Faded Platinum

It was a cold, yet sunny day. I was behind the counter of my local game store, where I had worked for quite some time. The newest Pokemon games had just come out; Pokemon Diamond, Pokemon Pearl, and Pokemon Platinum. I had my own copy of Pearl version, which I had been very good at. It was a Wednesday, which more often than not, were slow days. Apart from the several kids which were sitting on beanbags and playing their handhelds in the corner of the store, I was alone. That was, until, a young boy, probably around twelve years old, came in. He walked up to the counter. "Hello...Do you fix games?" I was a little confused, but kept my positive attitude. "Sure! What game is it?" The boy took a DS cartridge from his pocket and set it onto the counter. It was a Pokemon Platinum game. "The game keeps crashing and my Pokemon keep disappearing...I don't know what's wrong with it. Can you help?" I took the cartridge, setting it into my pants pocket. "I'll fix it, just make sure to come back tomorrow to pick it up." The boy nodded, also slipping me a small piece of paper. It was his phone number. "Just call me when it's ready. Also, my name is Sam." I nodded, a little frightened by his off-putting behavior. He walked out of the store, and didn't say another word. I was intrigued to get to the game after work was over.

 

'''Once I got home, I grabbed my Nintendo DS and pulled the cartridge from my pocket. I observed it carefully, nothing looked wrong with it, except the label was a little torn. I turned on my system, sliding the game into the slot. I started it, but it froze on the title screen. I just turned off my system and turned it back on again. I started the game again, and it led me to a save file. The trainer's name was Sam, he had no badges, and his playtime was three minutes. I chose the file, and I started in my bedroom in Twinleaf town. I checked my party, there were only two Pokemon. Those two being a level five Turtwig, and a level three Eevee. That's strange...How would he have an Eevee this early in the game? I brushed it off, trying to leave my bedroom. The problem was, though, I couldn't. When I tried to, a text box popped up saying "Not now." I checked my bag, seeing three items. A potion, a Poke Ball, and...a stake? That was odd. I selected the stake, and two options appeared. "Use" and "Close." I tried to select "Use," but a text box popped up that said "I can't do that. Not yet." I closed out of the bag, and I was now able to exit my room and head downstairs. Nobody else was home right now, which was a little unsettling. I exited my house, and Twinleaf Town looked deserted. '''

 

  '''I went into the tall grass, when suddenly a dialogue box popped up out of nowhere, saying “Keep going. Find a new one.” I didn’t know what was going to happen, but by “new one,” they probably meant a new Pokemon for the team. So I walked, and eventually I found a level four Bidoof. I selected Turtwig, it knew the moves Tackle, Growl, and Perish Song. Of course, I selected Perish Song, and a loud screech came from the DS. It startled me, but I kept playing. I decided to use the Pokeball, and I managed to catch the Bidoof. When the nickname box came on the screen, I selected no, and a new dialogue box came up that said, “That’s the spirit.” The battle ended, and I checked my party again. The Bidoof was there, of course. I closed the menu, and opened the bag. I selected the stake again, this time it let me use it. I tried to select Turtwig, and it said “I still need them.” It didn’t let me use the stake on Eevee either, but this time it said “The only one.” Finally, I chose Bidoof, and it said “Sam used the stake!” Suddenly, the screen flashed black, then white. Then the game crashed, sending me back to the DS home screen. I had no idea what just happened. This game was either extremely cursed, or just a hack of the original Pokemon Platinum, which was more likely. I turned the game back on, and it had no title screen, as it booted me back to my bedroom in Twinleaf Town. The music was heavily distorted, but a lot quieter. I checked my party, the Bidoof was gone, like the kid had said. The Eevee had grown a level. I closed out of the menu, and a dialogue box popped up. “Thank you. They were useful for helping me grow.” I was guessing it was the Eevee. I didn’t get what was going on, but I just went along with it.'''

 

  '''I was again stuck in the bedroom. I tried to interact with the things in the room, but nothing happened. I checked my trainer card, and the sprite looked different. I looked more...tired and distraught. I went back to my Pokemon and looked at Eevee. They didn’t have any eyes, and their color was washed out. The same went for Turtwig, except the leaf on its head was missing. Suddenly, another box of text showed up out of nowhere. “Do it.” I checked the bag, a new item was there. A hatchet. I selected it, and my party of Pokemon popped up. I selected Eevee, and dialogue popped up saying “The only one.” Just like last time. I had no choice but to select Turtwig, so I did. “Sam used the hatchet!” My DS emitted an ear-splitting sound. I jumped and flinched, throwing my DS to the floor, and the sound stopped. I picked it up off the ground, still horrified at what happened. I tried to open the game again, but an error message popped up saying “The only one.” Then, my DS died, even though the battery was full a few minutes ago. I turned on my TV, trying to calm down. A news report stated that a kid went missing earlier in the day. '''

 

  '''Their name was Sam. ''' ((Editor's Note: This is my first pasta, so please be gentle!))