Chapter Text
Ever get that feeling when you're asleep and something is so inexplicably wrong that you have to wake up immediately?
You don't even know what's wrong, it's just your body's natural instinct to wake you up when something's amiss around you.
Case in point, that instinct struck me hard like a lightning bolt as I suddenly jolted myself out of my bed, my mind desperately trying to figure out what was wrong.
And oh dear lord there was so much wrong with my current surroundings.
The first thing that became abundantly clear to me was the fact this was not my room. I would know whether or not if I was sleeping in my room or not as the sight of the usual burgundy wooden walls was nowhere to be seen.
In its place were these white, seemingly plywood walls that had clearly seen better days. Decor that had a better chance of being found at my grandparents' house than my own, and not to mention the fact that the room was smaller than my bedroom.
So it didn't go without saying that this room looked nothing like mine.
And now came the second major thing that was wrong with the situation.
The fact that I could feel and hear the waves of the ocean.
Whatever room I had been magically transported intp had one singular circular window and one quick glance at it showed an endless expanse of blue waves on the other side of it.
But that made absolutely no sense at all! How the hell did I go from sleeping in my room that was located in the middle of a city to some sort of boat cabin that was now in the middle of the sea?!
No this had to be some sort of fever dream, it had to be!
Throwing the covers of the bed off my body I immediately rushed towards the door, throwing it open with all my strength. I was in such a panicked state that I didn't realize that I felt…shorter and weaker than I normally was.
But that information would later be realized after my mind calmed down to what I experienced on the other side of the door.
For you see on the other side I was expecting to see that I was still back in my apartment, still in the city that I had been living in for the past few years.
I had expected to hear the sounds of morning commuters trying to get to their job, the sound of honking cars filling the streets. I had expected to believe that this was all some giant fever dream that I could have a good laugh about later.
Yet none of that happened as I opened the door.
Taking a few hesitant steps outside the cabin my feet made contact with the slightly wet wooden floor of the boat I was apparently on, my mind slowly making the connection that no dream could fake this feeling so well. Walking over to the railing, I took in the sight of azure waters that stretched on for seemingly forever.
Oh my god I'm actually on a boat.
I was surprised that I hadn't actually passed out or pissed myself once my mind fully came to that realization. I'm sure anyone in my boots would've done the same and I wouldn't have judged them for doing so.
Instead I could faintly feel my body slowly approach the railing, griping its metal cool surface in an attempt to calm myself down.
"It could've been way worse," I attempted to rationalize to myself. I could've been transported to some other world in typical isekai fashion but so far that didn't seem to be true at all. I had just somehow wound up on a boat in the middle of nowhere.
But I was confident that once I have a sensible conversation with the captain I can get back to my city and continue with my life like normal.
Hearing the familiar sounds of seagulls brought a hopeful smile on my face as I internally agreed to the plan. Feeling a bit optimistic of the situation I moved my gaze upward to see the nearby birds.
I mean the best I could do right now was to take in the view and-!?
Whatever positive reinforcement I had in my mind quickly died as my eyes saw the 'seagull' that had made that cry, my smile instantly transforming into a more gobsmacked expression.
It was nothing to be shocked about, it was just an ordinary wingull just nonchalantly flying through the sky. The water and flying type pokemon was a normal sight for people who were near the beach.
But that was the thing, it was a Pokemon.
And as far as I'm concerned Pokemon were fictional and you know…
Not real.
Yet despite my attempts to rationalize that couldn't be possible and Pokemon weren't real my eyes were not deceiving me, even after I rubbed them in disbelief.
The lone wingull ignored my predicament as it gave off another cry before it flew higher, where a flock of its brethren had been. Leading the flock was the evolution of the seagull like pokemon, a pelipper, who gave a loud cry before it flew higher into the sky, the wingull flowing close behind it.
Seeing both pokemon of that evolutionary line pretty much solidified what kind of situation I was in.
"…Holy shit this is real," Was all I could say as I watched the flock fly higher and higher up into the sky, before disappearing out of mysight.
Against all the odds, defying every possible law known to mankind, hell even the universe itself…
I had somehow ended up in the Pokemon Universe.
Before that could fully set in for me, it seems that fate was keen to not let me catch a break just quite yet.
"It's a real shocker huh?" I barely resisted the urge to scream out loud at the sudden words. Frantically I whipped my head around to look at the speaker who had unknowingly snuck up on me.
Seeing my current expression must've been a sight to see as the man began to chuckle to himself. "Ah I remember the first time I set out on my adventure, why I was like a newborn Starly trying to flap its wings for the first time."
Still in the midst of processing the bombshell that had just been dropped on me I just elected to chuckle nervously in response.
Thankfully it was enough as the captain heartily laughed, patting my shoulder in a reassuring, almost fatherly, manner. "Just take a deep breath and live in the moment, son."
Despite the situation I had found myself in I couldn't help but genuinely laugh at the man's words, relieving a great deal of stress off my shoulders. I'll trust your words on that…captain?" I trailed off as I took the moment to properly observe who I was exactly speaking with.
He was the perfect definition of a seasoned sailor. He wore a typical white sailor's uniform, that was a bit worn out, but you could tell that it had seen its fair share of voyages.
His face practically screamed 'veteran' with his well kept beard, scars that had long healed, and green eyes that held a wisdom that came only with age.
And to top it all off was a shiny, but worn out, badge that was pinned to his uniform's breast pocket, signifying his status.
"In a younger time," He corrected as he walked right up next to me, gazing out into the sparkling azure sea with a nostalgic look. "Now I'm just a sailor who likes to sail the seas, ferrying young trainers like yourselves across the regions"
That was actually…kind of nice, getting to travel the world whilst also helping the younger generation. He certainly was a boon for us train-!
"Wait a minute," I took a double take with what he had said, or more specifically with what he called me. "Did you say trainer?" I asked with a skeptic look.
In turn the captain just looked at me confusedly. "Yes, that's what I said. Isn't that a pokeball on your belt?"
