Alec groaned as he shrugged off his backpack and collapsed on the couch. His back ached from carrying the weight all day.
“Hey, welcome back,” his mom smiled as she entered the room. “How was your day?”
He slowly sat up and ran a hand through his hair, brushing it out of his eyes. “Today felt like my professors were trying to put me to sleep. Like seriously, how do they expect me to sit through two straight hours of ancient history?”
His mom laughed as she sat beside him. “Just power through it, you’re almost done. How many more weeks until the semester’s over again?”
Alec thought for a moment. “Five,” he replied. Even thinking about that number felt surreal—his junior year of high school, almost done. All his classes seemed to be ramping up their difficulty too; they all knew exams were just a handful of weeks away.
“I can’t believe you’re almost done,” his mom smiled. “Have any homework? I’ll go make you a snack while you get started.”
“Nah, just some math. I’ve gotta leave in about an hour though—someone booked another last-minute tutoring session for this evening.” He grabbed the pendant on his necklace and held it up. A couple of years ago, she’d given it to him for his birthday and it was easily the best gift he’d ever gotten. The pendant was about the size of a dollar coin and had a watch and compass on either side. The clock helpfully provided that the time was just after four o’clock.
As she walked into the kitchen, Alec’s mom smiled warmly at him. “I’m so proud of you, honey.”
He chuckled as he pulled out his laptop—a worn-down and thrice-repaired fossil that barely functioned enough to connect to the Internet. As the digital worksheet loaded, he pulled out his pair of headphones, untangled the wire, and plugged them into his phone.
It helped him concentrate to have something in the background to listen to. He hit play on a podcast and relaxed as the voices came to life. The episode automatically picked up from where he’d left off the other day. “—ere’s absolutely no way that Alder makes it as far as he did last year in the conference! He’s getting older—practically ancient by now—not to mention all the fresh talent entering the circuit this year.”
He hummed curiously as he started his homework. The deadline for entering this year’s Gym Circuit was almost here. Maybe I could join this year, he thought longingly. He’d tried in the past with no luck—but maybe this year would be different. Maybe he’d have a shot…
Just then, the podcast abruptly cut to an advertisement, jolting his train of thought back to reality. No, he realized. A Pokemon was a massive expense and the circuit itself was extremely long. It would take dropping out of high school for him to join, decimating his chances at getting into a good college and setting his career back several years.
However, curiosity got the best of him and he opened another browser tab to do some research. He first checked out the homepage for the League, where all the information about the application was listed.
He scrolled past the stuff about the age limit, liability release, and standard—Legendaries Above, it was expensive to enter! The fee funded things like the healthcare, room, and board at Pokemon Centers, so it was reasonably steep, but that didn’t stop it from being so shocking. It was about the price of a brand-new Xtransiever—something Alec definitely didn’t have.
Just then, his mom returned holding a plate with a sandwich on it. “What’s that?” she asked, glancing at his screen as she set it down next to him.
“Signup requirements for the Circuit,” he said.
He faintly noticed her sympathetic smile. “Y’know, if you really wanted to do it, I could pull some extra shifts or—”
Alec cut her off. “ Don’t even think about it. I gotta think realistic; my odds of doing anything noteworthy are basically astronomical .”
“Yeah, but you’re not going to be a kid forever. I regret not doing these things when I was your age.”
Alec hummed in acknowledgment. It was true, the pragmatic part of him knew running off into the forest with nothing but a Pokeball in hand would be incredibly stupid, but the adventurous part of him longed to go anyway. Still, he loved his mom and knew she worked incredibly hard to provide for the two of them. It was an unlikely occurrence that she was even at home right now—sometimes it felt like she spent more time away than home.
It would be extremely selfish of him to leave. Forcing her to push herself even harder while he ran away from reality would tear a hole in his heart.
“Yeah, but the Circuit was way smaller when you were my age. You at least had a shot. I’d be lucky to find anything better than a mangy and feral Ratatta. Plus I’m still set to intern with the Rangers again this summer.” He took a bite of the sandwich and it was absolutely delicious , the type of experience only a loving mother could provide.
