Welcome to the Pokémon World! - Now with 20% more Legends! (Whether you like it or not) (Pokemon SI/Isekai)

[A Cat With a Quill]

Cover art by Pinkmomo on Vgen.​

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The car trudged on the asphalt, the wheels turning endlessly on the road to the life humans had built, the civilization they had borne with their hands… Fine, maybe not so poetic, but Dylan was bored out of his mind; he had a three-hour trip to a warehouse because his boss wouldn't do it himself. The lazy bastard had dropped the news on him the day before. Three hours there and three hours back for a grand total of six hours, in which the most interesting thing would be the trees.

And all that for just a few hard drives that his stuck-up boss insisted couldn't be delivered by mail, as any normal, sensible person would think of doing first. Really, why send someone when you can pay a company to do that? Someone who makes his employee pay for the gas to save money—that's who!

Well, at least he got to get away from the city for a while and enjoy the smogless roads. That was always a plus in his eyes.

Ugh, I should never have moved into the city. Land of opportunity, hah!

He kept thinking of finding a new job until he realized the pay was decent enough, and he didn't want the trouble of going through another bunch of interviews. That had not been fun times for him. The drudgery of the day-to-day had been steadily getting to him throughout the time it had taken him to grow accustomed to the never-ending paperwork, and the reality of that being his life for the foreseeable future was only getting to him a bit.

With no other option, Dylan continued to drive past the trees, his mind wandering on its own as it tried to divide its attention between something that would not kill his brain and paying attention to the road.

He heard a thud in the distance, the sound of rocks sliding, the only noise that was different from that of passing cars and rustling trees. His head managed to register it for a moment before his car was thrown away, the wall of rock that he had passed impacting it and sending it flying down a chasm below.

The car spun in midair as the seatbelt did its best effort to keep him from flying out of it and into the ground. He could hear the strain of the material as clear as water, despite his thumping heart drowning all other sounds as he fell and fell. Shards of glass passed him, leaving his windshield in complete tatters, the air outside whistling past.

The car crashed into something, and he heard a terrible crunching sound, just before green flooded his vision, and he was face to face with the remains of a fallen tree entering his windshield.

He couldn't feel anything at all; he couldn't move, and he didn't feel any pain.

The branches extended past his vision, and he could see red begin to seep onto the dashboard. He could not move any part of his body.

I am going to die. That was the conclusion he reached after a minute of just staring uncomprehendingly at the blood that was flowing from him. Despite that grim prognosis, he didn't feel sad, nor scared; he just continued to stare as his eyes grew weaker and weaker, the very act of keeping them open so very taxing on his unresponsive body.

His death would be another tally in the statistics that were car accidents, another number that went up, another number that went down. All in all, he thought he lived a decent life, not too exciting, but good. He had made a lot of good memories, and he would miss a lot more.

His family would miss him, or at least he hoped so. The days spent at that rented lake house were surely over for him, never to be seen again, as he would be in a place beyond reach for anybody except God.

He would be free of the pain of living, of the endless struggle to survive in the demanding society he had lived in.

Were those not good things? Were those not joyous things?

Or perhaps that was just his brain shutting down as he sought a good point of his situation before the end.

There were many things he did not get to do.

He didn't even get to see what the Switch 2 looked like.

With that rather stupid idea in mind, he closed his eyes for the last time.

And then he fell.

His eyes saw again, a mixture of colors illuminating a strange sky that shifted in red, midnight blue, and other multicolored hues. Pieces of rock defy gravity and float without effort or logic in fragmented pieces of dirt and strange crystal constructions.

WHO DARES!?

His body in free fall gave him little space to think of anything as it plummeted and changed direction randomly, making it seem gravity had not decided which way to make him go down.

INTERLOPER.

He continued in his fall until a piece of rock, glass, and water welcomed him in a hot and cold impact, his body felt all over. He began to sink into water that did not feel like water at all, all his limbs reacting and trying to move in the thick substance that changed density each time one of them moved.

HOW CURIOUS.

Once again, he felt his eyes darken, black dots dancing in the corners of his vision.

HOW DID YOU GET HERE?

Red dots were boring into his mind; he could feel memories shifting and bubbling into the forefront randomly, a soup of confusion he couldn't grasp enough to give it shape.

WHO BROUGHT YOU HERE?

His feet sank even further into something he couldn't describe.

I WILL BE WATCHING. YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE ME.

His eyes, heavy and not quite taking in his surroundings, felt darkened by a familiar hue.

---

His eyes prickled.

He opened them, and blue skies welcomed his vision with white clouds passing by, slowly dancing in the air with a lazy current of air that caressed his skin, almost like a loved hand welcoming him home.

His breathing was steady, and he felt grass beneath his hands as he patted the floor to steady himself. Dylan sat up and took in the view dazedly.

What just happened?

He stood up, hoping that his mind could make sense of what had occurred, that somehow, he could determine what his mind had experienced in the last few moments.

His eyes saw green, and he flinched, a hand flying to his stomach and finding nothing there. There was nothing wrong with his body, nor his eyes, but still, there was a budging sensation that there should be something there, something wrong.

When he took the view more carefully, he saw trees all around him. He was in a forest.

What?

The forest was big, green trees mixing with flowers he didn't recognize, a symphony of smells he associated with idyllic ads on TV and mountain retreats that had been left apart from the contamination civilization inevitably produced. Something he had only managed to get a glimpse of in those retreats with his family at that nice lake.

All in all, it was a sight to behold for his eyes, almost straight out of a storybook.

But where was he anyway? The last thing he remembered was—ah, what a pathetic way to die—He shook his head to scatter those thoughts away at the same time his right hand clutched his pounding skull. He needed to get his bearings and investigate his surroundings.

Besides the forest, there didn't seem to be anything else to note, save for a stone or two scattered around the base of trees. And that was precisely the problem. He knew he had crashed, that his car had killed him, and understood that his life had come to an end. But it had happened when leaving the city, and while a lot of trees decorated the roadside, other cars had passed by- not many, but enough to be a number that couldn't be missed, and the asphalt necessary to host them all. Yet, none of it was there. There was a forest when none should be, and no noises he associated with being anywhere near a highway were present. There weren't even any rails or such things that denoted that civilization was nearby.

Just what had happened? He just needed to think.

Maybe… maybe I crawled out, and I am just concussed? Yeah, that must be it. I just need to find help or an emergency phone. Do that. Do that.

His feet began to walk over the grass and earth, his steps taking him in a random direction with no real destination in mind. Not that it mattered anyway; he was very near civilization; he would find someone in time; he just had to keep walking. He just had to keep walking.

There was something off about that fore— that patch of verdant leaves near the highway. It seemed too big; the green stretched all the way to the horizon he could see. Even beyond, thick wood mixed, creating a sea of vegetation; his own mind tried futilely to rationalize each passing minute with increasingly wild theories, ranging from a new expansion from the government to a sudden overgrowth of plants near that fully asphalted road… in an area frequently used by cars…. His brain hadn't come up with logical things at the moment.

His ears caught the sound of a struggle near, and his heart soared at what seemed like animal cries. There must be people investigating nearby! Yes, those animals must be police dogs or something. He sought the sound, frantic steps celebrating his survival, his salvation from the jaws of death that had closed around him, a new day that he would treasure like no other. When the light of a new dawn was close, only coldness was in his heart, and that stopped him in his tracks when he reached the sounds and saw what exactly was producing it.

It was a purple monkey and a pair of things that looked like deformed beavers mixed with a squirrel fighting over a bunch of strange-looking fruits with a grey lizard with a yellow crest protruding from a reptilian snout.

Dylan just blinked. He just stared at the impossibility in front of him, as the four motherfucking Pokémon glared at each other. The Aipom extending two purple hands shielding the two normal types behind him, as a tail that looked to much like a hand made snapping motions at the lizard on the other side of the bunch of berries; a mount of them on the grass that looked like someone got high and drew mutated fruits from a drug-addled memory resulting in things that looked so off he would not even call them edible at a glance. The two Bidoof cowered behind the monkey with fearful eyes that looked at the other Pokémon and behind, seemingly at a loss as to whether to fight or flee.

