{"sf1_id":125153,"sf2_id":"GnD7Gdjm","title":"Dimensional Balance Chapter 2: Into the rift","author":"Arcane Reno","words":1940,"posted_at":"2010-02-10T09:23:00.000Z","tags":["Clean","Human","Magic","No-Yiff","Non-Anthro","Pokemon"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/125153-dimensional-balance-chapter-2-into-the-rift","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/GnD7Gdjm","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/2a/49/2a49711f-2674-4315-a410-93f4675ecf66","description":"#2 of Dimensional Balance: A Trainer's Tale","content":"\u0026nbsp;\n\n_Author's note: \u0026nbsp;Not 100 percent happy with how this turned out, but unfortunately I didn't see any way around another big info chapter. \u0026nbsp;Fortunately though, this is the last one, and chapter 3 will have some more action to it. \u0026nbsp;I still don't own pokémon or subsequent copyrights, but Shawn and other characters are mine. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;_\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n**Chapter 2**\n\n**Into the Rift**\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nShawn slowly came to, lying on his back on a grassy surface. \u0026nbsp;He sat up, blinking into the surrounding darkness, trying to get a feel for where he was. _\u0026nbsp;'Ugh, dimension hopping is always a pain, and these spin off dimensions are the worst, but this jump gave me a splitting headache,'_\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;he thought, massaging his throbbing temples. \u0026nbsp;Suddenly, a wave of nausea and pain overtook him, and he fell forward onto his hands and knees, retching. \u0026nbsp;As the heaving started to subside, he noticed the bracelet on his wrist seeming to vibrate. \u0026nbsp;Just as he moved to remove it however, the world swayed in front of him, and he collapsed again, trying to empty a stomach with nothing in it. \u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n_'Damn thing is still active!'_\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;he thought. \u0026nbsp;_'They must've forgotten to put a time trigger in it.'_\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHis vision faded as he frantically scrabbled through the haze of pain and nausea to get the defective piece of equipment off. \u0026nbsp;Just as it slipped over his fingers, the world faded to black once more.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nSometime later, Shawn once again regained consciousness. \u0026nbsp;He slowly picked himself up, noticing with relief that the pain was gone. \u0026nbsp;_'That thing was trying to slice my power again, and combined with the dimensional adjustment, just overloaded my system,'_\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;he thought. \u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Right, so where and when are we?\" \u0026nbsp;he said aloud to the darkness. \u0026nbsp;Rummaging inside the bag, he starting laying his equipment out on the ground. \u0026nbsp;There was just enough moonlight now for him to see what he was doing, as it had risen above the surrounding trees. \u0026nbsp;_'This must be a pokédex. \u0026nbsp;And here's a wallet filled with local currency. \u0026nbsp;Ah a watch! \u0026nbsp;This must be the right time, 10:32. \u0026nbsp;Camping gear. \u0026nbsp;Here's a data disk, that must be my video dossier. \u0026nbsp;Food supplies. \u0026nbsp;Change of clothes. \u0026nbsp;And here's some trainer gear, pokéballs, food and all the other essentials.'_\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;He stood up and stretched, looking approvingly at the neat pile of gear in front of him. _\u0026nbsp;'Seems like I have everything I need. \u0026nbsp;Now to check the other things...'_ \u0026nbsp;Closing his eyes, Shawn let his mind drift, withdrawing inside himself. \u0026nbsp;His awareness of the outside world faded as he reached inside to the place where his power was stored, like a wellspring of light, somewhere behind his heart. \u0026nbsp;The amount he had left was distressingly small, but enough for what he intended to try.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;Focussing his energy into his hand, he reached out into the place where his magical \"storage space\" normally lay. \u0026nbsp;He groped around in the air feeling for the little \"catch\" that opened into the dimensional dead space between dimensions. _\u0026nbsp;'Nothing,'_ he thought. \u0026nbsp;_'Seems like I really am on my own here._' \u0026nbsp;Unable to reach into these empty dimensional pockets, he would not be able to send messages to the DBW headquarters. \u0026nbsp;Next, he reached across his body to his left hip, feeling for the familiar shape by his side. _\u0026nbsp;'Yes! \u0026nbsp;At least I can still use this!'