Almost instantly my gaze snapped to my waist, to which I just realized that I was not wearing what I had on when I went to sleep, and true to the captain's word there was a certain spherical red and white object snapped onto my belt.
A genuine, probably actually functioning, pokeball.
I didn't know whether I wanted to fangirl or scream in horror.
"Y-Yeah I totally forgot about that being there," I nervously laughed out loud, doing my best to act as natural as possible and not cast suspicion on myself. "Y-You know how it is, pre-journey jitters getting the better of you."
Thankfully the captain bought my words as he heartly laughed along. "Ah, I can certainly understand that."
Before any more conversation could be made the sound of a bell tolled above us, probably the bridge if I had to garner a guess, which got the captain's attention who promptly sighed at the sound.
"Looks like duty calls my new friend, we're probably nearing our destination and I need to be up there managing all the details of our arrival." He smiled at me. "Do enjoy the rest of your voyage with us."
I simply nodded which had the captain's smile grow even more before he turned around and walked in the opposite direction.
"Oh and you should probably let your pokemon out for a bit," He suddenly spoke up, turning around as he did. "I'm sure they'll appreciate the chance to get out of being cooped up in their pokeballs for so long."
Of course things could go from bad to worse that fast. "I-I'll be sure to do that," I quickly assured him.
Nodding the captain turned back around and walked away, thankfully out of sight as he turned a corner.
With that, admittedly, stressful conversation done and over with I could tackle the next problem…
I looked at the pokeball clipped to my belt in equal's part anticipation and nervousness.
Getting acquainted with the world that I was now seemingly a part of now.
So I guess first things first.
My name is Lux, Lux Byrne.
I'm a black haired, blue eyed teenager who grew up in the city. I am currently a second year college student who doesn't know what he wants for his future.
Well ex-college student, cause you know getting transported into a whole different universe changed that.
…Wait, was there even college in this Pokemon world? There had to be, right?
Okay I'm getting off-track here. I shook my head clear and focused on the mirror that was inside my 'cabin'. The good news was that there were no obvious changes to my appearance. I didn't get stuck in someone else's body nor was I reincarnated as a baby.
That was good.
The bad news was that I was pretty sure I de-aged. The face looking back at me through the mirror's reflection reminded me more of my highschool years rather than what I was supposed to look like.
I guess my only saving grace in this situation was that I had only regressed a couple of years as opposed to being a baby once again. That would've sucked having to go through puberty once more.
The clothes I'm wearing aren't mine either, or at least I think they aren't. They definitely weren't the pajamas I wore to bed but they looked like something I would've owned.
Black cargo pants, a sleek black and purple sports jacket, a neon purple backpack that held quite a few items in it. Ranging from an extra set of clothes, a map, a bottle of water, and other things one might think you would need for a trip…
Or a journey…
A small part of me was now terrified at the fact that the possibility of me being here due to something, or someone, deliberately and not as an accident was becoming a reality.
But that wasn't even the most terrifying thing I was having to deal with right now, that was reserved for the object that was currently clipped to my belt.
Tearing my gaze from my reflection in the mirror I directed my gaze to the lone pokeball attached to my waist. A part of me still didn't believe that I had been somehow mystical transported into the Pokemon universe. I was still expecting myself to wake up from this and be back in my bed in my apartment room and not inside this boat cabin.
Yet any doubt or skepticism I had were instantly squashed as one of my hands grabbed the pokeball from its clip, feeling the cold surface of the capture device on my skin as I lifted it closer to my face.
It looked just exactly as one would expect of a pokeball. The oh so iconic black, white, red color scheme of the spherical device had always seemed so cartoonish to me, which was what it was supposed to be considering the universe was fictional and not at all meant to make sense.
Yet holding it in my hands it felt as real as the sky being blue.
However I knew that was not the end of it, as for inside this pokeball was a real, breathing, pokemon. A creature that inhabited the world of Pokemon, blessed with powers to harness the elements and bend it to their will.
Some could breathe fire, others harness the strength of the ocean, nature, even the earth and skies themselves. Some could even channel mystical energy and move things with only their minds, traverse between the seams of reality, even use the powers of the fae .
That wasn't even considering that some of these pokemon could achieve legendary feats, holding dominion from domains like the sky to even creation itself.
And in this pokeball was one of those pokemon.
Taking a deep breath, steeling myself for what was about to happen, I pressed the button in the middle of the pokeball. Feeling it activated I exhaled before pushing the pokeball forward, loosening my grip on it at the same time.
Feeling the slight decrease in pressure, the capture device in my hands shot a white beam of light in front of me, landing just a few inches away from where I was standing. After the beam from the pokeball stopped being emitted the white light began to change, taking the shape of the pokemon that had been inside the pokeball.
Watching this happen in front of my very own eyes I began to guess what pokemon that had been stuck. Instantly my mind went to more of the 'common' ones a regular trainer might have. Ranging from Rattatas, Pidgeys, Bidoofs, even a Nidoran maybe.
But my guess was nowhere close to what the real thing was.
The white light slowly morphed into a small draconic body. Starting from the back a wispy green tail was the first to finish materializing. Then the rest of the body joined in as a green, almost snake-like, body began to appear. Two little green hand-like appendages came after with the head being the last to appear, with it being an almost boomerang shaped head with red tips at each end.
Two wide yellow eyes then opened up, observing the new surroundings it was now in before landing on me, patiently waiting for me to say something.
I watched with wide eyes as the pokemon in front of me just blinked, its facial expression not changing a single bit.
I knew immediately what this pokemon was.
It was a Dreepy.
A Ghost and Dragon Type Pokemon.
A pokemon whose final evolution was considered that of a Pseudo-Legendary, which was a classification designated to pokemon whose strength was just below those that were reverently called Legendaries.
How the hell did I end up with a Dreepy of all things?!
As if listening to my thoughts the dragon type pokemon cried out to me, grabbing my attention.
"Ah sorry about that," I awkwardly replied, not knowing how the hell I was supposed to talk to a pokemon. Was I supposed to talk to it like a pet? But wasn't that demeaning considering all pokemon were intelligent creatures?
