Ethan collapsed on the shore, soaking wet and gasping for air. A pillar of unnaturally bright light, reflected on the surface of the water he pulled himself from, caught his attention. The hole or portal or whatever it was that ejected him here began to shrink.
Ethan let his head fall back to the pebbly ground and began organizing his muddled thoughts. First, what happened? A few moments ago, he had been leading a young men's group in an exploration of the lava tubes in Snow Canyon State Park. They had made plans months ago to explore the caves.
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12 minutes earlier
Parts of the tunnel Ethan and his group traversed were cramped, only permitting them to crouch or crawl through in a single-file line. During a break to rest and hydrate, Ethan scouted the next portion of the cave. When he reached the next fork, he consulted the guidebook that the park rangers had given him to confirm his location and which path to take. Satisfied, he turned to go back when he noticed a dim light shining from the other path.
Odd, Ethan thought. We should be the only ones down here. He looked back to where he had left the group before shaking his head. They'd be alright for a few more minutes. His longtime friend, TJ, was with them after all.
After pocketing the guidebook, he placed a reflective sticker pointing to the exit on the wall of the tunnel, adjusted his hard hat and headlamp, and descended farther to investigate the light. He continued placing stickers every fifteen or so paces so he could find his way back later.
We're too far below the surface for that to be sunlight. I'm not sure what else it could be, assuming that it's not another person, Ethan thought. As he got closer to the light, he decided to call out, "Hello? Anyone there?"
His words echoed, carrying his soft-spoken voice. When he didn't hear anything in response, he continued forward.
A few minutes passed before the cave opened into a large cavern. Ethan stood to his full height and reached for the ceiling, stretching his sore back.
After a few moments, Ethan looked around and raised a brow in confusion. The smooth stone floor in this area was glowing a bright yellow. Could this be phosphorescent rock? No, phosphorescent rock needs to absorb light to emit any kind of light, he thought. He grabbed his phone and took a picture to show his group and the park rangers later to ask about it. This definitely wasn't mentioned in the guidebook.
Being the curious man he was, Ethan took a stone and tossed it a fair distance in front of him. The rock skipped a few times until it settled. Nothing remarkable happened.
"Ethan, where'd you go?"
"Dude! You get lost?"
Crap. He'd been away for too long. "TJ, grab the others and follow my markers. You've got to see this!" Ethan yelled back. It would take a few minutes for his friend to get all the boys moving.
A shadow of something on the far wall caught Ethan's attention. Curious, he walked over, unaware that the light of the floor parted around his steel-toed boots. Once he got closer, the object of interest appeared to be a depiction of a massive tree. Near the base of the tree, there was a crude drawing of three large, humanoid-like figures. He slowly took in the details, noting the many different creatures drawn in and around the tree. Near the top, a feline with disproportionately long feet and a long, bulbous-ended tail was depicted.
Hah, that kind of looks like Mew, Ethan mused. But who would have the time or commitment to come down here just to carve something few would ever see? Ethan took a few pictures of the whole thing and tucked his phone away in his backpack.
Ethan appreciated the carving for a moment longer before heading back to the mouth of the cavern. Halfway there, he stiffened when the ground shook, and a boom echoed as if something gave way farther underground. He shielded his eyes as the glow from the cavern floor intensified, and a loud hum accompanied the blinding light.
"What's-?!" Ethan yelled in a panic. Suddenly, the floor around him dimmed to a calm blue, and the humming abruptly stopped. Ethan lowered his arms and looked around, heart hammering in his chest. It was as if time itself had stopped. He saw TJ and the others just beyond the mouth of the cavern, frozen mid-step.
"This is so eerie. What the hell is going on?" Ethan whispered. The air seemed still, and the only sounds he could hear were his breathing, his rapidly beating heart, and a dull ringing in his ears from the tinnitus.
"WHAT THINKEST THOU? WILL THIS ONE BE SUFFICIENT?" a strong voice reverberated from seemingly everywhere. Ethan tensed and pivoted on his feet, trying to find who spoke. Sufficient? What the hell was this voice talking about?
The air around Ethan grew heavy, making it difficult to breathe. He fell to his hands and knees, his hard hat rolling to the side before settling with the headlamp casting his shadow on the cavern wall. He suddenly felt lightheaded and unable to support his weight. His mind grew fuzzy, and he couldn't form a coherent thought.
The pressure subsided after what felt like hours, and Ethan breathed heavily. Another powerful yet gentler voice responded to the last one's query. "Yes, this one will do."
