Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina or Pokémon. Kinda wish I did because having mutated super monsters at my beck and call would be damn awesome. Oh look, here come the flam- (incinerated by irate fans)

From Ronin to Master
Chapter 1: It's a Whole New World You Live In
By Irritus185

The air was floating around on a soft breeze, mingling amongst the branches of the forest with a soft and careful 'hello' and 'goodbye.' It was quiet inside of the foliage, various creatures shifting around, completing their daily tasks without a care or knowledge of the foreign variables around them. What did it matter to them what came into their domain? Unless it was one of those blasted trainers, they had no concerns or worries. And even if they did, it would be rather dumb to try and capture them when they were surrounded by their protective brethren.

No, better to just sit and wait and see what would happen.

A groan filtered through the air. Inside of a small clearing that pushed its way through the dense underbrush, the young man scratched his head, looking around with a dull and exasperated gleam in his eyes. What was going on now?

He removed his thick rectangular glasses, rubbing his eyes with a balled up fist. Squinting, he replaced the frames and craned his neck to stare at his environment. Okay, so he was in the middle of the forest now. Nothing too serious…His brain worked listlessly under the mounds of brown hair, trying to figure out what had happened. Normally it would be on full overdrive, but for some inexplicable reason the man couldn't find himself to be aware yet.

He rubbed his chin. Okay, so things were going just fine that morning. The life of Keitaro Urashima was predictable in its unpredictability…and sheer horrific beatings.

Wake up, get dressed, leave the room, get beaned in the head with a double kick by Sarah and Su. Make way down to kitchen, greet Shinobu as she cooks breakfast, trip over stray pot that had fallen to the floor, fall on top of Shinobu, cause her to cry, have both Naru and Motoko start the daily bashings with a Naru Punch and ki strike sending him on a complimentary trip of the Stratosphere Express. Eat breakfast, clean the springs, deal with a drunk Kitsune sexually molesting him before extorting her monthly sake dues, get beat by Naru and Motoko again due to sexual molestation as though her were the guilty party. Go to Haruka's tea shop, complain to his aunt, get smacked by her paper fan, have Mutsumi pass out on him, beatings again. Eat lunch, study with Naru and Mutsumi, get blasted with Su's new dimensional transport ray and get transferred to a different plane of existence. Go to-

Wait, back up a second there.

Keitaro's normally atrophied logic section of his brain gave a small sputter, smoke filtering out and allowing the cogs to begin locking into each other. They turned, realization starting to dawn in his mental landscape as the previous incident played back like some sort of pathetic comedy…

FRTMFRTMFRTMFRTMFRTM

The sun had just begun to set over the horizon, allowing a wonderful palette of hues to stream into the unlucky landlord's room. He had just finished placing several bandages over the wounds that were more reluctant in their healing. Of course, said wounds would probably cripple the average man but Keitaro could never be described as the average man.

Oh no, somebody up there hated him far too much to give him that small respite.

He sighed, thinking back on the day's erratic events. It was ironic that he had become used to such chaos when all he wanted was to live a normal Japanese life – get into college, get a good job, and marry the perfect Japanese woman, the promised girl of his childhood.

Instead he was the owner of probably the most dangerous habitat on the planet, populated by the scariest and most volatile species of all – the teenage female.

It wasn't that he did not like the girls. He loved them with all his heart. Though he had been there for only a year, they were like his family – the type of family you hide from close friends and hope to god never figure out the lock to the room in the basement they reside in – and he was happy to know that he had people close to him. Nevertheless, there were times when he wondered just what chemicals and hormones worked through their-

His thoughts were interrupted when his door was blasted off the wall, twirling before the thin sheet of paper slammed him with such force that it got stuck somewhere between his waist and chest. He gave a silent cry of desperation. Why, oh why did this happen? He was burning through the inn's funds like crazy having to replace all the broken doors, walls, ceilings, floors and various other fundamental structures.

"Hey, ronin! Got something to show ya!"

He turned his head to see a wildly grinning Su standing in what used to be the doorframe to his room. 'Used to' being the keyword as it now was now nothing more than a tangled and charred scrap of wood, paper, and what could be metal. The foreign girl's smile was infectious, despite what she had just done and also what it usually entailed for the hapless man. He gave a weary smile back at her.

"What is it, Su? You have a new invention you wanted to show me?" A different thought raced through him. Or use on me?

He eyed the contraption that was clutched in her petite, tanned hands. It looked like it was another one of her ray guns. It was about half a meter in length, the barrel tapering before expanding a bit more into a small dish. Its handle was huge with at least a dozen random knobs and buttons that were haphazardly placed in no discernable fashion. He noticed that a small hose was attached to the back and wound itself down before trailing out of his room and down the hall.

The junior high school student's grin became even larger, and she bounded into his room, leaping onto the man and bowling him onto his back. Keitaro's cheeks flushed at the way she straddled him, but his eyes stayed firmly stuck on her face. With the amount of times she did this to him he was already starting to become used to it.

Su laughed at his expression. It was always so, so, SO much fun to play with Keitaro. Being around him was never boring. She crawled off of him, allowing Keitaro to sit up. She nodded proudly.

"Yup! This is my brand new invention – the Dimensional Transport Ray Mark II!"

Keitaro blinked, his voice coming out as a drawl when he realized something. "And what happened to the first version?"

He immediately knew he hit the target when Su's eyes widened for a second before she giggled sheepishly and wrapped her arms around the back of her head. "I wonder…Guess it was a failure?" She glanced at him with a cute look on her face, hoping to disarm him. She had discovered that most of the tenants could get away with pretty much anything if they pleaded to Keitaro's soft side enough. While she was never one to do so, she found that it was kind of fun to play like this with him every once in a while.

His brows furrowed. "Su…"

She laughed weakly. Though Keitaro was an idiot and a softie, he was gradually becoming accustomed to the crap that the girls put him through. Because of this, there were times when even he grew a backbone and demanded (in as nice and meek a way as possible) that they pay for the trouble they made. This was one of those times.

"I messed up with the regulator on the first one. Too much power rushed in at once and overloaded the volt capacitor so the entire gadget flushed out the excess energy by way of a sudden and irreversible meltdown."

He hardly understood half of what came flying out of her mouth but he got the basic gist. After all, it was the inevitable fate of most of Su's inventions when she was just learning, and had already perfected, its structure and functions.

"So it exploded?"

"Pretty much."

He hung his head and started to sob quietly. "So that's why Shinobu was complaining about the draft whenever she climbed past the third floor to the roof."

Su placed the gun on the floor and wrapped her arms around his head, patting it like he was some sort of pet. "There, there," she cooed. "The explosion wiped out that evil goo monster I created last Tuesday. We don't have to worry about it consuming all of Japan and then the world now." Her voice made it seem like what she had just said was nothing to worry about.

