This is a surprise

"Alright, guys," he called out, "we're heading back for now. But we'll continue soon after dinner." Ayan said as he looked at the watch. He returned each Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls. With one last look at the path to Route 1, Ayan focused inward again—the feel of his real-world bedroom, the hum of ceiling fans, the distant sound of traffic through closed windows.

Snap.

He was back.

The return felt more natural now, like blinking through dimensions. It was no longer jarring—almost restful. Ayan blinked against the dim glow of his room's light. It was almost evening. He didn't go out of his room and just proceeded to rest and take a nap. He loved evening and afternoon naps. 

Those were the best and it would also energize him for the night adventure. After the nap, he proceeded to study a bit. Soon it was time for dinner. 

"Ayan?" his mother called from the kitchen. "Wash up, dinner's almost ready."

"Coming!"

The dinner was peaceful—his parents none the wiser to the fantastical dual-life he was leading. Afterward, he helped clear the table, exchanged a few words about school and the upcoming trip to Dawki Lake, then returned to his room.

He locked the door.

Took a deep breath.

And then—he was gone.

Back in the game world…

He started towards Viridian city again and this time he upped his pace unlike last time. He had been walking on it for hours now, and still couldn't get to the Viridian city. This route as Ayan remembered was the smallest route, he couldn't even begin to imagine how much time the other routes or the Viridian Forest was going to take. 

It was quite the cloudy weather when Ayan reached the Viridian City. Viridian felt alive in a way that no game could ever replicate. Ayan stepped inside the Pokémon Center. The familiar chime of the sliding door greeted him, and Nurse Joy looked up from the counter. Nurse Joy, one of the factors of this world that made him realize that even if it was close to a real world, some things would always be constant. 

"Good evening! Welcome to the Pokémon Center," she said with a smile. "Would you like me to heal your Pokémon?"

"Yes, please."

He handed over the Poké Balls, pausing slightly as he gave over Charmander's. He had treated the little guy with potions before, but healing at a Center was different—more thorough, or that was what he believed. Charmander was fine, he was just a bit exhausted and roughed up a bit. He watched the tray slide into the machine with a soft whirring click.

Moments later, the tray popped back out, and his team's Poké Balls glowed softly.

"Thank you for waiting! Your Pokémon are fully healed."

"Thanks" 

Outside, the Poké Mart was open. He made his way there next, expecting to stock up on basic supplies—but the moment he stepped in, something caught his eye. A blue shelf near the back was filled with TM Discs.

Reusable ones.

What?

He blinked.

There, in clear packaging like Blu-ray discs:TM : Fire Spin – 200 ₽TM : Thunder Fang – 450 ₽TM : Take Down – 150 ₽TM : Steel Wing – 425 ₽

...

Ayan's brow furrowed. No way… these aren't supposed to be available this early. Definitely not in Gen 1's Viridian Mart. With so many TM discs. 

But here they were. He stepped closer, reading the small print:

"Reusable TM Discs. Compatible with all species capable of learning the move. One-time purchase, permanent use."

"Okay… this world is different," he whispered, excitement slowly bubbling. "Much more open."

He bought all four TMs without hesitation, leaving him with 1,015 Poke dolls. With the earnings from Bug Catchers and his starting money, he had just enough left to keep him going for essentials if he ever required. Back outside, under the sun he called up all of them. He wasn't sure if the TM discs just worked after making the Pokémon touch the disc or how, only way to find out. 

"Alright everyone," Ayan said, holding up the sleek TM discs. "I've got gifts."

He crouched near Charmander first.

"Let's try Fire Spin."

A flicker of red light passed from the disc to Charmander's forehead, then spread across his body in glowing lines like a circuit diagram. He blinked—and smirked.

"Charrr." (That's more like it.)

Next was Shinx. He carefully activated Thunder Fang. For a moment, her jaw trembled with light. Sparks arced between her fangs. She snapped them shut once—and a small flash sparked from her teeth.

She blinked, impressed. Then looked up at Ayan.

"…Shinx?" (That was… good.)

"You like it?" he asked, kneeling beside her. She didn't answer. But to his surprise, Shinx stepped closer… and nudged her head softly into his hand.Ayan blinked.

Whoa.

He slowly lifted his hand and stroked her fur once—coarse and warm with static. She didn't move away.

"Guess we're bonding after all."

To Pidgey, he gave Steel Wing, which she flapped excitedly to test. Her wings shimmered briefly with a metallic sheen before fading. She chirped and did a little spin in the air.

"Nice one, girl."

Cyndaquil received Take Down, which gave him a surprised hiccup when the knowledge synced, but he quickly recovered. He stomped his little feet proudly and looked at Charmander with a smug tilt of his snout.

Charmander rolled his eyes but gave a respectful nod. In game one could only learn 4 moves in total, and that was out of window once Ayan gave Charmander and Shinx Take down too, and they didn't forget any of the other moves. This came as a relief as it would have been quite a headache if it was that. 

The squad was leveling up in more ways than one.

Ayan leaned back against a tree just outside the Pokémon Center, watching his team playfully practice their new moves. Fire twirled through the grass. Sparks flickered between jaws. Steel shimmered in feathers.