Peter Asher, once a staunch night owl, found himself in a peculiar predicament.

His new body, unlike his old one, seemed wired for the early morning, betraying his lifelong habit of shunning the sunrise.

The morning brought a strange sense of déjà vu, urging him toward exercise, an activity his previous self would have laughed off before rolling back to sleep.

"Yeah, yeah, your memories helped me in the exam, but can this stop already?" Ash grumbled internally, the thought of surrendering to sleep again tempting yet oddly unappealing.

With a heavy sigh, Ash confronted himself.

"You made a vow to be better, yet here you are, still acting the lazy bum," he chastised himself, his words echoing in his mind.

Reluctantly, he slid off the bed, his feet touching the cold floor as he attempted a stretch that felt more like a plea for mercy from his uncooperative muscles.

Deciding against a jog due to his current residence at Daisy's home, Ash opted for push-ups, an exercise he presumed would be simpler, given his body's muscle memory.

What happened next was so awkward and funny, it was like watching a clown show. Ash's body seemed to remember how to do push-ups, but his brain had other ideas. Every time he tried to lower himself down, his arms wobbled and his back sagged, making him look more like he was trying to hug the floor than exercise.

It was as if his muscles were in a tug-of-war with his brain, each with their own plan, and neither winning.

The result was a push-up that was so bad, it was hilarious.

His struggles were soon accompanied by a small giggle, causing Ash to nearly collapse in surprise.

Yellow, snugly bundled up in her bedsheets, struggled to keep her laughter quiet, her eyes twinkling with amusement. Catching her boyfriend's look of mock indignation, she quickly hid under the sheets.

But Ash could still hear the muffled sounds of her giggles escaping from beneath the cozy barrier.

"Do you think hell is this? Waking up and seeing the ground recoil from your sexual advances?" a telepathic voice chimed in.

Ash spun around to find Abra, whose expression remained inscrutable, betraying no sign of whether it was awake or asleep. "Racist," Abra shot back in response to Ash's unvoiced thoughts.

"Fuck off," Ash retorted, his frustration peaking, only to be met by a sharp gasp from Yellow.

"Hey, I can't laugh now?" she protested, her disapproval evident.

"N-Nope, I meant it for Abra," Ash stammered, attempting to navigate the minefield of misunderstanding he'd inadvertently laid.

"And what did sweet Abra do to you, you big bully?" Yellow chided.

Ash, now sweating bullets under Yellow's innocent glare, conceded, "Okay, I'll apologize."

"Bitch," came Abra's telepathic snipe, prompting a fierce glare from Ash.

"Ash," Yellow admonished, her voice a blend of surprise and amusement.

"Let's get something to eat," Ash proposed, eager to escape the escalating tension.

Yellow's mood instantly brightened, her earlier irritation forgotten as she leaped out of bed to get ready.

Abra couldn't resist one last jab: "Start harassing the ground less."

"It's called working out," Ash retorted, rolling his eyes.

"In your case, I call it a lawsuit waiting to happen," Abra said as Ash just ignored the remark and continued with his exercises.

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Ash sat down at the breakfast table, which was laid out in the traditional Japanese style.

A steaming pot of rice sat at the center, surrounded by bowls of miso soup that wafted a comforting aroma throughout the room.

Next to them were plates of grilled fish, their skin glistening under the morning light, easily flaking away with the touch of a fork, revealing the tender meat inside.

An assortment of pickles in vibrant greens, yellows, and reds provided a sharp contrast, both in color and taste, to the meal.

And then there were the softly scrambled eggs, cooked to a silky perfection, slightly runny and inviting.

It was a breakfast that promised a wholesome start to the day, yet Ash's mind was elsewhere.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

However, a pang of discomfort unsettled Ash as he observed the spread.

He recognized the fish as Magikarp, a Pokémon.

This revelation jolted him; in the Pokémon world, it seemed, people ate Pokémon.

He knew, logically, there weren't animals from Earth here, but the reality of it felt starkly different from understanding it abstractly.

Ash, or Peter Asher, had never hesitated before when it came to eating meat.

The sight of a steak or the smell of grilled chicken never bothered him; if anything, it made him look forward to meal times. However, as he sat before the breakfast spread, his stomach knotted at the thought of consuming Pokémon.

He grasped his chopsticks with an unusual precision, a stark contrast to his normal clumsiness, as if his body was trying to distract him from the turmoil brewing in his mind.

The idea of eating Pokémon was viscerally repugnant to him, a reaction he couldn't fully explain.

Perhaps it was because, on Earth, Pokémon were creatures of fantasy, beings he had partnered with in video games and watched in shows, fighting by his side.

Or maybe, it was the thought of eating something akin to his partner, Abra, which unsettled him deeply.

In his mind, there was no difference between them; they were all Pokémon, creatures with whom he could form a bond, not dishes to be served at breakfast.

To Ash, the distinction between species that was so clear-cut on Earth seemed blurred in this world.

People avoided eating cats and dogs back home, considering them pets rather than food, yet they consumed chicken and beef without a second thought.

