While everyone started racing I stood there like a statue.

‘Well, I’m fucked if this doesn’t work.’

I looked down at my Kakuna.

“Well, buddy, let’s see what you can do.”

I said, talking to myself.

"Fuuuh..."

I exhaled and looked ahead at the entrance of the forest.

"Let's go..."

Putting my weight on my feet, I sprang forth.

While running, I brought Kakuna to my chest.

"Kakuna, use Harden."

And he did.

"Now, use String Shot, slowly."

Kakuna did so, and white web-like threads came out of his mouth. At least that's what I guessed.

As it did so, I began weaving them around myself.

When it was done, I was in the web. I could still move, only my chest and stomach were covered in it. And it was attacked to Kakuna's back.

"Let's see if it worked..."

I said to myself as I took another step forward.

And then, I jumped.

"Kakuna! String Shot! Use it to swing fast; as fast as you can."

Kakuna did so.

I was not afraid, not much.

This was a dream.

And dreams are fake.

Which meant that I would be fine with whatever I do.

The string shot out of Kakuna's mouth and latched onto a tree branch.

I was only concerned about the web, string, silk, or whatever this was. That it would break.

My worry was for naught it seemed, the threads were still strong, still stable.

And so I swung, feeling the air rush by me as I soared through the air.

"Kakuna! String Shot! Keep going!"

Kakuna did so, and kept doing so.

I had no idea how I managed to do this. I was just hanging onto Kakuna; he was doing the rest.

I was feeling it at first, sweating like a dog.

But after a while, I was not feeling it.

I was not even feeling myself.

Another web, another swing. The trees were becoming a blur.

I felt something inside of me; a certain something that I felt had always been there.

"Kakuna! String Shot! As fast as you can! And keep going!"

I grinned like an idiot. Fucking hell, this was an amazing dream.

I wondered if it was because of the conversation I had with Puppet Master. It was night so I must have fallen asleep.

With a tight grip on Kakuna, I felt my adrenaline pumping as I swung, watching Kakuna unleash its incredible String Shot attack and using it as a string-web-thread to swing around like a spider.

A frenzy of silky strands erupted from Kakuna's body, stretching out like a web.

They shot out with remarkable precision, latching onto the towering tree with a resounding thwack.

The sticky threads clung to the tree, and then, gravity did its thing

I swung forward.

The rush of wind against my face, the rustling of leaves, and the vibrant colors of the forest blurred into an exhilarating whirl.

Each powerful swing propelled me further, with the tension of the strings resonating through my body. My muscles coiled and flexed, responding to the rhythmic sway, as I navigated the lush jungle.

I whipped past a place where I saw Gary and the Voltorb girl fighting. I did not hesitate and capitalized on the opportunity.

It didn't take much time to reach the ending line, and I was a bit surprised to note that I was the first one to arrive.

My arms were tired.

"Thank you, Kakuna."

He did not respond.

Expected.

I simply tried to get the string off of me, it was hard, and as I thought I was not able to remove it.

I just waited for someone else to arrive.

Someone did arrive, and it was exactly who I had expected.

'Gary.'

I smiled.

Gary’s eyes twitched wide.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Wh-what—”

I stopped myself from grinning and said.

“Oh, welcome, someone’s finally here."

“H-how…”

As Gary, on his Doduo, finally crossed the line, I saw the confusion on his face quite clearly.

The confusion was understandable, the fact that I had won without having been seen by him—who was in front of everyone—was quite strange and unimaginable.

I shrugged.

"Well, what can I say?"

Gary was stunned.

He stuttered again.

"H-how?"

I scratched my head. Why was this guy acting like an idiot? Thankfully, someone else arrived which prompted him to compose himself quickly.

The new arrival was a girl. The Voltorb girl.

She arrived at the finish line with a sly grin on her face, her eyes twinkling. She surveyed the scene before her, taking in the sight of my upper body cocooned in suspicious white string and Gary standing beside me, still trying to process what had just happened.

"Well, what do we have here?" She purred, her voice dripping with amusement. "Looks like the mighty Gary Oak got beaten by someone he didn't even see coming."

Gary's confusion quickly turned into a mixture of surprise and annoyance.

He was never one to handle defeat gracefully, especially when it came from an unexpected source. A "peasant" at that.

I suppressed a chuckle.

"How did you...?" Gary started, looking at me, his voice trailing off as he struggled to find the right words.

The girl chuckled, enjoying the situation thoroughly.

She loved playing mind games with people and reveling in their reactions it seemed.

"Oh, Gary, darling," she said, her tone teasing. "Sometimes things don't go as planned. And sometimes, there are people who can outwit even the most skilled trainers." looking at me, she continued. "Unexpected as they might be..."

Gary's frustration grew, and he clenched his fists tightly, cursing loudly.

He was not used to being outsmarted or outmaneuvered. That was true even in the anime. The Voltorb girl's playful demeanor was only adding fuel to the fire.