On the other side of the situation was a dragon, a fucking dragon, snarling at them with slitted red eyes and a jaw that gleamed with small teeth as it snapped along with claws that clashed on the floor.

"Holy shit…" Dylan could not help but mutter.

The four Pokémon's attention snapped at once, eight eyes now looking at him. Ah, shit. The Aipom and the Bidoofs' eyes were questioning, but the Jangmo-o's were hostile, as he growled in his direction; seemingly perceiving him as a new threat.

He raised his hands and arms in a placating way, or at least he hoped it seemed that way to the Pokémon. "I'm sorry for intruding, but I mean no harm." I must be dreaming…

The little dragon paused and narrowed his eyes, silently asking him what the hell he was doing there. Meanwhile, the group of Pokémon looked at him with pleading eyes; even the Aipom made waving motions to themselves and then the dragon, before clasping them together and making a little bow.

Dylan gulped and began to speak, desperately hoping none of them would decide that attacking him was better than listening to him prattle. "I know you are on the cusp of battle now, but why not see if we can find a peaceful solution to this?"

The Jangmo-o now looked at him with the face of someone who doubted the intelligence of the speaker after he said a particularly stupid thing.

The Aipom was looking pretty disbelieving and almost offended that he had even asked.

He gulped. Just a Dragon and some Pokémon that could break every bone in my body without much effort, no biggie. "What seems to be the problem here?"

The monkey pointed accusingly at the lizard. "Aipom! Pom!" His arms pointed to the berries before patting at his own cream chest.

Did the Dragon-type steal their food? It seemed like the most likely option. That also meant it was not a good one. Thieves were never judged positively, especially when they take food from others. And Dylan wasn't really sure how Pokémon would act, given he didn't know how strong their instincts were compared to the animals back on Earth.

But given the fact that I am speaking to them and managed to stop, or at least stall, a possible fight, it has to count for something, right?

He looked at the Jangmo-o, who had begun to growl again, and realized that, upon closer inspection, he really looked worse for wear. Its skin was dirty, and the scales were a bit chipped in places; its claws also looked broken in places and marred with dirt, and the back legs were a bit roughed up. All of that was accentuated by a body that looked skinny and underfed, at least based on what he remembered the species looked like.

What all of that meant was that the dragon was ready to fight for his first real meal in a while.

That also meant he was kinda fucked.

"Well, I see what the issue is," he began, hoping a human-like approach would work, because he was no Steve Irwin, and trying to emulate him would surely make him end with missing limbs. "And I understand why you are angry, Aipom, but I also see Jangmo-o needing the food, as it's obvious he hasn't eaten in a while. So, why not be kind and give him a part of the berries?"

He knew he had said something wrong as soon as those words left his mouth, as the dragon shot a small ball of fire in his direction, narrowly missing his chest and splattering to the ground with a hiss, scorching the green grass but luckily not spreading past the small black ring it created.

Jangmo-o was now furious, heavily exhaling through its mouth and showing a row of shiny and very sharp teeth. Its face contorted in anger, red eyes glinting.

Shit, shit, shit! The Bidoofs squealed and ran behind him, slotting themselves behind his legs. Why are you hiding behind me!? You are way stronger than I! The Aipom seemed to think the same, but it readied its tail to attack.

Think. What did he do wrong? He just said they should share part of their food. If anything, the ones angry should be the Aipom and its friends, not the Dragon, who he just had offered a bit… of pity food. Ah, shit. Dragons were supposed to be prideful, weren't they?

He must not have liked that pity, no matter how much he needed it.

That reduced his options quite a bit.

The two Bidoofs nudged his legs forward, and when he looked at them, he noticed hopeful eyes looking at him and his pants. Did they…? "Sorry, but I am not a Trainer. I have no Pokémon."

The hope in their eyes quickly shifted to alarm, eyes widening as they nudged harder, noses digging into his pants as they pushed him forward again, perhaps in a vain hope that something would be different. "I really don't have any Pokémon, guys!" The Jangmo-o looked at him with a mixture of disbelief and condescension.

Dylan patted his pockets and waist to check and stopped when his fingers found something smooth, small, and round attached to his belt. He took it and looked at it. It was a Pokéball, the red and white he had seen so many times on video games and TV, gleaming in the sun, reflecting all his childhood dreams in his eyes in glinting nostalgia, held in his tight hand.

He now looked at the wary Jangmo-o, the inquisitive Aipom, and the again hopeful Bidoofs. "I don't know how to use this," he declared.

The Aipom facepalmed.

The Bidoofs' smiles fell into an expression of alarm.

The Jangmo-o looked at him with the face of someone who had been told a bad joke.

Such nonsensical things in such a nonsensical situation made his mouth open in a giggle that soon escalated to a titter and then to laughter. His left hand clutched his stomach as his legs grew weak, and he fell to the floor laughing all the way. He didn't notice the now worried look on the faces of all four Pokémon, and the Bidoofs that looked at each other in confusion. Dylan, for his part, was wondering if all of this was a complete hallucination his dying brain conjured up to make his last moments pleasant.

He now lay on the floor looking up at the canopy and the bluest sky he had ever seen as the last vestiges of his laughter bubbled up his throat. The Pokéball was still held strongly in his right hand, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the surface.

I must be dying right now.

A pink berry, a Pecha Berry, if he remembered correctly, was put near his head by a gray jaw; red eyes locked on him as he was nudged gently.

He rose to a sitting position, now looking at all the Pokémon who gave strange looks as he lifted the berry in a daze and bit into it. The flavor flooded his mouth; a sweetness that was halfway between an apple, a strawberry, and a cherry. All mixed in what objectively was a delicious fruit with pink skin and equally pink insides.

The Aipom began grabbing berries in his purple hands and depositing them near the Dragon-type, until there was a small, colorful, and delectable pile of them, which the reptile gracefully accepted and began to eat with abandon.

Dylan realized the Dragon was worse for wear, now that he was able to look at him up close. His… skin? Scales? Were dirty and matted, his claws chipped in places and some missing entirely, and he thought it looked thin. Albeit he had no idea what constituted as thin in a Dragon of all things.

The berries were crushed in powerful jaws, and Dylan wondered if they could reduce gemstones to smithereens, too.

Still, for a dying dream, it is far too cool. He was ready for it to turn into a nightmare at any moment… But why such pessimism? He asked himself; after all, it is best to enjoy these kinds of things while they last. Yes, that is what he should do: enjoy it until that tree squishes the last of his life out.

He gave a finishing bite to the sweet fruit before standing up, looking over the assembled Pokémon. "Since you shared the fruit at my request, let me help you find more!" He quickly put the Pokéball in place again.

The deadpan look he received wounded his pride more than he would like to admit. "Come on, guys, I am not that incompetent."

The deadpan looks became even more pronounced. Yeesh, would it kill you to be a bit nicer, dream? You owe my brain rent. "Well, let's go!" He ignored the way the Aipom looked at the Jangmo-o and pointed at him with pity in his eyes, and the manner in which the dragon snorted and finished the last remains of the pile of exotic fruit in two gulps, Dylan took off in a random direction. Not precisely a bright idea, but it was a dream, so it was likely that something would happen sooner or later.

"Ai-Aipom!" The purple monkey overtook him and made motions for him to follow it.

He raised an eyebrow and dutifully obeyed the instructions of the Pokémon, walking behind it and the Bidoofs alongside the small dragon, who had taken an almost protective stance near him, occasionally stealing furtive glances at Dylan when it thought he wasn't looking. Is it supposed to represent my guardian angel or something?

The forest itself was magnificent; tall trees formed a green canopy that reflected the light just right to make the colors pop and shine in the air. He saw a group of Cherubi hop past by at the same time two Kricketot and a green Burmy observed him curiously from the branches of trees, all under the watchful eye of a Kricketune. It was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen, and he found himself cheerfully singing a tune along his steps.

The Bidoofs smelled the air and changed directions each time they stopped to do so, while the Aipom followed them close by, occasionally stopping when the Bidoofs said something to it, and Dylan could hear that each 'Bidoof' had a slightly different pronunciation than the others, making him think back to that poem in Chinese that was the same word over and over. He missed the glances the Aipom kept stealing his way, too enamored with the sights to notice it.