Resisting the urge to smash his head against the wall, Keitaro pried Su off of him and made her sit back down in front of her. Sighing, he waved his hand and said, "Fine, fine. Just tell me where the damage is and I'll go fix it up. But for now, tell me about this new dimensional translocator thingy."

The grin reappeared on her face. "That's the Dimensional Transport Ray Mark II," she corrected heartily. "I got the idea when watching that new anime. You know, the one where people jump from world to world to stop the ultimate evil from wiping out all existence?"

"You mean the one with…" He trailed off, desperately trying to hide the blush. Scientists were not supposed to wear those types of clothes. What kind of person performed dangerous experiments in a mini-skirt, fishnet stockings, and a corset? Oh wait, the otaku kind… "Nevermind. Go on, what does it do?"

Su nodded. "Well, it has to do with…Wait, do you know anything about quantum physics?" His answer was a blank look. "String theory?" Same thing. "M-theory?" An even blanker stare. "Any kind of theory involving space-time mechanics?"

"Su, not everyone is a genius mad scientist like you are."

"But it makes everything so much easier and fun!" She blanched at the annoyed look forming on his face. "Oh, poo. Well, do you at least no know about parallel universes?"

He tilted his head to the side. "You mean where there's an infinite amount of universes just like our own but with subtle differences so that no two are exactly alike?" He wasn't completely clueless. Proudly he thought about all the other things he knew. Whether they would ever be useful except in situations like this he did not know but still, at least they were on tap.

Su clapped her hands together in glee. "Exactly! For instance, in one universe, the shogunate might have won over the loyalists. In another, electricity could have been discovered by someone other than Ben Franklin. You could even be popular with the girls and not such a dumb, failure-ridden ronin!" She missed the change in his expressions. Then again, she never was one to think about people's feelings too much or consider the consequences of her actions. She followed the train of thought of blast first and then blast again…and again…and again…and again…

"In any case, there could be any number of parallel universes just like ours, and they exist on planes right next to each other. Think of it like a soap bubble. The constant fluctuation of colors signifies the constant changing and shifting of dimensions over, across, and through each other. The only reason they don't mix is because each plane exists on a slightly different region of space-time, even if it's only by a fraction of a nanometer or nanosecond. However, there are times when the resonations of these barriers allow some of these universes to meld with each other to create certain effects on each of them. They could range from nothing to natural disasters on planets due to the sudden geological, climatic, and magnetic shifts in the natural order of the world. It could even cause special distortions and cause quasars or nebulas!

"The Dimensional Transport Ray Mark II purposefully observes, regulates, and manipulates the flow and resonation of these dimensions, causing certain universes to "come in tune" and allow transference of bio-electricity and astral signatures from one of the dimensions to the other. Also, the very concept that…"

Keitaro tried to make sure his eyes didn't have too glazed of a look in them or that his jaw wasn't slacked as Su continued to ramble on about the semantics of space-time oscillation between minus and plus variations of the infinite factor on gravity-based travel and the biological inference it would have on various organic bodies as compared to the crystalline structures of inorganic objects. He honestly had no idea what the little technology terror was going on about, but it was clear that she put a great deal of effort and research into this one experiment regardless of the fact that she was spouting things at a level no barely pubescent teen should even try to explore.

He noticed Su was winding down as she began to stumble over her explanation over the vibration of the electrical and magnetic signals of large celestial bodies and decided to put an end to the long-winded explanation. The strained look on her face was simply adorable, something he usually only saw on Shinobu, and he had to stop himself from chuckling when the girl started to scratch her head in frustration.

"It sounds like a pretty neat invention, Su. What are you planning to do with it?"

She perked up at his question. "Think about the possibilities! We could see what may have happened if we had chosen something else. The culture that could have originated from a different decision, or the technology that could have come from it as well; we could learn from them. The results are endless and all it requires is the pull of a trigger and several tons of dark matter!"

Keitaro almost asked what that was, but realized she had probably explained while he had zoned out. It would not do to discourage her with that simple question. He nodded in agreement. "That sounds great!"

"It is, isn't it?! And there's only one little favor I want to ask of you…"

"What is it? I'll do whatever I can to try and help."

"Let me test it on you."

"Sure! You can…Eh?" He opened his eyes from their congenial smile and stared at Su. She had her hands clasped together, a large, hopeful smile plastered across her face. Her eyes were shining and he could see her fingers itching to use the invention. His self-preservation instinct instantly came online, synapses firing wildly to try and find a way out of this suddenly perilous situation. "What did you say?"

"Let me test it on you…please…?"

"Didn't you just say the last one exploded?!"

"Yeah, but this one didn't! I've even had some tests already on inorganic and organic material!"

He stopped rising from his sitting position on the floor. Slowly, he eyed the girl skeptically, his voice rich with suspicion. "Really? And what were they?"

"A rock and an apple," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"And now you wanna test it on me?!"

"But I need data on human subjects! I don't know what kind of effects they could have on such a complex organism. The Dimensional Transport Ray Mark II has to be calibrated specifically to each bio-electrical, magnetic, astral and other signal to make sure that the resonation is correct and doesn't result in failure."

"But I don't wanna be a guinea pig!"

"Please, Keitaro! You're the invincible Keitaro! If anyone can withstand a complete rearrangement in their sub-atomic structure, I know you can!"

"Yeah, or turn me into a heaping, steaming pile of ronin goo! No way!"

"Please, please, please! If you let me do this, I promise I won't perform any surprise experiments on you for the next three months!"

That caused him to stop. One, the surprise experiments were really starting to wear on him, both physically and mentally. Having suspicious chemicals and potions forced on you like you were nothing more than a lab rat took its toll after a while. That sentient wart was dangerous when it got its err…"hands" on her positron freeze ray. And the body modifications were no picnic either. He still remembered the last time Su had tried to convince him to let her graft a bionic drill in place of his left hand. He didn't care it would help with his archaeology trips with Seta, he loved lefty!

Two, the fact that Su was actually asking him to do this instead of just forcing it onto him showed that it was really important to her. Normally she would just shove him into a machine and pull the switch, but instead she was actually attempting to broker a deal with him. Just that simple detail allowed Keitaro to make yet another stupid but kindhearted choice in a long succession of such.

He sighed and forced a smile onto his. Standing up, Keitaro nodded. "Fine, if it means that much to you, I'll let you test it on me."

A huge smile blossomed across Su's face. With a loud squeal, she hugged the man around his stomach before bouncing back and effortlessly lifting the large gun. Locking it onto her shoulder, she pivoted on her foot, aiming the barrel at him. She gave a small warning as she snapped a snazzy pair of goggles over her eyes. "Now, if you feel a slight tingling, don't worry, that's normal. It's just your body being shoved through multiple dimensional tears each the size of a molecule. Should be just fine…"

A thought came to Keitaro as his stomach began to produce a feeling of vertigo. "Su, what happened to those previous subjects?"

