Chapter 1- Remembrance

The life of a psychic was not an easy one. Well, although I called it the life of a psychic I had it easy compared to others. While some chalked us off as mere charlatans- thanks in majority to said charlatans passing themselves as psychic- the harder part was when you met someone who believed you.

Taking myself as an example, I was capable of minor telepathy, not nearly enough to hold an actual conversation, but enough to get a rough estimate of emotion. And yes I was because that is no longer the case. Being buried and crushed under rumbles tends to mess with whatever a psychic was. The only silver lining was that at least I got hit to the head before panic had time to set in. A memento that evacuation orders were to be obeyed, I suppose.

Anyway, back to my complaining. When someone tells you “You are so lucky to have this gift” and you can feel the sincerity and slight envy that accompanies it, it is hard to tell them how wrong they were. Yes, it was a gift but it was also a curse in some twisted way.

Being able to feel the emotions of others did … some things to you that were hard to describe to someone without similar skills. It became hard to tell where your emotions ended and where those of others ended, the line between the different selves becoming blurry.

This is where my luck shone through though as my family had different degrees of psychic in it. From those like me who could vaguely sense the emotions of others to those gifted enough to hold full-on telepathic communication with others and I’m not even mentioning those who could talk to spirits.

For some, it might sound like a crazy thought, but for me who grew up in Louisiana where superstition and reality sometimes overlap, I knew better than to laugh. I still remember my grandfather talking to me and my siblings when teaching us how to shield our minds.

“Every legend, no matter how outlandish, has a hint of truth in it,” he told us. “That is also why there are so many similar myths around the world from civilizations that never met.”

Yet the next instant the memories shifted. From rubles falling straight toward me to a fully built building. I could still feel the emotions of the people around me, but it was much more controlled. I was not alone either. All children, with a couple of adults taking care of us. We lived together, played together, and studied together. An orphanage.

Another skip and I am packing the few possessions I have before saying goodbye to my friends. The sadness of the separation mixed with the excitement of a new life, and a new family. The couple, not quite old but maybe middle-aged seemed charming. Then my life took a turn.

The love and affection I received seemed to be endless. My adopted parents and their Pokemon- yes real, blood and flesh and something else for some Pokemon- traveling together. From resort to resort, region to region, simply enjoying life or at least during the summers. Turns out there are still schools in the world of Pokemon.

And not the fun adventure Pokémon type of school but regular everyday school until you at least get old enough as was my case. Yes, I Nexon Grimwald, adopted son of Penelope and George Grimwald will get my very own Pokemon. Well, will seeing as my birthday is during the holidays and we are currently in Galar.

But as soon as we get back to Unova I will get my very own Pokemon! That is until got sick and we got stuck in Ballonlea! And on the day of my birthday at that! How is this fair?

“..sey-sey! Chan chan Chansey ~~”

Is the first thing I hear when I wake up. Or the first thing I managed to comprehend thanks to head splitting headache. Thinking that it was still better than a head-splitting rock I tried to force my eyes open and see a round ball of pink and white wearing a nurse headband.

“a chansey?”

“Chan? Chansey!” It was startled at first but then quickly ran out of the room while screaming its name. That’s something that I always found funny in the anime of the series.

Putting that aside, just what happened to me? I remember the earthquake, the evacuation order, staying behind to help one of my neighbors, and then the next moment I am at the orphanage. A shudder ran through me, but I knew that I needed to push past to understand my situation. Try as I might I seemed to be unable to remember anything else past that point.

I can only assume that I died but surprisingly, that’s my only thought. I was expecting some trauma or something similar, but the thought is strangely… void. Granted when you grow up psychic you tend to accept death as a constant more easily than others. You just have to.

My next thoughts are about the current situation. Did I die a take over the body of Nexon who also died? No that does not seem right. The memories of Nexon Grimwald are as much mine as those of Jackson Pelier, which is or rather was my name.

So, nobody snatching which is already a good point in my books since I won’t have to pretend to my adoptive parent. Thinking of them brings a flood of emotions with it, joy, love, affection, admiration, and more importantly, gratitude. It is so natural that it is actually what draws the conclusion for me. I am Nexon, yet I was also Jackson. To put it simply Nexon(I) remembered what happened what happened in his past life as Jackson (also I) which brings me to the current situation.

