New World!

I spun around the room, my mind racing as I tried to make sense of the impossible. How could this be real? I retraced my last moments, trying to piece it together.

First, I had entered my flat. Then, I patted Meowth like I always did. And after that ı lay down and did I fall asleep?

I slapped my face, hard. The sting started a wawe of shock throught me, but it didn't wake me up.... I wasn't dreaming! My pulse quickened as I scanned the unfamiliar room again, my breath uneven.

And then—

A blue screen flickered into existence before me, glowing eerily in the dim light. I stumbled back, my heart hammering in my chest.

[WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF POKÉMON.]

I froze. My stomach twisted into knots as I read the words, my mind struggling to process them.

"What?" I muttered under my breath.

Before I could react further, the words on the screen shifted.

[PLEASE TELL US YOUR NAME.]

My eyes locked onto the floating text. It looked like something straight out of a manhwa or one of those RPG interfaces in games. My jaw clenched, a surge of frustration rising within me.

"My name is Alex Carter!" I snapped. "Are you the ones who brought me here?" My voice was laced with anger.

If these were the that bastards had ripped me away from my life—just when everything was finally falling into place then I wanted answers.

I had made it. I was the best Pokémon trainer in the world. I had the money to start my own small business. For the first time in years, I was ready to live my life.

And now… this?

The screen flickered again.

[YES, ALEX CARTER. WE ARE THE ONES WHO BROUGHT YOU HERE. BUT WE DID IT FOR TWO REASONS.]

My fists clenched at my sides. "Two reasons?" I echoed, my voice trembling with frustration. "What the hell could possibly justify this?"

[YES. ONE OF THE REASONS IS BECAUSE YOU ARE THE STRONGEST.]

I froze. That… wasn't what I expected. Of all the things they could have said, praise was the last thing I anticipated.

"The strongest, huh?" I muttered under my breath. A part of me wanted to feel proud, but another part couldn't shake the unease curling in my gut. They kidnapped me and now they are praising me? What kinda logic are they following.

"And the other reason?" I asked, my voice firm.

The screen flickered—just for a moment—before the words changed.

[WE CANNOT REVEAL THE OTHER REASON.]

A humorless chuckle slipped past my lips. Whether it was from the stress or the sheer absurdity of the situation, I didn't know. "Seriously?" I laughed, running a hand through my hair. "You kidnap me, dump me into a different world, and now you're keeping secrets? Real funny."

The screen stopped twitching, its glow steady once more.

[I HOPE WE'RE IN GOOD TERMS , ALEX CARTER.]

My expression darkened. "Of course no! What do you want from me?" I demanded.

[BECOME THE STRONGEST OF ALL. LET THE WORLD WITNESS YOUR POWER ONCE MORE.]

I exhaled sharply and sat down on the bed. So that was it. That was their goal? No it cant be that simple. They need me to save this world. But why cant they just use Red,Gold, anybody other than me? And even if ı accepted could that really be the best choice for me?

If this was the world of Pokémon, then it could also be the world of danger. Wild Pokémon could be deadly. Corrupt organizations existed in every region. And let's not forget the real wildcard—people. Some mad scientist might decide I was a threat. Or worse, a tool. If I really was going to be the 'protagonist' of this story, then I was bound to attract trouble like a damn magnet.

I leaned back slightly, my gaze locked onto the screen. "And what if I don't want to become the Champion?" I asked, testing the waters even if ı wanted to return, ı could still just live a peaceful life here without running into anything.

The screen twitched again before flashing a new message.

[THEN YOU CAN SIT BACK AND WATCH AS THE ENTIRE WORLD IS DESTROYED BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES—AND LET IT DRAG YOU DOWN WITH IT.]

The room felt colder.

A dry, bitter laugh escaped me. "I never really had a choice, did I?" I muttered to myself. From the very start, there was no escaping this unscathed.

I had been thrown into the deep end of the ocean.

And whether I liked it or not, I had to swim.

"Okay, I'll do it!" I declared, a grin creeping onto my face. "But on two condition."

The screen flickered slightly before responding.

[WHAT IS YOUR CONDITIONS?]

And the fish got chaught!

I though to myself while grinning.

I folded my arms, leaning slightly forward. "First is when this shit is over ı will be sent back! And the other is..... I'll tell you later—when I need it." My voice carried a casual confidence, but beneath the act, my heart pounded. "It's up to you to decide whether to accept it or not. But from where I'm standing, I'm perfectly fine dying together with this world. You, on the other hand dont really want that.....am ı right?" I trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air.

Silence. The screen twitched, a string of unreadable symbols flashing across it before settling.

[....WE ACCEPT YOUR CONDITIONS—UNLESS IT GOES AGAINST THE VERY CORE OF THIS WORLD] Another message followed.