Shaking my head I instead focused on getting to know my partner better. "Say Dreepy…do you at all remember what we were doing before this?" I asked, wanting to see what the pokemon knew of the situation we were in. Who knows maybe the dragon could help shed some light and give me some answers I desperately needed.
However my hopes were dashed when Dreepy merely tilted it head at me, giving off another cry.
I resisted the urge to sigh, of course it wasn't going to be this easy.
"I'll be completely honest with you, I don't belong in this world at all. I've never been a trainer in my entire life and met my first pokemon just a couple of minutes ago."
Dreepy just chirped at me.
"I know that I sound crazy but I can assure you what I'm saying is completely true."
They just chirped at me again.
"What do you mean you don't care? You should because you're stuck with me...unless you want me to release you?"
Dreppy's eyes narrowed at me before they chirped at me, this time with a bit of anger to it.
"Okay?" I replied, confused by the dragon pokemon's behavior. You would think that being the pokemon of someone that wasn't actually a trainer, also add in the fact that the same trainer was also not of this world, would be a red flag.
And yet the pokemon hovering in front of me didn't care for that at all. He actually wanted to be my pokemon and wasn't budging on it.
The natural thing to do was to stand my ground, argue that they should have a trainer who actually knew what they were doing as opposed to me who didn't have the slightest idea of how to train a pokemon.
Now don't get me wrong I played the games, practically played most of them that were released. I had watched the anime, maybe not to the extent of watching every episode there was but enough to know the general plot of each season.
Ash Ketchum goes to a new region, catches new pokemon, makes new friends and rivals, challenges the League Circuit, foils the plans of some terrorist group that involve some sort of legendary pokemon, meeting said legendary and probably befriending them in the process, and challenging the conference which pits trainers that have collected all 8 badges.
And in said conference Ash always loses, either to having a bad team for one particular match or fighting an opponent so tough you knew the writers put them there just for the young trainer to lose.
Cough cough Tobias.
He would lose to them and he would repeat the process again in a new region.
Going on some crazy adventure across whatever region I was being ferried to didn't really sound all that appealing to me right now. Don't get me wrong it was like a dream come true for a fan like me but that was before I came to the realization that this wasn't the same cartoon that I had watched as a child.
No this was a world inhabited by creatures who could easily kill with barely any effort, all but needing one move to do so. Going on an adventure had a high chance of my dying and that wasn't even counting the fact that risk rose exponentially if I got involved with the fate of whatever region I was in.
But at the same time however there had to be a reason that Dreepy was with me right now. I could've easily woken up in this cabin with no pokemon whatsoever. Maybe the ghost dragon in front of me was the key in getting answers.
It was a long shot, that was for sure, but…
I looked to the pokemon in front of me, a conviction filling my body. "Say Dreepy…would you like to be my pokemon?"
The dragon's face was impassive as always as they nonchalantly chirped back at me, nodding their head as well.
A smile blossomed on my face as I heard the dragon's answer. "That's great!" And it was, I was practically living every child's dream right now! "Now I know this might be super rude of me but are you a boy or a girl?"
The non-expressive pokemon gave me its best deadpan reaction to my question before it chirped out a response.
"A boy huh, well Dreepy…" I noted before I placed a hand on my chest. "My name is Lux, Lux Byrne. It's an honor to be your trainer."
Dreepy chirped happily at my words, moving for the first time as they threw their hand-like appendages in the air in joy. The green dragon and ghost pokemon then floated towards me, placing himself right on my head.
Unsure of what he was doing I remained silent as Dreepy situated themselves on my head, getting comfortable in his new position. The dragon's body had a strange weight on my head, I could certainly feel it but at the same time the pokemon felt weightless.
Maybe it was due to his ghost typing?
Still a massive grin broke out on my face as I reached up and petted the pokemon on the head, which got a pleased sound from the dragon. Gosh it's barely been ten minutes and I'm already in love with my new pokemon.
But before I could think of it any further the boat's on board speaker system turned on.
"This is your captain speaking." The familiar voice of the captain reverberated throughout the ship. "I would just like to thank all of our passengers for being cooperative on this voyage. I know we had some rather intense winds kick up yesterday but you all acted accordingly and stayed calm through it all. I am happy to announce that we are minutes away from reaching the beach of Sandgem Town."
Sandgem Town? That name sounded really familiar yet I couldn't place my finger on why that was. My best guess was that it was a town in one of the regions that I had played in which meant that I could confidently cross out the prospect of me being taken to a region I didn't know existed.
At least this journey was starting off on a semi good start.
"Shall we head out to the deck?" I asked Dreepy, who merely chirped in agreement. Grabbing my satchel I quickly left the cabin and proceeded to head to the main deck of the boat, my new pokemon sitting comfortably on my head in tow.
Each step I took was a step into the unknown, into a universe that I had once thought to be fiction.
Yet I forgot one key thing, something so groundbreaking yet it had completely gone over my head.
I just had a full blown, normal, conversation with Dreepy…
And had understood everything that he said to me.
Standing on the sandy beach of Sandgem Town, with my satchel on my back and Dreepy on my head, I resisted the urge to fall down to my knees with what I was seeing. Out of all the regions that I could've been transported to, it had to be this place.
I didn't know whether or not this was accidental or fate.
"I hope you all enjoy your time in Sinnoh!" The captain hollered out from the boat as the vessel slowly backed away from the shore and to open waters. Around me the other passengers that had been on the boat with me waved their goodbyes to him.
On top of me Dreepy also joined in on the effort, waving his tiny hand-like appendages in farewell. It was a cute sight to see, especially with how he chirped his goodbyes as well.
I could see the people around me give the ghost dragon a strange look, though I chalked it up as a mixture of confusion at the pokemon's actions and intrigue at seeing the Galarian Pokemon in a totally different region.
Speaking of which…
I'm in Sinnoh apparently now.
When I had learned that I wanted to laugh out loud that this region out of all the others was the one I had been dropped into, though refrained from doing so as that would've gotten me some strange looks from the people around me.