That was an interesting situation yet the fact that I remembered it the day of my birthday is an even more interesting situation. Oh well, that’s something I’ll think about when my brain is not trying to exit my head by my ears. Just as I tried to sit up footsteps came out rushing toward the room I was in.

I let out a resigned sigh, knowing what was about to happen, and flopped back to the bed. Not a second too soon either since the door of the room that was partially open by the Chansey is completely open and four forms rush in.

“Nexon dear! How are you feeling? Are you hurt? How is the fever? Oh, Arceus above you are covered in sweat! You need to lie down! No, we need to we need a heal. Nurse jo- “The first to reach me is none other than Penelope Grimwald, the woman who adopted me. Her reddish hair had already started to grey but the amount of vitality she had was surprising. I half wondered how she did not beat and overwhelm them back into their original color. Her magenta eyes full of worry fixed me as if afraid I would disappear the moment she lost sight of me.

“Dear calm down, there is no need to bother the nurses. They even told us that we could expect him to wake up today. All he needs right now is some rest, right kiddo?” the person who thankfully stopped her from calling down the head nurse was my adopted father, Geoge Grimwald. If Nana is the overprotective mother that covers you with affection, he is the relaxed one, that encourages you to push your limits and can even feel distant at times. Yet underneath his bravado is a deeply caring person. He has grey eyes and a full head of silvery grey. In one word he looks like a silver gentleman/cool dad stereotype.

Behind them stand their respective partners and starters who are sharing a glance with wry smiles, long used to this kind of scene. Their partners are Klint and Jeanne, respectively Nana's Gallade and Pop’s Gardevoir. From what they told me they started their journey together since they were Ralts. And they even had to trade them with each other since Gallade was more interested in coordination while Gardevoir seemed to prefer the battling. And boy was that a shock for the younger me until they showed me that they were slouch in the other’s domain either. The funny thing is that both Pokémon are also partners of one another.

“I am fine gram- “I briefly choke on a glare before continuing “Nana, I am simply a bit tired. Sorry for worrying you. But what happened?”

“Thanks, Arceus! You gave us quite the fright. We tried to wake you up for the visit to the arena, but we found you covered in sweat and with a high fever! Do you know how worried we were when you did not wake for 3 days?”

“3 days?” My mind boggled at the amount of time I apparently spent unconscious.

“Yes. And thanks to you that old bat dragged me out of the Arena.”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

A third, older voice interrupted and that’s when I noticed a figure standing next to the frame. And I was absolutely not ready for who I saw there. I remember her vaguely from the games, one of the newer ones that I barely played. It's none other than the gym leader of the Ballonlea Arena, Opal the fairy type specialist.

For all it’s worth the game managed to perfectly capture the character in front of me. She looked like an old lady, one so old that a breeze too strong might bring her to the ground or below it depending on the strength of said breeze. Yet despite how frail she looked there is strength in her gaze. She wore a flashy pink dress and was covered with a furry purple shroud around her shoulders. With her hunched-over posture, the cane that she used was all that saved her from the above-mentioned malicious breeze.

“Madam Opal?!” I exclaimed despite my headache.

“By the way thank you, I now know that this hospital needs more pink in it.” She said, eying the wall of the room I was in with clear dissatisfaction before settling back on me. “And you young man, stop thinking rude things about a young girl, I am barely 17 who are you calling madam?!”

“…”

“Yes ma- in mean miss Opal”

Damn, what kind of granny threatens a patient.

“Any way…” She said her eyes trailing on me. Surely she cannot read minds yes?” now that your precious Nexon is fine Pen, I’ll be going. I have an arena to run.”

Saying so she calmly walked out as if nothing happened. But wait how does she know my name? and Pen? Seemingly sensing my confusion Nana clarifies what just happened.

“Back when I was traveling, she and I competed in a few coordination events. She even joined us for part of our travels, such lovely times right dear?

Even from my side, I can see Pops shivering before mumbling a faint yes. From his gaze, I’m not sure I want to know what happened and I can see the Gallade furious shaking his head, telling me not to ask.

