Prologue

I live in an interesting world. Most looking in would think of it as a nightmare or something even worse.

I think of it as a world of symbiotic existence.

There are creatures who exist in our world. Monsters, some call them. Pocket monsters, or pokémon, to be exact.

We can capture these creatures using devices called pokéballs. We can do many things with them.

That sounds terrible, I know. In many ways. Let me explain.

People in our world have fun with pokémon.

Oh my goodness, that sounds even worse.

Okay. So pokémon are our friends. Mostly. And I think that is the best way I can put this. Some people play games with pokémon while others just have them as good companions. Some pokémon do jobs or at least help with them, but the most common thing is battling.

Battling is an interesting thing. You try to see whose pokémon is better (or, rather, stronger) by pitting your teams in a heated battle. And the person who makes their opponent's pokémon faint wins.

Except...sometimes the pokémon do more than faint. They...die. And there is nothing more anyone can do.

This doesn't always happen though. I hear it only does in certain conditions. Still, all the pokémon with whom I have talked say they don't mind. As long as they feel a bond with their trainer, they will do whatever their trainer wants. They depend on the guidance of the trainer to keep them safe. And they are prepared to do whatever they can. It is a symbiotic relationship. The pokémon with which I have spoken assure me that they truly want to be with people. Even wild pokémon aren't as apprehensive as people think.

Of course, not everyone knows this. Not everyone can talk to pokémon. I guess I have a gift.

My name is Anna and I can talk to pokémon. And on my 16th birthday, I got the best gift for which I could ever ask. What follows is the story of that gift and what it gave me.

But first, let me say a few more things. I do not claim to be perfect. Far from it. I know that. And you may make judgments about me based upon this. But I ask you to think about what you are doing. I never claimed to be an expert. This is my story and I don't know how it happened at times, but you'll see that I am, if nothing else, competent. I make my own decisions. And I have done all of what follows, fully knowing the consequences. And I hope you will enjoy the adventure. I know I did.