His mouth still full, he looked up at her with appreciation. “Well, I’ll let you get back to work then. Try not to get any crumbs on your computer.”
He chuckled, turning his mind back toward his homework.
The assignment was pretty easy, just the same type of problem repeated enough times to fill up his hour of downtime. When he finally finished, it was about time for him to leave for his tutoring appointment. It was easy work and a simple way to make money, plus it took advantage of his strengths.
He gave his mom a quick hug before grabbing his backpack and heading out.
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Several hours later, Alec walked home from the tutoring session. The streetlights clicked on, momentarily blinding him. He knew the route like the back of his hand, so he again fell into autopilot and walked home. His backpack bounced against his back as he walked, making a peaceful rhythm that harmonized with his steps.
A while later, when Alec was just past halfway to his house, something strange caught his eye.
Two streetlamps down, a strange shape caught his eye. Motionless, it hovered beneath the lamp, illuminated by the spotlight. Even though Alec could only see the figure’s silhouette, he could still strangely tell exactly what it was.
Unown , he thought, recognizing the bizarre species based on the alphabet. They were usually only found in historical sites like archaeological digs and old villages. What was one doing in the city?
He approached it carefully, recognizing that it was shaped after the letter ‘S’. The strange Pokemon continued to float right under the streetlight, barely swaying up and down in the wind, its large eye boring straight into Alec like a drill meeting a plank of wood.
Right as he got close enough to get a good look at it, it quickly spun around to face away from Alec and fled from the streetlight. When it reappeared underneath the next light, something was different. Alec immediately noticed that it wasn’t the same shape that it wasn’t before. No, it must’ve changed while it went between streetlights. This time, instead of an ‘S’, it was an ‘E’.
Just as he did last time, Alec again began to creep closer to it, desperately wanting to simply touch the strange, otherworldly Pokemon.
This time, instead of turning and running to the next streetlight down, it crossed the street. The strange, single-eyed Pokemon didn’t even look to the side as it crossed the street. It just hovered forward across until it reached the other side. Luckily, for Alec as well as the Unown, there were no cars nearby.
Alec set his backpack against the wall of a building. I’ll be right back to get it, he thought. No one will steal it if I’m only gone for a minute . He checked his necklace watch. 7:23. He would be back soon.
With that, Alec again followed the strange Unown to its new position, making sure to check for any oncoming cars. Curiously, the Unown didn’t change forms, still reading ‘E’.
Being careful not to stay in the street for too long, Alec hurried across to the opposing sidewalk. The Unown, sensing his approach, once again fled and changed forms into a different letter, being ‘K’.
The chase continued for a while longer, with Alec’s backpack long forgotten. He didn’t even glance at his necklace watch until it read 7:48. But by now, Alec was long lost. He found himself at a four-way intersection between four tall buildings. Strangely, he hadn’t seen a sign of any other people throughout the whole chase.
It still hovered in place, this time in the middle of the intersection. He turned around in a full circle and didn’t see any headlights, so he crept into the street.
The Unown this time chose to look like the letter ‘N’. As far as Alec could tell, there hadn’t been any rhyme or reason behind the letters that the Unown had turned into so far.
S, E, K, O, U, T, A, L, P, M, and now N, with some letters being repeated later down the line.
But this time, when Alec reached the Unown, it didn’t flee.
It did something a little different.
Right before his eyes, it seemed to unfold. Alec’s depth perception betrayed him as dozens of more Unown poured out from behind the one he had been chasing. Hovering around him, they began to spin in a circle and hum a strange buzz that Alec had never heard before. He watched on, shocked, as the Pokemon danced around him, growing faster and faster.
Faster and faster.
Alec looked down, to see his necklace leaning on his chest with the compass side up. Even though it was hanging down vertically, its needle spun wildly, even faster than the Unown. In disbelief, he grabbed the medallion to examine it. He discovered that on the other side, the one with the clock, all three hands spun faster than the compass was.
The strange buzzing produced by the Unown crescendoed even louder, making Alec feel like his head was splitting in two. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears with his hands.
But before anything else strange could happen, he vanished.
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Alec still kept his eyes squeezed shut. He saw only black, or rather the insides of his eyelids.