They continued to walk until they reached a small clearing with a few bushes in it, which had several different berries growing on them. If he remembered correctly, two of those had Oran and Pecha Berries sitting among softly blowing leaves, a sweet and tangy smell filling the air as he approached them.

He was surprised to see the berry trees were smaller than he imagined, the Oran one being the smallest one by a wide margin, barely reaching to his waist, with the Pecha surpassing his head, but still was smaller compared to the fruit tree in the real world.

He kneeled in front of the blue fruits, and his eyes roamed over them, taking into account every detail, from the small indents they had to the vivid blue color, to the sweet and citric smell that wafted off them, and just stared a bit, lost in a fruit. This dream is really detailed…

He felt a nudge in his right leg and saw the Jangmo-o look at him, concerned. "Jangmo-o, Jang?" One of its claws gestured to the fruit while his eyes looked almost expectantly at his hands.

He realized the Aipom had come closer when he felt a hand—no, its tail—on his own hand and softly directed it to the skin of the fruit, never taking its sight from Dylan. Not even when he dazedly took one fruit from the bush-tree. He stared at the purple monkey until it began to fidget and extended a hand to it, until it touched its head and rubbed against that oddly colored but soft fur.

Despite the Aipom not fighting it, it appeared extremely flustered. "Aipom-pom?" He continued to pet it, taking note of the lighter colored fur near his mouth and hand-tail, and the way there was a small scar near his mouth, very light, but distinguishable up close. This is a dream; I must be in the hospital. This is a dream; I must be in the hospital. This is a dream; I must be in the hospital.

He stood up quickly. "I will search for more fruits nearby!" he announced.

The Pokémon seemed far from pleased with that statement. The Bidoof was nervously eating a Pecha Berry that the Aipom must have gotten; the clash of teeth was audible to his pounding ears.

His feet began to move despite the protests of the Pokémon by his sides as he walked past the trees and into a more shaded area of the forest, where the branches were very thick, and little light managed to get to the ground. The small patches were almost like shimmering puddles to him.

Why haven't I woken up?

He could feel something in his neck; the hairs on it rose, and he could hear cold lap at them at the same time he swore he could feel eyes on him, but when he turned to look, there was nothing except the approaching Pokémon he had left behind. He began to pick up speed, the trees pacing past him as he continued to run through the forest, uncaring of his surroundings.

"Jang-Jangmo-o!"

He could see, in the distance, two red dots shine for a moment before disappearing from his view. He made his way to them, his steps wobbly. Maybe that's the ambulance; help is coming I won't die oh God, thank you

A skull jumped from thin air as two giant and gleaming red eyes suddenly were inches from his.

He gave an unmanly scream as he lost his footing and plummeted to the floor. Rather than just stopping, the ground became uneven, and he began to roll over the floor, descending quickly as he crashed onto branches that whipped his arms, legs, and uncovered face. He continued rolling until his back hit a solid surface, sending a wave of pain through his body.

He was on all fours now, and one hand touched his left cheek and discovered a large stinging cut where once was unmarred skin. He had lost all sense of direction and had no idea where he was.

The skull, a Duskull, was in front of him again, two red dots emanating from empty eye sockets, creating an eerie feeling as something cold settled in his gut. "H-hello?"

The Pokémon looked over him. "Duskull." It made a sign towards the hill he had just fallen on and then towards a small, illuminated patch not too far from his position, before floating upwards to the level of the trees and quickly disappearing in them.

The Jangmo-o was the first to arrive, his eyes wide and continuously speaking, or more accurately, growling, while red eyes dug into his. The Aipom came later, followed closely by the Bidoof. The purple Pokémon winced when it saw his wound.

The Aipom offered its tail to help him stand, and when it realized Dylan wasn't moving on his own, it took the job of making him stand on its own, a gesture which he appreciated more than words could convey.

He began to walk towards the patch, his steps slightly steadier than before.

A bush with chromatic leaves, shining with blue and green and red, almost metallic-looking, was quietly sitting there with berries that looked like stars growing from stems that were more like glass than plants, five colored petals shining from five different fruits. A smell that was proper of a fully baked dessert softly wafted from them, filling his nose with memories of days with grandma baking in the oven, things his father had forbidden him to eat.

'Our little secret,' she used to say, as a piece of pie was put into his mouth.

"I found berries, guys! A good one too!" he found himself saying. His vision focused once more. Dreams could be rather vivid, after all. He didn't even need to be dying; all the medicine in the hospital must be doing a number on his brain.

He didn't know a lizard could make a disappointed face that eclipsed everyone he had seen on humans. He even got the 'I'm not angry' part right.

"Don't look at me like that; I found some good berries…" he paused. "These are good, right?" He really had no idea if the supposed lore was the same in a dream.

The Aipom was now staring with wide eyes as the Bidoofs jumped up and down, chattering excitedly; even the Jangmo-o seemed impressed with his find, albeit in an 'I can't believe someone like you managed to do that' way. A bit insulting, all things considered; he was doing his best… mostly.

The Aipom went ahead and began to pluck the berries and give them to the eagerly waiting Bidoofs, as Dylan came closer to the bush and delicately plucked the soft fruit, offering it to the Dragon-type, who took it in his jaws and chewed it slowly, never taking his eyes off him. Said eyes widened, and a contented smile began to grow on its reptilian face. The other three Pokémon had similar looks of their own, contentedly savoring the Starf Berry.

The last one was waiting for him on the branch; his fingers felt the texture, smooth and flawless, and took it off in one go. The bush visibly shivered at the same time the colors fled from it, draining from the spot he took the fruit and spreading all over the leaves, flooding them with rusted brown; even the patterns mimicked the appearance of worn metal, black spots blooming on the leaves as they shriveled and shrunk, until the whole bush seemed devoid of life.

The change was so sudden he wondered what he had done wrong, until the Jangmo-o gave him some reassuring pats on his legs. 'That's completely normal,' its eyes seemed to say. He smiled back and bit into the fruit; instantly, an explosion of flavor flooded his mouth, tart, dry, sour, sweet, all mixed in what was the best thing he had ever tasted, making the Pecha Berry from before seem bland and tasteless in comparison.

Wow, this thing would collapse whole industries if it were real.

He took time to savor the fruit, slowly rolling it over his tongue with each bite, letting the flavors seep deep into his mind. Sadly, the fruit was never bigger than his hand, and it went as quickly as it came.

Just as he lamented the loss of such a good food, his cheek began to tingle, and the slight pain he felt when he moved his cheek faded away until it disappeared completely. His hand reached for his wound but found only unmarred skin, the thin red line no longer visible in his body. He even felt energized, like he was ready to run a marathon and win first place. It made sense; pain could not be readily mimicked in a dream, after all.

The remains of the Starf Berry, a seed, were nestled in his hand, the multicolored juices that shimmered slightly covering what was more similar to a pointed piece of quartz than a seed. He rolled it in his hand, letting the pointy edges groove over his skin.

The Jangmo-o came closer and put its own seed into the floor, staring at him. "Oh, thank you. I will plant it later." Maybe the dream would make it grow fast, and he could taste another soon. I am kind of lucid dreaming… I think.

He pocketed the two seeds in his pants and lay on the ground, happy to just watch the passing clouds in the small holes in the thick canopy. He could hear the Pokémon chat between themselves nearby; of course, he understood nothing at all of that conversation.

The sky had grown dark, and the day was ending. His dream was surely ending.

Where should I go now?

The Aipom now looked worried.

Did I say that out loud?

The Bidoofs nudged him and aimed their bodies to the right from where he was, their paws patting him and pointing again in that direction. "Doof, Bi-Bidoof."

"Is there a town there? Thank you, little ones," he said while petting them both. "I will be going, then." He stood up and gave a small bow to the Pokémon. "Thank you for helping me, guys."

The Aipom smiled nervously, and the Bidoofs waved him goodbye. The small dragon simply stared at him and gave a small huff. "I can walk just fine, you know?" It huffed again.

He waved at them and began to walk in the direction they had instructed him, leaving those fantastical creatures behind.

The forest was identical, each tree just blending into the other, making everything seem the same, the colors disappearing as the sky got darker and darker, the light slowly fading from his view. And yet, he still walked.

