Painโฆ then silence.
When Nathan woke up, he expected to see the cracked ceiling of his cramped apartment in Sydney, perhaps with the neighbour's dog barking in the background.
Instead, there was sunlight. Real, golden sunlight filtering through tall green trees, and birds no, Pidgey chirping in the distance.
Nathan sat up slowly. He was lying in a grassy meadow, his black hoodie soaked with morning dew. His heart pounded. "What the hellโฆ?"
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โฆ
๐๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐โฆ
๐๐๐ฅ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐, ๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง. ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฆ.
He stumbled back onto his elbows as glowing blue text hovered in mid-air. Like a sci-fi HUD. "I've beenโฆ what?"
The text changed.
๐๐จ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ ๐, ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง
๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง: ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ครฉ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
๐๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ:
โ ๐๐จ๐ครฉ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ซ
โ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ
โ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐
โ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
โ ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ (๐ฅ๐จ๐๐ค๐๐)
โ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฆ (๐ฅ๐จ๐๐ค๐๐)
Nathan's breath caught. "Kanto? As in the Kanto? The original?"
His hands trembled as he touched his face, his hair. Still him. Still human. But somehowโฆ somewhere else.
He leapt to his feet and spun around. To his left was a dirt path winding through the trees. To his right? The unmistakable red roof of a Pokรฉmon Centre in the distance.
His heart surged.
"Am I dreaming?" he whispered.
But then, a rustle.
From the bushes emerged a small brown creature with wide eyes and a curled tail.
"Rattataโฆ" he murmured, stunned.
[๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐]
โ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ: ๐
โ ๐๐ฒ๐ฉ๐: ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ
โ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ: ๐๐ฎ๐ง ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ
โ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ: ๐+
Nathan stared as the System screen hovered beside the Pokรฉmon. His mouth opened.
"So I canโฆ see their potential?"
This wasn't a game mechanic. It was real. His hands still shook, but adrenaline was replacing panic with curiosity.
The Rattata sniffed the air and scurried off.
Nathan stared after it.
"Thisโฆ this changes everything."
A sharp breeze blew down the trail, carrying the smell of trees andโฆ freshly baked bread?
Nathan followed the path until the trees gave way to the modest, idyllic town of Pallet. Wooden houses. A white fence. And, in the distance, a familiar white dome.
"Professor Oak's lab," he muttered.
He quickened his pace.
Within minutes, he stood before the building. His mind raced would the Professor even recognise him?
The doors slid open automatically.
"Can I help you?" asked a woman in a lab coat Daisy, if memory served from the games.
"Iโฆ" Nathan faltered. "I don't have a trainer licence, butโฆ I want to become a trainer. Is the Professor in?"
Daisy frowned, studying him. "You're not from around here, are you?"
"No," he admitted. "I'mโฆ far from home."
She sighed. "Well, you're in luck. Gramps was just about to hand out starter Pokรฉmon to three new trainers. If you hurryโ"
Nathan bolted past her.
The lab smelled of old books and disinfectant. Professor Oak stood beside a desk, adjusting his glasses.
"Aha! A fourth candidate?" he said, smiling. "Unusual, but not unwelcome."
Three trainers stood nearby. One was a smug boy with spiked brown hair. The other two, a serious looking girl with short blue hair, and a quiet, freckled boy who fiddled nervously with his backpack.
"I apologise, Professor," Nathan said quickly. "I know I wasn't invited, butโ"
Oak raised a hand. "Say no more. I believe in giving opportunities. If you truly wish to walk the path of a trainer, then who am I to deny you?"
He gestured to the table behind him. Three Pokรฉballs sat in a row.
"Choose your starter, young man."
Nathan stepped forward as his System activated.
[๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐ซ] โ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ: ๐++
[๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ] โ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ: ๐+
[๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ซ๐ญ๐ฅ๐] โ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ: ๐-
He blinked.
"The System can read even their potentialโฆ" he murmured.
His hand hovered over Charmander but then shifted to Squirtle. His instincts screamed to go with the higher rating.
"I'll take Squirtle."
Oak raised an eyebrow. "A wise choice. A calm and resilient companion."
Nathan picked up the Pokรฉball, and warmth filled his chest as he felt the familiar click.
๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐ครฉ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐: ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ซ๐ญ๐ฅ๐
๐๐ฒ๐ฉ๐: ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ
๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ: ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ
๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ: ๐
๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ: ๐-
๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฌ: ๐๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐, ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฉ, ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ง
His smile was faint, but real.
"This is real. I can do this."
Later that evening, Nathan sat alone outside Pallet Town, watching the stars. Squirtle lay beside him, dozing peacefully.
"I don't know why I'm here," he said quietly. "But this worldโฆ this Systemโฆ it's like something gave me a second chance."
He opened the System again.
๐๐๐ฑ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐: ๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ.
๐๐จ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐: ๐๐๐๐๐๐ญ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ครฉ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง.
Nathan looked at Squirtle, then at the path ahead.
He stood, fire in his veins.
"If I've got this kind of powerโฆ I'm not just going to survive."
His eyes narrowed.
"I'm going to be the best."