For context Pokemon Pearl had been the first ever pokemon game that I had ever finished. I had played the previous games before it but it had been this game that I had completed starting from getting my starter to beating the champion.
How ironic that the region I had first beat would be the same one that I would 'start' my pokemon journey in.
Yet despite the good laugh I had gotten from this new revelation, it quickly faded once the reality of what region I had exactly been transported in. More specifically the plot that came with said region.
In most of the pokemon games the plot had always involved the player somehow being an instrumental part in saving the region from their respective terrorist organization. It mostly involved them foiling their plans until the grand finale where you beat the leader and dismantle the organization.
But that was in a game, not in real life. Here the kid friendly restrictions no longer applied and these terrorist organizations lived up to their reputation. Their actions now had the very high potential of not only ruining lives, but also taking them as well.
And I had just so happened to be stuck with the region that had the organization hell bent on erasing the universe in favor of a new one. Team Galactic, with their weird blue wigs, would use the powers of Dialga and Palkia, the Legendary Pokemon who held dominion over time and space itself, to rewrite the laws of reality.
I couldn't even begin to imagine how terrifying that would be to see it with my own two eyes.
"Hey you okay there?" A voice came from my side, jolting me out of my internal dialogue.
"Y-Yes!" I hastily replied, whipping my head to look at the one who had said that. I immediately recognized the speaker to be one of the other passengers that had been on the boat. "Is there something you need from me?"
"No not really, you were just standing there and staring at Sandgem Town with a strange look in your eyes," The black haired teenager, who looked to be a few years older than me, looked at me concerningly. "You okay?"
"Yes!" I stammered out quickly. "It's just my first time being in a whole new region, I just can't believe that this is all happening to me."
"I can certainly understand." They agreed before looking up to where Dreppy was still perched on my head. Their eyes lit up in recognition of the dragon pokemon before they looked down to me with a look of awe. "So…" They started but trailed off, realizing that they didn't know my name.
"Lux," I introduced as I brought my hand out open for a handshake.
"Garett," He introduced back as he shook my hand with a strong grip.
After a nice little moment of getting acquainted Garett ended the handshake. "So Lux, are you a trainer planning on taking the Sinnoh League Circuit then? Cause if so you're already off to a great start."
His awe wasn't all that surprising to me considering that Dreepy was a part of the pseudo legendary category, but it still felt weird being in the spotlight of such awe for owning a pokemon that I didn't technically catch. "About that," My cheeks flushed as I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment. "I-I'm not exactly a licensed trainer, Dreepy just sort of…became my pokemon." I confessed as the pokemon on top of my head chirped at being mentioned.
"Is that so?" Garett had an unreadable expression on his face as he processed my admission. Their silence worried me quite a bit as a part of me feared that they would take offense to what I said and ask more questions on how Dreepy became my pokemon.
Questions to which I would have to make up answers on the fly and could have the potential to unravel the truth of how I really got here.
But to my relief he just patted me on the shoulder in reassurement. "Well it's nothing to be ashamed about, especially considering who your partner is."
"It's actually much more common than you think it is." He revealed, prompting me to look at the black haired teenager with wide eyes. "People catch pokemon all the time without a trainer's license, though you'll get in legal trouble if you own more than one without a license."
I had always assumed that everyone with a pokemon was automatically a trainer, which made sense considering that to own a pet you need to have a license to own them. That didn't mean some people owned dogs or cats without them but they were a minority compared to everyone else.
But then again pokemon were so common that you couldn't walk a street in this world without running into one. It probably would've been quite difficult to enforce such a law with how many pokemon inhabited this world and trying to keep track of every one of them was practically impossible.
Garett's tone quickly became serious. "However if you want to challenge the League, or even travel around Sinnoh with a pokemon then you'll definitely need a trainer's license."
That made much more sense. Being a trainer was something that needed to be heavily monitored, considering how much power one held, and if the League wasn't strict then there was so much potential for a tragedy.
Yet despite that revelation there was still one giant problem.
"And how do I get one?" I nervously asked. Owning Dreepy was now no longer going to be a problem for me but traveling across the region was the next hurdle I had to pass. I didn't want to become a Pokemon Champion, as shocking as that might be.
It was something that had irked me about the Pokemon Games. Get a starter, gather all 8 badges, challenge the Champion and take their throne. After that the game just sort of…falls off. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing but it felt that the developers weren't taking advantage of the potential of Pokemon.
I mean the Pokemon World was such a vibrant and interesting place, with each cranny and nook just full of surprises and new pokemon to meet!
But I digress as being a Pokemon Master or Champion really didn't do anything for me and my current situation. I mean there had to be a reason I had been whisked away from my world and magically dropped into the Sinnoh Region. I could've been teleported to Kanto, Johto, hell even the Orre Region but I had been dropped here instead.
There had to be a reason for that…
Right?
But I couldn't go down that train of thought any further as Garett spoke up. "Well you either need to go to school for that, take an exam, and all of that would take awhile." I resisted the urge to grimace at this new information. Time was something that I didn't have much of as the answers I might be looking for could disappear during the time I was waiting for a trainer's license.
Thankfully a solution seemed to be right around the corner. "Or you can ask a Pokemon Professor to sponsor your license!" He cheerily spoke up. "And luckily for you Professor Rowan's laboratory is right here in Sandgem Town!"
I glanced over to the town, noting the fact that it had much more buildings than it did in the game and more akin to what I remembered from the anime. "Do you think that the professor would sponsor someone like me?" I asked skeptically.
I was pretty confident there were many other people than just myself who had gone to Professor Rowan and asked him to sponsor their license. What did I have that could put me as a top candidate over all the others?
"Would he? I know for a fact he would sponsor you!" He assured me. "A person that can earn the trust of, let alone catch, a Dreepy definitely deserves to be a trainer!"
"Is that so?" I could understand having a pseudo legendary pokemon was rare but was it really all that impressive?
On top of my head Dreepy chirped in agreement.
"See, even your pokemon even agrees with you!" Garett pointed to the green dragon pokemon.