The earth shook once more. Ethan screamed, stomach rising to his throat as the ground crumbled and gave way, thrusting him down into a dark void. The only source of light came from a headlamp illuminating an otherwise dark cavern wall.
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Present time
…I heard voices, I fell, and now my probable only way of getting back is about to– "Oh, scheiss!" Ethan hurriedly stood and ran for the light. He was knee-deep, sloshing through the water, when a bout of lightheadedness hit, causing him to lose his balance and catch himself in the water.
"No, no, nononono!" Ethan cried, forcing himself back up, and started swimming towards the rapidly shrinking light. He was too late, though, as the hole in the lake's surface closed with an echo of dripping water. A shockwave then exploded from the epicenter of where the light once met the surface of the lake, creating waves that overtook him and carried him back to shore.
Ethan rolled himself to his stomach and coughed out the water that made its way into his nostrils. "And the day started off so well," he muttered to himself. What was it those voices had said? That he would do? Would do for what?
Ethan decided to drop that thought in the 'figure out later' pile in his mind. There was no use thinking about something if he didn't have a way to get an answer. He took some deep, shuddering breaths in an attempt to calm himself. He was alone in a place he didn't know, and panicking wouldn't help.
First order of business: figure out where I am, Ethan decided. He scanned the area around him. There was the lake he had just come from, the water slowly calming back down. There was a natural ramp heading upwards to his right and a tunnel opening behind him. Looking up, he could see the cavernous ceiling and sunlight filtering in through gaps in the rocky wall–
Wait, sunlight? He set his backpack on the ground and pulled out his phone, shaking off some droplets of water that clung to the screen. After unlocking it, he checked for cell service or GPS. 'No signal' was the only thing that greeted him.
"Wonderful! No service and no satellites," Ethan muttered sarcastically. As he put his phone away, he noticed the ringing in his ears and realized it was eerily quiet. There should at least be insects or other wildlife. This place is perfect for them, he thought. Maybe I scared them off?
Deciding that he would get nowhere by standing around, he started for the tunnel opening. Before he got far, the ground began to shake, and Ethan froze, fixing his gaze beneath his feet. "Ah, crap. Not again!" he cried.
Instead of the ground falling out from under him like he was half expecting, dirt spewed out like a geyser into the air a short distance in front of him and blocked his path. A spinning figure launched from the new opening and landed in front of it, causing the earth to shake again and make Ethan lose his footing in surprise. He sat up, pulled his glasses from his pocket, and put them on.
Ethan couldn't believe what he was seeing. Standing there, a body made entirely of rock and clay, was a realistic-looking Regirock.
Uhh, am I dreaming? Ethan pinched himself and flinched. Okay, probably not dreaming. Why did I have to squeeze so – Is that a Hyper Beam?!
Ethan threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding receiving a hole in his chest. "What was that for?! I didn't do anything to deserve that!" he yelled.
Regirock just beeped and charged another attack.
Ethan didn't need more prompting than that. He hopped to his feet and ran in the direction of the ramp he spotted earlier, adrenaline pumping through his veins and sharpening his senses. The Hyper Beam from the Rock Peak Pokémon went wide, missing Ethan entirely.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
This just isn't my day, Ethan thought to himself as he made his way up the ramp and out of sight.
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A young kit sat on her haunches, taking in the view of the craggy terrain below and the setting sun to the west. She breathed in the crisp, cold air, taking in all the scents around her as a gentle breeze caressed her fur. She liked living here. There was plenty of food and clean water, and she had shelter; she had everything she could need to live a comfortable life.
She sighed and lay her head on her paws, staring at the ground. Comfortable like this wasn't what she wanted.
She came to this same spot every day, mulling over the idea of leaving her home to go and find the adventure her young heart yearned for. She had heard from some of the more well-traveled Pokémon that there were creatures out there called 'hoomans' that weren't Pokémon. They went on journeys to train Pokémon and had lots of adventures.
She supposed she wouldn't mind being trained by a hooman if they would be a good friend and could help her get stronger. She loved battling, but most of the Pokémon living here preferred their boring, peaceful lives. Not many would indulge her when she wanted a fight.
She looked up as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Closing her eyes, she made a wish that she could find a hooman to befriend and go with on plenty of adventures.
When she felt she had closed her eyes long enough, she stood. She stretched each of her legs and yawned, then departed for her den to rest for the night.
A star in the sky twinkled a little brighter before going dim.
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As Ethan ran, a few thoughts came to mind. First, running in soaked clothes and boots sucked. The higher he climbed, the cooler it became and the colder he got, despite the adrenaline staving off the worst of it.