_ he thought, drawing a shining blade out from its cloak of invisibility.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;He gave it a few experimental cuts through the air, reaching through it to its comforting stores of his unique elemental energy. \u0026nbsp;Electricity crackled up and down the blade as he swung it in a complexly weaving arc over his head, then sheathed it once more at his side. _\u0026nbsp;'As long as I have this, there is virtually nothing here that is a threat to me.'_\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;Now that that was taken care of, he sat down again to review his mission. \u0026nbsp;Unfolding \u0026nbsp;the pokédex, he slipped the disk into it and booted it up, watching as it opened onto a DVD style menu. \u0026nbsp; He clicked the video file titled, \"Mission and objectives.\" \u0026nbsp;The video opened with the chief sitting behind his desk. \u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"As you already know, spin-off dimensions are created when an imagined universe gains so much power and form through focussed psychic energy that it physically manifests itself. \u0026nbsp;This is no exception. \u0026nbsp;Where it differs though, is that most spin-offs resolve their initially imagined conflicts, then continue to exist normally as the built up psychic energy drains away. \u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"This one particular dimension has been continually maintained and modified by a constant flow of psychic energy over the last decade. \u0026nbsp;Rather than continuing on its way, the evolving 'storyline' that has been created in our universe has been playing itself out. \u0026nbsp;That has now come to a crux. \u0026nbsp;The story has reached a point where there is a threat to the very fabric of the dimension. \u0026nbsp;If we do not take action, that threat has a very real possibility of being realized. \u0026nbsp;The results of this... to say they would be catastrophic would be an understatement. \u0026nbsp;Not only would this dimension be destroyed along with all inside it, but it could start a chain reaction that would destroy all known dimensions. \u0026nbsp;You must prevent this at all costs! \u0026nbsp;Fortunately, we have some time. \u0026nbsp;I will now switch to the video segment I received from my superiors on the council, detailing this threat.\" \u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe scene went dark, switching to a view of another man Shawn recognized as the current arbiter of the high wizard council. \u0026nbsp;\"Greetings Shawn Matthews. \u0026nbsp;You have been selected for a critical mission, one that your unique skill set gives us high hopes of success. \u0026nbsp;Your main objective is to find and eliminate the threat posed by a man named Cyrus. \u0026nbsp;He is, or will be, the leader of a group calling itself Team Galactic. \u0026nbsp;His plan is to harness the power of two legendary pokémon and use it to destabilize time and space itself.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"His motivations for doing so are somewhat unclear, but the fact remains that those are his intentions. \u0026nbsp;Unfortunately, matters are a bit complicated.\" \u0026nbsp;The man paused, taking a sip from a glass of water. \u0026nbsp;\"One, we do not know where he currently is,\" he resumed. \u0026nbsp;\"The storyline composed in our universe gives us the insight into what he plans, but in the manifest spin off dimension, it has yet to truly begin. \u0026nbsp;Second, once you locate him, you MUST not simply kill him. \u0026nbsp;Not only because this would this go against our creed, but because it would destroy the balance of the dimension. \u0026nbsp;The only way we can safely stop him is to allow his plan to reach the tipping point. \u0026nbsp;This is the one way we can insure the dimensional balance will not be skewed by altering its fabric too drastically. \u0026nbsp;Even the act of sending you in is a risk, but a risk we must take.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\"Fortunately, we have some time. \u0026nbsp;As near as we can tell, he has not yet started to put his plan in motion. \u0026nbsp;You have several months, possibly a year at the very least. \u0026nbsp;You will know the time is getting close when Team Galactic builds their headquarters in Veilstone city. \u0026nbsp;This time is necessary for the final reason. \u0026nbsp;You must assume the role of a pokémon trainer, in order to protect your identity as a wizard. \u0026nbsp;We don't know how the local authorities would react, so we can't risk you becoming a fugitive.