I watched as Skyla left the room, saying she had something to do and taking Pidgeotto with her. Rotom followed closely behind, crackling with energy as it hovered out the door. The moment they were gone, I refocused on the glowing blue screen in front of me. With a sigh, I returned Aria to her Pokéball and reached out to touch the floating display.
As soon as my fingers made contact, the text shifted, revealing a message:
[The Pokémon and people of Kanto and Johto are in danger. They need the power of a World Champion. Defeat the terrorists who remain in hiding and restore peace to the two regions.]
The words tried to sound dramatic, like something straight out of a storybook. I frowned. "At least tell me where to go," I muttered under my breath. "The only real clue we have is that Pidgeotto and the lab Yellow went to in Viridian Forest."
As if responding to my frustration, the words on the screen changed again.
[Everything has its time, Alex Carter.]
Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the message vanished, the screen flashing red before fading completely.
I clenched my fists. "These fuckers!" I growled. This was the first time they had directly spoken to me since throwing me into this world, and just like that, they disappeared again.
I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to calm down. "Time..." I murmured, my gaze drifting toward the window. The sky outside stretched endlessly, the soft breeze rustling the trees in the distance.
After some time the lingering effects of the medication had dulled the aches and bruises from battle. That worked fast, I thought, flexing my fingers before rolling my shoulders.
I got up from the bed, grabbing the Pc capsule and storing it in the system's inventory. A new page appeared—Key Items—but I didn't dwell on it. Instead, I grabbed my coat from where I'd hanged it, slipping it back on as I reached for Aria and Oddy's Pokéballs. As I fastened them to my belt, I frowned.
"Where is my hat?"
I scanned the room, trying to find where is it, but nothing came to mind. With a sigh, I stepped into the hallway, deciding to search for it.
The corridor stretched long and sterile, the white walls and bright lighting giving it an almost hospital-like feel. A faint scent of disinfectant lingered in the air as my footsteps echoed against the smooth floor.
I passed by a few doors before stopping at one that was slightly ajar. Pushing it open, I found myself in a large room filled with computers, their screens glowing with lines of code and data I couldn't even begin to comprehend. The hum of cooling fans and the soft clicking of keyboards filled the space, the atmosphere thick with focus.
Curious, I approached one of the people working at a nearby terminal. He was typing rapidly, eyes darting across the screen as he switched between windows. His black hair was messy, and deep purple bags sagged under his tired eyes—almost or maybe more purple than Aria's. Large red headphones rested over his ears, faint music leaking out with a steady rhythm.
I reached out and tapped his shoulder.
The guy jumped so hard he nearly fell out of his chair. "What—!?" He spun around, eyes wide as he yanked his headphones down. "Who the hell are you?"
I raised a hand in an awkward wave. "Uh… I was just wondering what you were working on. That's all."
"Man, you could've just asked! There was no need to scare me like that!" the guy grumbled, holding out his hand.
I took it and helped him to his feet before giving an apologetic nod. "Yeah, my bad. I'll be more careful next time."
He huffed, fixing his chair before dropping back into it. Then, spinning slightly, he glanced at me. "So, what did you want to ask, Mr…?"
"Alex," I answered. "I was just wondering what you guys are doing here, Mr…?"
He smirked and opened his arms dramatically. "Alan. Nice to meet you, Alex!" He scooted closer to the computer, then began typing as he explained, "We manage the PC system for Kanto and Johto. If anything goes wrong with a trainer's PC in this region, it's our job to fix it!" His voice was filled with pride.
"Right now, a trainer called in saying his PC wasn't working, so I'm handling it."
I leaned in slightly. "What was wrong with it?"
Alan let out a deep sigh, shaking his head. "He filled his entire box with Caterpies… All I did was give him a new box."
I stared at him, waiting for more. "That's it?"
"That's it," he confirmed, looking as if he had just endured the most grueling task of his life.
Suppressing a chuckle, I patted his back. "Well, good luck with that."
"Thanks," he muttered, waving me off as I stepped out of the room.
I wandered the halls for a moment, unsure of where to go next, when a familiar voice caught my attention. Skyla.
Following the sound, I walked toward her, only to be met with the sight of absolute chaos.
Skyla was standing at a table, frantically fanning smoke away from a scorched-looking device. Meanwhile, Rotom—somehow possessing a fire extinguisher—sprayed a thick cloud of carbon dioxide over the flames. Within seconds, the entire room was engulfed in white mist.
I blinked. "What the hell are you two doing?!" I waved my hand in front of my face, trying to clear the air as I stepped inside.
Skyla and Rotom turned to me, both looking oddly proud.
"Oh, Alex!" she beamed. "We were fixing the machine!"
I narrowed my eyes. "What machine?"
"You know, the teleport machine I told you I was working on!"
"Oh. Right." My gaze shifted to the steel capsule on the table. "So… this thing is supposed to send me where, exactly?"
Skyla didn't answer since ı guess she was too focused on typing something into the computer. So I took the chance to glance around the room.
"Is this your personal lab?" I asked.
She looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah. How'd you know?"
I smirked. "I mean… just look at this mess. Who else would have a room like this?"
She rolled her eyes before stepping next to me and holding out a fist. "I'm not gonna miss that teasing attitude of yours."
I smirked back and bumped my fist against hers.
Before I could respond, she suddenly pushed me from my shoulders toward the capsule.
"Wait—are you sure this thing is safe?!" I protested, remembering the flames from earlier.
Rotom floated over, still inside the fire extinguisher, sparks of electricity flickering around it. [Of course it is, Alex Carter! …Or at least, I think? I'm just going off what Skyla told me.]
That did not help my confidence.
The capsule doors started closing around me. "At least let me say goodbye to Bill—!"
"Goodbye, Alex!" Skyla grinned, waving at me. "Gonna miss you!"
She slammed the button.
The machine roaredto life, its metallic hum filling the room as Skyla and Rotom took cautious steps back. Sparks flickered along the capsule's frame, and then—suddenly—abrilliant light burst forth from within, engulfing me completely.
A strange sensation washed over me. It was like being weightless yet crushed at the same time. My stomach twisted, my body tingled, and just when I thought I might black out—
WHAM.
Pain exploded in my gut as I slammed straight into something solid. Afence. Before I could even process what was happening, my body flipped overit, and I crashed onto the grass with a heavy thud.
I groaned, my back pressed against the cool ground as the remnants of the sunset bathed everything in hues of red and orange. Blinking against the fading light, I forced myself to sit up, wincing slightly before opening the system's interface.
Navigating to the map, I tapped the screen—and the second I saw where I had landed, a laugh bubbled out of me.
"Route 5?!" I chuckled, shaking my head in disbelief before raising my arms in triumph. "I'm alive!"
As if on cue, two flashes of red erupted from my belt. Aria and Oddy materialized from their Pokéballs—only to immediately stumble and collapse onto the grass beside me.
"Ugh…" I groaned, attempting to push myself upright, only to feel my balance betray me. With zero grace, I flopped back down, arms spread out against the earth.
Well. That went about as well as expected.
Deciding there was no point in fighting it, I let out a sigh and stayed there, staring up at the sky. Aria and Oddy lay beside me, equally dazed, the three of us simply waiting… waiting for our senses to catch up with whatever just happened.