“But answer me honestly how are feeling? It seemed like your psychic powers increased too much at once,” she said calmly, putting her hand on my forehead.

Huh? I mean that kind of makes sense. I remembered my past life and that increased my psychic powers. Or was it the other way around? Well, that’s something I will figure out later for now I need to reassure them.

“I’m sorry for worrying you” I mumbled, genuine embarrassment about the situation coming through. I know that they prepared a program for the day, and I got ruined because of me.

“It’s all right kiddo, it’s not your fault. Besides we can just go visit the arena when you are out for now what you need to do is to rest.” Pops said gently as he put his hand on my shoulder.

“we’ll come by later today” and with that, a kiss is deposited on my forehead before the room returns to a complete silence leaving me with thoughts once more.

It is a bit embarrassing considering my age, and I’m not even talking about my mental age but still, I am lucky. Slowly I start to drift back asleep, nursed by the rhythmic explosion of my head.

*

The next day I was already on my feet before Nana and Pops even arrived and took this opportunity to explore the room I was in. Well, explore might be too grand a word seeing that it was just the room with the bed, a TV, and some furniture to put some change of clothes in and the bathroom.

Speaking of a change of clothes, it seemed someone came by after I fell asleep yesterday because the was an ensemble waiting for me. All in all, it was pretty simple, a kaki short that reached past my kneecap and a blue alolan shirt with yellow flowers (a bit flashy for my taste but it seemed in touch with the fashion.

The next stop was my morning washing, which now found me in front of a mirror. Apparently, I dyed some of my hairs strand a deep blue, and although that was highly unlike me before I must admit it looks pretty nice. The black and blue hair was especially nice considering the tan skin. Haircut-wise it was a simple one with the sides shaved and hair on the top much like what was popular on Earth. This combined with the ocean blue eyes made for an odd combination of surprisingly matching aesthetics despite the maybe slightly above-average looks.

“Yup! I am definitely handsome!” A bit of pride can’t help but sneak into my voice but don’t try to deny it. This is an objective truth after all.

My self-satisfaction is interrupted by a knock on the door, and I exit the bathroom to return to the room. That’s when Nana and Pops came in with their partner once again in toe.

“Good morning dear, I see you are already dressed. Ready?”

“Morning everyone! Yes, I am please let’s go” Although I would never tell them, I was impatient to explore the area.

I mean I was always a big fan of everything Pokémon and even had a collection of cards back home. The memories of spending hours with my brother coming up with rules because we didn’t know the official ones sent a pang of pain through my heart but there is nothing I can do about it safe for catching Dialga and Palkia to travel back home. The sheer ridiculousness of the idea is enough to make me snap out of it, and I try to catch up with the others.

Stepping out of the hospital was a breathtaking view. The entire town was plunged into the dark, not because it was nighttime but simply because of the humongous trees that seemed to form the border or the town itself. Yet there was plenty of light thanks to the luminescent mushroom that seemed to have been created to just give a middle finger to gravity with their sheer size alone. There was a large variety of colors that shifted every couple of seconds from a bright pink to pale yellow or a soft blue.

The trees seemed to go on forever, with roots snaking their way through the town, over some houses, and lifting others off the ground. It didn’t look so much as the vegetation intruded on civilization as the civilization being built the vegetation. It looked like it was meant to be that way from a design perspective alone. And that is without even mentioning the Pokemon. From my position, I could already see some Morelull sitting either on top of the giant mushroom cap or below them as well as some Milcery floating around, unbothered by the hustle and bustle of the city below them. There were also more that if were to rely on my knowledge were not supposed to be here, such as the small Budew hanging around the roots of the trees.

The look on my face must have been particularly funny because I hear a chuckle coming from behind me. I tried clearing my throat and continued as if nothing happened, but I could already feel heat on my face. Hopefully, the tanned skin meant it was not really visible.

The rest of the day went by in a rush. We explored the city and the beginning of the surrounding woods while taking pictures before going back to town to have lunch. I wanted to have a picnic outside, but Nana and Pops had made plans already.

