handheld pocket dimensions
Dream Ball
You live in Opelucid City. Specifically, you live in the Old District. You love the history, and your community, and the architecture. You work, however, in the New District. You love the rush of progress, and your coworkers, and the architecture. It can be hard, living your life between two extremes, but everyone in Opelucid understands. They live it too.
Sometimes, you wish you had a pokémon partner. Your family never had any pokémon growing up, for various reasons, and so you’ve never had the chance to raise one. Sure, you could petition the Gym Leader, but that comes with an expectation of doing a Gym run. You don’t have the time or interest for that, you just want a partner to spend time with. And maybe to battle with sometimes, but not a whole Gym run!
Also, the Gym Leader would probably give you an axew. While axew are adorable and regarded as good starters among dragon tamers, they're still dragons. They take a lot of effort to raise, and unlike the majority of Opelucid, you’ve never had much of an affinity for dragons, be they true dragon-types or otherwise. You always thought a flying-type would be a better fit for you.
You spend your shift daydreaming about pokémon. Your best friend has a mandibuzz, who you adore, and their rival has a braviary, who’s super cool and strong. Maybe you could ask one of them to help you catch something. You don’t get a ton done, but that’s alright. Everyone has off days, you think, heading home. It’s Friday, so you play a game with a couple of your long-distance friends before going to sleep.
That night, you dream of a windswept sky.
A group of pokémon have lined up. Others gather along the edges of clouds, eagerly waiting for the race to begin. One comes up to you - a gligar. It pulls you toward an empty space in the lineup. You’re a little worried, since you’ve never raced like this before and the other competitors look very fast, but your new friend gives you an encouraging smile.
You race. You don’t win, but that’s alright. Nobody was expecting you to, and you had fun. Gligar waves goodbye and glides off, but you aren’t alone for long. A little ducklett and a yanma enthusiastically greet you, while a grey-purple pokémon you don’t recognize watches silently. An emolga lands in your hair with a cheerful bark. It's nice.
You wake the next morning well-rested and with a vivid memory of your dream. When you mention it to your friend when the two of you meet for breakfast, their brow furrows and they ask you for details. As you explain your dream, they fiddle with their Xtrans, periodically glancing at you with a focused look. When you’re finished, they ask you if you have plans for the day. You don’t, so they ask you to come with them.
One can only get to the place you’re going by flight. You’ve flown with your friend before, but it’s always a bit nerve wracking to have two riders on a pokémon this size. You cling to them and silently bemoan the lack of a flight taxi or ride service in Unova.
When you land in a clearing with a large tree, your friend explains. Apparently a decently-kept secret despite being right in the center of the region, they have brought you to the Entralink - more specifically, they want you to enter the Entree Forest.
What was it they said? You'll find who you dream of.
You cautiously pass by trees that don't quite seem real, getting deeper into a forest that doesn't seem to get any darker. After you pass the third arch, you see it. Your friend from the dream last night, the quick little gligar. It spots you, too, and its face seems to light up.
It rushes up to you, and circles you once before ending up right in front of you. It grins, and you grin back, opening your arms for a hug.
After your hug, it bats at your bag with a trill. When you open it, you see a sort of ball you're sure you've never seen before, pink and magenta. When you pull it out to take a closer look, your friend captures itself before you can even do anything. You startle, and immediately let it out, but it just churrs in your arms and looks at you with such adoration you can't say no. You were dreaming of this, and now that it's happened you're near tears. It chose you, and now you'll have a companion.
When you finally leave the forest, ball in hand, to interrogate your friend who flew you here, they only laugh at you and don't explain a thing.
You name your partner Wish.
Sport Ball
Ethan was, frankly, having a good day. It was bright, and Silver was with him at the beach. Ethan was considering taking a nap, his mantine Bubble was enjoying the waves, Silver was reading a book. There weren’t many people around, just him and Silver and some swimmers a ways from shore, so it was nice and quiet.
And then his Pokégear rang. Ethan sighed, but picked up the call.
“ETHAN,” Kris shouted the moment he answered, “WHERE ARE YOU.”
“Uh. Are you… ok?”
Wild laughter. “Oh, I'm GREAT. Where. Are you.”
“The beach? Rt. 40.”
“Great see you soon!”
Ethan stared at his Pokégear for a moment, then turned to Silver. “They hung up on me.”