This dream is really long. He didn't remember any of his dreams lasting that long. Though it could easily be because that one was medically induced.

He didn't know how long he had walked. He just noticed that the moon had come out when the trees cleared, and he now stood in front of a precipice, the darkness swallowing the floor, leaving him unable to discern how deep it was exactly.

Why haven't I woken up?

Why? Why? Why?

Maybe he just needed a shock. In the movies, that always works.

The abyss looked so deep and hollow.

That's it. Jump, and he will wake up.

His feet kept jumping and fidgeting in place, the energy conferred to them by the Starf Berry making it seem they were electrified, jolts wracking them as he inched closer to the edge.

Do it quickly. Now now now now now now now

Without thought, without much of anything, Dylan jumped.

"JANGMO-O!"

Something hard crashed into his chest, claws digging into his shirt and trying in vain to divert his freefall, as a reptilian head plastered itself on his chest. He felt something in his heart churn and extend, a tendril that he didn't know he had, reaching from the small dragon; he could feel it grab onto something, tangling itself with a small flame, and he could see a flash of the sun rising over the lines of a canyon that stretched the horizon, before sealing itself away in his head.

In that single moment, Dylan came to a realization he should have had long ago. This isn't a dream.

His body came to a halt, the momentum shaking his body suddenly and roughly. Two grey nubs somehow grabbed the dragon with strength such a small frame didn't seem capable of possessing, and now held them both in the air, slowly lowering them, the twin red dots of the Duskull, emitting from basically nothing… No, the single red ball floating in an empty space bore into him with an intensity that was almost reproachful, tinged with burning curiosity that was unable to be hidden.

Dylan was finally lowered onto the floor, letting him see the full moon in the distance, a perfect silver disk… and no bunny or man on its surface.

"This was never a dream," he said to the two Pokémon. The Duskull gave no indication it heard, but he could feel the vibrations of the Jangmo-o's growl reverberate in his chest.

Having said that, he gave a last high-pitched laugh that started from a murmur and grew into a panicked scream and promptly passed out for the third time that day.

---

Hi there! I have already posted this elsewhere, but I decided to put it here too to expand my reach and hopefully find new readers who like this. First time in QQ, so hope I did introductions well.

I'll post a chapter daily until I catch up with the other sites.

Having said that, hope you enjoy. Have a nice day!

 

[Raphiel]

The Duskull gave no indication it heard, but he could feel the vibrations of the Jangmo-o's growl reverberate in his chest.

Click to shrink...

Jangmo-o: "You fuckin idiot"

 

[Kamen K]

Ok I am now interested

 

[Peacemaren]

TFTC! Looking forward to what you've got.

"This was never a dream," he said to the two Pokémon. The Duskull gave no indication it heard, but he could feel the vibrations of the Jangmo-o's growl reverberate in his chest.

Having said that, he gave a last high-pitched laugh that started from a murmur and grew into a panicked scream and promptly passed out for the third time that day.

Click to shrink...

So, genuine question: does fainting like this... ever actually happen? I understand it's a fairly bog-standard story trope to have the isekai'd character faint away in shock and delirium over what's happened, and obviously I've never had the experience of being suddenly transported to the Pokemon world, but I've never really felt this reaction was realistic. I can understand shock at your circumstances and the sudden change, despair and uncertainty about everything you left back home, feeling faint as you come to grips with what's happening, maybe needing to sit down and breathe, but while all of that is fairly common when faced with anxiety or panic attacks, I've been led to believe that actually fainting from that (especially in a relatively low stress environment like a reasonably idyllic forest) is pretty rare.

...Then again, realism isn't really the most important factor when it comes to isekai stories or Pokemon, so what does it really matter anyway.

 

[A Cat With a Quill]

"You just did a very stupid thing, pal," was the very first thing said by the floating Duskull, that stupid red light almost merry in its bobbing. His voice definitely was.

"Screw you," was Jangmo-o's immediate answer. His claws were still digging into the human's clothes, and he was sure he had ripped something up. Rather than the rescue he had imagined, he had just spent those few falling seconds glued to the human, trying to act as a sort of cushion for his fragile body.

The Duskull was floating around the unconscious man, occasionally poking him before moving again and doing the same to a different body part. The Human didn't notice and continued to be completely out cold. "Pal, you can not fly. What did you expect to happen?"

"Shut up, you stupid ghost!" That Pokémon was really getting on his nerves. At least he did something!

"You did not do anything particularly noteworthy, pal. You were just a silly dragon." The Ghost-type patted his head animatedly.

Jangmo-o's maw reached out and almost bit the offending appendage, but that damnable thing retreated just in time to avoid a mauling that he would surely remember for the rest of his life.

"I didn't think he'd jump…" he grumbled, and that was nothing but the truth. He honestly didn't consider the idea that fool of a human would do something so reckless. He was following him so he wouldn't get lost or anger some Pokémon, because, despite his words, he didn't trust his ability to get out of the forest in one piece.

Damn it, and it all happens on the first day in a while I get some decent food.

"Hey! It's everyone alright down there!?" the Aipom's scream rang through the night, his voice carrying a panicked edge. Jangmo-o could see him and his two Bidoof friends peeping out of the edge of the cliff, small black dots against the light of the moon. "Wait for us!"

The three Pokémon hurried along the borders that led down the cliff; his trained ears could hear rustling grass alongside the Aipom's 'Hurry up!' as they went lower and lower. In what even he could admit was a good time, they had made it down the cliff and approached the prone human quickly.

"Oh, Original One, thank you; he is alright," said the monkey.

"Did he really jump?" questioned a Bidoof.

"Of course he jumped, Bodie, are you blind?" was the reproachful answer of the second Bidoof; an annoyed frown edged her features.

"I told you we should have invited him to our nest," said the first Bidoof, a sad expression on his face. "I always get happier after a nap."

The four Pokémon looked at him disbelievingly. "Your nest?" asked Jangmo-o, not bothering to keep the annoyance off his voice. "Where would you put him? Between the berries and the branches? His legs poking outside?" Are the Pokémon in this region dumb?

"Hey! It is a big nest; we just need to finish digging it. Then it could fit him." Bodie nodded sagely. "We could make room for him."

"We must take him to town; the other humans will know what to do with him." The Aipom, along with everyone else, completely ignored the Bidoof, making him pout angrily. Not that it helped any; a Bidoof's face was one of the less threatening things in the world. It would take more than that to move Jangmo-o. "Bidie, you listened to Old Chatot the most; do you know where the healing building is?"

The smaller Bidoof shook her head. "That's for Pokémon; I don't know what the human one looks like, Aipom."

"And every human building looks the same to me…" murmured the Aipom. He rubbed his chin with his tail, eyes crossed with concentration, until they suddenly opened. "We could try that building just near the forest's edge! The one that has all those Pokémon."

The male Bidoof made a distraught cry. "But that's where all the mean Pokémon are! Dad always told us not to go there! Remember when we went anyway, and that big Bug made us servants for a week?"

Aipom gave a frustrated grunt. "What else could we do? I don't know how humans work, and Old Chatot always told us they are super fragile, and he doesn't look good."

Bidie nodded slowly. "There are other humans in the building; they could help."

"I still think we could get him in our nest," insisted Bodie.

"Can you carry him?" asked Jangmo-o, directing his view to the floating Duskull. He didn't miss the way the two Bidoofs nervously looked at him every three seconds.

In response, the Pokémon reached for him and raised him into the air. The result was a lax body that made a curve, legs and arms dangling uselessly and the tips reaching the floor.

"That doesn't look good," said Aipom. He turned to look at Jangmo-o. "Can you help us?"

Jangmo-o huffed. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Aipom nodded. "Bodie, go down the middle and act as support; Dragon, go up front and do the same. Bidie will lead us, and I will carry the legs. Duskull, can you warn us if any Pokémon comes?"

"Sure thing, buddy."

"Three of us? I could carry him on my own," said Bodie.

"I know, but I don't want him to move much," answered the purple Pokémon.

The Pokémon obeyed, quickly positioning themselves as Aipom instructed, and Jangmo-o felt the weight settle on his back as Duskull let go of the human. A small thing for his draconic body to handle.

