Tia makes a Time Capsule trade with a mysterious Trainer.
Tia stared at the viewscreen, looking intently at a long list of names and numbers. She was on the second floor of Ecruteak’s Pokemon Center, preparing to use the Time Capsule Trading System for the first time. She scanned the list of virtual trade lobbies available to choose from, and her eyes widened when she found the one she was looking for.
Username: 4423
So the rumors were true. At least, the username part was. According to the rumors, if you found a Time Capsule trade lobby run by a username 4423 and traded with them, you’d get an unusual or impossible Pokemon back.
Tia felt an odd excitement as she selected 4423 to trade with, and stepped into the trade lobby. She only had one Pokemon to trade: a shiny Charmander she had found while exploring the Cinnabar Island ruins, and she figured the person in the past who would receive it would appreciate it. She wondered what kind of Pokemon she would get in return.
There was a table in the middle of the lobby, with a full-bodied avatar sitting at one end, hidden behind a thin fiberglass computer screen. The emotionless, digital avatar was standard for everyone doing Time Capsule trades, and as Tia approached the table and sat at the other end, she wondered who the real person behind the avatar was. According to Bill, the Pokemon Storage System inventor, a Time Capsule trade connected you to a person that lived at least three years into the past.
When the lobby program indicated it, Tia placed her Charmander’s Poke Ball into a slot on the table. A message appeared on the fiberglass screen:
Send message?
Tia thought a moment. What could she say to someone three years in the past that she hadn’t met before? She thought a moment more, then typed a message:
Hi there! My name is Tia. I’m a Poke Ball researcher and my favorite Poke Balls are Moon Balls. Take good care of Charmander!
It was silly, but she didn’t care. They’d most likely never meet again, so she was fine with sending what she wrote.
The trade started, and the Poke Ball was lifted into the air, converted into data, and phased through the computer screen to the other side. A few moments later, another Poke Ball emerged from the screen and landed in the slot.
Tia picked it up. By some strange coincidence, it was a Moon Ball. She looked at the computer screen for the trade details, and gasped when she saw the Pokemon’s picture.
It was a Cyndaquil, nicknamed Thallium, with a flame that burned a bright green.
The 4423 rumor swirled in her mind. Trade with them, and you’ll get an unusual or impossible Pokemon back.
She looked past the picture and saw that the person had sent a message:
Hello. I’m a traveling Trainer who finds unusual Pokemon here and there. Take good care of Thallium! – Shun
Later, Tia was taking a walk with Thallium when her Pokegear rang. She picked it up and answered. “Hello?”
“Hello, Tia.”
Tia’s face brightened. “Hi, Aidan!”
“Just wanted to know how you were doing. It’s been a few weeks – I wanted to make sure you didn’t disappear into the ether!”
Tia laughed. “Everything’s fine. Hey, you know the Time Capsule rumor everyone’s talking about? The one about Username 4423?”
A pause. “Yeah… kinda.”
“It’s true!”
A longer pause. “What?”
“It’s true! I just traded with the guy today!” Tia said excitedly. “He sent me a message, and gave me his name – Shun.”
There was silence on the line for a few moments.
Tia frowned. “Hello?”
“Yeah… sorry. Something just came up, and I need to take care of it. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Uh… okay. Bye.” Tia stared at her Pokegear after Aidan had hung up, bewildered. That was strange. I wonder what came up.
Her thoughts returned to Username 4423 – to Shun – and she decided the next time she found an unusual Pokemon, she’d look for him again in the Time Capsule and trade again.