Second, there were Pokémon everywhere! He couldn't spare a thought to identify them, but he spotted them at the edges of his vision.
His third thought was how unlucky he was to have drawn the attention of both a Regice and Registeel. What's next?! Regieleki and Regidrago? The Sword and Shield expansions had yet to come out, so other than their typings, he had no idea what they were capable of. He just hoped they wouldn't show up.
It got dark, and the only light came from glowing blue crystals that were seemingly everywhere. How he had not noticed them before was a question Ethan was too preoccupied to ask himself right now.
They sure love their Hyper Beams. At least they have stormtrooper aim, Ethan thought as he ducked under another attack. Ethan hadn't been able to get by completely unscathed. He had bruises forming on the less protected parts of his body. His clothes were torn in places, either getting caught on rocky outcroppings or the debris that nicked him from the attacks exploding around him.
Ethan came to another fork and took the path to the right, hoping, like every other path he took, that this one wouldn't come to a dead end. Thankfully, he could see an opening at the end of the tunnel. When he emerged, the twilight from the set sun greeted him. He stopped, looked down, and saw just how high he was.
Ohh, this isn't good. If I keep going up, I'm going to get cornered, Ethan frantically thought as he breathed heavily and wiped the sweat from his brows. But I don't know my way around here, and the Regis are blocking the only way down that I know. I didn't pack any rappelling equipment because I didn't think I'd be chased up this Arceus-forsaken place in an alternate dimension!
Ethan paused. Wow, I'm already using Pokémon swears.
"Vee?"
Ethan nearly jumped off the cliff, nerves figuratively and literally on edge. He turned around and met the eyes of a fox-like creature standing at about a foot and a half tall from its front paws to the top of its head. It had two long, brown ears angled back, big green eyes, a thick white mane, brown fur, and a tail with a white floral pattern on the end of it.
"Eev eevee!?" it – she barked as she backpedaled.
"S-sorry, little Eevee, I can't talk right now. I'm kind of running for my–"
Registeel burst through the opening of the tunnel he exited moments ago. Ethan bolted past the eevee as Registeel fired a Hyper Beam. Eevee yipped in surprise and avoided the attack meant for Ethan, then ran in the same direction and shot past him.
Another Hyper Beam fired by Registeel went high. The shot, however, hit a rocky overhang, and debris rained down.
"Eevee! Above you!" Ethan called out. Eevee looked and locked up, frozen in fear.
Damn it, Eevee! Ethan put on a burst of speed, not knowing where the energy to do so came from, and grabbed Eevee by her thick mane, narrowly avoiding the worst of the falling debris. He wished he still had his hard hat. "D-don't worry. I got ya!" Ethan winced as he placed her in his arms.
His adrenaline was starting to flag, and Ethan knew he wouldn't be able to run for much longer. He needed a break, but the Regi trio was relentless. He had no idea how he had managed to run so hard for as long as he had. He had never pushed himself this hard in all of his twenty-six years. Then again, his life never depended on it.
Seeing that he had left his pursuers behind the rockslide for the moment, he slowed to a stop and sat down to catch his breath. He set the eevee down and opened his canteen to drink the last of the water he had. He looked down when he felt something pat his leg.
"Wh-what's up, Eevee?" Ethan coughed through gritted teeth, most of his body in pain from over-exertion.
"Eev… vee eevee," Eevee mumbled before she broke down and began sobbing.
Ethan, unsure of what to do, lifted a shaky hand and rubbed her behind the ears, saying in a soft voice, "It's okay. I'm scared too. But you'll be alright."
That seemed to be the right thing to do, as Eevee's sobs turned into hiccups as she calmed down. She then tilted her head as if asking him something.
"Honestly, I don't know if I'm going to make it. It seems like the Regis really don't want me to be here. I don't even know how I got here in the first place! Hell, I don't even know where I am!" Ethan growled before deflating. "I just want to go home."
Eevee pulled her ears back, surprised by the outburst. Ethan sighed and covered his eyes, wiping away tears before they could form. "You're not safe with me, Eevee. If you stay with me, the Regis might target you too. You should run while you have the chance." Ethan shakily pushed himself up and shouldered his pack.
"I'm going to keep moving. I don't want you to risk your life with me if they find me," Ethan said. The ground shook with the thuds of heavy footfall. He stiffened before turning to Eevee. "Go! Get out of here!" he yelled, pointing a finger in the opposite direction from where he was running.
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Eevee hid behind a rock as the strange two-legged creature that had saved her life ran off. Shortly after, the elemental golems entered the room and exchanged a few beeps between them before splitting up and going down different tunnels.