"Let's go, then," said the Dragon-type.

They began their walk on the forest path, the silent human up his spine making the journey a somber one.

"Where are you from?" It seemed some didn't get the tact to know when to shut up. "I have never seen a Pokémon like you."

His frustration made him growl, that wound still fresh and painful on his heart. "None of your business, Bodie." He made sure to bite out that last part like a foul word.

"I was asking because I didn't notice how hungry you were," said the Pokémon without any sense of self-preservation or even a shred of intelligence. "And I wanted to say sorry for not sharing our berries with you."

That Bidoof was very lucky he was busy carrying the stupid human; if not, he would have kicked his stupid furry body into the floor until it stopped moving. "I don't need any help from the likes of you," he growled out.

"Huh?" Does he ever stop speaking? "But you are thin, and dirty, and-"

"Leave it, Bodie," interrupted Aipom. Apparently, he did have some common sense. "He doesn't want to talk about it."

"Where are we going anyway?" said Jangmo-o.

"A building near an area where there are lots of strange and strong Pokémon," answered Bidie. "There are humans there, but…"

"The Pokémon are mean!" said Bodie. "That big one made us bring him berries and water, massage him and all that because he got some medal thingies or something. And he didn't even thank us! We had to run while he wasn't looking!"

Jangmo-o huffed; of course those Pokémon would do something so humiliating. They seemed dumb enough to not realize what exactly that Pokémon was and that he wasn't likely to chase them.

"He was gone, Bodie; we didn't run." Aipom, justly, had a shameful tone in his voice. "He could still be gone when we get there." He paused for a moment and added, "The humans will know how to help this one. He is obviously… ill."

"Is he hurt?" asked Bidoof.

"Probably hit his head while we weren't looking. Maybe that's why he tumbled off the cliff."

Bodie paused for a while, letting them continue their walk in peace for a few minutes until he spoke again. "He seemed to think he was dreaming. Perhaps the reality damaged his heart; after all, he was scared of what the world being true would mean for him. It must be very different from what he considered being awake," he finished.

Jangmo-o paused; everyone paused. Even their walk stopped.

Duskull began to laugh.

"What's with him?" he asked. "Did he hit his head too?"

"Ignore him," said Aipom and Bidie at the same time.

"He gets like that sometimes; don't listen to his ramblings much. Don't be like Buizel down the river." The Aipom was unusually serious about that.

"Yeah, he said to her once that water must be the ramblings of dryness and she couldn't use Water Gun for a week. She stopped coming to play afterwards, too." Bidie sounded oddly proud of that. "He is just trying to sound like Old Chatot, don't mind him."

The human began to move, and Jangmo-o took it as his cue to start walking again. "Old Chatot?"

Aipom gave an affirmative grunt. "A very, very, very Old Chatot that lives in a big tree in the forest. He knows a lot about humans and has hundreds of histories from when he flew around the world."

"They are all very fun!" Bodie said animatedly. "He said there is a giant crater somewhere in a peninsula that has strange things inside! The air feels paradoxical!"

"And you believed him?" Jangmo-o said in the most deadpan tone he could muster.

"Yep!" said Bodie unashamedly. "He has flown all over the world and knows a lot of things! He even sometimes goes to the Fief up north to talk to the bosses there!"

That gave Jangmo-o pause. "There is a Fief here?"

"Far up north, a Luxray family are the bosses up there. Don't worry, they don't come down from there except to pick up Old Chatot sometimes."

"Who says I am worried?" he challenged. He was not afraid of those kinds of Pokémon. No matter what his father said, no matter what the First Fang said, no matter what anyone said. He was a Dragon; he was strong.

"Whatever you say, pal." How he wanted to bite that stupid Pokémon and cook him up for good measure.

After that, silence became the norm, as they continued to walk to their destination. The weight of the human a grim reminder on his shoulders. He couldn't help at all; he couldn't do anything except watch as he plummeted and then just hold on and try to do… What exactly? Evolve? His line was wingless; he couldn't fly.

…

Why had that human jumped? Did he hit his head, as Aipom had said? Or maybe he disliked living that much? That second option angered Jangmo-o; he didn't appreciate the idea of giving up in such a way. It was an admission of weakness, of defeat. And he would fight, no matter what came for him, who abandoned him, who derided him; he would never give up. If that truly was the answer, then he would make sure to whip that human into shape, to drive into his head the will he needed to stand up.

Not that he planned to separate from the idiot, anyway. It was obvious he had no idea how to survive. Really, looking at a berry bush like that, like it wasn't common for the rarer variants to do that, made it evident that he needed someone to stop him from being an idiot and fall face-first into the floor.

That last thought ignited the anger in him, annoyance following suit. He would deal with it later; for the moment, directing those Pokémon and making sure they didn't run away the moment they spotted something mildly threatening was his job, and he would make sure they did it well.

The moon shone above; the air had become saltier as they went further in the forest, welling an unwelcome nostalgia in him, memories ebbing in his mind. He shook his head to shake them away. Not now. He didn't think of them. He didn't.

"We are almost there," said Bidie. "The fence should be close by."

The area was more open, with the trees having become more separated and the light of the moon managed to illuminate more space than it did before, the silver light falling on them as they walked.

They eventually reached a metal fence that cut their way; grey lines that ran horizontally as far as Jangmo-o's eyes could see; its height was a bit more than the human when he stood up. It would not stop any Pokémon that wished to cross it, the lines creating squares perfect for climbing -not that it could be hard to jump or fly over for the more experienced Pokémon-, so he guessed it was more of a warning deterrent than anything else.

Their group stopped in front of it, Bidie beginning to speak, "We are here," she said with a tad of nervousness. "The building is farther up there; we must cross a small river, and we reach it."

"Hey, ghost, float him up," demanded Jangmo-o.

"Mmmmm, that phrase lacks something." He would bite him; he would bite every part of his body as soon as he got the chance. Bury him up too, for good measure. "But I will do it anyway; I don't leave pals behind."

He grabbed the center of the unconscious human and went up with him, the lax body floating past the fence as Aipom climbed quickly and carried the male Bidoof on his tail, the female one following them more slowly. When they reached the top of the fence, they just threw themselves down and stared at him.

"Hey, are you not climbing?" asked Aipom.

In response, Jangmo-o readied his legs and jumped; he arched past the fence and fell beside the assembled Pokémon. He stared at them with self-sufficiency.

"Show off," muttered Bidie.

"Let's go," said Jangmo-o. "We must get the human to that building you said."

They quickly regained the positions they had for a while; the Duskull blinked happily at him… Could it be called blinking if the red ball just became shaped like a half-moon? He shook his head; he had more pressing matters to attend to than such questions.

They began a new tense walk; Jangmo-o didn't miss how coiled the body of the Bidoof in front of him became, as the human was walked more tightly and the occasional whimper that escaped the mouth of the Bidoofs as they marched on.

"Bodie, Bidie, stop doing that; they will hear," hissed the monkey.

The small river was there, and they once again repeated the floating part as they crossed the water, the cold lapping at his feet, the color almost black in the night.

"But I'm scared; what if we find that mean Bug again?" responded Bodie. "I don't want to be a servant."

Jangmo-o wanted to give some training to this bunch of cowards; they needed to get their priorities and gain some backbone. How had they made it in the wild for so long with such attitudes? "We say what we are doing here," he declared, "and if we don't convince them that way, we fight. Simple as that."

"We aren't much of a fighter…" mumbled Aipom.

"We are five," Jangmo-o said, very annoyed, a common emotion that day, it seemed. "We can at least put in the effort."

"Hey, maybe you are right!" agreed Bodie. Maybe he isn't so bad, after all. "If we explain, we could invite them to our nest afterwards to take naps! Like a party!" I take that back; he is an irredeemable idiot.

"I very much prefer if you just serve me, my little servants," said a hissing voice in front of them. "But that could be a party too… for me, that is."

In front of them was a large centipedal body, dark red adorned with purple rings on the side, two antennae extending past its head, blocking part of the moon from his view. A mocking smirk plastered on its face as it stared down at them with so much assurance, Jangmo-o wondered how strong it must be to do that with so much ease.

"Pokémon incoming," droned the Duskull, happily bobbing in the air.

