Big Brother

Link to my DeviantArt: http://katiejane2001.deviantart.com/

Hello. I got this journal to get my mind off of a few things. I’m not the best at opening up to people, so I decided to list what has happened in a book that I don’t think many would be willing to read. However, I may end up posting these events on the internet as evidence in case I find someone who knows what is happening to me.

About a month ago, my big brother died in a car crash. at the time, I was angry at him and didn't interact with him before he drove to work. It was winter time, and the road was slippery. Looking back, I should have said something to him. Maybe he could have taken the bus or something but when I heard the news, I didn't know what to do.

Day One:

When I was young my parents got me a yellow Game Boy Advanced and a copy of Pokemon Emerald for my ninth birthday. I would play the game whenever I had spare time and named every Pokémon I caught. Looking back, I realize that I was not good at naming. For example, at one point I caught a Maril and named it 'Blue.' After a while, I got bored of the game and stopped playing it.

Thirteen years later, I was planning a yard sale and uncovered a cardboard box filled with old toys while looking around in my closet. There were a few old stuffed animals, small books and papers with drawings I had made while I was young, and of course, my old Game Boy with Pokémon Emerald in the game slot.

Having nothing to do at the time, I turned on the Game Boy. It was out of battery, so I dug out the charger and plugged it into the power outlet beside my bed. The game started up and I decided to look at my old save file.

Everything was just as I remembered it. However, I decided I would restart the game and relive the adventure I had when I was nine years old. I selected the female character and named her May. I  choose Torchic as my starter and began traveling. However, Torchic wasn’t very easy to train. He had surprisingly low stats and kept fainting. I ended up stockpiling on potions and pokeballs so I could make my team stronger, faster.

I caught a male Poochyena and and female Ralts, much to my excitement. Remembering how horribly uncreative I can be, I didn’t name them. Training three Pokemon at once was especially frustrating when they all had such poor stats and even after level grinding for who knows how long, I was defeated by the first gym leader, Roxanne.

Upon my defeat, Roxanne’s sprite slid onto the screen with a disapproving look on her face. A text box appeared on the screen, but no text came to fill it. I thought it was my imagination, so I waited until I had teleported to the nearest Pokémon Center then saved the game and turned of my GBA. I didn’t know how to react to what I had just witnessed. After sitting in my room for a few Minutes to try and clear my head, I left to make myself lunch.

Day Two:

After a tough day at work, I decided to go and play Pokemon Emerald again to clear my head. I had blamed yesterday’s events on a tired mind but still felt slightly troubled. Opening the menu, I looked at my Pokemon. Much to my surprise,  Torchic had a nickname.

Crushed

This was the point where I decided to start recording what was happening to me. I believed that maybe, just maybe, I would find someone who was experiencing the same complications. However, to make that a reality, I needed more information. So, I went level grinding. However, when I returned to fight the gym leader again, she had disappeared.

Day three:

Torchic finally evolved. As well as having extremely low stats, the level he evolved at was severely delayed. Upon evolution, his states barely improved which made the whole process nearly pointless. He did learn a move, though. I tried to stop him from learning it, but the game wouldn't take no for an answer. Combusken learned Rock Tomb, the TM that Roxanne gives you when you defeat her.

After leaving the town, all the cuttable trees had disappeared and left a darker stain where they used to be. Since there was nothing blocking my path, I traveled on.

I went to fight the team Aqua grunt that stole the old mans Wingull, but lost. After defeating me, the grunt fled with Wingull. The old man walked up behind me and a text box appeared, but no text came to fill it. The man did not move, but just stood there. I could only guess he was mourning the loss of his Wingull, and it was all my fault.

The instant I stepped out of the cave, my Ralts began to evolve. After the evolution screen played, she learned a move without my consent just as Combusken had. She learned take down. I went to look at her stats and realized she also had a nickname.

Mauled

Day Four:

It’s beginning to scare me. I know it’s trying to build up to something, and I need as much info as possible. I went to fight brawly with my now evolved Kirlia. I was still having trouble leveling up my Poochyena, so I decided to put him at the front of my party and switch him out before the opponent could hit him.

Once I got to Brawly, I once again lost the match with my poor Poochyena being the last Pokemon to faint. I'm sure you know what happens next.

Upon my defeat, a text box appeared but no text filled it. Looking at the Pokémon menu, I saw Poochyena evolve into Mighteana and learn a new attack without my permission. He learned Vital Throw and had his name rewritten.

Unloved

Then, the game crashed.

Day Five:

I opened the game again expecting the save file to be corrupt, but it opened up to a Pokémon center with no NPC's on the inside. Not even Nurse Joy was behind the counter.

I brought up the menu to find that I had a lost my three Pokémon but gained a new one named ??????????. It was the glitch Pokémon DecaMark. Leaving the Pokémon Center, I found myself in an extremely glitched area named 'Dreams.'

My character took five steps and froze. She appeared to be twitching and I couldn't snap her out of it. I took a deep breath, reminding myself why I was still playing. So I could find help from somebody who had the same experience. With my newfound confidence, I continued.

My character began spinning wildly, like you do when the escape rope is used, but instead of hovering off the map, a wild encounter started.

It was my three Pokémon. Crushed, Mauled, and Unloved. I sent out DecaMark to fight them. She knew only one move, Perish Song. I used Perish Song and watched as the other three defeated DecaMark before the move could take effect.

A text box appeared upon her defeat. You're on your own now. My trainer sprite slid onto the screen to replace DecaMark's.

Trainer May used Fratricide!

I could only watch as the screen faded to black and each Individual Pokémon's cry played in a horribly distorted fashion. A text box appeared on the black screen but this time, text came to fill it.

It was all your fault.

That was the last thing the Game Boy screen showed me before the battery depleted and my console shut off. I looked at the wall to see that I hadn't plugged the charger into the wall. I cursed myself for being shaken by a children's game of all things. I looked in the mirror.

I looked shaken, and my thoughts were running a mile a minute.

I sighed and went off to splash some cold water on my face in an attempt to clear my head. as I walked down the hallway I saw the picture of my brother on the wall. I stared at it for a few seconds, then completely broke down.

It was my fault.