[THERE WILL BE A GIFT TO YOU FROM US. IT WILL BE YOUR FIRST AND LAST FREE GIFT FROM US]

I exhaled slowly."And what is it?" I asked but the fucker did not answer.

Instead, it dimmed for a moment before displaying one more message:

[WELCOME TO YOUR JOURNEY]

[ALEX CARTER]

"Which region am I in,at least tell me that?" I asked, hoping for a clear answer.

The screen responded almost immediately:

[YOUR FIRST JOURNEY WILL START AT KANTO.]

"Kanto..." I muttered, a faint sense of nostalgia flickering through my mind. But before I could process it fully, another thought struck me.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'first'? Do I have to become the champion in every region?" My voice rose with panic.

The screen flickered,before the next message appeared:

[YES, SINCE YOU NEED TO BE THE CHAMPION OF ALL.]

My face saddened. "You've got to be kidding me," I whispered, though deep down, I already knew this was no joke.

"All of them? Every single region?" I asked, my voice trembling with disbelief.

The screen didn't hesitate this time as well:

[YES! YOU WILL FACE THEM ALL.]

A shaky breath escaped me.

"Then bring it on!" I muttered, the weight of the task sinking in even though ı tried to ignore it.

But just as I was about to take my first step into this world, another question hit me. "Will things stay the same?" I asked. "The movesets, the Champion's Pokémon—do I still know them, or is everything different?"

The screen paused, flickering ominously, before displaying its next response:

[YOU WILL HAVE TO FIND OUT YOURSELF, ALEX CARTER.]

"Seriously? You can't give me even one clear answer?" I snapped, but the screen ignored my frustration and continued:

[NOW GET READY TO GO TO THE PROFESSOR'S HOME. YOU NEED A STARTER POKÉMON TO GO WITH YOU.]

"A starter..." I murmured. For the first time, a glimmer of excitement managed to cut through the anxiety. Choosing a starter Pokémon was one of the best feelings ı got from playing any mainline game like any other player,but under these circumstances, it felt... strange.

Then, without warning, the blue screen vanished leaving me by myself

A deep red interface appeared in its place. My breath hitched.

I knew this screen. It was just like the DS and GBA Pokémon games—an exact replica. Four familiar tabs hovered at the top: Inventory, Map, Trainer Card, Pokémon Slot.

My fingers hovered over the Trainer Card before I tapped it.

[NAME: ALEX CARTER]

[KANTO BADGES: 0/8]

[JOHTO BADGES: 0/8]

[AGE: 17]

My new face stared back at me.

A fresh start.

I switched to the Map tab, scanning my surroundings. My heart skipped a beat.

"Pallet Town," I murmured.

"Looks like I really am starting from scratch," I sighed, before swiping over to the Inventory tab.

It was mostly empty, save for one item: Starter Kit. Curious, I tapped on it, and a brief description appeared:

[Starter Kit: Includes a Pokédex and five Poké Balls Obtain from the professor.]

I nodded to myself. "Guess that's my next stop."

Before closing the window, I glanced at the Map tab again. Pallet Town wasn't large.

"Alright," I said, taking a deep breath. "Let's do this."

I started heading downstairs, but unlike in the games, there was no cheerful mother waiting to send me off with words of encouragement. The first floor was eerily empty, almost like a copy of the one from my actual house back home.

"I guess this part is the same as what I had back there,I Just hope Meowth is Safe and not Hungry" I muttered under my breath.

As I stepped outside, the sudden brightness of the sun momentarily blinded me. Shielding my eyes, I took a few steps forward before ı glanced around, realizing for the first time how real this world felt—the warmth of the sun, the soft rustle of the wind, the faint sound of Pidgey chirping in the distance. It was like stepping into a dream, except for the nagging voice in my head reminding me it wasn't one and when my vision fully cleared, I froze.

The town before me was Pallet Town, but not the one I remembered from the games. It was... bigger. Much bigger.

There were rows of houses, lining the dirt paths that branched out in multiple directions. The quiet, idyllic town from the games had been replaced by something more realistic—alive with people, sounds, and movement. Children ran around playing, and trainers were chatting by the Pokémon Center that loomed in the distance.

I pulled up the map again, expecting it to reflect this expanded version of the town, but it didn't.

The screen still displayed the same layout as the games: two houses and the professor's lab.

"What the...?" I frowned, tapping on the screen to see if it would update or expand, but nothing changed.

"Guess the fuckers forgot about the map," I muttered, lowering it. My gaze shifted back to the bustling town around me.

If this was the starting point, I needed to find Professor's lab. But with so many buildings, it wasn't as simple as just walking straight ahead.

"Well, no point in standing here," I said, steeling myself. "Let's figure this out."