‘Am I dreaming?’
That was the only conclusion I could come to.
Why?
Simple.
I was standing on a bed inside a room I was unfamiliar with.
It was like those dingy third-rate rooms you would get in a cheap hotel.
It was not bad per se, but it was not ideal either.
Moreover, this was a sight I was extremely unfamiliar with.
I had never been inside this room.
‘I need information.’
And because of that thought, I looked around in hopes of finding something. Anything.
But what greeted me was a whole lot of nothing even as my eyes scanned the place for anything. The only time my eyes stopped, though, was when I stared at the window.
Why?
Because a completely unknown face stared back at me.
Jet-black hair.
Light skin.
A tall body.
Hazel eyes.
That was not my face, nor my features. It was someone else entirely.
The features were rather attractive, but it wasn't enough for someone to remember the face for more than a couple of days.
'That's me...?'
I touched my face to confirm it.
I did not know this face. But there was no doubt in my mind that this was in fact my face.
Something had happened.
"Ew..."
My hand felt slick when I touched my face and I remembered that I had been nibbled on by some fucking rodent-like creature.
I looked down at my hand.
There was no injury, but the saliva was definitely there.
'It was a Rattata.'
Rattata [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1119637615436648528/1119637658130460692/250px-Goh_Rattata.png]
That’s what awakened me from sleep by nibbling on my hand.
'A Pokémon.'
I knew it right away. I had seen it a lot of times when I played Pokémon Red. Moreover, It was a very common Pokémon.
Seeing it, I had realized something.
The room I was in was not mine, and neither was this world I found myself in.
Cold sweat covered my body as I doubted my reality.
There was just no way this could be true.
It couldn't be!
But it was. I'd just confirmed it when I came across this Pokémon.
Creaaaak—!
Suddenly, a sound rang out and captured my attention.
I looked towards it.
The door of the room flung open and a boy stumbled inside. His hands were clutching a red and white ball very tightly.
"I'm s-sorry, bro! Rene wouldn't just stay in the Pokéball, I'm sorry! Are you hurt?"
The brown-haired short boy was the one who said that to me as he came close to inspect my hand.
I immediately withdrew and stared at him.
"Where were you?” I asked, pretending that I knew him so that I could get some information out of him. Panicking would do me no good after all. I would only appear as a crazy man.
"Eh? Well… I was walking around the campus, then I remembered Rene wasn’t with me so I came running back… Again, sorry for what he did."
I nodded and asked a few more questions in a way that genuinely showed interest instead of bombarding him with unrelated questions.
It would be fair to say that by the end of our little conversation, I had gathered enough clues to piece my current situation together.
From what he told me, he was my temporary roommate in Hostel 7.
'Hostel 7.'
It was the worst hostel that was given to the people who were here for the entrance exams from far away.
For those who could not afford good places, this was the only hostel that was assigned to them.
More like, this is the only hostel they were all dumped into together.
He and I shared this room for that same reason.
Pokémon centers are generally full in this case.
The creature who bit me was in fact a Rattata named Rene and the boy was its Trainer.
"...So, I'm really sorry he bit you!"
He was apologizing to me right now because of what his Rattata did.
Apparently, he was not competent enough to hold his own Pokémon inside the Pokéball, and that was the reason why Rene came out and bit my hand.
"...No problem; he didn't really bite me,"
I said.
Sitting on the bed, a blank look appeared on my face as I processed everything that was told to me.
No matter how I thought about it, all the clues lead to the same conclusion.
'I'm in a Pokémon world.'
But I was not willing to accept that; it just wasn't possible.
This had to be a dream.
'This world is fake. I'm dreaming right now.'
But there was no way I could prove it.
I looked around but every single thing in this room seemed like it was real.
So, I washed my hand while thinking about all that.
Then, from somewhere…
Ghzzzzzzzzzzht—!
A static noise sounded.
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[Attention, applicants. Please make your way to the hall for a briefing.]
“Huh…?”
I looked around.