Carefully, he opened his eyes and could barely tell the difference. Whatever surrounded him was as black as night, indistinguishable from the darkness inside his eyelids. Had he been kidnapped? Was he trapped in a basement somewhere, to never escape again?
No, that couldn’t be it. His gravity was missing, leaving Alec weightless. The strange sensation reminded him of being at the bottom of a swimming pool. Why was his gravity missing? Where was he? What had happened at that intersection, with the Unown? Alec deeply inhaled for the twelfth time since opening his eyes. Was he panicking? His mind was spiraling and he couldn’t focus on his surroundings. Would he ever see his mom again?
As he caught his breath and stabilized his mood, he felt the questions finally relinquish his brain from their iron grasp. He was free to think again and maybe to find answers instead of just panicking.
Alec noticed a slight shift in his vision. A slight variation from the endless void of black that smothered his eyes. A tiny tear in the blindfold, letting in a small gleam of light. It was coming from behind him, so Alec tried to turn around. He used a weird-looking combination of kicks and pulls to orient himself around.
Behind him stood a ball of light, brighter than the sun. He squinted his eyes, immediately feeling them cry out in pain from the luminance. He tried to shield his eyes with his hands, but they didn’t work. They merely hung limply at his sides, unable to be moved at all.
Then the ball of light began to speak to Alec.
“Welcome to my realm, located beyond both time and space. It is good that you are here. I am Arceus.”
Now, Alec had never really been much of a religious person. Throughout the world, there were plenty of religions and none appealed to Alec at all. A handful of his friends from school were Arceans and he passed an Arcean Church on his way to and from school, but he’d never found any interest in it. He slowly began to regret that choice as he realized that the main deity of that religion was floating right in front of him.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“What is your name?” Arceus asked.
Alec felt confused. If he had been summoned here by Arceus, why didn’t he already know his name? He stared for a few seconds, unable to form words, before collecting his wits.
“…Uh, m-my name is Alec, sir,” he said, feeling extremely scared. What did this all-powerful Pokemon want with him? Had he done something wrong? Had he died, standing in that intersection, and was he being judged right now? The incandescent and pristine white light that poured out from behind Arceus made Alec’s eyes water and ache.
“Ah, hello young Alec. You are confused, but you need not worry,” the almighty Pokemon said. “Alec, soon you will find yourself in a strange world. One much like your own, but different in many ways. I apologize for removing you from your life here but you must trust that it is necessary.”
Alec stared, dumbfounded. Arceus stared directly into his soul, unblinking, as if waiting for him to respond. The light framing the god that created the world kept burning into the backs of Alec’s eyes but the pain was quickly fading. After a moment, he regained his confidence and spoke up.
“W-what do you mean, strange world?” he mumbled.
“You are clearly still nervous. Allow me to explain, little Alec.” Arceus hummed, as if considering his next words.
“You see, I have a mission for you, but not in your current era. Your new era will be dangerous, and you will have to fight to survive. Looking at you now, I am certain that you are the correct pick, therefore you need not worry.”
“Mission? Me?” Alec asked incredulously. “Surely, out of everyone alive, there’s not anyone better to send?”
“Ah, we will have to work on that lack of confidence, young Alec. You have little faith in your own abilities and my judgment. Yes, I am certain in my choosing.”
“But what do you want me to do?”
“You must decide that for yourself.”
Whether the light behind Arceus dimmed or Alec’s eyes adjusted, it regardless became easier to look at the light.
"You must leave your previous life behind. While you are there, I command you to do three things:
First, to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
Second, to trust that I will help you along your journey.
Third, to seek out all Pokemon.”
Arceus nodded. And with that, Alec vanished, leaving the Pokemon that predated all other Pokemon alone in the void to wait.
And watch.
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The ground felt like sandpaper on Alec’s skin.
Alec slowly came to consciousness, feeling his senses return to his body. His ears rang and his mouth had a bitter taste in it as if his senses were betraying him for what he had put them through. All over his body, he could feel the grit of sand rubbing against him.
Slowly, his ears began to return to obedience to him and relayed the real sound around him back to his brain. He heard the crashing of a beach by him and the chirping of some flying-types.