Eevee pondered about what had just happened. The creature saved her life, comforted her when she needed it, and even put her safety before its own. Eevee set her face in a determined frown. She would not let the one who saved her life fall to the guardians. She wasn't strong enough to stop them, but she knew who was. With a plan in mind, she ran off, determined to save her new friend.
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Ethan was reaching his limit. Then again, he had thought that several times now and managed to keep going. His clothes were mostly dry now, though the blisters forming on his feet, combined with his exhaustion, more than canceled out any hope he could go on for much longer.
The air was thin, making it harder to breathe. Fortunately, Ethan hadn't been found yet, so he was trying to keep at a pace he could maintain, which wasn't much more than a brisk walk.
Ethan's entire body was struggling, and his focus began to wane. As if to prove this was the case, one foot tripped over the other, and he fell forward, letting out a yelp. He covered his face as he hit the floor, groaning in pain.
…Need rest, Ethan begrudgingly thought. He pushed himself onto his knees, crawled over to the nearest wall, and sat back against it.
I have one hell of a headache, Ethan remarked as he tilted his neck to one side, then the other, getting a few satisfying pops. Reaching into a pocket in his cargo jeans, he pulled out an energy bar and bit off one end.
As he chewed, he took time to think about things he had put on hold. He was in the Pokémon world! This is every Pokémon fan's dream, but he was actually here. True, his experience thus far had been less than stellar, but it was still amazing to think about. Which Pokémon world did he end up in, though? Mystery Dungeon? Anime? Games? Manga?
Was he in a Mystery Dungeon? Nope, still human, he thought as he took another bite. Though, this place did feel like a bit of a maze. He couldn't remember any places like this in the games, and he only knew bits and pieces of what happened in the manga. This could be the anime. He was sure he had seen crystals like these before, but his tired mind was drawing up a blank.
Ethan finished his snack and pocketed the wrapper. No need to litter here. He didn't need to give his pursuers a real reason, however small, to chase after him.
Oh, right. Life's still in danger.
Ethan tried to push himself up with shaking arms, but they failed, and he sat back down. His entire body was shaking from the full brunt of his adrenaline crash, and he couldn't run anymore. If he died, he would die here.
Ethan raised a hand and touched a nearby glowing crystal. As he ran his hand over the smooth surface, he felt a sense of calm wash over him, as if assuring him that everything would be alright.
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Ethan's eyes snapped open as he felt the thuds of footsteps grow closer. He didn't feel like he had been out for long, maybe a few minutes at most. The thudding stopped, and Ethan met the cold, indifferent gazes of Regirock, Regice, and Registeel.
The Regis beeped amongst themselves before charging their attacks. Ethan closed his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks. At least he'd be able to see his friend and family again in the next life.
"Come on now. It's too early to give up!"
Ethan cracked open his eyes. In place of his pursuers was a man. The man seemed ethereal, but his features stood out well enough. He had blue eyes and spiked dark blue hair under his hat. He wore a dark cape that went down to his ankles, gray clothing with a simple blue tunic, and blue boots laced halfway up his shin.
"Wh-who are you?" Ethan asked, feeling a sense of familiarity.
The man smiled. "I am just a friend, but that's not important now. Your time is not yet up. You still have things to do. You're here for a reason. You are here to lend a hand in changing the fates of many in this world."
The man leaned down and extended a hand to Ethan. "Take my hand, and I will awaken the potential within you. You might not need it, but it may help."
Confused and knowing he had nothing to lose, Ethan took the proffered hand. When the man let go, Ethan didn't feel any different than before. He arched an eyebrow at the man, who only offered a kind smile. "Good luck, Ethan."
Ethan blinked, and the Regi trio was back where they were before the strange vision. He squeezed his eyes shut as the trio fired their attacks, but the pain he was expecting to feel never came. Cracking his eyelids open, he was astonished to see that the attacks had been stopped by what looked to be a radiant pink barrier.
What?
'Well, hello there!'
Ethan was startled out of his stupor. That last thought wasn't his. He looked up to see a floating pink-furred feline with its paws outstretched. The defining detail that Ethan could see was a long tail with a bulbous tip.
Mew giggled. 'You're funny! I like you!' Mew let the barrier fade when the attacks ended. 'The human is with me now! Go back to your posts,' Mew said, shooing them away.
The trio just stood there, unmoving, and Mew sighed. 'Execute function: addFriend - input: this human.' The lights on the Regis' faces blinked in seemingly random patterns, processing the request before turning to leave.
Ethan, having had enough excitement for one day, promptly fell over and passed out.