\" \u0026nbsp;Shawn nodded at this. \u0026nbsp;Having to keep his identity a secret was nothing new to him, or any other wizard from Earth. \u0026nbsp;Fortunately, centuries of living in hiding had made them quite good at it, as well as developing many useful tricks for doing so. \u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe video continued, \"Also, if you were to take down Cyrus by yourself, he could use that against you, accusing you of being a rogue vigilante. \u0026nbsp;Assuming the role of a trainer will protect you from this, as local law enforcement supports using battles to settle disputes of any kind. \u0026nbsp;You would be able to arrest Cyrus and take him to the proper authorities. \u0026nbsp;Use your powers sparingly, and don't trust any humans with knowledge of your abilities.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;He paused again, allowing what he had said to sink in. \u0026nbsp;\"So, your objectives are as follows. \u0026nbsp;Use the time you have to gather and train a team of pokémon to stop Cyrus. \u0026nbsp;Keep an eye on the actions of Team Galactic, and as Cyrus' plan accelerates, be prepared to step in. \u0026nbsp;The best way to guarantee dimensional stability will be to stop him at Spear Pillar. \u0026nbsp;Any earlier than this may be more change than the dimensional fabric can handle. \u0026nbsp;Finally, upon completion of your main mission, you will be charged with staying in this dimension and working against the designs of the forces of dark there. \u0026nbsp;Dimensional stability must be maintained, as this dimension has grown too big to right itself without help. \u0026nbsp;When it has become completely stable again, we will use the auger you were given to withdraw you. \u0026nbsp;However, this could take some time, as the ripple effects of this event will take a long time to settle. \u0026nbsp;We appreciate the sacrifice you are making by leaving your home for an indefinite period of time. \u0026nbsp;Please know that if there were any other way, we would have taken it. \u0026nbsp;Unfortunately, this is it. \u0026nbsp;Good luck, and be careful.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe screen went dark again, and then returned to the main menu. \u0026nbsp;Shawn sat back, chewing on all the information he had just been given. \u0026nbsp;Despite the gravity of the threat, a grin slowly crept onto his face. \u0026nbsp;_'I can't believe I'm really here! \u0026nbsp;Of all the places to be sent, this is a place I've always wished were real. They call it a sacrifice to be stuck here, but for me it's practically a dream come true! \u0026nbsp;With a bit of universe saving thrown in of course, but there's no way I'll lose!'_ \u0026nbsp;Even though he was twenty-four years old, Shawn was an eternal optimist when it came to things that excited him. \u0026nbsp;Normally quite mature, right now he felt like a kid in a candy store. \u0026nbsp;Even the threat of having EVERYTHING be destroyed couldn't dampen his mood.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;Getting back to business, Shawn scrolled down the DVD menu, seeing that the rest of the files were information on places and people. \u0026nbsp;_'No real need to look at that now,'_ \u0026nbsp;he thought, popping out the disk. \u0026nbsp;He accessed the town map function on the pokédex, which included a GPS. \u0026nbsp;_'Hmm, so I'm somewhere on route 212, between Pastoria and Hearthome cities. There must be a roadway around here somewhere.'_ \u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe gathered his gear together and started walking through the moonlit forest in the direction indicated by the map. \u0026nbsp;_'Even though it's late here, I've only been up for a few hours,'_\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;he thought, not the least bit sleepy anymore. \u0026nbsp;It would take him a few days to get used to the massive time shift. \u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs he walked, he noticed that the trees seemed odd. \u0026nbsp;_'I'm not quite sure what it is, but...'\u0026nbsp;_\u0026nbsp;Then it hit him, _'These trees are too ordered. \u0026nbsp;They haven't grown naturally, they've been planted. \u0026nbsp;Am I in someone's orchard or something?'_ \u0026nbsp;He pushed his way through a stand of bushes, and suddenly a voice cried out, \"Hey! Intruder! \u0026nbsp;STOP!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n**Music for this chapter:\u0026nbsp;[http://www.partyrockpeople.com/view.aspx?id=25985](%5C)**\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Dimensional Balance: A Trainer\\'s Tale","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/124529-dimensional-balance-a-trainer-s-tale.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/126891-dimensional-balance-chapter-3-the-start-of-a-quest.json"}}