Chapter Text
If anyone had told me that I would be offered the chance of a lifetime to dimension hop and experience while new worlds, I would have thought they were insane.
Okay, that might be a bit of a lie. I probably would have believed it in my early to mid teens. What can I say? Religious indoctrination, a webcomic about kids kick starting the apocalypse, and untreated mental illness led to the minor but deep seeded delusions that I was being watched; judged by a cosmic entity of sorts.
So, if I was going to be forced to endure the ever present paranoia, I might as well let myself dream about the benefits that would come with it. But alas, it wasn't to be. My 13th (and 16th) birthday came and went and there was nary a game so catastrophic it ended the world. My father, too, toned down his religious zealotry and I grew older and healed, somewhat, from my experiences.
I still have the occasional uncomfortable thoughts of 'what if someone's watching me while I pee?' but I've decided that they are the perverts if that's the case. Why should I am I the one who has to be embarrassed? Buuuut that's besides the point. I've gotten too off topic.
Basically, my belief in such a thing happening was nigh zero. Most I could hope for was that the bees would stop following me when I went outside and that my dog, Harley, would stop finding random ways to try and kill himself.
Today was a day like any other, which meant I was tired and had nothing to do. I had just gotten out of the bath and was doom scrolling on my phone while I waited for my meat pie to cool down. I had thrown on a pair of shorts, leg warmers and an oversized hoodie.
I still hadn't quite mustered the energy to style my hair so water still dripped ceaselessly onto the floor and and down my neck from my curls. It wet my collar and felt quite unpleasant. Some of the water droplets occasionally plop onto my phone screen, which I quickly wipe away with my hoodie sleeve.
Now, some people would tell you that sitting on the floor was uncomfortable and they'd right. But man, sitting on the kitchen floor, leaning against a cabinet just hit different. Especially when your knees hurt and you're depressed.
I take a bite of my meat pie. Except, no, I didn't. Uh, what the fuck? Right before my eyes, the familiar scenery of my kitchen had just... disappeared. And with it, so too did the cabinet supporting me. My heart lurches and I instinctively flailed as I fall backwards.
The wind is knocked out of me as I fall back into something soft. For a long moment, I just lie there terrified. Panicked thoughts bubble to the surface unbidden. Did I die? Am I fucking dead? Did I just have a stroke- no, a pulmonary embolism- no not that either. Fuck, what was it? An aneurysm! That. Did I just die from a fucking aneurysm??
Am I about to be judged? I am so not ready. My soul isn't lighter than a feather. There was no glorious battle. My life was boring and I made so little impact that Elysium was nothing but a distant dream.
As much as I clown on Christianity, I would have thought that I would have done more with my life before I died! I wasn't ready to die. I had shit to do.
Before I can truly spiral into a panic attack, a loud notification grabs my attention. Suddenly, a black text box with neon teal text pops into my vision. Oh, gods, am in a fucking world dungeon? As if to encourage my misgivings, the text is read aloud to me.
Hey there. Nice to meet you. My name isn't important, but I have a business proposal to offer you.
So, I have this hobby of watching people go on adventures. Unfortunately, with the way the Earth is completely mapped out and the lack of space program funding, the last great adventure I saw was James Cameron's submarine jaunt. Thus I am beset by an utter lack of good material.
The reason I have approached you is simple: you wish your life could be different, perfectly normal, by the way. Escape fantasies are a natural part of life these days. However, what I am offering you is an actual chance at escape, or, at the very least, a break.
When the text filled the box completely and the voice finished it's words, the page clicked over to the next automatically.I stared dumbfounded as the presentation continues.
Like I said, I am running out of good material. I want to see a story of adventure and excitement. This is impossible in this world. So! What I'm going to do is take your life and send it to a different world! Specifically: pokemon! Yes, the video game, and the show and the books and the toys and the card game and you know what I mean.
Why send someone from your world to the world of Pokemon instead of following someone already there? Because this way is much more fun.
Here's how it works: if you accept you stay in the the world of Pokemon for 10 years. During that time, time is stopped in your home universe. Magic tree House style. After the 10 years are up I offer you a few choices, including going home.
