New Awareness

Rei sat beneath a towering tree, his clothes still damp from the river, his body covered in a thin layer of mud. He had done this deliberately, masking his scent as best as he could. The cool, damp earth clung to his skin, making him shiver, but he knew it was necessary.

Hagen, Renji's father, the son of Elder Garon the vullage chief taught him to do this when tracking wild Pokémon. A human's scent could easily attract wild pokemon, and with how vulnerable he was right now, he couldn't afford to take any risks. Survival came first.

His fingers dug into the soft ground as he tried to steady his thoughts. Something inside him had changed. It wasn't just his body that felt different—it was his mind.

For the first time, he realized how clear everything was. His memories, his senses, his thoughts—nothing was foggy. He could recall every moment of his life with perfect clarity, from the warmth of his mother's embrace to the playful laughter of his friends. Even the smallest details, like the exact number of leaves on the village chief's desk the last time he visited, were etched into his mind as if they had just happened.

And then there were the other memories.

Memories that didn't belong to this world.

It was strange. It was as if a door had been opened inside his head, revealing a world so different from this one. A world without Pokémon.

Rei frowned, trying to process what he was remembering. That world was smaller—far smaller than this world filled with pokemon. Cities were packed with people, yet there were no Pokémon to be seen. The only mention of pokemon is a fictional media called Pokemon which his past life was not really interested in.

The humans in that world were far weaker than humans in this world. Their bodies are frail in comparison to the villagers he had grown up with. Even a farmer in his village could outrun and outlift the avarage person from that world.

And then there was the most confusing part of all—the flow of time.

Something didn't make sense.

In his past life, the concept of adulthood was different. A person became an adult at eighteen. But here, the legal age of adulthood was ten.

At first, he had thought it was just a cultural difference, but now he could see it was more than that.

While this world and that world have the concept of years. And every year is twelve months. The year in this world filled with pokemon seem to be three times longer than the year in that world.

That's why another thing he notice is that the humans in that world grew faster mentally than humans jn this world. After all, humans in this world are considered adults when they are 10 years old which is 30 years old if count with the time in the world of his past life.

This is very different with the humans in his past life's world who are considered adult when they are 18 years old which is only 6 years old in this world.

Rei's eyes widened as realization hit him.

No wonder children in this world could go on Pokémon journeys alone when rhsy are only 10 years old. No wonder they were expected to train, fight, and even survive in the wild. It wasn't just tradition—it was biology. When they are 10 years old, they already have a bit of adult metality and their bodied which is naturally strong will help them a lot in their journey.

Not only that, he notice that if count according with the world in his previous life, the humans in this world seem to have a very long lifespan. The humans in this world can live until 100 years old which is 300 years old according to the time of his past world.

Rei even know some rumours of powerfull trainers living hundreds of years.

His breathing slowed as he absorbed this information. If that was true… then what did that mean for him?

He clenched his fists, staring at his hands.

His thoughts were moving faster than ever before. He wasn't just thinking—he was analyzing, comparing, breaking everything down at a speed he had never known was possible. And it wasn't just his mind. His senses had sharpened, his body felt lighter, stronger.

As Rei continued thinking of his future posibilities, he stoped. He realized that for now, he needed to focus on surviving the night.

He scanned the area carefully, eyes darting from tree to tree. He was deep in the forest, far from any sign of civilization. The trees were thick and old, their branches twisting together to form a natural canopy that blocked out most of the sky. The air smelled damp and rich with the scent of earth and vegetation.

His first priority was shelter.

Sleeping out in the open would be dangerous, and climbing a tree wasn't an option when he had no idea what kind of Pokémon lurked in the branches. He needed cover, somewhere hidden.

His gaze landed on a large tree with a thick base and sprawling roots. Beneath it, a dense patch of bushes clustered together, their leaves thick enough to hide him from sight. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than nothing.

Rei made his way toward it, stepping lightly to avoid making too much noise. His muscles were still adjusting to whatever changes had happened to him, but he felt… balanced. Like his body knew how to move more efficiently than before.

As he reached the base of the tree, he crouched low, pushing some of the branches aside to create a small space where he could crawl in. The leaves were soft and dry, forming a natural cushion. It would do for now.

Just as he was about to settle in, he heard something.

A faint rustling.

His body went rigid.

Slowly, he turned his head, his eyes scanning the darkness between the trees. The sound had come from his left, just beyond the clearing. His ears strained to catch any movement, any sign of what was out there.

Then, he heard it again.

A low growl.

Something was watching him.

His breath slowed, his muscles tensed. His heart should have been pounding in fear, but instead, his mind remained sharp, calculating. He didn't move. Didn't even blink.

Through the shadows, a pair of glowing eyes stared back at him.

Rei could feel it—the presence of a hungry pokemon.