He. Will. Burn. That. Bastard. To. A. Crisp.

"Original One! It's him again!" Bidie screeched and ran past Jangmo-o to hide behind the Aipom. "I don't want to give massages again!"

"What do we do!?" came the shrill voice of the Aipom that was now trembling; he could feel the vibrations go up the human's body all the way to him.

"I want a massage," answered the Bug-type, "They are good before going to sleep. Oh, and fresh berries for breakfast would do."

"We are here to find help for this human," interrupted Jangmo-o, the only one with common sense in all of that forest, it seemed. "Where are the other humans?"

The Pokémon just stared at them with narrowed eyes, as it seemed to notice the body on their backs for the first time. Its—His head came close to the human's, suspicious eyes inspecting the prone, unconscious form, even giving it a little nudge to see if it stirred.

"What happened?" he demanded, all mirth drained from his voice and expression.

"He fell off a cliff," Jangmo-o said.

"He jumped off a cliff," said Aipom.

Jangmo-o resisted the urge to growl.

The Bug stared at them for a few moments before speaking, "Follow me; the Ranch House is over there. The owner should still be awake." His giant body began to move with a grace Jangmo-o didn't expect for someone his size, almost slithering past them and into the depths of the 'Ranch'.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked the frozen Pokémon. "Move."

The other Pokémon jumped a bit and obeyed. "How did you do that?" wondered Bodie.

"Using my brain," he answered. He turned to the Duskull. "Thank you for the warning, ghost."

"You're welcome, pal," was the merry response.

They had entered a big circular clearing with a lot of Pokémon in it; he could hear a new wave of whimpers at that. The Pokémon were chatting amongst themselves, but when they passed them, the conversations died down, and every one of them turned to look at their group. His body tingled when he felt all the eyes looking at him.

A Pokémon he had not seen before, looking a bit like a Rapidash but black and white, got near the Bug-type. "Scolipede, what's with them?" he asked.

"A hurt human," answered the centipede. "Go warn the owner."

The equine Pokémon nodded and went ahead, almost instantly becoming a blur in his eyes.

Well, there were now two Pokémon with common sense in this place.

They walked on.

"Who are they?

"Is that a human?"

"They must be trained Pokémon."

"Never seen a Jangmo-o before…"

"Is the human unconscious?"

The mumbles followed them, a soft and rumbling coat as they moved. He could feel the still trembling Pokémon behind him. Another thing he chastised them for: did they not live in a forest where more Pokémon live? Did they not encounter groups in there? As far as he remembered, most Pokémon in Poni Island were in groups, though perhaps that was a consequence of Light Steel Fief than anything else, but he still thought it normal for Pokémon outside of Fiefs to seek safety in numbers. Father always said—

He interrupted that train of thought almost immediately, grinding it to dust in his mind. He didn't need to think of him. He never would.

They continued to walk until a building came into view, a wooden two-story construction with a step red roof that was surrounded by a wooden fence, a contrast to the metal one from before. From its insides came an old man running towards them, brown hair with grey strands mashed with an equally brown and bushy beard, two grey eyes scanning each one of them. He was dressed in green clothes that connected with lines to the back, all over another pair of white clothes. There was a Pokémon he didn't recognize emblazoned on the green, with the words 'Ratell Ranch and Care' imprinted on it.

His face was worried as he hurriedly took stock of the situation and anxiously rubbed his head with a free hand. "Come on, come on, get the man inside; the doctor will be coming any minute now…"

Finally, he would be able to help that stupid human.

---

Now, what do we have here?

---

Awareness came in slowly, a drip of returning consciousness that let his eyes see light bit by bit. The dark borders in the corners of his eyes receded to let his mind focus on his surroundings. Despite the sight returning first, what he realized at the beginning was the soft material he was on; it was different from what he remembered his bed to feel like. Did he put something on it? He couldn't recall.

He was staring at something wrong; he came to realize, something different. It took him some blinking moments to notice he was under a strange ceiling. The wood that made up the ceiling was nothing like the white of his apartment. And that fact made him jump up straight.

The room in which he was had the touches of a rural farmhouse that appeared in magazines and cozy internet videos. Pale green wallpaper decorated the sides of the room, a soft-looking red carpet was in its center, nested atop a wooden floor. He could see a desktop with masterfully crafted reliefs all over it; on it, he saw his wallet, phone, and a solitary Pokéball. In front of them was a comfy-looking brown chair with a plush cushion opposite a big mirror, just beside a wardrobe. There were two doors in the room, one at the very end and another past the wardrobe, likely to the bathroom.

Light shone through a window near the bed, and a TV was seated alongside a small desk with plenty of space for putting things below it. The room was big and spacious. The kind he liked to watch videos of.

He had no idea where he was.

He was on a bed with pale red covers, wearing long but thin white and blue pajamas, the material soft and fluffy to the touch, nicer than anything he owned. And therein lay another problem to the already growing list in his head.

"Jangmo-o?" That sound caught his attention, and he found himself centering his gaze at the foot of the bed, where a grey and yellow lizard rested. Its body curled up together like a cat; the only part that was moving was the head, which now had its eyes staring intently at his. As soon as it noticed this, the Pokémon, the Pokémon, rose from its resting position and came closer to him, climbing up his legs until its snout was inches from his face and those ruby eyes were the center of his vision.

"Hi?" he tried.

The Jangmo-o huffed and jumped off the bed, quickly reaching the door and jumping on the knob to open it and rapidly leaving the room, leaving Dylan staring at the open door, trying to process what happened.

"This is real," he said to himself, as much to convince himself as to ground his heart on the floor. "Holy shit, this is real!"

He removed the covers from his body and found a pair of blue slippers on the floor. They are my size, he idly realized, as they fit snugly into his feet.

He didn't move; he just sat there, head in hands, trying to come to terms with his new reality, because, against what all logic dictated and all the laws he had learned in school, he was in the Pokémon World, with real breathing Pokémon in it. One of which he just saw open a door and leave like it was no big deal.

His mental ramblings were stopped when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and the Jangmo-o entered the room, jumping into the bed at the same time a man smiled at him, white teeth shining past a brown beard, warm eyes looking at him with clear relief glinting in them. "My boy, you are awake! You really gave me a scare; are you feeling well?" His voice had a slight twang to it, an accent he couldn't place, and most importantly, he said something that was definitely not English, nor any language he had ever heard, and he understood every word perfectly.

"You alright there, lad?" asked the man when Dylan failed to respond for a few moments, just filing problem number one hundred fifty-seven in his head.

"Y-yeah, just peachy," said Dylan. "Where am I?"

The man's head turned slightly to the left before he answered. "You are in Ratell Ranch, my boy, the finest Pokémon care facility on this side of Sinnoh."

"Sinnoh, huh…?" He was in the Sinnoh Region, home to a lot of history, the most powerful Legendaries if the lore is correct, and its own Pokémon League.

"It was a group of Pokémon that brought you here," said the man, seemingly having decided that Dylan wasn't going to start a conversation on his own. "An Aipom and two Bidoofs, all directed by the small guy there." He smiled at the dragon primly seated beside him. "The little one did his best to stay beside you, but I convinced him to take a bath and eat first. You really have a loyal Pokémon there, my boy."

So, he was a guy… Dylan stared at the Dragon-type and got red eyes scanning him in return. True to the words of the man, he was now clean and had no signs of dirty scales anywhere. Albeit he still looked a little thin, at least, he thought so. "I'm sorry, but he isn't my Pokémon. In fact, today is the first day I have seen him." He didn't get why a Pokémon would help a complete stranger like him. He didn't think the berries were enough reason to aid him.

The man's eyes widened in surprise. "I see," he said. He paused for a moment before continuing, "But where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself. I am Archibald Ratell, owner of this fine Ranch; it is good to meet you."

"Good to meet you, too. I am Dylan Gallagher," he responded in kind.

"Good, good. Your memory is working fine. The doctor who examined you said you could be disoriented when you woke up, but otherwise you were unharmed." The Ranch owner paused again, mulling his words slowly. "Where are you from, son? Your wallet had a weird picture and some Unown script. Is it a membership for some archaeology program?"