“Where did that come from?”
That’s what I wanted to ask but when I looked at him, I noticed that he was staring at a watch on his wrist.
That was where the sound came from.
I had one too.
I was just about to observe it when…
“Oh, oh, ohh! It’s starting!”
The boy sitting on the bed next to me jumped up and started running towards the exit of the room.
"Wait, where are you going?"
He stopped and turned around. He then ran over to me.
"Come on, hurry up!"
"Why?"
"We have to get to the hall!"
"For what?"
"The entrance exam, we can't miss it! Come on! They're gonna brief us. Oh, wait! I almost forgot..."
He ran to his bed and picked up his bag.
Then he began rummaging through it and brought out a piece of paper.
"See, the entrance exam pass. Everyone has it; everyone needs it. They won't let us take the exam otherwise. I almost forgot to take this."
Flashing the pass in front of my eyes for a moment, he put it back in his bag and then turned towards the exit of the room again.
"Come on now, let's go!"
Confused, I picked up my bag and followed him.
While walking, I opened the bag and sure enough, I had a pass inside it too.
Things were getting a bit too real.
But I still wanted to believe that this was all a dream.
I could not accept the fact that I was in a Pokémon world.
So, I focused my attention on the pass as I followed behind the boy.
⊱⋅───⊱◈◈◈⊰───⋅⊰
Entrance Exam Pass
⊱⋅───⊱◈◈◈⊰───⋅⊰
Name: Ian Wright
Age: 18
Pallet Academy: Entrance Exam
Applicant Number: 1132
This pass grants access to the entrance exam for the prestigious Pokémon Academy of Pallet Town. Please keep it safe and present it at the registration desk on the day of the exam before you enter the hall.
Note: you will not be allowed to enter the hall without this Pass, so make sure you do not lose it.
Date: 01, 01, XXXX
Time: 08: 30 AM
Location: Pallet Academy Hall.
Important Instructions:
Arrive at least 30 minutes before the scheduled exam time (For those in hostels, you will be informed 30 minutes before the scheduled exam time)
Follow all instructions given by the exam proctors.
Cheating or any form of misconduct will result in immediate disqualification.
Follow the rules that are provided.
Best of luck with your exam! We look forward to seeing you at the Pallet Academy.
⊱⋅───⊱◈◈◈⊰───⋅⊰
By the time I read through it, we were already outside and near the hall.
We arrived at the hall, and I followed the boy to one of the registration desks.
We waited for our turn in the line and then presented ourselves to the staff.
"What is your name?"
"Ian Wright."
"Age?"
"Eighteen."
"What is..."
I was asked a few more questions and I answered them as best as I could.
"Okay, please sign your name here and wait for the next available iteration."
After signing my name, I handed my pass over to the staff.
"Okay, that's all done. Thank you."
She gave me a badge of sorts and sent me on my way.
"Hmm."
I turned my attention to the badge as we waited for our iteration. Which I assumed was simply the turn for our "group" to go inside.
The badge, which was a circular red and white with nothing but a number written on it.
"74."
That was what it said.
I looked around.
All of the others were wearing similar badges too. The only difference is the number.
I didn't think much and simply went along with the crowd. I was afraid that If I gave much thought to all this, it would turn out that this wasn't a dream.
----------------------------------------
[Attention, applicants of the 12th iteration, please come inside.]
"So it's finally time."
I sucked in a breath and made my way towards the hall—which simply meant that I followed behind the others as I had no clue as to what to do.
As I walked, I felt a presence behind me.
Turning around, I saw it was the boy from earlier.
"Hey, Ian, right?"
"Yes, right."
"I'm Reto. Nice to meet you."
He stuck out his hand to shake mine.
"Likewise."
I shook his hand and then he led the way into the hall.
After a short walk, I saw a stage of sorts. There were several tables and chairs set up on the other side of the stage.
There was a podium facing the seats.
"Here we are."
Reto pointed at the stage.
The applicants were chatting loudly as no staff was there for now.