Before I could say anything else a sudden beep came from his watch, prompting him to look at their watch. I couldn't see what they were exactly looking at but whatever it was it apparently wasn't something good.
Sighing tiredly, Garett gave me an apologetic look. "Welp duty calls, looks like I have to go now."
I shook my head at him before giving him a smile. "Thank you," I honestly thanked him. "If it wasn't for you I don't think I would know where to start right now." Who knows what I would be doing right now if it wasn't for them.
Certainly not on the right track, that was for sure.
He just waved it off. "No problem but if you want to thank me properly…" Grinning, Garett looked down to his belt, where I just noticed six pokeballs were attached to it. "Let's meet at the Lily of the Valley Conference."
The Lily of the Valley Conference? The yearly tournament held for trainers that were able to win all 8 badges of that particular region, in this case Sinnoh, for the entire world to see? It was the event that one was able to get their presence known in the public's eye, get their name out there.
Obviously I didn't plan on trying to win the tournament but who knows? Maybe my search for answers would lead me there.
I smiled before I put my hand out. "It's a deal."
Grinning, Garett took my hand before the two of us shook on that promise.
"This year's league circuit doesn't even start until tomorrow yet already I'm pumped for it!" Finishing the handshake Garett proceeded to walk away, attending to whatever he needed to do. "Good luck with your trainer's license Lux!" He shouted as he waved goodbye.
"Thank you!" I shouted back as Dreepy joined in the goodbye with a chirp of his own. When the black haired trainer walked out of sight an epiphany suddenly dawned on me.
"I just realized that I didn't catch what he actually did," I said as I dropped my head and looked up to the ghost dragon pokemon on my head. "He could just be a trainer but I have a feeling that's not all he does."
In turn Dreepy did what he always did.
Give a nonchalant chirp back.
I just smiled at the typical response he would give me, already practically used to his aloof character, before reaching up and petting the pokemon on the head. "You're right I'm probably just overthinking this," I turned my attention back to Sandgem Town, where the next thing I had to accomplish awaited me.
"Say let's go get that license then shall we?" With a renewed determination I walked through the sands of the beach and towards the town, with Dreepy on my head.
Walking into Sandgem Town was certainly surreal, let me tell you that. In the game this town just consisted of like two houses, the typical pokemon center and pokemart, and finally the Pokemon Lab.
It felt more of a rest stop for trainers than a notable town that held significance.
However here it felt more akin to a small city/village then a town. There were numerous streets all over Sandgem that made this all seem like a real town. From houses, to restaurants, to shops that sold everything a trainer might need, to even a flippin movie theater.
And of course let's not forget about the Pokemon Lab.
I admit I got lost the moment I got into Sandgem Town, there wasn't exactly any directions or map pointing me in the direction of the lab. There was also the fact that I was getting distracted by all the pokemon that were either walking down the street or called this place home.
Not to mention anything that caught Dreepy's attention, whether it be a building or a pokemon, had me approach it in curiosity which further got us lost.
Thankfully the kind people that lived here were more than happy to point us in the right direction.
And with their help it wasn't long before we were standing right outside the front door of the Pokemon Lab.
"This is actually happening," I breathed out as I stared at the futuristic looking building in front of me that was the lab. Compared to the rural look of Sandgem Town this place stuck out like a sore thumb, which in of itself was a good thing since it was Sinnoh's Pokemon Laboratory.
I couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of experiments or studies that were conducted here but just the sheer size of the place told me that groundbreaking discoveries about Pokemon were made here.
"Ready partner?" I asked my pokemon that was still perched on top of my head. It was a weird situation as I had offered Dreepy more than once if he wanted to stay in his pokeball but every time I was met with the shake of his head.
Was my head really that comfortable or did he simply just like to nap on top of people's head?
In response the green dragon and ghost type pokemon just chirped back at me, his expression aloof as always.
"Of course you are," I smiled at their behavior before I looked at the sliding glass doors in front of me.
With a deep breath, preparing myself what laid behind those doors, I took a step forward as the automatic doors opened before me and allowed me unrestricted access to the inside of the lab.
Automatically I was greeted with the sight of what looked to be a reception area. Just like the outside of the laboratory the reception area was immaculate, white pearly floors that showed just how much care was put into maintaining this place.
Just walking in I could feel the scientific energy of the place just fill my body, almost made me want to pull out a big lengthy textbook and study off of it.
Almost.
My arrival did not go unnoticed as the moment I took a step inside a receptionist sitting at the table jerked her head up immediately, acknowledging my presence with a nod of her head.
"Is Professor Rowan in?" I asked as I walked up to her receptionist table.
"He is…" She trailed off as I saw her eyes drift upward to where Dreepy had staked his claim, marginally widening at the sight of the dragon pokemon. If I was being honest the shock and awe of people meeting the dragon pokemon had kind of worn off.
Before it had been slightly embarrassing but the more stares I got from people the more the embarrassment turned into worry. Was having a Dreepy as a pokemon really that rare and unexpected?
Once the awe had worn off the receptionist looked back to me, a different light to them. "He's currently busy with examining the latest batch of starters we will be giving out to new trainers." She gave me a questioning look. "Is it urgent?"
"I…I want to get sponsored for a trainer's license." I informed her.
This in turn got me a raised brow from her. "Sponsored?" She asked, not at all believing what I had said.
That wasn't a good sign. "Yeah…Isn't that how trainers get their licenses?" I shakily inquired, the confidence and determination that I had built up was slowly fading away. Had Garrett given me the wrong information?
My worry continued to grow as the receptionist continued to look at me as if I had grown a second head but fortunately the situation turned around as their look of confusion turned to one of understanding. "Ah, I see what's wrong. You're getting it mixed up."
I just tilted my head in confusion at her words. "I am?" I asked confusedly.
She just nodded before she began to explain. "When one reaches fifteen, at least in Sinnoh, they can automatically receive a Trainer's License."
I had to take a double take at what the receptionist just said. "Just like that?!" I asked incredulously.