Dylan didn't answer.

Mister Ratell cocked his head but didn't press further. "Who do we call to make sure you return home?" The question was a kind one, delivered gently and in a soft tone of voice laced with selfless worry. Despite it, it completely knocked the air out of him; his mind became dizzy trying to come up with an answer to that question that wouldn't make him look insane or concussed.

His mouth opened and closed a few times without producing any sound. Ratell continued to look at him patiently.

He still couldn't make any sound from his mouth.

"Why don't we eat a big breakfast first? You must be hungry," said the older man. "Preston is making it right now."

"Yeah, that would help." He stood up and walked closer to Mister Ratell, the Pokémon following him when he did so. "Thank you very much for that."

He smiled. "It is no problem, son, I'm happy to help."

"No, really, I can express how grateful I am…" He finally caught sight of the mirror, and his heart grew cold when he realized he couldn't recognize the person in it. Or at least, not completely. His brown hair was gone, replaced by a pale blue, his eyes a clear red that he had never seen before. His face was younger too, early twenties if he could make a guess. It was like a funhouse mirror; his face still had vestiges of what it used to be, but it was warped enough that it couldn't completely register as his, like there was a degree of separation his mind couldn't bridge fast enough for his eyes to catch on.

Perhaps more importantly, it looked –and there was no other way to say it— like an anime face. Whereas on Earth faces had a certain look that he knew they all shared despite the diversity of them, there it was kind of a strange thing he saw. It didn't look entirely like the face of a human, or at least an Earth human as it were; it looked like those stylized faces that appeared in anime games, or like Final Fantasy had used in the latest games; human enough that there was no dissonance, but different enough to be noticeable.

And now it appeared it was his.

He stood there, staring at the stranger in the mirror until he felt a hand delicately landing on his shoulder. "Son, why don't you take a bath first," he said worriedly, pointing at the door near the wardrobe. "I put fresh clothes in the closet; yours were a little… tattered. You can take your time; the breakfast will take a while."

Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. "Thank you. Thank you."

Ratell nodded. "I will come later to fetch you up."

"Jangmo-o, Jang." The draconic Pokémon stared at him silently for a few moments before jumping again and opening the door for him and entering inside without prompting.

The man smiled once more. "I see you are in good hands. I will leave you to it." He closed the door as he left.

Dylan entered the room slowly; the tiled white and pale purple bathroom was nice and had everything he needed: a small shower in a corner covered by curtains depicting various Rainy Castform with happy faces floating by, and a fluffy white towel was waiting in a hanger. The Jangmo-o had jumped on the toilet and was patiently waiting for him there.

"Are you going to watch me?" asked Dylan, the incredulity managing to break through the haze of his feelings; the fact that a dragon would stand guard while he bathed was enough to reel his mind for a bit.

Jangmo-o huffed dismissively and pointed to the shower curtain. "Jang."

"I see, but could you close your eyes while I undress?"

The eyes were closed immediately and without protest.

Dylan took off his pajamas, never taking his eyes off the Jangmo-o to make sure he didn't peep. Almost like sensing his thoughts, the Pokémon made an indignant growl. "Sorry, sorry."

He entered the shower and bathed, all while oddly aware of the dragon just standing guard outside.

He finished and reached for the towel, wrapping it around him and walking out of the room. The Jangmo-o gave him a knowing look and stayed behind while he reached for the wardrobe and took off a green shirt and dark blue pants, along with white socks and underwear. Once he was dressed, he called for the Jangmo-o. "You can come in now." He was also wearing fitting black and blue shoes, a small Zigzagoon emblazoned on the side.

The dragon took stock of him as he entered and was seemingly pleased with the result as he nodded and came closer again.

Dylan just stood there, not knowing what to do. He was in another world, freshly washed with another world's water, another world's soap, and wearing another world's clothes, and using another world's body. Because his old one was likely gone in that accident. Everything he had was gone: his family, his friends, his job.

His body found the bed as the tears began to fall, drops of water finding themselves trailing down his cheeks and into his legs as he sobbed fitfully into his hands.

The Jangmo-o placed himself into his legs, slowly rubbing his head into his stomach, deep purrs emitting from his body as he nuzzled against him. Oddly, it worked to calm him; not his cries, for those continued, but his hands found his head and began to caress it, a grounding and surprising mix between soft and firm, something that wasn't quite scales on his hands.

The Dragon-type didn't seem to mind his cries nor the tears that fell on him. He just stood there, letting Dylan lean on him as he cried.

A mourning wail for his life.

A mourning wail for the world he lost.

A guilty cry for he was in the world of Pokémon, and even in that instance, a part of him was happy for that.

Slowly, his cries receded, and he cleaned his tears. The Jangmo-o continued with his purrs until he stopped completely, and even then, he continued for a bit more afterwards. Not once did he protest.

"Thank you," said Dylan to the Pokémon. Once again, words failed to convey the size of his thanks.

"Jangmo-o," was his answer, but strangely, he could understand the 'I won't abandon you' clearly in that moment.

He continued to pet the dragon for a while, his heart slowly calming down bit by bit, until he heard a knock at the door.

"My boy, breakfast is ready. Are you finished?"

"Yeah, I am." He gave the Jangmo-o one last pat before the small dragon hopped off his legs and Dylan stood up, cleaning the last of his tears with his sleeves.

He opened the door and found the analytical face of Mister Ratell, mouth twitching just a fraction before it settled into a smile. "I am glad the clothes fit; we usually have spares if one gets damaged by a Pokémon." He began to direct him past corridors with landscape paintings to what he supposed was the dining room. "You feeling better after that shower, lad?"

"Much better, thank you."

The man nodded once.

As they walked, Jangmo-o following close by, he spied green hills by the windows, or plains that had Ponytas, Meganiums, and other Pokémon grazing on them, as well as several perches with bird Pokémon sitting on them. He almost crashed against a table when he got too distracted looking at them, yet his eyes didn't stop looking, too curious not to. That almost made him fall down the stairs.

He knew they had reached the dining room when he smelled a delicious scent wafting in the air and was not disappointed when the dining table welcomed him with a full glass of orange juice and some scrambled eggs sitting on a plate, all accompanied by pancakes. What gave him a slight pause was the bipedal blue and black jackal that was finishing setting the table, a metal spike growing past a purple apron with a gray pig holding a fork and a knife in it, tongue lolling out. Hands—or paws?—finishing putting the utensils as it quickly turned to the annexed kitchen and retrieved a pot from the fire, turning off the stove and putting what had to be some sort of hot jam in a pitcher.

He looked at him. "Lucario."

"Good morning to you, too." It apparently was the correct response, as the jackal nodded and gestured to the table, which had the arrangement of three plates on it.

He looked at Jangmo-o. "What about him?"

The Lucario gesticulated to a smaller table with a bowl of assorted round brown things that looked so much like meatballs that he wondered where they get meat in a world where you could have a conversation with a beaver. Realizing that would ruin his appetite, he just sat on the table, taking stock of the scrumptious food in front of him.

The Lucario sat at the same time Mister Ratell did, not before taking the apron off and leaving it on the kitchen counter. Now that it was close, he could see a thin scar on its muzzle, as well as the 'mane' having greying hairs at the beginning, and thin grey streaks on them. There were more scars on its chest, albeit thin and well healed. He couldn't call it the body of a warrior, but he could see it had seen battles and taken tokens from them.

The Lucario clasped his hands together and gave a small nod.

"Thank you for the food," said the Ranch owner, with Dylan hurrying to copy the action; he didn't want to appear rude to the one who had helped him so much; it would be intolerable to his conscience.

"Lucario."

"Jangmo-o."

Having said that, they began to eat.

Dylan quickly decided it was one of the best breakfasts he had tasted and easily eclipsed all he had made over the years. The eggs were creamy with a flavor that was dissimilar from chicken, perhaps even better, and what he thought was orange was orange, albeit with another flavor mixed in, likely one of the many berries that grew on the Pokémon World. He knew that hot sauce that just melted on his mouth when combined with the pancakes definitely was a berry. He liked to think he ate primly, but it was likely he just shoveled it inside, as he hadn't noticed how hungry he really was until he sat down, and then all he cared for was eating as much of that delicious food as possible, making sure to expose his tongue to as many of the flavors as he could.