We went to a restaurant, and I had one of the best steaks I ever had in any life I remember. Speaking of which, it was the meat of a regular cow, not a Tauros or any of the other bovine Pokémon. Because yes, they do exist, although in ranches specialized and secluded from possible Pokemon. No one wanted to have their cows snatched by a flock of Corvisquire of Corviknight. I was expecting the price to be higher since it should be a limited type of product, but I could not be more wrong.

Turns out the ranch owner can have their Pokémon help to reduce the expenses. For instance, a single Pokémon such as Grookey can already revitalize the plants just by playing an amateurish tune. This meant that space was no longer a big concern, and their number was sustained far more easily. A real green farm.

That’s not to say that there are no Pokémon on the menu though. It was always an option and well, they were still animals for the most. Intelligent and stupidly overpowered animals yes, but animals nonetheless. That’s one of the points that the anime glossed over, I guess. I for myself didn’t know how to feel about it.

I mean, sure some of the dex’s entrance heavily implied some Pokémoneating each other but I guess I never considered it more than simple flavor text. On the other hand, I also grew up in this world so it’s not like it was a novelty for me. In fact, I had plenty of such food but … I guess I’ll get used to it? I mean it’s not like I can change the world.

After the steak was over the staff came out singing a birthday song and I looked around to see the celebration only for them to move straight toward me. I could feel my eyes widen as I turned to meet the culprit and ended up staring at a couple of rottom phones already recording.

“You didn’t think we would skip it just because of a stupid illness, did you?” The laugh of Pops echoed through the restaurant.

The staff finally reached us with a literal cream cake. Judging by the Alcremy sitting on the shoulder of the person dressed like a chef it was probably its doing. The cake itself was made with Oran and Citrus berry, my favorite! Thirteen candles were arranged in a circle at the top and were already lit. I hurriedly snuffed them and the attack on cake started, and my sweet tooth followed through worlds. The rest of the cake was packed and a quick teleport from Jeanne brought it to the hotel room.

“Now that the cake is out of the way we have something for you dear.” Nana started with an unusually serious face.

“We are under no illusion that you will stay with us. We already know how much you love exploration on your own. That’s why…”

Saying so, Pops took out the Pokeball of Jeanne while Nana took out Klint’s. Of course, it was not the first time that he saw it but every time his gaze could not help but linger on them. It was not iconic red and white but the symbolic premiere ball.

“It is a family tradition in our hometown that the first Pokémon you get we encourage you to use a premiere ball. It is a symbol of your first Pokemon, your first steps in your discovery journey, and more importantly your first real step away from home. And with that...”

Nana stopped there; her eyes already misted with tears as Pops reached out for a dark red box he had in his pocket. He slid it toward me and when the laches flew open, it revealed a premiere ball in travel size. It was a smooth metal ball, painted white with some red highlights.

“It might be empty, but choosing your partner is also part of the step” he added.

I reached out toward the premiere ball, my very own Pokeball with trembling hands. I did not even notice that I was crying until my vision blurred and I was forced to wipe them. My hand stopped before touching the ball and bolted toward them thanking them with all my heart.

In the games, the premiere balls were nothing special other than being a free ball that you got once you bought your first 10 Pokeballs. Yet in this world, I knew that it was more expensive than a classic ball, due to the symbolism behind it. Not only that, but them also giving me the ball is as good as recognizing me as an official member of the family. Sure, I was already adopted, but to continue a family tradition with me meant the world to me.

After a few seconds, I disengaged from them and looked them in the eyes. That’s when I noticed that the tables closer to us were also shedding tears. It seemed that in my emotional outburst, I lost control and spread them around me.

I tried apologizing but they simply waved me off and didn’t comment on my bashful attitude. That could have been dangerous. Influencing the emotions of people is not considered a crime but it is certainly frowned upon. At least normally but it seemed these people would ignore it this time.

I thanked them once again and hugged my parents who seemed to be frozen due to the deluge of emotion.

“Thank you, Nana, thank you Pops! I promised I’d make you proud!”

“You silly child, we know you will” and with these words from Pops, we heard two *pop* and *Hiss* before two other figures joined us in the group hug.

After a while, Nana decided that it was time and let us go. “Now, how about we move on? Opal must be waiting for us by now”.