The voice reverberated in the room. Well, at least it wasn't a system AI in my head. And shit, didn't this just sound so tempting?
This was real, right? I pinch my forearm and ow. In the wise words of a would be slacker 'anything that hurt had to be real' or something like that. Honestly, what would be the harm in actually doing this?(There is a lot of harm that could come from this)
The offer is so tempting, I know I couldn't turn it down. Because I simply don't want to. I wanted it to be real. I'd been waiting for something like this, for what felt like, my whole life.
This entity or whatever had it right when it said that I wanted to change my life. My life was nowhere near where I wanted it be. Still, my ever present anxiety insisted that I look at this offer from all sides and humor all the ways this could go hilariously wrong.
I sit up and reposition the beanbag before I plop down onto it. This lasts for maybe five seconds before I spring up and begin pacing the length of the room. I can't think properly when I'm sitting still. It occurs to me that I haven't observed the room at all since I arrived. It's pretty big but relatively bare with a high ceiling and dark walls. There's a lit fireplace that illuminates the room and a fancy chair with a side table and note book with quill and ink situated not far from the fireplace.
The beanbag chair is super out of place. Perhaps whatever brought me here used it to cushion my fall out of courtesy. But, uh, could they not have just put me in the chair? Maybe it's their special chair and don't want other people touching it.
I shake my head and groan. "Why do I get sidetracked so easily?" I lament to no one in particular. I have to get back to the problems at hand. Glancing at the center of the room, the text box floats unperturbed. No light flashes to indicate urgency or randomly appearing timer. Good.
If I accept this thing's offer, I'll be stuck in the world of Pokemon for the next 10 years at minimum. Which sounds awesome, let's be honest. But, it specified that it followed the show, which wouldn't be too bad. If anything, it was better because at least then the pokemon could dodge. No, the real dangerous part was the fact that it also followed the comics.
The pokemon adventure manga was a whole different beast. Pokemon and people alike faced grievous injuries and even died, often. Unlike in the anime, my life and limbs would really be at stake. And I would have to live like that for ten whole years.
On the other hand, I could get a pokemon. And wasn't that worth the risk itself? 'But you have a dog at home who depends on you and your dad is getting old. He would be devastated if you died.' my rationale desperately pleaded. But it was no use.
Sighing, I approached the text box and tapped the word 'accept' with only a bit of hesitation. I had a roommate who, at the least, would feed my dog or give it to my dad. As for my dad... He had more kids. Even if my death devastated him, he would still live on for them.
"Of course I don't actually plan on dying, so there's that." I mutter to myself.
The text and narration continues as though there had never been a pause.
Now, the world of Pokemon is actually rather dangerous, what was the feral creatures of unimaginable power and the roving gangs of criminals that are often pursuing some horrible cause and must be stopped. Therefore I'm going to give you a budget. Use this budget to buy some supplies and skills before your adventure begins.
This budget won't help you at all once you start your new life, so spend it all now!
When the text is finished generating, I waited for the narration to return but it never did. I suppose this was something I could read at my leisure. There is a lot of flavor text, which I appreciate, but for brevity's sake I'm gonna skip over it.
Here, can take these things for free. You can also keep the clothes you're wearing right now. Your wallet and cellphone are fair game but remember: no cell service and different currency
Underneath were pixelated images with simple descriptions:
- +Bag it's bigger on the inside
- +Pokégear can be muted
- +Pokédex already filled
- +x5 Pokéballs standard catch rates
- +x3 Potions band-aid in a bottle
- +Hat a red hat
There was a backwards and forwards arrow at the bottom. When I clicked the forward arrow, the screen changed again. Now, in the upper right corner sat: 1000cp. I guess that's a currency of some kind. More text loaded in.
One after another, the regions list themselves out with the numbers 1 through 7. I raise my eyebrow in slight confusion. Weren't there like 10 regions at this point? Not like I knew any of the regions past gen 5, so it doesn't really matter. There is a helpful, if a bit vague, description of each region, presumably for if you were able to pick your starting location. The 8th slot is labeled free pick. Without my input, a virtual 1d8 appears on the screen and rolls itself. It lands on the number 2 and johto is highlighted.