I, on the other hand, observed them with a slight smirk.

Soon enough, other applicants began arriving.

Surprisingly, Reto happened to be one of the last ones to arrive. And by that, I mean the last ones in the first eight students... which meant that he would pass.

That was truly unexpected.

He couldn't even hold his own Ratatta in the Pokeball when we were in the room. How did he...

It was hard for me to believe that he would get this far with what he had.

But apparently, it was possible.

So, I just shrugged my shoulders. It was, after all, non of my concerns.

"I... did it, I did it!"

He exclaimed, getting off of his Pokemon. And that's when I noticed the cause behind his success.

A fucking Ponyta.

It all made sense now.

He ran toward the end of the line.

"Congrats."

He looked at me and smiled, his cheeks flushed from the joy.

"Th-thank you very much!"

I raised an eyebrow; why was he stuttering? His face looked quite uncomfortable as well...

As it turns out, Ponyta had been too excited and... burned his ass a little. I laughed my ass off when I came to know of this fact.

Anywho, Professor Oak came.

"Well, what are you still doing here?"

He looked at the applicants who had come after the eighth winner.

They broke into murmurs and then, left with their heads down.

Then, he turned to the remaining eight, including me, Reto, Gary, that Voltorb girl, three boys, and one other girl.

"You all are in!"

And that's when everyone started celebrating.

There was some dancing, a lot of laughing, and even some hugs.

I didn't do anything and stood silently. To add to it, I was inside Kakuna's string... I was feeling a bit uncomfortable, but I could do nothing.

"Now, if you'd be kind enough to return the Pokemon that was given by the academy."

And so everyone did just that.

After that was done, Gary being Gary, finally spoke up.

"Professor, how is it possible that this... guy... came first?" he looked at me, and I could deduce that he was about to use some weird name for me, but stopped because of Professor Oak.

"Are you doubting our credibility, Gary?" Professor's voice had an edge to it.

"No!" Gary replied immediately, taken aback by his grandfather's reaction. "I was just... a little surprised that's all..."

Professor Oak grunted and turned towards me.

"He won fair and square," he said.

"But-"

"Enough, Gary."

Professor Oak cut off Gary before he could finish.

Gary bit his lip and clutched his fist.

"Yes, Professor."

Professor Oak sighed.

"Well, good work everyone. You're dismissed for today. Have a good evening."

He waved his hand.

We stood there in silence, a bit lost after what had happened.

Sighing, I looked at the sky.

'Is this really-'

"One more thing, actually. I almost forgot, haha."

The professor stopped and said, looking at us.

"The top 3 from you will be receiving special rewards."

Chatter broke out, and Gary spoke out.

"What kind of reward?"

"That you will find out later, for now. You are to go back to your rooms, rest, and pack things up."

With that, the professor left.

Everyone turned to look at me, probably wondering how I got first.

Gary glared at me, but the Voltorb girl seemed merely curious. So did the others, aside from one of the males.

He seemed rather annoyed.

And then everyone left, leaving me alone.

"Come on dude, we've gotta pack..."

Reto punched my shoulder lightly as he walked away as well.

I stayed there for a bit.

'So... this was it? Is this really a dream?'

I pinched myself.

I felt pain.

"This is a dream."

I croaked, and after two sharp breaths, slapped my face twice without restraint.

"Shit, shit!"

My face hurt, my teeth hurt, and even my hands burned.

I clenched my fists and slowly relaxed my face.

It wasn't a dream. This was reality—a cruel, cold reality.

And I was now inside it.

I wanted to cry, to shout, to scream at the absurdity of it all.

But I didn't.

I just walked out of the forest and went straight to my hostel room.

----------------------------------------

As soon as I closed the door, I let myself fall on the bed and covered my face with my hands.

That was so stupid, slapping myself. I regretted it now. I just sighed and drifted off to sleep, maybe this would be over with a good night's rest. Maybe I was just... exhausted.

I woke up with a start, the light filtering in through the curtains was still dim. It was still early, not even six in the morning.

The cause behind my forced awakening was a buzz from my watch.

[Student - Ian Wright, you have been accepted into the academy, please make your way to the new dorm room. More Information will be on the way in a bit.]

I rubbed my eyes and picked myself off of my bed. The light in the room was still on, so I had no problems seeing what was around me. I looked over to the door, it wasn't locked or anything, but it was also closed.

Reto left it seemed. Well, not like were friends, we barely knew each other.

Anywho. I walked into the bathroom and saw my reflection. Sure enough, the same appearance I had been dreading greeted me. While my mind raced, I stripped out of my clothes.

My pants and shirt were dirty, and I took a moment to take the time to put them into the washing machine. After that was done, I stepped into the shower.

As the water poured down on me, I finally accepted my new reality.

I was in a weird Pokemon world.

And now, I'd be going to the most prestigious academy in the world—Pallet Academy.