Prologue

The human girl did not feel very well at all.
It had been summer, and so the pajamas she was wearing at the moment were thin, and could not keep out the chill. She distinctly remembered falling asleep in her bed. However, without any memory of moving or waking, she had arrived here, wherever here was. She was in a large field. The sky was overcast, and the dewdrops clinging to the grass soaked into her legs and chilled her to the bone. A wind blew, seeming to go right through her.
She looked slowly up, quickly brushing hair away from her eyes, and then clutching her arms around her chest, trying to trap what little warmth she had. Nearby was a large, old, rickety gate. It was made of weathered and cracked horn from some great and ancient beast. It was simply carved. You could walk by it and not give it a second thought.
Within the gate swirled colors, they seemed dull. And yet they were somehow comforting, calming.
There was a sudden sound that the girl could not describe, and a creature was there. The girl could only see its black and tan hooves.
She did not look at the rest. She did not want to see more.
“...I did not wish to scare you.”
There was rustling like the changing of clothes, and the creature shifted. It was now human. Or rather, he.
He had long black hair kept out of his face with braids, interwoven with multicolored leaves carved of gemstone. They had to be gemstone because real leaves don’t shine like that. He wore a dark grey tunic, black leggings, and an elegant blue cloak. He has back and tan boots, and blue, black, and tan elbow-length gloves. His eyes were blue, with oddly shaped pupils.
He sat down and held out a hand. “Hello. I did not mean to scare you. Perhaps you will find this form less intimidating?”
The human girl took the hand and shook it.
He smiled. “...You’re actually reacting better than I thought you would. My name is Xerneas. What is your name?”
“Jeana,” the girl responded in a soft but neutral voice.
“Well, Jeana. I have some things to tell you,” Xerneas sighed. “You live in a region where humans and Pokemon coexist. But there’s a region where solely Pokemon live. There’s a Pokemon in that region that needs help, badly. I think that you could give her the help that she needs.”
Jeana thought for a few moments, then nodded. “...Okay, sir.”
“You seemed to agree rather easily,” Xerneas noted.
“Well,” Jeana started. “I don’t remember walking or waking here. I have never heard of a Pokemon named Xerneas capable of using the move Transform, and I have never heard of the move Transform allowing a Pokemon to become a human, or speak English. Therefore, there is only one explanation: this is a dream.”
Xerneas threw back his head and laughed. Then he looked back at Jeana and gave her a wry grin. “Well, you’re not wrong about that, Jeana. This is a dream. However, no one ever said that just because it’s a dream doesn’t mean it’s not also really happening.” He sobered up. “Now. Give this some thought. Where you’ll have to go to help her, you cannot remain a human. In order to remain inconspicuous, you will have to be transformed into a Pokemon. Also, this will not be a simple journey. You will have enemies, who will most likely try all sorts of methods to impede you. Most of those methods will probably be on the underhanded side. Your life may even be at stake. And the one who needs help… she isn’t going to be in the best state of mind if you do find her, and may mistake you for a foe. Are you absolutely sure you with to help? Even if you believe it to be a dream, please answer the question as though it would have irreversible effects on your reality.”
Jeana closed her eyes and frowned, deep in thought. Her eyelashes moistened slightly, and she nodded her head, hard.
“Okay, good…” Xerneas said. “Now, that gate over there. I think you saw it earlier. It’s called the Gate of Horn. Dreams of truth come through it, but you can also use it for other things. I need you to answer some questions, so the Gate will know what Pokemon will make the transition easiest for you. Please answer them honestly?”
Jeana nodded again, not opening her eyes.
“First. A fight has broken out in your school hallways. What do you do?”
Jeana was silent for a few moments, then opened her eyes. “It’s not my problem. I’m not involved. I walk away.”
Xerneas continued asking Jeana questions, and she answered in a measured tone. When finally Xerneas asked, with a smug looking grin: “A human hand extends out of a toilet, how do you react?”
Jeana stared at Xerneas. He let out a slight snort and grinned a little. “...No reaction to that question? Fine. I think I’m figuring out your character... Last question. How do you think you would react in a life or death situation?”
“Calmly and logically.”
“Without regard to your own safety?”
“You said that that would be the last question,” Jeana pointed out.
“That’s true,” Xerneas agreed. He laid down on the dewey grass. “...I think I know. You’re… docile. You dislike confrontations, and so simply comply and agree. You try not to show opinions or emotions, because those could potentially clash with others around you. You observe the mistakes of others, and so learn what not to do, but every person is offended or hurt by different things so… You don’t do anything. You hide all your emotions deep inside yourself. People think you’re icy and robotic, or just plain creepy, don’t they? You really don’t have a lot of friends. You don’t care what the other people think, you’re even a bit prideful. You don’t believe you need the help of others, even if you do accept it.”
Jeana didn’t respond to that.
“Fighting isn’t something you should do on a daily basis,” Xerneas continued. “But you really need to learn to stand up for your own beliefs, they really do matter. After all, those who yield to all have nothing left to yield, right? ...I read that a long time ago, and thought it applied here. I wouldn’t recommend bottling up your emotions, either. They tend to leak out and cause massive problems later on.”
He smiled at Jeana. “I think a docile type like you should be an espurr. And don’t worry about your partner Pokemon, I have some really good ones picked out already. They should help you quite a bit along the way, in a lot of ways.”
The field started fading to black as Jeana’s ears began ringing.
“Bye, Jeana. Good luck. And remember, sweet dreams…”

Welcome to…
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon:
Gates of Horn and Ivory

~~~~~

A very long ago, I discovered that PMD fanfics were a thing, and immediately decided to make my own. That resulted in a story called Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Dusk Storm.
It really wasn't all that good, but I always had a soft spot for it.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates of Horn and Ivory is a revamp of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Dusk Storm. However a lot of stuff has changed.
A LOT of the characters from PMDDS were fakemon. I changed that. The antagonist and the protagonist are also now both completely different. Also, the story was created before Gen 6 was announced, so that's different.
Now, the things that stayed the same.
The partners stayed the same. My favorite thing about PMDDS was always the two partners, but they were just one dimensional to me. Over the years I've given a lot of thought to them both, and now they're a lot more fleshed out.
And the region. The region is called Leginda. It was originally conceived as a place where you could find lots of Legendaries, and it still is. But now it's expanded from that.

Now, about the prologue.
In the prologue, we are introduced to Jeana, the soon-to-be Espurr. She's not your typical PMD hero. She really isn't. I personally wouldn't want to be her. But I enjoy her character arc, and certain characteristics about her that I don't think very many people would like to have are what end up helping her out the most in this adventure.

I really hope you enjoy reading Gates of Horn and Ivory as much as I enjoy writing it. ^^