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This week's contribution comes from June Fernan, who wants to share their take on a mythologized version of the Twitch Plays Pokémon stream that occurred during February 2014, which they are currently posting on their Substack. We have been given their blessing to reprint an excerpt from part one of five:

The Myth of Abba Jesus (excerpt)

The humans in the town did little more than keep their houses warm and their children fed. But there was one young man by the name of Red, who had an unstoppable allure. He was often found outside, drumming at the campfire by himself through dusk and into the night, and when his mother shouted from her window for him to stop, he would put the drums down then dance erratically. Most thought he was helplessly overwhelmed by mental problems, but Professor Oak claimed he had a cerebral connection to the divine. “If he ever speaks to you,” Oak said to Abby, “Listen with intent. Red is a visionary.”

One afternoon, Abby and Abba dared to walk into his sight, while he was furiously typing away on a red electronic gadget. Upon seeing them, he froze. He came to the longest silence moment of silence they had ever seen for him. And he pointed at them and said, “You two. You are fighters.”

Abby and Abba looked at each other and laughed. It was true Abby had a fierce attitude toward the roughneck monsters of the forest, but she had never considered herself a fighter. Red told them they would soon grow too fierce for the tiny village of Pallet Town to contain their strengths, and that they should head north to Pewter City, where they could train with the strongest rock Pokémon of the region. “It is there,” he said while looking into the sky, “where you will discover your destiny.”

Thank you for reaching out to us, June, and the very best of luck with your story! I was a huge fan of Twitch Plays Pokémon, and so it's a pleasure to share your writing. Interested Johto Times readers can find parts one to four on June Fernan's Substack here, and part five will be out this Sunday!