Hello, y’all, and welcome to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: Infrared, a story that’s a re-write of the very first story I wrote in 4th grade. I’m so glad to have you guys here, but before you dive into the meat and potatoes of Arven’s story, I need to clear up a few things.

        First of all, I know you guys are probably not familiar with Scarlet and Violet, but for the purpose of good fanfiction, I refuse to repeat what happens at the end of the games in the story. That’s not fanfiction but straight-up plagiarism (I learned this the hard way in 5th grade).

        Therefore, I jump straight into the original story I have going here, which takes place a month after the ending of Scarlet and Violet. Don’t worry, though! Since I know you’re not familiar, I’ll tell you right here, instead of in the story, what happens, so listen carefully. FYI, there are spoilers, but this was the only way to make this story work.

        Infrared is based on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the newest titles of the franchise. In them, one of the characters, Arven, was abandoned by either his mom or dad (depending on the game) as a child because they became obsessed with their research about creating a time machine in a futuristic area called Area Zero to change the future of the Paldea Region for the better.

        In the games, Arven and his friends travel to Area Zero after Professor Turo (Arven’s dad: Violet) or Professor Sada (Arven’s mom: Scarlet) get in touch with the main character. While they’re there, they learn that Professor Sada/Turo was killed by a dangerous Pokémon called a Paradox Pokémon and that the professors they’ve been speaking to are actually artificial intelligence robots the original professors built: AI Sada or AI Turo.

        After confronting Arven and his friends and shutting down the time machine, the AI travels to either the past (Scarlet) or the future (Violet) to achieve the goals the original professors were not able to.

        Now that that’s clear, let’s get into the story itself. In Infrared, Arven, who is struggling to accept what the AI told him and his friends in Area Zero about his parent being dead, vows to return to the past to find his mom. Therefore, the story is based on Scarlet Version vs. Violet. Arven gets help from the mascot Legendary Pokémon of Violet, Miraidon, and the Time Travel Pokémon, Celebi, as well as his friends and the mascot Legendary of Scarlet Version, Koraidon.

        In the past, Arven finds AI Sada and learns she’s trying to be the mom he never had, but she needs Arven’s help. The whole story is a mother-son bonding one (it’s been scientifically proven that sons form special connections with their moms, which is why I chose Sada over Turo); only the mother is a robot, so I guess it’s a little bit like I Am Frankie. It’s about Arven’s journey to accepting the truth about his mother being dead, but there is also a secondary plotline with the AI.

        She tries to give Arven the love the original professor never did, but it’s difficult because a traumatic experience in the far past and the mysterious Infrared are haunting her.

        Yes, this is a complicated story, but with a little bit of research on the games and AIs, I believe you guys will get a better understanding of what exactly is happening. Keep in mind that this story is plot and character-driven, which are two of the more important aspects of the writer’s craft. Do not expect these characters to change overnight, and do not expect to meet the AI in the first five chapters. She makes her appearance in Chapter 8. Trust me, guys. It’s not that hard to read a few extra chapters—especially ones as short as these.

        With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy this story as much as I had fun writing it! It’s a clever take on the Fantasy and Science Fiction genre, Drama, and a coming-of-age story—even though it’s in the style of fanfiction. I have worked very hard to give you guys a new and unique story, and I hope you’ll cherish it as much as me, even if you aren’t a Pokémon fan. Have fun reading!

- Victoria/Viktoria