She flipped a few levers, the gun beginning to hum and pulse with energy. The hose pumped some unknown object into the ray, and a whirling of gears followed. "Hmm? Oh, they got transported."

He knew he would regret asking this question, but he had to know. "Where?"

Su smiled. "Don't know," she stated as she flipped the last safety switch, priming the gun. Her finger tightly gripped the trigger. "Probably to one of those planes of existence. Don't know which one. Haven't figured that part out yet." Her smile took on a maniacal look, her teeth glinting. "Ready?! And fire!"

Keitaro had no time to protest or even think as her index pulled down on the trigger. With what sounded like a large clap of thunder, the gun lurched backwards, something exploding from the barrel. Two separate beams, one pitch black and one blindingly white, erupted towards him. They twirled and mixed together before creating a thick stream of a hue of different grays, and then exploded again like a kaleidoscope, every color imaginable rushing forward to engulf him.

He was slammed against the wall. Stars appeared in his vision, and he could feel as though something was yanking him further backwards, through the wall. And yet it was not as though he crashing through it but rather into it. Little fingers grabbed and pinched, like they were gathering pieces of him one at a time. But all he saw were the colors, and dear god, were they beautiful…

Something like a burp echoed through the air and Keitaro faded from view, a scorched outline of his body the only thing remaining.

Su removed her goggles and, seeing her handiwork, pumped a fist into the air as a sign of victory. She had done it! She had made the first dimensional shift! Keitaro would be so proud of both his and her accomplishment! She glanced around, looking for her friend. "Keitaro, Keitaro, where are you?"

A puzzled expression flitted across her face.

"Ronin…?"

And then…realization.

"Uh oh…"

FRTMFRTMFRTMFRTMFRTM

Keitaro looked around at his surroundings. Okay, so he was in the middle of the forest. No big deal. It wasn't like it was the first time he had been catapulted into the forest from either some attack or explosion. And from what he remembered about Su's ray gun, it was definitely some kind of explosion. He absently rubbed his limbs, attempting to rid them of their soreness.

Rationally, he reasoned that Su's test had been a bust. Instead of transporting him to another dimension, she had instead created a new type of highly destructive weapon, one that Japan's military would easily find in violation of the Geneva Convention or any other weapons ban. However…

He glanced around as he stood up. He didn't recognize any of these trees. With the frequency that he crashed on top, into, and through them, Keitaro was able to recognize and properly identify any indigenous species that live around Hinata-sou or the town. However, he didn't recognize any of them. As far as he knew, this specific type of deciduous foliage was foreign to his home's soil, not to mention oversized, neon colored caterpillars.

He blinked. Looking down, Keitaro saw what indeed appeared to be a very large, brightly yellow caterpillar. It was about as long as his arm and twice as thick, two large horns on either end of it. It stopped bumping its head against his leg, as though it was trying to get his attention, turning its face towards his. Two large beady eyes and a pink clown-like nose was planted firmly on its face. It tilted its head to the side as it balanced on its torso, no apparent limbs to keep it steadied except for small pink balls on either side of its segmented body.

"Weedle? Wee, wee…dle."

"Gah!" Keitaro jumped back, flying onto his ass when he stumbled over a small rock. He stared in shock and amazement at the creature in front of him. What the hell was it? "What…what is it?" he mumbled to himself. Caterpillars that huge didn't exist in Japan. Hell, caterpillars that large didn't exist anywhere on Earth! So what the hell was this thing in front of him?!

The thing tilted its head again and inched forward, crawling on its stomach. "Weedle wee weedle wee." What kind of sound was it making? Was it like a dog's bark or cat's meow? But he couldn't see any mouth, so where was it producing the sound from? "Weedle." The thing stopped in front of him again.

Keitaro hesitantly moved his hand towards the creature. It didn't move, only watched him. With a slight poke, he prodded the thing on the side of its head. With an almost inaudible cry, the creature reared up and fell onto its back, baring its belly to the skies. Keitaro jerked at its movements but summoned up his courage again and scratched where he supposed its head met its torso.

"Weeeeedleeeee!"

He jumped when it shouted. However, instead of attacking, it looked at him plaintively, as though asking for more. He returned to his ministrations, scratching the creature here and there. Every once in a while through its squirming, it let out another soft cry of 'weedle!,' so Keitaro could only guess his previous assumptions were right.

This was so weird. First Su blasts him and now he was tickling something out of a video game or anime. He took his free hand and pinched his cheek sharply.

"Ouch!" He softly rubbed the sore flesh. "Guess this isn't a dream after all." He looked down at the insect-like being which was writhing in complete bliss. "And what are you exactly you weird, little thing?" Kaietaro allowed a smile to emerge from his lips. Oh well, at least it was cute, in weird sort of way.

However, his smile disappeared when the caterpillar cried out again, raising its head, and spitting out some sort of gooey white substance, covering Keitaro's face and head in it. He lurched back, scrabbling at the mess on him. He managed to get most of it off, but a lot of it was still stuck in his hair. He groaned and shivered involuntarily. "Crap, I hope this isn't what I think this is…"

It was then that the shiver that was traveling up and down his spine multiplied. A loud buzzing was growing behind him, and the caterpillar in front of him was balancing on its tail, looking as though it knew what the sound was. Turning around with no small amount of trepidation, Keitaro found himself face to face with an army of bees.

Bees the size of human children. With stingers bigger than his head. On their butts. And both hands.

They did not seem particularly thrilled to see him.

He let out a small 'eep.' "You have got to be shitting me."

They weren't. The buzzing became even louder and started to carry a heavy tone of malice and anger. Keitaro took a step back, looking over his shoulder to see what the caterpillar was doing. He watched in shock as it simply looked at him then the bees then him again. With an imperceptible shrug, it crawled over to the bees as one of them disengaged from the pack to land and look it over. It buzzed as it searched for any injuries before giving a signal to the rest of the pack. They focused their attention back on Keitaro.

"Oh, come on!" They were the caterpillar's siblings-parents-family…? They weren't even the same species!

Unfortunately they didn't care, signified by the one closest to him jabbing forward with one of its giant hand-needles. Instinctively he bent his body to the left, easily dodging the fine point. After a year of being chased around by an arguably crazy sword-wielding girl with strong feelings of misandry he had gained a formidable set of reflexes. Although he still couldn't avoid all of her attacks, he managed to do so for a good amount of them. For once, he was actually glad he went through life-threatening attacks on a daily basis. Then he was sad. Then he was scared.

The bees were coming at him again. Twice as fast.

The attacks continued from the giant bees, several attacking at once, sometimes from all directions. Keitaro's danger sense had been sharply honed from his life at Hinata-sou. Because of it, he managed to avoid a lot of nasty puncture wounds. He heaved a giant breath of air as he tumbled to the side of one of the creatures attacking him. It was then that it happened.

