Earth - Australia
It was just another long and tiring day for Adam. Go out in the ambulance, deal with sick nannas on the floor, broken bones, respiratory infections and heart attacks.
He was burnt out; keeping track of the lists of medications for treatment of a patient, various changes to equipment and advances in medical science all meant that there was little room for socialising. Shift work, the act of working random hours meant that being able to find time to spend with family and friends was getting harder and harder to come by.
He reflected on the work he did and the patients he had attended. Some patients were regulars who called for woes that were both of the body and the mind. Some just didn't want to live anymore, some.. well the less said the better.
The job was fulfilling and the bonus was that you didn't have to be with a patient for the entire shift. Assess them, treat them and then either drop them off at hospital or leave them home and then move on to the next.
It was the end of his shift; after a long and exhausting 12 hours (plus the unasked-for extra overtime), Adam crashed into bed and attempted to sleep the good sleep. He did love his job, but stress and long hours really can take its toll on even the most stoic and positive of people. Research even indicated that ,on average a paramedic lives 10 years less than that of your regular job. Fun times. However he wouldn’t change it for the world.
He recalled the many times where he wished he could do more for his patients, more for his friends and family and just in general MORE. Goals aiming to train others in the job and to inspire them to be the best they could be played across his mind.
Rest was hard to find and another work day was soon to start.
He needed sleep, he craved sleep, HE WANTED to sleep.
He looked forward to his next days off, doing.. nothing. Yep, nothing at all was a luxury in his mind, where he didn't need to keep up his social commitments and to do chores around the house which he put off doing until ... correct.. days off.
As sleep slowly enveloped him in its warm relief his breathing gradually slowed.
Yes finally he thought as he drifted off.
His breathing continued to slow, so much so that eventually his breathing just stopped.
The feeling of warmth turned into the feeling of icy cold frigid darkness.
Such a strange sensation, not comfortable in the least.
He tried to move, he couldn't, to rouse himself back to being lucid... he couldn't.
As panic started to set in a distant light so warm and welcoming shone in the distance in his mind's eye, like a sailor set adrift in a vast and unforgiving ocean.
He swam with all his might.
Struggling with the mental effort, he swam as if his life depended on it.
He was slowly suffocating, drowning in the depths of darkness, his lungs burned.
Desperately he wanted to be able to breathe, to move towards that shiny glowing light.
He felt his arms lengthen, stretching to their limits to scoop more water to move him towards that warm and inviting destination. Further and further he pushed himself as the warmth slowly suffused his body and his limbs lengthened further and further.
He didn't know when but he realised he could breathe again but he was breathing liquid, not air. Strange but still dreams tended to be strange did they not?
The warmth continued to increase until it became unbearably hot.
A blinding flash suffused his whole body and more and more of his form twisted and stretched into a shape not quite human.
[*ding!* [Adam] has evolved into [????]
With shock Adam realised that he was floating in a deep and dark abyss, but somehow this liquid was not causing him to drown.
The feeling of being immersed in cold water slowly faded, he was still soaked however it no longer bothered him, almost like he was insulated against the cold and the wet.
[WELCOME TRAVELLER - scanning .... HOST COMPATIBLE]
(Confirm Pkmn trainer? Y/N) - Y
(Confirm Pkmn? Y/N) - Y
Select starting Pokémon
*ERROR ERROR ERROR* - Starter Pokémon - refused, You already have/are a starter Pokémon?!
[???? - Lvl 1]
[HP 10/10 MP 10/10]
[Attribute - Water/???]
[*ding!* [????] has learned Swim]
[*ding!* [????] has learned Struggle]
Exhausted and confused, however the wonderful feeling of sleep claimed Adam as darkness surrounded him on all sides.
SLEEP FINALLY, GLORIOUS SLEEP!
[*ding!* [????] has learned Rest]
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Not earth, some ocean, somewhere
*CLACK CLACK --- RIIIP*
Adam opened his eyes to the view of a strange giant red...was that a...... crab?
A BIG FREAKING CRAB!
And ... that red in the water.
Was that blood?
As Adam's vision came into focus he could see the big crab thing ripping into a... .. Magikarp?
What the actual FUCK, A giant KINGLER was biting into half of a Magicarp. The other half.. well from the look of the crabs mandibles working away by its mouth one could technically say the rest of the fish was... fish food.
He watched in horror as the crab shoved the other half of the Magikarp into its large mouth.
Stolen story; please report.
*Clack Clack Clack* went then clawed appendage. As the large crab looked around with its beady eyes he noticed it looking in his direction.
It reared up on its hind legs showing off its immense gore crusted claw.
OHHHH SHITTTTT!!
POV SHIFT
That thing is looking at me like I'm the main meal?
Please tell me this is just a bad dream - WAKE UP!!! I need to pinch myself?
Yes, a good idea brain, let's do that!
I reach to pinch myself and realise my hands are... WHAT THE HELL is wrong with my hands?
Why do my hands have no fingers!
The crab was making a side shuffle beeline towards me, almost comical in its movement until I realised it was coming for me. Maybe now wasn’t the best time to reflect on my missing digits.
*CLACK CLACK CLACK - goes the crabs big claw*
"Hold up buddy, let's talk about this." I stare in fear as the monstrosity approaches me.
Glee in its beady eyes at the appearance of another meal just waiting patiently to be eaten.
TIME TO GOOOO, TIME TO RUNNN. Attempting to stand gets me nowhere. What's wrong now?
I wiggle my feet... shit not feet.. my.. tail?!?! A blank look plastered onto my face for anyone here to witness, lucky it's just me and the crab.
Oh, I can use this!