There was no way that the only requirement to being a pokemon trainer was just reaching the age of fifteen. You couldn't even drink alcohol until you were the age of twenty-one for crying out loud!
"Yes but it's something that can be easily taken away as well." She added. "The League is very strict in its monitoring of trainers who receive their licenses for the first year. If there's even the slightest hint of a red flag the training license is immediately revoked and the trainer in question cannot receive a new one unless they go through a rigorous evaluation."
"Really?" My eyes widened as I processed this information. " I never knew it was this strict."
The receptionist just shrugged her shoulders. "The rules have to be strict or there will be countless cases of pokemon abuse, of which it can lead to the death of the pokemon or even cause them to kill their trainer out of anger."
It made…sense. Pokemon had the abilities to reshape the very earth that we were talking on and pissing one off wasn't like making a dog mad. Making a dog mad would result in you either getting barked at or getting a bite on the hand...
Making a pokemon mad could easily result in forfeiting your life without even being given enough time to scream.
I moved my gaze to Dreepy and I couldn't even begin to imagine what the pokemon would do to me if I made him mad enough. I could easily get eviscerated limb by limb from the dragon, or get my soul sucked up or something by the ghost dual type.
I really didn't get the best start now did I?
"A trainer's license can also be revoked if it is proven that they cannot adequately care for their pokemon," The receptionist included as I refocused on the conversation. Seems like I was getting the whole explanation here, not that I was complaining about it.
Cause you know, teenager from a totally different universe and everything so I would happily take any information I could.
"A pokemon journey is quite expensive, having to not only travel through the region but also to take care of not only your needs and that of your pokemon. The League gives a monthly allowance that can help keep beginner trainers afloat but as time passes on it quickly becomes inadequate."
I nodded my head along in understanding what was being said. At least I knew that. Being a college student, well ex-college student now, taught you how to properly save your money and how to be smart with it. Cause if you didn't you either weren't eating for that week, getting the right textbook you needed, or not being able to pay for college at all.
And the same applied here…kind of. Instead of not eating for a week you could end up starving either yourself or your pokemon. Or instead of not buying the right textbook you might not be able to buy supplies for your trip to the next town.
"Now the two ways a trainer can earn money is either through battles against other trainers, tournaments, or sponsors. The first two are pretty self explanatory while sponsors are exactly as you think they might be. A company or organization funds your career as a trainer and in turn you represent them by either using their items or winning tournaments under their name."
"That's a lot to take in." I muttered as I processed everything that I had just heard. This trainer business was much more serious than I initially thought it to be. The anime and games barely went into this much detail about their world and now that I was essentially living in it now it was all quite a lot to take in.
"Professor Rowan's sponsorship not only includes a monthly stipend of funds, but also access to any of his facilities that his lab has. This also includes access to all of his notes on pokemon found in the Sinnoh Region, but all around the world as well."
I resisted the urge to openly gape at what had been said. That was…absolutely groundbreaking! Just having access to the technology that the pokemon lab had was good enough, but also all of the notes and information they had was game changing!
Not only were you getting the best reliable information about your pokemon but you were also getting the best chance of training them. If training pokemon was anything like training an athlete then having the best data on them was essential for creating the best training regime.
I could only imagine how many trainers asked the professor for his sponsorship.
On top of my head I could hear the soft murmurs of Dreepy as he slept soundly. The dragon and ghost pokemon must've fallen asleep somewhere midway around the conversation as I had felt him nestle deeper into my hair before I felt the rise and fall of his chest.
I couldn't help but smile as I heard him coo in his sleep. He may not have the best attention span but dammit if he wasn't cute in doing so.
Looking back at the receptionist who had been nothing but helpful to me the moment I arrived I was about to ask her if I should wait for the Professor to be finished with whatever he was doing or just come back at another time.
However before I could voice my question a voice interrupted me.
"It is," I jerked my head to the side to see Professor Rowan of all people just casually walk into the reception lounge. "I am Professor Rowan, and you must be?"
"Lux," I answered as I gave the Sinnoh Pokemon Professor an observing glance. He looked just like he did in both the anime and games. Slightly spiked white hair that matched the beard and sideburns on his elderly face, a stern and serious expression that almost made him intimidating to look at.
I would've gone pale or gone nervous at the sight of the serious pokemon professor if it wasn't for the fact that his gray eyes betrayed his somewhat scary dememoner. Just one look at them and one could tell that they held both wisdom and kindness in them.
"Lux Byrne."
"Lux is it," The professor tested my name on his tongue before he locked eyes on me, getting straight to business. "Tell me then young man why is it that you wish for my sponsorship?"
"Someone just pointed me in this direction when I got to Sinnoh and I didn't really have much of a clue on what to do next so…" I told him, internally now realizing just how lame my reasoning sounded. I mean I was sure that he got requests from trainers who looked to be the next pokemon professors or the next champion for crying out loud.
And I wanted it because someone just told me to do so.
Luckily before my internal realization could be shown on my face Dreepy, who had seemingly been roused from his slumber by Rowan's arrival, turned to face the pokemon professor and raised one of his hands in greeting.
Unlike most people the stern-faced man did not show any visible surprise at the ghost dragon, merely looking at the pokemon with a fierce scrutinizing look. Being under such scrutiny, especially from such a stern expression, would have made anyone uncomfortable but Dreepy merely took it in stride and stared back at the professor's gray eyes.
He probably thought they were playing a staring game.
After a few seconds of staring Professor Rowan moved his gaze from my pokemon over to me. "Are you sure that is why you sought me out for a sponsorship?"
This got a nervous sweat drop out of me. "I-I'm afraid I don't follow Professor Rowan." I asked confusedly. Was there something here that I wasn't getting?
The professor did not seem deterred by my confusion as he pushed on with his questioning. "Young man how did you catch this Dreepy?" He asked as he threw another inquisitive glance in the dragon pokemon's direction.
"Let's just say it was Fate." I chalked up, not wanting to reveal the fact that I had just woken up with him on my belt this very morning and that I was not of this world.
But it seemed that the gray haired man wasn't going to totally buy into my explanation. "Fate you say?" He pressed further.
