means I can't allow harm to come to innocents!" He looks back to Turcell. "No matter how annoying they might be." He gives Turcell a grin, Turcell grins back.

Another Wimpish says, "So be it. We'll just take him by force, then."

Turcell announces, "I won't run again!"

One of the Wimpish shouts, "Shadow Ball!" It hurls a large orb of shadowy energy at both Kappaqua and Turcell.

Both Pokémon leap to different sides to dodge. Kappaqua shouts, "Aqua Bomb!" as it hurls another ball of water. The Wimpish it was targeting vanishes before the attack lands.

Turcell thinks to itself, Now Kappaqua is fighting for me. I can't let it do this alone! I need to help! It then shouts, "Ember!" This time Turcell actually manages a continuous stream of embers. It's still not much, but it does just so happen to hit a Wimpish as it reappears, slightly scorching it. Turcell leaps up and cheers, "Yeah! I did it! I did it!"

While he's celebrating, the Wimpish turns to face him and attacks with a shadowy beam.

Turcell's eyes widen. "Oh no." He quickly pulls into his shell for defense. The beam blasts his shell back against a nearby boulder. He cautiously pokes his head out, looking undamaged. "Wow, having a shell is pretty handy. I could get used to this."

Meanwhile, Kappaqua is tracking the disappearing and reappearing of a Wimpish. He times an attack just right and attacks with Water Gun just as the Wimpish reappears at the predicted location.

Another Wimpish materializes behind Kappaqua to attack with a shadow-covered punch. Kappaqua cries out in pain. "Argh!"

Turcell shouts, "I've got you! Ember!" Turcell launches its embers at the Wimpish, only for it to dematerialize before it hits. Turcell says, "It's no use. As long as they keep disappearing like that, they can dodge any attack!"

Kappaqua says, "That's why we have to keep on attacking! We can't give up! If we keep up the assault, they'll mess up eventually! It's a battle of wills, and that's something I'm certain I can win!" From this, it immediately uses a Water Gun on a nearby Wimpish.

Also inspired, Turcell attacks another Wimpish with Ember, this attack managing to land, but only just barely, as the Pokémon disappears before taking the full brunt.

Before he knows it, two Wimpish have appeared on either side of Turcell, and both attack with their shadowy beams at once. Turcell tries to pull into its shell again, but isn't fast enough, and ends up taking most of the attacks.

Likewise, Kappaqua has just been slammed by the third Wimpish's Shadow Ball. Things are not looking good for the duo.

The Wimpish regroup in front of both Turcell and Kappaqua. The leader announces, "We'll give you one last chance. Surrender Turcell to us and this battle is over."

Kappaqua snidely remarks, "Honestly, it beats me why you would even want him! Guys a bigger pain than he's worth." He quickly follows this up with an Aqua Bomb aimed to hit all three.

The three all disappear together and reappear at angles around Kappaqua. They then relentlessly attack with three beam attacks, but this time they prolong the move into a continuous attack, dealing massive damage to the trapped Kappaqua.

Kappaqua shouts in pain, "Aaaaaaaah!"

Turcell helplessly looks on, still in pain from the previous attacks it took. "Kappaqua!" Suddenly the same golden aura from before flares to life around Turcell. All signs of damage across his body begins to fade away under the brilliant glow. He then shouts, "Ember!" At first, it's just a regular Ember attack, but then more and more embers appear, until there's so much they merge together into a continuous stream of fire more akin to a Flamethrower, and a powerful one at that.

With this new power, Turcell sweeps his attack across all three Wimpish, blasting them back against the canyon wall.

One shouts, "His power! He's not supposed to be able to do that yet!"

Another says, "We've been beaten! We have to retreat!"

The final announces, "You got lucky, Vestige!" All three of them fade away.

The glow around Turcell ceases. Turcell spends a moment trying to figure out what happened, and then remembers Kappaqua. He runs over to him. "Hey, are you alright?"

Kappaqua looks up at him from the floor. "Yeah… I think so…" He winces in pain. "Nothing a few Oran Berries won't fix."

Turcell pulls something out. "Oh, you mean like this?" He holds out an Oran Berry. "I found this while we were travelling through the dungeon. Thought it might come in handy."

Kappaqua eyes Turcell wearily, not wanting to accept the help. He finally decides that he can't refuse the offer, takes the berry, and quickly eats it in one bite. As he chews, he comments, "That was some Flamethrower."

Turcell, obviously proud of itself, grins. "Sure was." He laughs. "Let's try that one again!" He tries to use Flamethrower towards the sky, but only a pathetic Ember appears. "What!?"

Kappaqua laughs. "Guess you just got lucky, then."

Turcell hangs his head in disappointment. "Let's just get out of here." He begins to move forward towards the path leading up. Suddenly, the ground beneath him collapses, sending Turcell plummeting into a hole.

Kappaqua walks up the rim of the hole and looks down into the hole. "Turcell?"