His mind instinctually jumped back to his last memory: His bizarre, otherworldly encounter with Arceus, the creator of the world.
Most of the precise details about the encounter escaped him, but he could remember his commands. In fact, he probably would never forget his commands. To protect, to trust, to seek. Thinking those words felt natural as if they were chiseled into his mind from day one.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked around him. A brilliant green landscape stretched before him, with a tall mountain as a backdrop. Behind him waved a massive azure sea, with nothing visible on the horizon.
I really am in a far away world , Alec thought.
Brushing the sand off of his pants and hoodie that he was wearing, Alec began to advance. There was a large wooden pier and a shed on the edge of the beach, so he could tell that this area was at least inhabited. Despite his time with the Pokemon Rangers, he still couldn’t be entirely self-sufficient in the wilderness.
As he cautiously advanced up the beach and looked around, he heard the chirps of a bird getting louder. In a few seconds, a small Rowlet landed in front of him and cocked its head.
Alec recognized the small bird from an old TV show that took place in the Alola region. He remembered that Rowlet was typically native to Alola and unable to be found anywhere else.
He crouched down low to the ground, put his arms out, and slowly approached the Rowlet. As he did, he spoke calmly to it.
“Hey there, I don’t mean you any harm,” he said, growing closer. “I don’t want to hurt you. Can you show me to where the people are?”
The Rowlet chirped and flapped its wings, fluttering straight towards Alec. It hovered near his face for a second or two. Alec had never been this close to a Pokemon before. The feeling was quickly drowned out by his worry about being in a strange place that he couldn’t recognize.
Eventually, the Rowlet tired of its inspection and flew off to a nearby tree. Alec said nothing as the bird grew smaller and vanished into a canopy.
The sands of the beach crunched beneath his running shoes as Alec made his way up the small hill in front of him. When he reached the top, he saw a massive, sprawling landscape covered with trees and rocks. This landscape clearly hadn’t seen the touch of modernism at all. Alec gaped, trying to drink in the scenery around him. Large black rocks also adorned the landscape, probably obsidian or a mineral.
“Arceus,” Alec asked aloud. “Where the heck did you send me?”
Of course, he got no response.
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Later on, as Alec was aimlessly wandering through the fields, he felt his stomach growl. So, he was wandering around, trying to recall anything that the Rangers had said about finding food. He obviously knew not to eat any strange berries or mushrooms, but he was starting to get desperate.
Arceus wouldn’t have sent him out to some barren wilderness, would he? There had to be some kind of civilization nearby. After all, Arceus had told him that he would help him along his journey, whatever that meant.
A little while later, he came across a tree with some berries in it. Alec recognized the particular type of berry from back home. It was an oran berry, not the best-tasting berry in the world, but definitely filling.
He began to push against the tree, trying to firmly shake it back and forth. The tree moved slightly, but not nearly enough to dislodge a berry or two. Alec sighed, knowing that he would have to get creative and climb the tree to hopefully get a berry.
As he stepped back to try to find the easiest way up and down, he noticed some movement in the tree’s upper branches. A Rowlet, likely the one from the beach earlier, peered down at him. It shuffled on its branch and flapped its wings a small bit.
“Row, Rowlet!” it said, trying to grab Alec’s attention. After that, it fluttered to the berries and wrapped its talons around one up on the tree. It struggled against it for a second, before returning to its perch, looking frustrated.
Alec raised his hand to his chin, sizing up the tree. Was it climbable? He recognized one particular branch that hung particularly low and could serve as an armhold.
He clapped his hands together a few times to dust them off and bent his knees, preparing to spring into the tree. With a jump, he wrapped his fingers around the branch, wincing slightly as the bark dug into his skin.
Before long, he had one knee resting on the branch. He dusted off the bark scraps from his hand and looked up, noticing two berries within arm’s reach. Grabbing ahold of the tree’s large trunk for balance, Alec easily reached the berries, grabbing them both and stuffing them into the front pocket of his hoodie.
He looked down, gauging the height to be low enough, before letting go from the tree and dropping. He landed on the ground with a satisfying sound and dusted off the bark and moss from his pants.