"Y-Yeah, is something wrong with that?" I averted my gaze from him as I tried my best to play the part of a nervous teenager, which I most definitely was. Had he already seen through my lie? If so, what was he going to do with me next?! Hand me over to the authorities?! To the League?!
"Do you know that the Dreepy line is one of the rarest pokemons to be owned by a trainer?" He revealed, much to my shock. "Why I can count those who have one on their team below twenty."
"...You're joking…right?" I breathed out, barely coming to terms with what he had said. Having a pseudo legendary pokemon was rare, even I knew that, but I hadn't expected it to be that rare. In a world full of trainers who had grown up alongside pokemon, less than twenty of them had a Dreepy?!
Are you kidding me!
As if reading my thoughts the stern pokemon professor shook his head. "I'm afraid not. The most notable trainer to own a Dragapult is Champion Leon of Galar and even then my colleague in Galar, Professor Magnolia, still knows so little of the pokemon's evolutionary line."
"B-But surely that doesn't stop trainers from catching their own Dreepy…right?" I asked, trying to find a silver lining in all of this. If what he was saying was true then I could kiss staying in the background goodbye once word got out that I had the ghost and dragon type pokemon on my team.
Which wasn't something one wanted when they were in a world not their own.
"Indeed many trainers often catch pokemon that Champions use in their teams but more often than not they are met with the hard reality that some of these pokemon belong in the team of Champions for a reason."
"Take your Dreepy for example," He motioned to the green dragon pokemon, who chirped at being mentioned. "Many trainers give up on training them either due to their rather aloof nature, as you have may have probably encountered already, or are forced to by angry Drakloaks or Dragapults whose Dreepy they had taken from them."
Oh great, not only do I have to worry about the public's attention but now I have to potentially worry about a pissed off pseudo legendary pokemon whose child I may have potentially taken.
"Many in our field of work have theorized why the Dreepy line is so hard to have in a team. Even the renowned dragon tamers of Blackthorn cannot tame this dragon pokemon, with many suspecting that it is the ghost typing that makes them so difficult to train."
That had me tilting my head in surprise at that. "Dragon pokemon I can understand being hard to train but ghost types as well?" I asked in confusion.
"Indeed," Professor Rowan nodded. "If one was to rank ghost pokemon in difficulty to train it would be second place with the Dragon type being in first. Their…let us say fickle nature makes these pokemon very hard to train, requiring a patience that only the most experienced trainers can provide and even then some decide the effort is much better being put into training other pokemon."
Just…wow. I was learning first hand that pokemon was more than just digital creatures on a screen with flashy moves. The pokedex entries that I thought were just passing tidbits of information were now just as important as their typings.
And that meant the very dark pokedex entries that some ghost pokemon had were probably very true and not just some creepypasta post.
"The fact that you have a pokemon that consists of the two most difficult typings speaks volumes of either your skill, or the most probable your potential. You say that you are unsure of what path you wish to take? I do not believe that. Your Dreppy has seen something in you that you have not." Professor Rowan finished.
"R-Really?" I asked in disbelief before I looked down to Dreepy's pokeball, which I had taken into my hand sometime during the professor's explanation. Before walking into the lab I was pretty optimistic about my chances of being a pokemon trainer but after hearing all of that I didn't know what to think anymore.
Looking back up I could see Professor Rowan's expectant look and I could only guess that I had to answer him why I really wanted to be a trainer, sponsorship or not.
Did I want to be a Pokemon Master?
Did I really want to find a way back home?
Did I even want to be a trainer in the first place?
However before I could open my mouth to give him an answer the loud sound of glass shattering interrupted me. The unexpected sound not only had surprised me, but the professor as well as he jerked his head around in alarm.
Before any more words could be said more sounds of glass breaking were heard again, this time accompanied by the sounds of things hitting the ground and yells of what assumed to be lab personnel further inside the lab.
What in the world was going on here?
"Lux," Rowan's words brought me out of my daze as I jerked my head to look at the Pokemon Professor in confusion.
"Come with me," Was all the gray haired man said before he turned on his heel and walked back into his lab, leaving no time for me to ask why.
Looking up to Dreepy, who simultaneously looked down at me, I merely shrugged my shoulders before following after the professor. I mean I really didn't have anything better to do at the moment so what was the harm in following him?
The walk wasn't that long as I had followed Professor Rowan through the white halls of his pokemon lab. If I had to be honest I had no idea where we were going, each turn we took led to a hallway that looked similar to the last.
The only way I knew we were getting close to our destination was the sounds of things breaking getting louder and louder with each step we took.
Eventually we stopped in front of a door and from our spot could hear the sounds of his assistant yelling over the things breaking inside the room.
"Oh not again!"
"She's back already?!"
"Not my papers!"
"Quickly hide all our expensive equipment before she can break it!"
"Is someone here?" I asked as I looked up to the professor.
In response the professor turned his head to look at me and I could see the rare emotion of annoyance in his gray eyes.
"A familiar visitor has decided to grace us with her presence," He said before he turned to face the door once more before walking forward, the automatic doors opening in response to his presence.
Walking inside the room the best word to describe what was happening was disaster. Various objects ranging from books to papers to even pieces of technology were strewn all around the room, as if a typhoon had come in and thrown everything out of disarray.
Half the scientists inside were desperately trying to hold on to anything that they could get their hands on while the other half were trying to apprehend the reason why the room was in such disarray, but to little success.
And what might that reason be?
Well it was actually more of who the reason might be instead of what.
"Huh," Was all I could remark internally as I saw the reason.
What are the chances that I get to meet not only one ghost pokemon, but two on the same day?
The one responsible for this situation was none other than a Shuppet, the puppet pokemon. The gray clothed pokemon had a giant smile on their face as they floated around the room, picking up any object in its vicinity in a ghostly purple energy before throwing it in a random direction.
"Professor!" One of the scientists called out when he saw that the pokemon professor had returned. "She's back!"