One of the bee's stingers began to glow. From experience, Keitaro realized that when things began to glow, it usually meant something very bad was about to happen regardless of what was glowing. His fears were realized when the bee's stingers exploded, small stingers racing at him in streams and chunks. He hit the ground, watching as the miniature shots plowed into the tree behind him, ripping the bark to pieces. He paled. If that hit him…well, it wouldn't be pretty.

Which meant only one thing –

"RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!"

The young man took off with a dash, running through the underbrush as though he was on fire. The creatures followed, shooting off the stinger bombs every once in a while. The forest held a symphony of terrified screams, angry buzzing…and several trees smacking the ground as they were knocked over.

For Keitaro, this was turning out to be a very, very bad day.

FRTMFRTMFRTMFRTMFRTM

Mt. Moon was a glorious example to pokémon history as it housed not only a wondrous variety of pokémon but also the mystical moon stones said to have come from a meteorite that crashed at the site eons ago. It acted as a barrier between the towns of Pewter and Cerulean, and even to this day not a single person has managed to climb its vast heights and claim the top as their own.

However, what most people didn't know was that it was also home to possibly the rarest material in not only all of the Kanto region but perhaps the world. The creation crystal, the amber of life and the primordial goop that gave birth to all pokémon. It had stayed there for millennia, waiting to be dug up, waiting to bestow its wonders upon those that deserved it.

The one that held the creation crystal could be considered the most powerful person in the world. With it and its ability to nurture, manipulate, and force evolutionary changes in pokémon that even the rarest of evolutionary stones couldn't, it was truly what could be considered as the alchemy stone of pokémon.

Of course, this led to many uncouth and undesirable people wanting to hold it for their own. The group that had finally discovered its resting place, unfortunately, belonged to such a type of people. Unfortunately for them, they were the sort of people that strictly adhered to the plans that they created.

Plans never stood up to snuff when life was involved.

With a crash, a large stone wall crumbled to pieces, bits of clay and dirt filtering through the air. The stones bounced off each other, rolling to a stop farther into the cavern. A large rotund shadow waddled through the hole made, shoving boulders that still blocked the entrance aside with large, azure arms. It sneezed once, muttering, "Blastoise blast."

"About time," a voice muttered flatly. A bright beam of red light shot out from the hole, engulfing the pokémon and returning it from whence it came. The same voice coughed as a figure climbed into the cavern. Short blonde hair was covered in dust and grime matched by a crimson-colored outfit of jacket and pants trimmed with gold, a small multi-colored crystal drawn over the heart. He coughed again, looking around. Blue eyes gazed coldly, showing no emotion, nothing. Seeing what was in the cavern, he gave a sharp whistle on his fingers.

The man was soon joined by a woman, her short red hair done up in twin buns. Her outfit was customized to look like a Chinese dress, the hem stopping at the knees and a slit running almost all the way to her hips, the sleeves removed to show her slender arms. She grinned at the sight, leaning against her partner with one arm on his shoulder. "Well, would you look at that," she grinned, her voice husky and raspy at the same time, like a lifetime smoker. "Ain't ya happy, Jack? We were the ones who found it after all this time." He looked at her with a sharp look and shoved her arm off before walking back to the entrance. She crossed her arms and pouted. "Yer no fun…"

"Jasmine is right, Jack. You must revel in this momentous occasion."

The two turned to see a middle-aged man carefully make his way over the rubble with the help of a lovely brunette in a three piece suit. He waved her off with a smile, and she bowed before directing the multitude of men and woman who were filing into the cavern, carrying various scientific equipments with them before setting them down in the appointed spots.

Jasmine gave a short salute to the man. "Professor Ptolemy, we are pleased to report we have discovered the resting place of the creation crystal."

The man glanced at her, his balding head of brown and gray bobbing up and down as he maneuvered his way around the rubble, his polished mahogany cane glinting slightly. Only this old and his bones were already creaking and his hair was abandoning him for greener pastures. Gray eyes bore into the woman, and she flinched as she saw something deep and unknown flashing through his pupils. And then it was gone, replaced by a grandfatherly smile. He reached out and gave her arm a squeeze. It was firm, belying a strength that the man did not look to own. She suppressed a shudder when he looked at her more closely and then a sigh of relief as he patted her shoulder with another smile and walked away.

The man scared her. The top research scientist in their organization…and perhaps the real brain and muscle of Team Rune, Plato Ptolemy. He was a genius in the field of pokémon evolution, able to delve into the very DNA of their evolutionary paths and traits. But that genius was tempered with a wit and wisdom that few possessed. His personality made him even more dangerous, switching from a tired old man to a man possessed. Only fools went up against him, and she had heard rumors of those that had gone…missing when they dared to either undermine his authority or badmouth his abilities. And his charisma…the man could convert even the staunchest of critics…and he had. Nearly every single member of their organization was either under his thumb or close to someone who was.

The person of her thoughts stared at the cavern. It was about fifty meters in diameter, the concave walls reaching to a point only a few meters up. In the center was a collection of stalactites, the very center one reaching down the furthest. Water dripped from them onto a small upraised boulder in the very center of the cavern. From years of the water dripping onto it, from years of erosion, the boulder had taken the shape of an altar, square with the corners rounded off – a natural altar from eons of a watchful, everlasting caretaker.

However, it was what was on the altar that truly excited the man. A crystal the size of his fist, almost perfect spherical in shape except for a small outcrop that twisted around itself like a spire, was perched on what looked like two hands holding it to the heavens. It seemed impossible, but the altar had formed these hands from nothing, from this simple chunk of granite. It gave off a faint glow, one that seemed to hold every color imaginable. His eyes shined, his hands reaching out for it.

"The creation crystal," he murmured with awed reverence. "The most basic form of life condensed into physical form, the key to my research, my dreams." It was right in front of him, merely a few inches from his grasping fingertips. And all it would take would be a couple more inches. One more. A centimeter. And now…

The cavern exploded. Debris launched all over the place, knocking the organization members down and causing Ptolemy to stumble and fall backwards. From an upper corner of the cavern the granite collapsed, and a screaming mass erupted from the hole, shrieking through the cave before colliding with the altar. Ptolemy watched in horror as the creation crystal flashed before being absorbed into the figure.

His dreams! His ambitions! No!

Keitaro moaned in agony. Oh lord, his whole body was killing him! He had finally escaped the giant bee monsters, his unrivalled stamina leaving them in the proverbial dust fifteen miles back before realizing he had lost them. And then, upon coming to that rockface, decided to hide in one of the many small tunnels that littered its sides. Surely there would be nothing wanting to attack him there, right?

The large rock with a face and weight-lifter arms disagreed. It had found him curled up in the fetal position and, deciding to let off some steam, gave chase. Keitaro made it through several different and pitch-black tunnels before tripping over another one of the rock monsters. It repaid the favor by punching through a wall…by punching him through several walls.