Silver scoffed. “What do you think has them so worked up?”
“Well. We’ll find out soon enough.”
A few minutes later, a fearow’s cry cut through the air. Spiffy, Lyra’s fearow, was circling towards them. Lyra, looking lightly confused, was on its back, and in its claws was... Kris.
Kris, who didn’t have a flying-type. Right.
After letting go of Kris the moment it wouldn’t do harm, Spiffy kind of crashed. Nobody was hurt, it was a professional, but it clearly wasn’t used to the extra weight of another person.
Ethan and his friends gathered around Kris, who was holding a poké ball gleefully.
“That’s a sport ball,” Silver said, “Did you win the bug-catching contest or something?”
“DID I EVER,” Kris said, and released whatever they had caught.
A pale green bug with sharp white scythes on its arms buzzed proudly where the ball had released. It shimmered in the bright sun, wind from its wings kicking up the slightest bit of sand.
“A scyther! Neat,” Ethan enthused. “Those are pretty rare!”
Silver and Lyra were being a bit quiet. When Ethan looked at them, they looked completely gobsmacked. Kris was cackling.
“Ethan,” Silver said, voice a bit strangled, “That’s a shiny.”
“Wait, really? It looks... exactly the same.”
“Shiny AND the strongest in the area AND it basically came willingly! I absolutely DESTROYED that contest,” Kris said, manic.
Lyra hummed. “You do realize you’ll never be able to top this, right?”
Kris paused for a second, considering this, then whined, slumping. “I can never do the bug-catching contest again...” Their new scyther went over to ever-so-gently pat them on the back with the side of its scythe.
“You could still do it, you know,” said Silver.
“No. Never again.”
Silver shook his head.
“At least you have a flying-type now?” Ethan said, “You won’t have to get rides from one of us.”
Lyra grimaced. Silver barked a laugh.
“Scyther can’t learn Fly,” Kris said miserably.
Strange Ball
“Nice day for a picnic.”
“It is. Thanks for joining me, you two.”
"Of course!”
“Yeah, anytime.”
“Hey, Dawn. What's that?"
"Hm?"
“That. That ball.”
“What ball? Oh. Huh. I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? What was it doing in your bag then?”
“It wasn’t there when I set out this morning.”
“Strange.”
“It looks kinda weird.”
“It’s a nice color, though.”
“Mhm. Can I see it?”
“I don’t see why not. Oh!”
““Oh?””
“There’s something in it!”
“What?!”
“Let it out then, hurry up already!”
“I am, I am! Yeesh.”
Finally. Hello, Dawn, Barry, Lucas.
“Uh! Hi!”
“You talk?”
“I mean, it’s a Gardevoir. Telepathy is relatively common for them.”
Indeed. I come bearing news, for a certain meaning of the word: Dawn, your cousin is doing fine.
“Akari! You know where she is?”
“Oh, thank Arceus she’s alright.”
...You probably don’t want to be doing that, since it’s Arceus’ fault she’s not here.
“...really.”
“UGHHHHHHH”
“How did Akari get caught up in Legendary nonsense? She’s not even a trainer!”
She’s not? She’s certainly taken to it.
“Huh!”
“What, why is she training pokémon, she’s a history student?”
“Where is she?”
Better question is when.
“When?”
“...Time travel.”
“Time travel!!”
“We already knew time travel was real, we have the Dragon of Time on speed dial.”
“Well, it’s not like I do.”
“Oh, hush. When, Gardevoir?”
200 years ago, or thereabouts.
“...Well!”
“She’s probably having the time of her life.”
“And she is doing fine? Really?”
Really. She’s comfortable, well respected, honored even. She trained me herself.
“Oh! Good, I’m glad.”
“Let me see that ball- level 94?!”
“WHAT?”
Heh.
Mentioned Pokémon
Wish (Gligar) (M)
Ability: Immunity
Gentle Nature
Dream Ball
T: "You"
Bubble (Mantine) (F)
Ability: Swift Swim
Lax Nature
Dive Ball
T: Ethan
Spiffy (Fearow) (F)
Ability: Keen Eye
Bold Nature
Pokéball
T: Lyra
Scyther (M) ★
Ability: Swarm
Mild Nature
Sport Ball
T: Kris
Gardevoir (M)
Ability: Telepathy
Sassy Nature
Strange Ball
OT: Akari
T: Dawn