But here, in a world where Pokémon filled the roles of both companions and wildlife, the line between what was considered food and friend was disconcertingly vague. Despite understanding the logic—that Pokémon might be viewed by others as just another source of sustenance—the very thought of it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

As Delia and Daisy were lost in their animated discussion about their favourite TV show "Paradise Lost," a noticeable shift in Ash's demeanor caught Delia's eye, immediately dampening her enthusiasm. Her maternal instincts kicking in, she turned towards her son with a look of concern. "Sweety, what's wrong?!" she asked, her voice laced with worry.

"I don't feel like eating... a Pokémon," Ash whispered, his gaze fixed on the fried Magikarp in front of him. His stomach twisted at the thought, the unease clear in his voice.

At Ash's admission, Delia and Daisy exchanged a glance, unsure of how to respond.

Yellow, ever supportive, placed a comforting hand on Ash, trying to offer solace without words.

It was then that Professor Oak, laden with a bag full of documents and looking as though sleep had eluded him for quite some time, entered the room.

"My boy, meats are good for you," he remarked, noticing the tension but not fully grasping the cause.

"I know, but I don't want to eat..." Ash's voice trailed off, lost in the turmoil of his thoughts.

He understood the naturalness of consuming meat, whether on Earth or in the Pokémon world, yet it did nothing to quell his reluctance.

Professor Oak, settling down at the table as Daisy handed him a glass of water, tried to impart a lesson.

"My boy, this is the cycle of life," he said, aiming to soothe Ash's conflict with a broader perspective.

Yet, for Ash, the explanation fell short. The cycle of life was a concept he understood, but the thought of partaking in a meal that included Pokémon, beings he had come to see as friends, was a hurdle too high to overcome.

Yellow's voice cut through the tension at the table, her concern evident. "Is it because of me?!" she asked, causing everyone to turn towards her in surprise.

"What?" Ash responded, his confusion clear.

"Are you trying to go vegan because of me?" Yellow queried, a hint of worry in her tone.

Ash was taken aback.

I didn't know you were vegan...

Wait, I'm not going vegan, I'm...

His thoughts trailed off as he realized all eyes were on him, expecting an explanation.

In a moment of desperation, he grasped at a convenient excuse.

"Y-yeah! I'm doing this because of Yellow," he declared, feeling her hand squeeze his in support.

Yellow, however, was quick to reassure him. "Ash, I know not eating meat is hard, so you don't have to be like me. You can eat meat; I don't mind," she said, her words sincere.

Ash felt a mix of relief and affection—butterfrees, he mused—in his stomach. "Look, let's just try this for a while. If I can't maintain it, then I'll go back. If I can, then it's my choice, okay?" he proposed, eager to end the discussion.

Delia, Daisy, and Professor Oak all nodded in understanding, accepting Ash's decision. Yellow, however, had one more question. "Vegan or Vegetarian?"

"Vegetarian," Ash clarified, not opposed to the idea of eggs or milk in his diet.

Yellow's face brightened.

"Don't worry, I have a lot of tasty recipes we could try together. Okay?" she offered enthusiastically.

Since, she had been taking cooking classes to learn how to prepare delicious meals that didn't include meat, eager to show her boyfriend that meals could be enjoyable and fulfilling without it but him becoming Vegetarian was unexpected

"If you're not going to eat that, can I have it?" Abra's voice echoed in Ash's mind, breaking the tension at the table.

"Sure, Abra, go ahead," Ash replied, watching as Abra teleported directly onto the plate to begin feasting on the fried Magikarp. The scene was both unexpected and slightly comical.

Delia couldn't help but smile at the interaction.

"Awe, it's so adorable how you try to talk to your Pokémon," she said.

"Yeah, but Abra is just an asshole," Ash blurted out without thinking, his eyes still on the Pokémon indulging in its meal. Abra, seemingly in response, lowered the fish toward Ash as if trying to scare him because he couldn't eat meat.

Normally, Delia would have scolded Ash for his choice of words, but the offhand manner in which he spoke caught everyone off guard and halted any potential reprimand.

"My boy, can you actually talk to Pokémon?" Professor Oak inquired, intrigued by the unusual dynamic.

"Only to Abra, I think it's because of his Telepathy ability," Ash explained, assuming it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Professor Oak, now fully engaged and no longer showing signs of his prior sleepiness, clarified, "My boy, telepathy is supposed to work only from Pokémon to Pokémon, not to humans."

The room went silent as everyone, including Ash, turned to stare at Abra, who was still happily munching on the Magikarp.

"A-Abra?" Ash ventured, seeking some sort of explanation.

"Your soul is strong," came the cryptic reply, deepening the mystery.

"What does that mean?" Ash asked, genuinely puzzled.

"And what did he say?" Professor Oak pressed, his curiosity piqued.

"He said my soul is strong," Ash relayed, equally curious about the meaning behind Abra's words.

"What does that mean?" Yellow echoed, looking from Ash to Abra and back.

Ash turned to Abra for further clarification. But, sensing perhaps that some things are better left unexplained, or simply choosing to add to the confusion, Abra offered no further insight as he just shrugged.

"I don't know."