And now he had smacked his head against something sharp. It felt like all the hangovers in his life had come back at once, smashing through his skull to determine who was the greatest pained-inducing migraine of all. He groaned, hands running over his face and temples. He paused when he felt his skin puckered around a rather smooth spot in the middle of his forehead. It was round but sank into his head. There was no way it was a bruise or lump, he'd had enough of those to recognize the injury instinctively.

Groaning again, he chose to look around his environment. He stopped when he saw about two dozen people staring back at him, fear evident in their faces. Wait, were they scared of him? Sure, he bet they were surprised when he came crashing in, but there was no reason to be afraid of him now. His mind whirled at the realization. There were people! He was amongst those that could help him out!

He jumped to his feet, his arms flapping in excitement. "Thank god! You have no idea how happy I am to see other people! Did you know there are monsters running around outside?! They're everywhere! Are they escaped research animals or something. Where am I? Can you tell me where this is? Last thing I knew I was in the middle of the forest and then before that-"

His rambling line of questions were cut off from the slightly shorter and older man in front of him. "Yo…ole…it…"

Keitaro blinked. Eh? "What was that, sir?" he asked politely. He bent over, trying to hear what the man was telling him. "Did you ask me something?"

"You…stole…it…"

"Huh? I stole something?" Keitaro looked around cluelessly. What was the man talking about? He didn't steal anything. Heck, he didn't even know where he was at the moment. How could he have purposefully stolen something when he couldn't even figure that simple detail out?

The others were staring like it was a train wreck in the making. Ptolemy was starting to shake uncontrollably. Was the boy an idiot? Did he know who he was agitating? Or perhaps he just had a death wish? It was well known as to what happened to those who openly angered the scientist. Nightmares were considered dreams compared to what could dish out with that brilliant yet deranged mind of his. Rumors built up like a snowball in an avalanche, and by the point it was done, it was almost impossible to distinguish the exaggerations from the sheer horrible truths.

Keitaro looked at the man in concern. He was shaking like a leaf. Maybe he was sick? If that was the case, he needed to get to a doctor right away. People at his age were susceptible to illnesses, and it didn't take much for them to shove off the mortal coil. "Sir, are you alright? You seem to be-"

He was cut off when Ptolemy lashed out with his cane, catching the boy on the chin with the brass end of it. Keitaro fell back in pain, his arm rubbing at the sore spot while he looked on in surprise. Ptolemy's head shot up, his pupils two pinpoints of darkness and rage. His face was contorted in a look of pure, unadulterated fury. His voice rose in decibels with every word he shouted.

"You stole it! You stole my life's dreams! You stole my life's goal! You stole my crystal! AND NOW I'LL STEAL YOUR LIFE!" He whipped his hand up, signaling the Rune members. "CAPTURE HIM! HE HAS THE CREATION CRYSTAL EMBEDDED IN HIS SKULL! I WANT THAT CRYSTAL! GET IT!"

The Rune members shook themselves out of their stupor, nodding in affirmation, and reaching for something on their belts. Small white and red balls were thrown in the air, exploding in a burst of red light. Then, one by one, a variety of monsters appeared from those bursts of light. Keitaro took a step back. Wait, these people owned and controlled those monsters?

Well, that was it. He was in deep shit.

A sultry giggle broke him from his depression. "Sorry, little boy, but orders are orders. Don't think too bad of us." He glanced at the beautiful redhead. Jasmine winked and blew him a kiss. "'K?" Turning to her monster, a large triangular shaped face with thick stubby limbs detached from its body/face(?) that floated in mid-air and was releasing a vapor mist, she grinned. "Haunter! Give him a nice, long lick followed by hypnosis!"

The pokémon laughed throatily, slapping its disembodied hands together in glee before rushing up to the boy. "Haunter! Haunt!" Before Keitaro could react, a long slimy tongue wiped itself up his face. Suddenly, shivers coursed through his body and it locked up, preventing him from moving an inch. What had just…? "Haunt!" His eyes shot wide open as the pokémon began to wave its hands in a hypnotic fashion. Keitaro found himself becoming sleepier and sleepier.

What was going on? What were these things, and who were these people? It was all so confusi-

He fell to the ground as sleep claimed him. All went black before his head even touched the ground.

FRTMFRTMFRTMFRTMFRTM

Keitaro woke up to the sound of electronic beeping. He blearily opened his eyes. All around him were different devices hooked to other devices. He tried to move his limbs. Feeling resistance, he craned his head down. Shackles latched his arms and legs to a steel operating table. He blinked. Why did this seem so familiar?

The answer blazed through his head. He laughed at the absurdity of it. Of course! He was back in Su's lab! She must have carried him off after the experiment failed and tried her own brand of medicine and care. Well, at least he now knew that everything happened was a dream.

"Monsters and the evil organization that controlled it. Sounds just like some corny kind of action movie. What was I thinking believing it to be real?"

"Oh, it's real, young man. Much more real than you could ever know."

His eyes widening, Keitaro swerved his head to face the origin of the voice. He found it to belong to the old man who had ordered his capture. His jaw dropped at the white lab coat that hung off the older man's wiry shoulders. Ptolemy looked at him with a kind smile, giving a small wave as he pushed down on a foot pedal. The table tilted upward, lifting Keitaro into a standing position. The shackles dug into his flesh, his weight pressing down on the steel holders. Upon stopping, the man took a step back and gave Keitaro a quick glance over. Following his gaze, Keitaro realized he had been stripped down to nothing, only a medical gown covering his shame. He flushed a horrible red. Ptolemy chuckled.

"Never you worry, young man. I am a doctor so you need not hold any concern over any inappropriate happenings occurring."

Keitaro gulped. "Who…who are you?"

The man's expressions went blank before he gave a small laugh. "Excuse me! Where are my manners? My name is Plato Ptolemy, and I am the head researcher for the illustrious Team Rune." He closed his eyes serenely. "May I know what your name is?"

The boy squinted to see better, his missing glasses preventing him from seeing too well. The man seemed very kind at the moment, but Keitaro still remembered the anger and unbridled wrath contained in his eyes as he ordered his capture. He turned his head down and looked at Ptolemy from the corner of his eyes. "Urashima…Urashima Keitaro."

The man tilted his head, wondering at the strange rearrangement of the boy's name. Ah well, perhaps he was from a different region. There were rather strange people outside of Kanto. "Well then, Keitaro, it's very nice to meet you." He walked over to one if the monitoring devices, tapping it lightly. "Now, Keitaro, I'm sure you're wondering just why you're here." Seeing a hopeful look in the boy's eyes, he smiled softly. "You took something that rightfully belongs to me, and I want it back. It's not polite to take other people's belongings."

Keitaro strained against his bindings but they did not shift. "But I don't have anything of yours! I don't even know where I am!"