Looking back up at the tree, the Rowlet peered down at him, watching his every move. He considered for a second, then took out the berries from his hoodie pocket. He held up one berry, waving it toward the bird, and tossed it up in the air towards it.
With a happy chirp, it leaped from the branch and swooped down, grabbing the berry in its talons. Rowlet was definitely hungrier than Alec because it finished its berry in a matter of seconds. Alec took his time while eating. The soft flesh on the inside of the berry tasted like ambrosia. Somehow, it was sweeter than the ones from the store back home.
After Alec finished his meal, he stood up and watched as Rowlet glided down toward him, landing on his shoulder. He angled his eyes to his left, seeing the bird looking back at him. Alec hummed curiously and continued walking the way he had been going.
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A little time had passed, and Alec still needed to figure out where he was. All around him was the wilderness of this strange land. The trees, bushes, and rocks seemed to stretch on for eternity.
For a second, he thought back to his time interning under the Rangers. Out in the middle of nowhere, it felt the same way, save for the occasional small cabin or campsite they happened across.
He thought of one particular lesson, where he was taught how to care for a wounded Pokemon properly. It had been a surprise lesson, where he and his mentor had happened upon a wounded-
What species was the wounded Pokemon? Alec couldn’t remember. Anyway, it didn’t matter. His mentor had pulled a roll of gauze out of his pocket and treated the wound. That was a Ranger’s duty, taking care of those who couldn’t protect themselves.
That got him thinking about the other lessons his mentor had taught him. He looked back into his mindscape, examining each memory. Like that time-
Alec furrowed his eyebrows. He remembered the event, and what happened, but the precise details escaped him. He couldn’t recall the name or face of his mentor, strangely enough, despite having spent weeks of his life with him.
This reminded Alec of something that Arceus had said, that he would have to leave his previous life behind.
A slight migraine manifested itself in Alec’s head, almost unnoticeable, like the leaves of a tree beginning to turn brown come autumn.
It felt like his brain was slowly being erased like a chalkboard and he was gradually watching as his memories faded. The overall picture was still there but the details were fading. What was the name of his history professor again? What color were the walls in his bedroom?
His headache began to worsen. The leaves were dying faster and faster.
Alec’s unblinking eyes stared at nothing. He tore through his head like a person trapped in a burning building searching for the exit.
Maybe Arceus meant that he’d have to leave his entire life behind, including his memories. He could still remember most things, but would that last? Everything would gradually fade until there was nothing left and he’d be trapped here forever with no recollection of what he’d left behind…
But as he was panicking, he met a realization: Every single memory regarding him and his mother was left perfectly intact. He could recall his the lemon-flavored cake he’d had at his eighth birthday party and the stuffed Garchomp his mom had given him.
He loved that Garchomp and he even remembered that he’d named it Hunter. He used to pretend that he was a trainer, destroying the Circuit with his all-powerful partner.
The peaceful memories calmed him. He let out a sign, face drooping in exhaustion. Quickly, his headache began to ebb away.
Interestingly, he felt as if his muscle memory and knowledge had remained intact. He couldn’t remember the faces of the Rangers that had helped him, but he could remember everything they taught him. That’s a nice touch , he thought. Thanks for that, I guess, Arceus.
Slowly, he got up and brushed the dirt off his knees. He had two options: Stay here and die, or keep looking for some kind of civilization. Obviously, he chose the latter. But that did give him a sense of urgency to find a way home as quickly as possible.
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Alec’s necklace watch now read 5:24 PM, about two hours after he awoke on the beach. Alec still hadn’t found any signs of humanity. He did notice what appeared to be a trail, a worn-down path in the dirt that didn’t have any footprints in it. He decided to follow it, hoping to find whoever made it.
The sun was starting to go down on the west horizon. It wasn’t on the tree line yet, so Alec still had about one or two hours before nightfall. Hopefully, he could find someone or somewhere to rest for the night. Of course, Rowlet still rode on his head.
As he walked, he heard a rustling in the brush just a ways away from the path. From the bushes leaped a Buizel. It stood roughly three feet tall and roared loudly at Alec.
Alec stumbled back, trying to put distance between himself and the feral Pokemon. He grabbed a small stick laying on the ground and brandished it at the Buizel. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to scare it at all.
