Hello readers, and welcome to Vines & Briars. Like many of previous works, you might find a bit more insight about what's going on in the world of this story if you've read my previous Pokemon stories (Note: Sorry about discontinuing Call of the Sea, I just couldn't find inspiration for that story).

Also, this is offically my first fan-fict involving 5th gen pokemon! Hurray!

Now for my usual disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Gamefreak and Nintendo among other companies. My characters are my own original creations but any pokemon they are, are property to the companies that make the games, anime, and all that stuff.
Sure, they could sue me for copyright, but this is fan-fiction and I doubt it would be worth their time.

Lastly: the cover-art is the creation of All0412 from DeviantArt. A nicely done piece of work.

With that said: I hope you all enjoy!

Vines & Briars

Prologue: Entering a New World

"Hello there, you've had a rough time of it lately, haven't you?"

Huh? Where is this…?

"Oh, don't mind that. This is the entrance to a different world than the one you're used to… or from for that matter."

A different world, huh? Sounds interesting… Why can't I seem to remember anything right now?

"Again, don't mind that. You'll remember when we're done here but you won't remember this little conversation we had. I just need a favor from you and then I might be willing to let you try your old world again, alright?"

A favor? What favor? And what do you mean anyways by "trying my old world again"?

"Just a little task. Something I could try and handle myself, but it's sort of a big problem that isn't big enough to warrant my sort of power, if you get what I'm saying. Let's see if you can handle it just as well, hm?"

Um…

"That's the spirit! Now then, just a quick few questions for you. No pressure, just answer me honestly on each one, alright? I want to make sure you feel well-suited in this new world you're about to enter."

Erm… sure… let's hear it. Though I have hardly any idea what's going on…

"Right! First question: A friend of your takes a spectacular fall. How would you react?"

Hm. I might chuckle a little over it, but I would lend them a hand getting up. We all fall down sometimes.

"Alright. Next: Do you see yourself as really 'cool'?"

Sure. I'm a nice guy and all, I'm sure of that much.

"Okay. Say you're sharing a cake with a group of friends and you notice there's a piece leftover afterwards. What would you do?"

I'd ask if anyone wants it first. If not, I'll help myself to it.

"Say you're in a track-race and you trip at the start and fall on your face. What would you do?"

Get up and just sprint to catch up. Just 'cause I screwed up at the start is no excuse to quit.

"A friend invites you over for dinner. How would you react?"

That's nice of them, of course I'd accept. Heck, I'd offer for them to eat over at my place first.

"Alright… now, you're confronted with a complex puzzle. How would you handle it?"

A puzzle? I'd take my time on something like that and try to solve it carefully.

"Say someone else gets in trouble for something you did. Would you admit to your wrong-doing?"

Yes. If I did something wrong, I should be the one to be punished for it. Not someone else.

"What if you were faced with a very cruel-looking person, threatening one of your friends? How would you react?"

I might get hurt, but I'd face them to defend my friends.

"You're tangled up in a lot of string and it's difficult to move. What do you do?"

I'd try to get myself loose, even if it takes a while.

"Finally: What kind of person is a real friend to you?"

A real friend? A real friend is someone who helps whenever they're needed. And anytime they can help.

"Alright. That's about all I need to know. Thank you for answering sincerely. You seem… to be the generous type. You're really selfless. You give everything you have to everyone around you and you certainly don't spare the horses on that, do you? As far as you're concerned, what's yours is also your friend's if they need it. Of course, you won't stand up for trickery or misconduct if you see it, but you have to be careful that others don't take advantage of you. You also need to be careful to take care of yourself as well. But in the end, you make lots of friends… because they know they can count on you for support when it's most needed, and that makes you a great friend all around.

"Because you're so generous… You'll be a Snivy!"

Huh? What-?

"You'll see in due time. You can do this! Now get out there and work hard at it!"