"Of course you do. You have it on your person right now."

"Huh?"

He tapped on his head. "You have it right here." Seeing the boy's still confused face, he sighed and walked over to a small table that was over to Keitaro's right. Taking something from it, he returned to in front of Keitaro and brought up a small mirror. Raising it to Keitaro's face, his face grew stern. "See? It's right there, right in front of you." Ptolemy's free hand moved forward, pushing away the boy's scruffy bangs.

Keitaro gaped at what he saw. Right in the middle of his forehead, a crystal several centimeters in diameter, reflecting light like a prism, shined back at him. The surrounding area was puckered and looked as though it was badly burned, scar tissues circling the crystal like a border. What the…?

"What…what is it?"

"There's no need for me to tell you. All you need to know it that it's mine and that I want it back." He reached into a sterilized jar and pulled out a pair of surgery gloves. "Unfortunately for you, it will result in your death. Ah well, a few sacrifices are sometimes needed for the greater good, or at least my own good."

"Wait, what?!" Keitaro began to struggle harder against his bonds. He didn't want to die to satisfy the delusions of grandeur for some crazy evil scientist! Even Su never went this far! Su experimented on Keitaro for the fun of it! "Why do you have to kill me?! Why can't you just surgically remove it or something?!"

"Unfortunately for you again, that's not possible." Ptolemy walked out of his sight for a moment before coming back holding up an x-ray sheet. He put in into the light of the operating table's lamp, showing Keitaro. It revealed the interior of his skull. However, what seemed like a spider web traversed in and around where Keitaro's brain was supposed to be. Ptolemy gave a dramatic sigh. "You see, the crystal has completely fused into your body. It has basically melded with your brain and there is no way to remove it without turning your grey matter to grey mush." He shook his head and put a hand to his temple. "It's a pity I couldn't get more data on its conversion to your biological pattern but I am a busy man and I don't have the time to waste. Ah well, at least I'll see what effect your brain's dying electrical signals will have on the crystal's growth."

He turned and picked up a surgical saw. Starting it up, the stainless steel buzzsaw roared to life, anticipating the moment when it would mercilessly cut through bone and flesh. Ptolemy's smile became cruel, the corners of his lips curling up demonically. "Don't worry, you won't feel a thing. After all, the brain has no actual pain receptors. However, you may feel a slight pinching sensation as I cut open your skull."

As the saw loomed closer, Keitaro felt complete and absolute terror bubble up in his brain. No! He still had so much to do! So much that he wanted to do! So much he needed to do! He couldn't die just yet, not to some egomaniacal weirdo!

He still had to get into Tokyo University! He still had to meet his promised girl! He still had to get a girlfriend!

For all that was sacred, he was still a virgin!

"NOOOOOOOO!!"

Keitaro's scream reverberated around the room. However, it was no use. The place had been soundproofed even with its quick and crude construction. No matter what happened and no matter what sounds he made, none of it would get through to the uncaring ears and minds that were working outside. After all, it wouldn't do to lower the minions' morale by giving them nightmares of a screaming banshee as his scalp was bisected, now would it?

Ptolemy chuckled. Such a poor foolish, little boy. Ah well, time for the crystal's extraction. He would have all the time in the world to feel guilty after his ambitions were realized. It wasn't as though anything could stop him by this point, right?

His smile slipped. His eyes widened. Ptolemy took a step back.

The creation crystal had begun to glow fiercely, emitting a light that exuded energy. Bursts of light exploded from it, illuminating the entire room syncing up with Keitaro's screams. As he yelled louder and longer, so did the light become brighter and stronger. Prisms of colors and amorphous shapes were thrown up along the walls and ceilings. But then they began to take a clearer, definite form. Ptolemy gasped as he recognized what they were.

So many…

His revelation was distracted when he a rumbling was heard behind him. Ptolemy's eyes widened further as he saw the long line of pokéballs that he kept for research and experimental purposes begin to shake. The small bulbs signifying the pokémon's capture in each of them were blinking rapidly. But that only happened when a pokémon was about to…

In tandem, each of the storage capsules opened, releasing the pokémon that were trapped inside. Over a couple dozen of them erupted from their imprisonment, ecstatic to be free.

Ecstatic and furious for what they had been put through.

And also a bit hungry, but that could wait till later. First that had to show that they were not happy with their previous treatment.

The first to voice its displeasure was a large draconic being. Nearly two meters high with a wingspan the size of Ptolemy, the usually passive Dragonite's face was anything but. Its normally kind eyes were hardened into orbs of ebony, its large teeth flaring when its lips curled back as it growled not a warning, but a promise. Rearing its gargantuan body back, it opened its maw, taking in a deep breath. A small orb of orange energy coalesced within its jaw, gathering more and more momentum as it bound itself tighter and tighter and became bigger and bigger. With a cry of, "Draaaa-GON!," the orb sharpened and narrowed into the form of a highly destructive beam, lancing straight at the doctor and prisoner.

Ptolemy made the smart decision of diving to the side. What point would there be to gain the creation crystal if he was dead or immobilized by a Dragonite's hyper beam? The attack was extremely overpowered as it was, but to be used by one of the rarer breeds of pokémon in the Kanto region…? He wasn't suicidal! Even if the boy was disintegrated by the blast, he was sure that the crystal would survive.

Keitaro had different thoughts. His brain had already fried itself out, and by the time the pokémon appeared he had taken on disturbingly calm view on the current events. Oh, look, now there's a dinosaur and HOLY SHIT WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!

Never mind, his thought processes were back to normal.

Keitaro screamed as the beam smashed into him, breaking the shackles that bound him, the table he was bound to, and several walls behind him that he was thrust through from the resulting explosion. Not to mention several offices, a mess hall, and, for a brief moment, the women's locker room. He felt a vague sense of nostalgia when he heard girls shouting out in surprise when his charred body was flung past them.

Oh yes, the smell of burned clothing and flesh was quite common too. So was the pain. Oh dear gods, the pain!

Keitaro shook his head when gravity and friction finally deigned that he stopped. Picking himself up from the skid-mark he had left on the ground from bouncing and sliding several dozen feet, he looked at the destruction wrought.

Okay, there were the couple of tempered titanium doors he was launched through. That was expected. Fire, pandemonium, and panic – that was always nice to know. Various sprinkler alarms were now being set off and he could just make out what seemed like giant organic fire extinguishers putting out the flames. Eww, that was actually kind of gross…

He coughed, puffing out a dense poof of smoke before checking himself over. No real injuries, he had been blown up, shot, punched, kicked, slashed, suplexed, and smashed into the ground at terminal velocity way too many times for this sort of damage to be detrimental to him. But his medical gown was basically incinerated at this point in time. Squawking in embarrassment, he searched around for something, anything.

Oh look, an unconscious Rune member with a full set of clothes. He blinked.