SWIM MOTHER FUCKER SWIM, SWIM, SWIM, SWIM.
I slowly move through the water ... directly toward the crab.
AHH SHEETTTT, thrashing my flipper to the best of my ability, desperate to turn or at least DO SOMETHING!
[DING - You have successfully learned PROPEL].
I wiggle my new appendage for all it's worth and rocket past the surprised looking crustacean as bubbles of compressed water trail behind me.
I pass the crab and my flipper hits it on the eye 5 damage has been done to KINGLER.
That's right you stupid crab I CAN SWIM!
What can you do?
I think I'm getting the hang of this appendage, I glare in the KINGLERS direction.
*Asshole*
Catch me now! I wiggle in what I can only imagine a cat doing to taunt some rabid dog.
[APPRAISE - you have attempted to flee a LVL45 KINGLER encounter - Good call, you have successfully used the move PROPEL.
I continue to look ahead keen to put further distance between myself and my ugly pursuer. I’m going to make it!
EXP awarded DING - PROPEL upgraded to LVL2.
MP 0/10
I slowly lose momentum as my repeated use of PROPEL drains my MP to 0 and I can no longer use this newfound skill.
I look behind me
*CLACK CLACK CLACK*
The crab is gaining on me and I slowly sink back down towards the sand, moving for all I'm worth...
Well apparently I'm not worth much at this moment as I move like a sea slug.
WHY did I have to jinx myself!?
As the crab grows larger and larger in my sight dread fills my mind.
This shitty crab! It's gaining on meeeeee!!!
He’s almost upon me. The bubbles escaping from his mouth reek of carrion.
I swivel my body to the side as the giant crab spears its massive claw in my direction.
*CLACK*
The claw grabs a hold of my tail, You USE STRUGGLE - You have lost 7 HP.
The claw shears into my flipper like a sharp knife into soft tofu.
As red blood leaks out of the wound in my tail, the shadow of the crab looming larger than life above me, I spy a small crack amongst some rocks in the sand a few metres away from myself.
If only I could reach it!
You have regenerated 1/10 MP -
PROPEL! I rocket towards the hole, red blood trailing behind me and slam head first into the back of the crevice
[DING - You have successfully learned HEADBUT], you take 1 HP in recoil against.. a rock.
The sound of KINGLERS massive claw smashing against the rocks surrounding me fills my ears. Sand and some rock chippings fall from the ceiling around me inside my hiding hole.
It seems like an eternity that this goes on however it was only for a few minutes.
A weird grunting sound escapes the frustrated KINGLERS mouth.
Good, GO AWAY!
I mentally scream as the crab shuffles away from me. I metaphorically spit in his direction and a weird bubbling sound of me mocking the giant crab can be heard.
The crab... STOPS.
Maybe not the smartest idea to annoy a crab 5 times my size and 44 levels above me.
To my disappointment, I watch as the KINGLER that was shuffling away, turns around with what I can only believe to be affront and anger. He looks directly at me and SCREECHES then proceeds to settle down and DIG himself into the sand just outside of my safe haven.
Apparently he likes the taste of my blood as I see him sampling a piece of my flesh from his claw.
He also hates the sound of my mocking laughter and has decided to wait for me to come out and play.
================================
Some time later
I glance around the small space if I find myself in, the red blood from my tail darkening the water even more then before.
You have lost 1HP to bleed.
Oh .. that's not good!
In desperation I use the only part of my body I'm still very familiar with and bite down onto a piece of nearby long thick seaweed with my teeth [DING - BITE LEARNED] tearing it off from the rock face.
I attempt to press it as best I can against the wound on my tail to stem the bleeding, hoping to get some new amazing skill, Hell i'm a paramedic.. that should be worth something right?? RIGHT? andddd NOTHING happens.
SHIT... something else then?
Racking my brain I decide to use my mouth and not hands, as I seem to have misplaced those, to attempt to tie the seaweed around my flipper.
"Please work, if I bleed any more i'm dead with a capital D"
[DING - you have learned Tourniquet]
Somehow I manage to make a makeshift Tourniquet, effectively cutting off the flow of blood from my tail and all sensation in it, maybe I did it a little too tight?
[DING - you have lost the use of your tail subsequently you have disabled PROPEL until you regain sensation in your primary appendage]
Yep definitely too tight, but what can I do?
I'm in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in an ocean, jammed into a small rock cave with blood soaked water and a grumpy large crab outside my doorstep.
I'm so screwed! If only I could have a look at my abilities and what I had to work with, something like a Status bar.
STATUS
[???? - LVL 1]
[Water/???]
[1/10HP 0/10 MP]
MOVES: Swim, Rest, Bite, Struggle, Headbutt, PROPEL(disabled)
Move
Use
Cost
SWIM
... to swim.. idiot
Uses 0 MP, requires some energy to use
Bite
Empowered required 2 mp, unempowered 0
Struggle
Fight for your lifeee, wiggle like a epileptic
Uses 0 MP however causes recoil damage
Headbutt
Now that's using your head!
Uses 0 MP however causes recoil damage
Propel
Use your primary appendage to give yourself forward momentum
1 MP per use
Tourniquet
Apply pressure to a site to cut off circulation
No Mp per use however loss of use of the limb bound until tourniquet is removed
REST
Recover HP at the expense of giving yourself the condition ASLEEP
Uses fat reserves/energy
Well that worked, finally something that hasn't gone awfully wrong. Maybe if I use REST I can heal or at least not be awake for my final moments?
[????] uses REST, I black out as SLEEP instantly takes a hold of my worn and tattered body.
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WARNING - REST uses your blubber/fat stores, EAT more to recover lost Blubber/Fat.