"I can see that," The gray haired man simply said as he surveyed the damage that had been inflicted to his lab. While he did that I watched as the scientists attempted to catch the ghost pokemon.
The key word being attempted.
Any time it appeared that someone was close enough to catch Shuppet the ghost merely danced through their attempts, laughing all the while continuing to wreak havoc.
"If this is normal why hasn't anyone done anything yet?" I asked the professor curiously.
"We initially thought that she would get bored with us when she first arrived, only watching from afar." Professor Rowan explained as he leaned down and picked up some nearby papers that had been thrown to the ground in the midst of all the chaos. "But as time grew on she got bored and decided to 'play' with us. Any attempt to catch her has failed as she keeps her distance or simply vanishes all together only to come back at a later time."
"Is that so," Was all I said as I redirected my attention back to Shuppet and her shenanigans. If I was honest the way she was acting was more in line with what I expected a ghost pokemon to act.
Acting like a nuisance while enjoying herself at the same time.
"So what happens-," My question trailed off as I felt Dreepy leave his spot on my head and float up to Shuppet, who abandoned her 'fun' in favor of giving her full attention to the pokemon that was now approaching her.
Once she realized that it was a fellow ghost approaching her the ghost pokemon cheerfully cried out before she flew closer to the ghost dragon pokemon, the two engaging in a conversation.
All around me I could see the scientists look up to the two ghost pokemon in various degrees of shock and relief. They probably weren't expecting some random trainer to walk in and have his pokemon, who was super rare, and strike a conversation with the source of their problems.
"Dree, Dree,"
"Shupp, Shuppet,"
"Dree?"
"Shuppet!"
"Dreepy,"
"Shuppet?"
"Doesn't it get kind of old?" I interjected, drawing the two pokemon's attention on to me as I took a step forward. I didn't even know what I was doing, it just felt…right to do for some reason. "I mean yeah messing people might be fun but doing it over and over on the same people gets old pretty quickly,"
"Not to mention you might make those people really angry," To further prove my words I jabbed my finger to the scientists who were watching their conversation. Upon being mentioned the scientists collectively glared at Shuppet, who merely laughed at the attention she was getting. She definitely loved to cause chaos, that was for sure.
"Why don't you go out and see what the world has to offer you? I'm sure you haven't gone past the boundaries of this town now have you?" I asked the ghost pokemon, who looked at me with an inquisitive look, no doubt wondering where I was going with all of this.
I spread my arms out as I took another step forward. "Surely somewhere out there will be someone who likes your antics?" I said as I smiled at the ghost. "Someone who will not scowl at your pranks but instead laugh alongside you."
Something in my words must've resonated with Shuppet as after I finished speaking she cried out joyously, nodding her head before even doing a little dance in the air as well. Before I or anyone could say or do anything the ghost pokemon flew towards a dark corner of the room and just…disappeared out of sight.
Like not hiding in the corner or anything, it was like she just got sucked up into the shadows and vanished.
A nervous silence filled the room as I turned back to the professor, any of the confidence I had talking to the ghost pokemon all but evaporated. Especially so when I saw all the looks of intrigue that I was getting from the lab assistants in the room. "S-So uh…what happens now?" I asked nervously.
Professor Rowan merely raised his brow before he pointed behind me. "Why don't you find out for yourself then?"
Huh?
Confused, I turned back around, not at all understanding what the pokemon professor was talking about.
But it quickly became apparent by what he meant as when I turned around I came face to face with Shuppet, who smiled at me when my eyes fell on her.
"Shuppet?" I asked, surprised by the sudden sight of the ghost pokemon. "I thought you left. Why did you come back?"
In response he gray sock looking pokemon cried out to me cheerily before she floated an object over to me in a ghostly purple energy.
An object that just so happened to be a pokeball.
Dropping the red and white spherical object right into my hands, it did not take me long to catch on to what the ghost pokemon wanted to happen.
"...You want me…to catch you?" I asked incredulously as I gave Shuppet a look of disbelief. Surely she couldn't be serious.
But she was as she cried out happily once more, doing a little somersault in the air before nodding quickly to my question.
"Well…um…okay I guess?" Pressing the button in the middle of the pokeball, the shrunken ball enlarged into its capture mode. Looking back at Shuppet I merely tapped the pokeball on her, not throwing it like all trainers probably did.
I watched in awe as the pokeball's technology shot a red beam of light that enveloped the ghost before transporting her inside the pokeball. The red and white ball wiggled a bit inside my hand before the middle of the device glowed yellow, signifying that it had been a successful capture.
As Dreepy floated back down to me and looked at the pokeball that was containing his new friend It took everything within me to not get all giddy at the prospect of what I had just done. I had just caught my first pokemon!
Unfortunately the reality of where I was caught up with me as I jerked my head back to Professor Rowan, who had an unreadable expression on his face as he scrutinized me.
"I can explain Professor," I started out, mind whirling trying to figure out an excuse of catching a pokemon without a trainer's license. Oh gosh had I just shot myself in the foot by doing that?
What I wasn't expecting was the gray haired man to lightly smirk at me, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Explain what? All I saw was a trainer catching a pokemon and helping his sponsor with one of his biggest problems."
Hearing him call me a trainer was a major sigh of relief, not questioning who I was, but that was quickly forgotten as I processed the last bit of what he said. "Wait when you said sponsor…"
"Indeed," He confirmed before walking up to me. "I have seen more than enough to make a decision."
Stopping right in front of me the pokemon professor brought his arm out, hand open for a handshake. "And I, Professor Rowan, would like to formally accept you, Lux Byrne, as my lab's sponsored trainer."
At the pokemon professor's words all around us cheers broke out from the crowd of scientists watching as they congratulated me for landing the lab's sponsorship.
I couldn't even voice my acceptance as everything that I had done today had all started to come down on me. The best I could do was bring up my shaky free arm and shook the professor's hand to the best of my ability
Waking up on a boat.
Discovering that I was in a totally different universe.
Owning and meeting my first pokemon.
Catching my first pokemon.
And now being Professor Rowan's sponsored trainer.
This was the start to some crazy journey wasn't it?