"That'll do."

Relieving the man of his clothes, except for his boxers as Keitaro felt that would be rather eerie and disturbing, he donned the stolen clothes. They were a bit loose on him, but he wasn't shopping, now was he?

Skulking around the base, he managed to avoid most of the large group of Rune members since they were busy trying to do damage control on the destroyed lab and recapture all of the pokémon that had escaped and were currently on a fear/rage-induced rampage. He dodged and planted himself to the side of the hallway when something resembling a rhinoceros completely made of rock barreled down it. It took a quick glance at him but continued to run unimpeded. Keitaro blinked at the look it had given him. It almost seemed…empathetic, like it felt sorry for him?

Shaking his head, he mumbled to himself, "Nothing to do with me. Now…got to find a way out of here…" His face bloomed into a grin when he saw an emergency exit, the neon sign going off. "Perfect!"

He grabbed the door bar and pushed. It swung open, and he jumped out.

Nothing was waiting for him.

He looked down, seeing there was nothing below him but a long drop down a steep rock wall. As he began to fall, gravity claiming him, he saw that multiple holes had been punched through the rockface, and the emergency stairs had been mangled, burned, and torn to little more than scrap metal. Apparently the pokémon's retaliation had reached to outside the base as well. Absently he noted that he was still at the mountain he had crawled into. So their secret base was there. Huh…

He sighed. Well, looked like his new injuries were going to be from severe bodily trauma. At least it was in a new area. Things got a little boring if they were the same all the time.

The rocks he crashed into were all too happy to comply with his wish.

"GAH! OW! DAMNIT! SON OF A BI-"

WHAM!

"…mommy…"

FRTMFRTMFRTMFRTMFRTM

"Mime! Mr. Mime!"

"Now, now, Mimey, don't go off too far," Delilah giggled serenely as she watched her pokémon wander off to pick flowers in a small field a little off from the forest that led to Route 1. Mimey was such a polite and sweet pokémon, but he was also such a child at times. It was actually nice at times, since her own child had grown up already so long ago. She missed Ash so much when he was on his pokémon journey, and though he did make sure to phone her regularly during his time gone, she did miss her baby boy so. She always worried that he never had enough underwear; he could be so absentminded at times.

But now he was all grown up, had a steady job as a pokémon master in the International Pokémon League, had a beautiful wife, and was expecting a new addition to the family in a mere few months. Her thoughts traveled to the flaming-headed girl.

Misty was a kind but hardheaded girl. While she never would be as glamorous as he older sisters, the young woman had grown into her own. Her body had filled in a bit, but it was obvious she'd always have a slender figure than her hopeful voluptuous one. Ash didn't seem to mind though, he'd said so enough times. Even so, the relationship between the two was still like that of a couple of kindergarteners. Ash would tease Misty, Misty would retaliate with all of her fury (sometimes a frying pan, sometimes a baseball bat), and things would progress until that little Pikachu of Ash's settled matters by shocking one of them (usually Ash.) Honestly, that had been married for five years now and were expecting the birth of their first child. You'd think they'd have matured some!

Delilah sighed. Well, it was obvious they loved each other. The nights she could hear them in the house Ash had bought for them all to live in proved that. She blushed slightly at the memories. It had been so long since she had had someone of her own. Delilah missed her hubby so much…She was already reaching that cursed halfway mar in her life. Who would possibly take her when she was turning fif-err…middle aged?

She sighed again. At least she could look forward to being the youngest grandmother around. She couldn't wait to spoil the little bundle of joy that was coming rotten!

Her thoughts were broken when she heard the frantic calling of Mimey, and she hurried her pace until she caught up. Slowing down, she asked him, "What's wrong, Mimey?"

"Mr., Mr. Mime!" the pokémon shouted, his face a look of worry and panic, waving one hand around wildly while jabbing the other at the ground behind a bush.

Delilah followed his hand and looked. "Oh dear!"

There was a battered, bruised, and thoroughly exhausted Keitaro. He had passed out just hours before, having run the entire way from Mt. Moon to the outskirts of Palette Town in only a couple of days. And he had been chased by those same giant monster bees again! By that point he was tired, somewhat dehydrated, and extremely hungry. He had no idea where he was running, his lack of glasses and knowledge of his position or surroundings only multiplying the trouble. It wasn't surprising that unconsciousness finally claimed him.

Delilah's surprised look melted into a determined one. She recognized that uniform. Everyone did. It was hard not to know of the infamous Team Rune's exploits. But this boy was in trouble, and she could not in good conscious leave him alone. She turned to the Mr. Mime, her mouth set in a neutral line. "Mimey, if you could?"

"Mime!" he nodded. Grabbing Keitaro, the pokémon lifted him over his shoulder, staggering a bit from the weight before straightening out. Delilah nodded before walking back to town and home, Mimey trailing after her, Keitaro bouncing every so often.

FRTMFRTMFRTMFRTMFRTM

"Urgh…"

Keitaro stirred from his sleep. He could instantly tell his surroundings were different. For one thing, he was on something that was both very soft and warm and comfy. He wriggled around, sighing contently. Ah…so nice. Second, there was a light breeze swirling around him, carrying a soft and pleasant scent in the air that tickled his nose. It smelled like potpourri or something to that effect. Third, and this was most important, sounds of nature and distant talking could be heard. It wasn't cold and sterile like it had been back in those people's lab.

"Oh my, are you awake already?"

Keitaro blinked, staring above him. Through heavily unfocused eyes, he could make out a feminine face, long brown hair pulled into a ponytail. He tried to remember where he had last heard that way of talking. "Mu…Mutsumi?"

"Mutsumi? Who's that?"

His eyes widening, Keitaro pushed himself up into a sitting position, knocking the blanket off of his body. He squinted, his vision clearing up a bit. No, it wasn't the watermelon-loving Okinawa Rose. This was a middle-aged lady, very beautiful with only a few wrinkles showing signs of her age. Clear brown eyes stared back at him, and the woman smiled. Keitaro backed up against the head of the bed. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled congenially. "My name is Delilah Ketchum. And you are?"

"Urashima Keitaro." When recognizing the way this conversation was going, Keitaro put two and two together. Immediately afterward, his face froze in fright and he bolted back, slamming against the wall the bed was positioned against. He wrapped his arms around his head, trying to make himself look as small as possible. "You can't have my brain!" he shouted defiantly in a squeaky voice. "I might not use it much, and it's kind of dusty, but it's mine! You can't have it! I need my brainy!"

Delilah was surprised by his exclamation. After all, what use would she have for his brain? He must still be a little muddled from his rest. She allowed her face to become calm again before sidestepping the question. "I don't know why I would want your brain, but you seem to be a bit confused. I found you passed out near the edge of town and brought you back here to rest."