Sadly, the breakfast was eventually finished, and his satisfied stomach made him know that, while it was delicious, more food wasn't exactly a good idea.

"Delicious as always, Preston, you always impress," said Mister Ratell happily.

"Ah, thank you, Mister Preston, sir." Is that how you address a Pokémon, or do they prefer a more formal manner of address?

"Jang-Jangmo-o."

The blue Pokémon just huffed good-naturedly and waved his hand at him.

"No need to call him sir, lad, too formal for the old chap. For that matter, just call me Archibald; the 'sir' and 'mister' just made me feel ten years older than I already am!" He guffawed afterwards, a loud mirthful sound that seemed to light up the room and made Dylan chuckle alongside him.

"As you say, Archibald. As you say."

Mister— Archibald stood up. "Now, while we wait for Preston to clean up, why don't we chat for a bit while we are happy and full?"

"I can help with cleaning," he suggested, but the small shake of the head Preston gave a clear message: 'You are a guest; you do not clean'. Curious how human-like that politeness was.

"You better leave Preston to that, my boy; he doesn't like when others use his kitchen without approval," he said, a slightly joking edge to it. "Why, last time I tried he banned me from using it without supervision."

The absolutely deadpan look on the wolf's face made it clear Archibald had done something to deserve it, and he wouldn't accept being told otherwise.

Archibald laughed again and called Dylan forth with a wave of a hand, as he led him to another section of the house. Behind him, he could see the Lucario dexterously clean the table, picking up the dishes and stacking the glasses in a way Dylan was sure he himself would have broken up in a hundred pieces.

He gave the scene a last look before following Archibald, the Dragon-type never abandoning his side, dutifully walking in pace with him, claws surprisingly gentle on the wooden floor.

Archibald led him to a living room with green cushioned chairs and a decent-sized sofa, directing him to sit in one of them as he took a seat in another, the result ending with two men facing each other, with one of them cradling a dragon in his legs.

"Now, I think we can speak clearly. The workers are already tending to the Pokémon, so we should be able to talk without interruption," he said seriously. Then, he paused for a moment before adding with a grimace. "The Pokémon mimed to me that you jumped from a cliff; is that true, my boy?"

And there it was, the thing that he knew was coming but whose blow wasn't reduced in the slightest. He needed to come up with a plausible explanation that was believable and didn't make him look like a creep to his helper and possible salvation. He contemplated lying, telling the kind man that he had amnesia or something like that, covering up his true origins like a paranoid—no, like a coward—and then beg for his help. But that idea was discarded almost as fast as it was born; there were too many holes in it to be safe, not to mention he didn't fancy the guilt for lying to the face of the man who helped him so much out of the goodness of his heart. In conclusion, he decided to tell the truth; perhaps it was risky, and he could be labeled insane, but it was the only thing he could do at the moment.

"I come from another world where Pokémon are just fiction," he said, saying the most logical yet illogical thing he could at the moment.

The reaction he got was unexpected in its intensity; the man's eyes widened comically as he physically reeled backwards, hands holding the arms of the chair with an almost ridiculous grip, as his mouth hung open.

The Jangmo-o's reaction is not much different; eyes are now fully alert, trained on him and exuding an aura of sheer disbelief, but not the disbelief of seeing a lie, but the one present when one cannot process what has been said.

Taking refuge in that he hadn't been called a lying madman yet, Dylan continued, "I kinda died in a car crash, I think I did—" The man's eyes were glinting know as hands linked together and rubbed anxiously. "—and I found myself in this world, alone in a forest, in a body that I don't quite recognize. I thought I was in a coma, or that was my dying dream, and I— and I—" He paused at that, taking a small shuddering breath to compose himself before speaking again, "I jumped to wake up."

A mouth opened and closed without sound, much like his own not long ago, as eyes bore down on him again. The dragon was in a similar state, huffing anxiously and giving more purring rubs to him, and his hands once more found petting the creature that the day before Dylan thought nothing but a fantasy.

He continued, for it was the only thing stopping him from breaking down. "I know this is hard to believe, but I have nowhere to go, and I just wanted to ask if you have a job or anything that would help. I will take it. Even if you don't believe the story, please-"

He never got to finish speaking, as arms wrapped around him in a warm embrace. At the same time, he could feel smaller clawed appendages do the same.

"Oh, my boy, I believe you. You must have been through a lot."

His tears hadn't dried up, it seemed. "You do?" he sobbed.

The hug lasted a few moments more. When the man retreated, the kind look was back, accompanied by something else he couldn't make out. "Of course. I have been the owner of this Ranch for decades, and I have seen every flavor of scammer out there, from the ones selling oils that could turn a Seedot into a Garchomp, to land developers who thought a spa would be the next best thing in Arceus' world. And all of them, from the most stupid to the most intelligent, have enough sense to tell a believable lie.

"You, my boy, have told me something so crazy, so deranged, that not even the dumbest scammer would even consider using it in one of their schemes. Furthermore, I have been with Preston for years; his ability to separate lies from truth has rubbed off on me," he said, each word bringing a wave of relief to Dylan's mind, heart, and body.

Jangmo-o nodded his assent, and what he said next could only be described as companionship, the idea that he wouldn't leave, that they were a team now, all crammed together in a short and decisive growl, small licks of fire breathing past it; such was the resolve.

"You got the job, by the way."

That gave Dylan another tsunami of relief. "Really?"

"Of course, I would shame my kin if I left such a promising young man fend to himself now that he is more lost than anyone has ever been before. Furthermore, who am I to deny a trainer their own journey when they are back on his feet?" was the cheerful answer, a fire lit into his eyes, igniting old flames long buried.

The man stood up with Dylan following suit, the dragon preferring to climb up his shoulders rather than stepping off. "Since you are new here, it occurs to me that no one has welcomed you. So, on behalf of the people of this world, of Ratell Ranch, I, Archibald Ratell, bid you welcome to this beautiful Pokémon World of ours!" A hand was offered to him.

"Jangmo-o!"

There was a fresh wave of tears when his hand clasped the man's, joy and exhilaration he hadn't felt since the bygone days of his childhood, all mixing in a joyful wind, making his heart soar into new heights. "Thank you, I am now glad to be here."

"Jangmo-o, Jang!" He could hear and feel the support of the dragon, a comforting weight on his shoulder.

Because he may have lost everything, but he was no longer alone. And he had the feeling he would no longer be alone in that new and exciting reality, that he would have friends, that he, against what his initial fears suggested, would be able to happily enjoy his new world.

---

It was a bigger thing than Jangmo-o had ever imagined. Another world? And one having the unbelievable quality of being devoid of any Pokémon whatsoever but in fiction? That was the kind of thing only idiots lied about. True, the human–Dylan, he reminded himself—was kind of an idiot, but it was the idiot he decided to follow, and thus, the idiot he decided to believe.

He may have been called a disaster on that island, one that couldn't be trusted to look after the Fief, but there he chose that it did not matter; he could take care of that human, of the one he decided to accompany. Unlike his brethren, he never believed in destiny or such things, but he did believe in choice, and he thought at that moment, when, regardless of what happened to him, he jumped after that human, that he would be the one to accompany him wherever he may go. It was an odd feeling, but his heart told him it was the correct choice, that it was that human who could bring forth his true strength.

That will show everyone back home that I wasn't wrong. That he could be strong like all the others. That he didn't need to stay on that island like the rest. He recognized it may be a selfish thing, but he would go through it to the end.

He had a feeling that all those days starving on that boat would finally bear fruit: he was no longer confined to the island; he was the true expression of a dragon. He was free. Free and strong.

He would have to say sorry to the Aipom and the Bidoofs when he had the chance; they shared the berries, with the human somehow making it work, and they helped him so they at least deserved that. Being free didn't mean being ungrateful.

There was only one thing that annoyed him, a single thing that obfuscated him.

That dumb and weird Bidoof was right all along.

Ugh, I will give him some berries for that, was his thought as he comforted the crying human, eager to start his new life in the new region.

Things were looking up.

---

Hello there! Second chapter. Thank you for all the likes and comments; they really make my day,

Have a good day and see you next time!