Turcell lands on the ground with a metallic clink. Once he manages to get back up and look around, he realizes that he is in some sort of ruins. The underground chamber looks like a mash-up of a futuristic laboratory with an ancient temple. The massive chamber is made of metal, and has a distinctive technological feel to it, and yet it is set up in ways that imply it was built for style and aesthetics, rather than function.

Upon a second survey of the room, Turcell notices he's not alone. Across the chamber, a figure looks over a wall. Turcell calls out, "Hello?"

Without looking back to Turcell, the figure responds, "Come, examine this mural with me."

Turcell isn't sure how to respond but decides to investigate. He cautiously walks over. Upon getting closer, the figure is revealed to be a Yin-Yang-Xing. It's a quadrupedal Pokémon that's split right down the middle. One side of it is colored a bright white, the other a deep black. The white half looks more canid in form, while the black half is more felid. The white half has a large fluffy tail with a smooth black gemstone in its center, while the black half has a second tail, this one long and skinny. Around its neck is a fluffy mane that's primarily black, with a smooth white gemstone on top of the head. As its name might imply, the overall form of the Pokémon invokes a yin-yang symbol.

The mural he observes looks to be a depiction of the Earth, Moon, and Sun.

Turcell asks, "Who are you?"

Yin-Yang-Xing chuckles. "I am but a humble explorer trying to find his place in the world. And who are you?"

Turcell can't figure out how to answer that. He settles on saying, "It's complicated."

"I'm sure it is."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that we all have such complex identities. One can never properly explain who they are to a stranger."

"Oh… yeah…" Turcell is clearly perplexed. He then asks, "What is this place?"

"A question I was asking myself. The architecture of these ruins… It is clearly human."

Turcell is surprised. He looks around and nods in agreement. "I suppose it is."

"And yet, clearly that is impossible."

Turcell pretends to know what he means, "Yeah… clearly…"

"Tell me, do these ruins speak to you in any way? Do they reveal any secrets to you?"

Turcell looks around, hoping to find something. "No. I don't think so."

Yin-Yang-Xing nods. "Yes, for all its magnificence, it would seem these ruins have little meaning. Thank you for indulging me." He begins to walk away. "There's a ladder near where you fell that should lead you back to where you came."

"Thanks." He says under his breath, "That was strange." Turcell takes one last look around, desperately attempting to discern any meaning he can. When nothing more occurs to him, he turns to leave.

Turcell climbs up out from the hole. Kappaqua, who was sitting on a nearby rock, leaps up. "Woah, you are okay! I was just getting ready to go in after you if you didn't come out when you did. What happened?"

"Oh, thanks. I'm not really even sure myself, what happened."

Kappaqua doesn't know what this means, but shrugs. "Well, now that I know you're fine, it's time for us to go our separate ways. Bye."

Kappaqua begins to leave, but then sees the depressed look Turcell gives him. Turcell says, "Going our separate ways would imply I have a way to go." He pauses. "I'm alone. I have no one and nothing. Not even my own memories. I don't know where to go from here."

Kappaqua sighs and says to himself, "I just know I'm going to regret this later…" He then says to Turcell, "Look, I guess you can come with me. I'm going to a station. They'll have doctors there who can help you with your… condition…"

Turcell grins, ignoring Kappaqua's intended meaning of the last part. "Thank you. I owe you so much already."

"Look, just letting me be after we get there is all I need in return."

Turcell nods. "It's a deal."

"Alright then, follow me."

Kappaqua leads Turcell through the woods to a clearing. Sitting in the middle of the clearing is what can only be described as a spaceship. Turcell stops dead with shock the moment he sees it. The ship has an overall cone shape with several fins around the boosters on the rear and is about the size of a large car. It's painted a dull red, and is covered with various scratches and dents, making it look fairly run down and worn out.

"Is that a spaceship!?"

Kappaqua looks offended. "I know it looks like a hunk of junk, but I promise you it flies smoother than anything you've ever been in. I've been tinkering with it all my life. It even has a class four hyper engine. Sure, it's not as new and fancy as the class six, but I've augmented it to go even faster than the most state-of-the-art hyper engines. I call her the Destiny, as she's going to fly me straight to mine."

"Are you telling me when you said station, you meant an orbital space station?"

Kappaqua laughs. "An orbital space station? Around this backwater rock? Yeah right. We're going to the outer galactic core, to Pokémon Station."

"Interstellar? We're traveling to another solar system?" Turcell is in a state of utter disbelief.

Kappaqua laughs some more. "What's next? Are you going to tell me you think we're on Earth?"

This hits Turcell even harder. "We're not on Earth…?"

Kappaqua sighs in exasperation. "Something is wrong with you." He takes a deep breath. "Come on, let's get you to those doctors." They climb through a door into Destiny.

As the ship takes off, Turcell voices over, "Ranger Log, day 0, addendum entry. I didn't realize it at the time but stepping on that ship would become the single most impactful moment of my life… at least, the life I can remember. It was that step that helped me to leave my old life and embrace my new. I had quite the adventure that day, but it was nothing compared to the adventures that were to come… the adventures of my cosmic destiny."

To Be Continued…