"You…found me?" He vaguely remembered seeing a town before he passed out from exhaustion. Noticing the lady looking at him in concern, he blushed. "Urm…thank you for taking care of me," he mumbled softly. He then noticed he was in a set of pajamas and boxers. His blush grew even worse, turning his face a lovely scarlet. "Uhhh…"

She looked confused at his embarrassment for a second before realizing why. "Don't worry, I had Mimey change your clothes for you. He's a male Mr. Mime, so it should be okay."

Keitaro sighed in relief before his expression reverted to its previous one. "What's a Mr. Mime?"

She tilted her head. "Why…he's a pokémon."

"Poké…mon?"

Her face scrunched up a bit. "Don't you know what a pokémon is? Oh dear!" He rose to her feet from the chair, her hands clasped in front of her. "You don't have amnesia, do you? That would be terrible! Maybe from that injury on your head?"

Keitaro's hands flew up to his forehead, finding that it was wrapped in a couple layers of bandages. It was then that he remembered. It was there…That…What had that crazy doctor called it? The creation crystal? And now the monsters had a name… pokémon? This was all starting to get very complicated…

However, he now had to worry about this woman. She seemed nice enough but Keitaro had become ultra weary ever since appearing in this place. For all he knew it was just an act to lull him into a false sense of security. He laughed softly and put a hand behind his neck.

"Er…no, sorry, no amnesia here. I'm new around here, so I don't know all the new… pokémon yet."

"Oh…that's good." Delilah put her hand to her chest and sighed in relief. "I was worried for a second there. It's a good thing you're all right."

"Mr. Mime!"

The two turned to see Mimey in the doorway, gesturing for Delilah to follow him. Keitaro squinted at him. So this was a Mr. Mime…a pokémon? Well, he could see where the name came from. The creature looked like a clown with its hectic color scheme and marionette-like body.

Delilah smiled at her friend before putting her attention back on Keitaro. "Well, Mimey says I have to get back to work. My son and his wife should be getting home in a couple of hours, so we can talk more when they do. Please rest a bit more, Keitaro. I would hate to see you run yourself ragged again." She gave a quick bow before exiting. "Goodbye."

Keitaro watched as she and the pokémon left, waiting for their footsteps to recede before he jumped out of bed, throwing the covers off and ran for the window. Looking outside, he saw he was on the second floor. Well, that was easy enough. He eased himself out, dropping down to the ground. Although the woman had taken care of him, he couldn't stay there. He had to find a way back home. Looking carefully, he ran through the streets of Palette, making his way to the outskirts.

However, the longer he ran the slower he became. Eventually he stopped entirely, halting on a small hill that overlooked the town and some apple trees. He paused then sighed and sat down. Who was he kidding? He was lost, trapped in some alternate dimension with no idea where he was, what was going on, and especially no clue how to return home. Would he be stuck here forever, caught amongst freakish mutants and evil cults?

"Naru…Mutsumi…Su…Shinobu…Motoko…Kitsune…Haruka…Even Sarah…"

Was he never going to see them again, their smiling faces, their playful actions? Was he bound to forever be separate from them, to have them fade from his memories like the ebb of the tide? Were they going to search for him, be worried for, or forget about him? Would he ever know that joy again and was that a flying cat?

His eyebrows rose when he saw the small creature floating a foot or so off the ground. It was rather similar to a cat with pink fur, large hind legs like a rabbit, brilliant blue eyes, and a long whip of a tail that ended in the shape of the aptly named cattail weed. It appeared to be dancing on the wind, but it stopped when it noticed Keitaro watching it. It cocked its head and swerved to the left. Keitaro followed it. It swerved to the right, Keitaro doing the same. Cocking its head to the other side, it approached him, its dangling legs looking like they were bouncing off of something. Coming within a foot, it notched its tail towards him. "Myu?"

Keitaro gulped. Another one? Hesitantly, remembering what happened last time, he raised a hand to mimic it. The pink pokémon saw his actions and let out what he thought was a giggle. It then jumped forward, coming up in front of him before gently pressing its head against his. It was only for a moment, but Keitaro felt immense warmth spreading throughout his body and he could feel the crystal in his skull light up, shining through the thin gauze. He heard a voice in his head. A feminine, lilting voice that sounded like the tinkling of a bell.

You seem like a fun person. I think I like you.

His head whipped side to side, trying to find who had said it. The only being there was that cat-like pokémon. It giggled again at his bewildered expression. "Myu myu myu."

"You?"

It responded to his inquiry by leaping in front of him again and, with a movement that reminded him of that one time with Tama-chan, gave him a small, gentle peck on the nose. Keitaro involuntarily blushed at the intimate action.

"Hah?!"

He fell back but was stopped halfway when something pushed up against him. Looking behind, he saw a thin sheet of what looked like chewed bubblegum. It then spread, stretching over him into a bubble. He grew panicked as it completely enveloped him. While he could still see outside, it was a firm barrier. He looked around, hoping for help. What he found was that same small pokémon staring back at him with a mischievous look on its face. He recognized that look. It was the same one Kitsune, Su, or Sarah wore before they played a trick on him. He braced himself for the shock.

"Myu!"

With a fierce kick, it smashed the bubble with its powerful hindquarters, sending Keitaro into an uncontrolled roll down the hill. His screams and yells were muted by the bubble, so all that could be heard was a slightly high-pitched buzzing sound as he tumbled over grass and rocks. His wild ride was stopped when he crashed into the grove of trees, the bubble popping into nonexistence in the process.

Keitaro lolled his head to one side, his back propped against the wall, his butt firmly planted on the ground. That was not something he wanted to go through again. He groaned. Today was turning out to be a very bad day. It was a whole new world he lived in, and it treated him just as kindly as his original one did.

Several apples, dislodged by his collision, fell from the branches of the tree, knocking on his head with a dull 'thump.' He winced as each one hit.

A very bad day indeed…

A/N: Well, that's the end of the first chapter. It's very long as I spent a lot of time trying to get into Keitaro's emergence and assimilation into the pokémon world. Hopefully you people got a kick out of it. The next chapter will be shorter to help balance things out. In any case, what was I smoking when I cam up with this idea? Keitaro and pokémon? Well, take a bunch of super monsters with super powers and then throw in a boy who has nigh invulnerability. What do you get? One tortured main character and lots of giggles for me. But at least I got out of my slump, right? That counts for something. Hopefully this one will continue, as I plan on having fun with Keitaro becoming a pokémon trainer. Yes, you heard that right, a pokémon trainer. In case you were wondering, this fic takes place 20 years after the beginning of the Pokémon series, so Ash/Misty are 30, Brock is 35, and so on and so forth. This will give you a heads-up on things. Also Keitaro will be the only Love Hina character here. Everyone else is either from Pokémon or an OC. If you have any questions, ask away. I'll be happy to answer them. Please Review, and remember, no flames!

Next Chapter: So You Wanna Be a Master?