Your starting region is johto! Unless you wish to spend 100cp to change it
Okay, not bad. I kinda wish it had been unova, since that's the generation I'm most familiar with but soulsilver had been my second favorite mainline game so this was good too. Plus, I technically got kanto as a freebie.
When I click the arrow to proceed another 1d8 appears and rolls itself. It lands on 3. The equation: 3+9= 12 appears briefly.
Your starting age is 12! Unless you wish to spend 100cp to change it. You can choose from ages 10-17
What? It's changing my age too? I stare blankly at the screen for a moment. I guess that makes sense. Aside from the baddies, the gym leaders, the elite four and the champion, most other trainers were children. Next page.
Your gender remains the same unless, of course, you wish to change it for 100cp
Hm. I contemplate that for a moment. I've always wanted to be the other sex. Of course, I don't mind my current one too much. It's always been more of a passive longing than an active want. I glance at the points in the upper right corner. Only 1000. Yea, no, I can't go wasting points like that when I don't know what else I can pick from.
Clicking to the next page I'm met with backgrounds I can choose from, each granting specific perks. That's a lot of text. It's kinda overwhelming, so I click to the next page after skimming the descriptions.
Oh. Oh no. The next page lists skills and abilities and depending on what background you choose, the cost will fluctuate. The page after lists out flaws you can choose that will make your journey harder but give extra spendable points in return.
The last page is filled with gear for sale. A good portion of the prices are also dependent on your background... Fuck. I take a breath to calm down.
This is gonna take a while.
It takes more than 2 hours to create a load out I'm decently satisfied with and even still, I'm left wanting. I picked up my phone at some point. The clock was frozen but the stop watch feature still worked.
I got tired of standing after 30 minutes and my knees hurt so I dragged the fancy chair to sit in front of the selection screen. I also commandeered borrowed my generous host's notebook and quill. The quill acted more like an ink pen than a dip pen since I never needed to dip it more than once.
I didn't need to write much but I needed somewhere to write to help me keep my math straight. Funnily enough, there was an option that I could pick that would let me be able to do mental math easier but it cost 600 points and it's wasn't the build I was going for.
After another 30+ minutes of agonizing over what starter I should pick. The choices were Snivy, cyndaquil, oshawott, and turtwig. Not that those were the only choices, they're just the ones I were considering. I finally settled on one. Out of every option I had to pick, this might be the choice I feel the most regretful. I like them all, but I know I need a powerful partner as much as I need one that I like.
Cyndaquil was a favorite because it was the starter I preferred when I played soul silver. I knew that it would be relatively strong in this region, plus it was cute and looked soft and I really wanted to pet it. Oshawott was also my preferred unova partner. It would be a great special attacker from what I remember. I could even teach it surf early on. Not that I could use it outside of battle without the gym badge... probably?
I had never used turtwig, only ever chimchar, but I knew it was a powerhouse of sorts and I liked it's design. Snivy was purely on the list for the vibes. I liked it and I had one for one of my many unova playthroughs. I knew it wasn't very good without TMs though. That did not stop it from being on the list. What can I say, I'm kinda sentimental.
After another few minutes of back and forth switching, I settle on my starter. I'm just never gonna be completely happy with my choice and I just have to accept that.
I look back at the screen and my heart lurches slightly when I see the upper right corner now reads 0cp. I stand up quickly and the chair screeches across the floor as it's pushed back. The notebook and quill clatter to the floor. I click through the screen frantically and breathe a sigh of relief when I see that there are choices highlighted.
After picking up the notebook, I slowly flip through the screens, thoroughly comparing my notes with everything that has been chosen. Thankfully, they match up exactly.
So, the mister/mistress was watching me. Maybe it's because I was thinking out loud as I worked through what I would need or maybe they were just reading over my shoulder? I shrug my shoulders. Didn't really matter, did it?
Clicking through the screens slowly one last time, I nod. After a long moment of hesitance, I click the accept button.
Once you make your choices, prepare for the adventure of a (new) lifetime! Good luck, have fun, and be entertaining!
Everything goes dark.