I just observed and listened to others to get as much information as I could. It was enough to say that I got some.
The hall fell silent as a speaker boomed, capturing everyone's focus on the figure at the podium.
"There he is!"
"So, he's the professor in charge of us? Wow."
"Hey, wasn't he once a Kanto champion?"
"Indeed, he was."
"And now he's a renowned scientist."
"Whoa..."
Excited chatter broke out among the applicants as several of them looked at the man in admiration.
As the chatter died down, the man spoke up.
"Good morning everyone."
He paused for a moment, clearing his throat.
I was staring at him intently.
This should be the first time I'd heard his voice or seen his appearance, but this middle-aged man with peach skin, gray hair, and thick, bushy eyebrows was a bit too familiar.
"I am Professor Samuel Oak, and I'll be your proctor today. You may call me Professor Oak if you wish. As you all know, the purpose of this test is to evaluate each applicant's potential as a Pokémon trainer, and to make the decision for whether they will be accepted into our Academy."
Taking a deep breath, he continued.
"I am very pleased to meet you. I know that many—most—of you are from other regions and have come here after long journeys. I hope that you will enjoy your stay in Pallet Town, and I thank you for taking the time to come here to our Academy."
His words were met with cheers and applause.
"Now, before we begin, I would regrettably have to inform you that not every one of you will be admitted to Pallet Academy. There are simply too many applicants and we cannot handle all of them. So, we will be choosing the elites from you all. That is simply a fact. There are only a number of slots available and thousands of applicants to choose from. Your chances of entry into our Academy are slim to none. Unless, of course, you perform exceptionally well during this exam."
I could hear the murmuring amongst the applicants in the audience.
But Professor Oak merely continued to talk.
"The test itself is split into two parts. First, the written portion, and second, the practical portion. The written portion consists of questions about various subjects. You need to finish within the given time and you will be disqualified if you do not finish within that time limit. At the end of this exam, you will receive your scores. Then, you will all move to the virtual space to complete your final test. You will be briefed on the practical part of the exam when it is time."
Professor Oak paused and took another deep breath before continuing.
"Thank you for your patience. Now, let's begin the exam. Good luck!"
Soon, we were sorted into our seats by the numbers on the badge.
And then it began.
Everyone was given a paper.
Paper in hand, I wondered what to do.
Pokémon was well known on Earth, and I was even a part of that big franchise.
Yet, I was here inside that world somehow. I was confused as well as shaken by all this.
‘This is a dream.’
That’s what I had been telling myself repeatedly for a while now. But all this was turning out to be something more.
I refused to believe it, so I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Conflicting thoughts and emotions raced inside me, but I ignored them.
Instead, I focused on the applicants.
Everyone had collectively started writing—except for me who was staring at the paper dazedly.
Reto was already writing down as well.
So, having no other idea as to what was happening or what I should be doing, I did the same as him.
The first question was simple enough.
[Q1: How would you realistically defeat a Charizard with a Pikachu?]
It was an easy question to answer.
Especially for someone like me.
So, without further ado, I wrote them on my paper.
[A: Defeating a Charizard with a Pikachu can be challenging due to the base raw power advantage Charizard has over Pikachu. Charizard is a Fire and Flying-type Pokémon, while Pikachu is an Electric type. However, as Pikachu’s type is advantageous over that of Charizard; with some careful strategies and tactics, it's possible to overcome the disadvantage that comes due to Charizard’s raw power....]
I wrote the rest of my response and then moved on to the next question.
[Q2: Give an opinion about the endangered species of Pokémon and if there's a need for Pokémon catching laws for them.]
I wrote down my opinions on the subject and moved on to the next question.
After answering all the questions, I checked my answers.
“Ehew…”
I heaved a sigh.
Although I was satisfied with my answers, I still wondered if I gave good enough answers or not.
This was not particularly hard for me, especially since I knew this stuff already.
There were a few questions I struggled without, though.
‘Now, I wonder what the practical exam is about.’