But as Alec took steps back, he felt the weight of the Rowlet leave his head. It flapped in the air for a second before landing on the ground between the two. It turned its head back toward Alec as if waiting for instructions.
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Wait, is it trying to battle? Does it want me to tell it to use a move? Alec wondered. Well, he could do that. That would explain why Rowlet was acting so attached to him.
Alec thought back to basic Pokemon moves. He didn’t remember any specific moves that Rowlet knew, so he just guessed one that it probably knew.
“Uh, alright, let’s do this!” he called. “Use Tackle, I guess,” he commanded, hoping that Rowlet knew it.
The Rowlet chirped happily and flew forward, straight at the Buizel, cawing a mighty victory cry. “Rowlet, let!”
It slammed into the Buizel, throwing both to the ground and back a few feet. Rowlet quickly flew away, but the damage was done.
The Buizel leaped to its feet and scampered off back into the brush, deciding it wasn’t worth the energy to take the fight. Alec let out the breath that he was holding. They were safe, for now.
“Good job Rowlet.” he congratulated in a loud whisper. “Thanks for protecting me.” Alec struggled to regain his composure. Rowlet happily chirped and fluttered around.
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Eventually, Alec found what seemed to be the outskirts of a city. In the distance, he could barely make out a tall structure that definitely was man-made. It was situated atop a hill and overlooked the surrounding area.
The tall structure appeared to be a wall made of tree trunks tied together. It was several hundred paces long and about twice as tall as Alec. What appeared to be a watchtower poked up from the wall, allowing a guard an even higher vantage point. Rowlet chirped from his perch atop Alec’s head when he saw the city. He couldn’t make out too many details because the city was in front of the sun, meaning it was mostly in shadow on the wall facing Alec.
Then, atop another hill, Alec saw two other silhouettes, this time in a far more recognizable shape. These were clearly two people, both running towards the city. They didn’t seem too far away from where Alec stood, so he raised his hand and shouted toward them.
“Hey!” he called, hoping to get their attention. “You two, over there!”
Both figures stopped running for a second. He couldn’t see their faces, but the two figures started to grow larger as they seemingly approached. Before long, he identified the two as a young boy and a young girl, both seemingly to be about 16, Alec’s age. They both wore ancient-looking clothing, the type of outfit you only see in movies.
As they were approaching, the Rowlet took off from Alec’s head and flew off. Alec could tell he wasn’t leaving. He probably just wanted more food or something.
“I don’t recognize you. Are you from one of the Clans?” the boy asked. “By the way, have you seen anything strange near the rift in the sky?” The girl nodded in agreement.
Alec looked back and forth between the two, pondering for a second on whether he should reveal the fact that he was sent by Arceus. Considering that they were dressed in clothes right out of a history textbook, Alec assumed that he was in ancient times. It was probably a safe bet to not tell them about his mission for now.
“I don’t know anything about falling from the sky,” he said. “But I just woke up on a beach south from here.” Alec checked his compass to make sure that he got the direction right.
“I don’t remember anything though. I don’t know what these clans are that you’re talking about. I only remember my name, Alec.”
The two exchanged glances.
A second later, the girl spoke up. “Well, my name’s Akari, and this is my twin brother Rei. Our village’s watchmen reported seeing the rift shine and grow, and a strange shape emerged from it. Since you don’t remember anything, there’s a chance you’re involved. We’re from Jubilife Village, the big fort just west of here.” She pointed towards the wall that Alec had previously seen.
Wait, it was called Jubilife? Like the city in the Sinnoh region?
Now it was the boy’s, Rei’s, turn to speak up. “Our commander asked us to find anything related to the rift and report back to the village. You, uh, don’t have to come with, I guess, but I can’t imagine you have anywhere else to be.”
Alec nodded. It was either follow these two or wander out in the fieldlands until nightfall. He turned around to the trees where Rowlet had flown off to. As he turned, he caught sight of Rowlet flying back to him. He had a bit of berry juice on the feathers around his beak, which looked extremely cute to Alec.
The bird Pokemon landed right back onto its usual perch on Alec’s head. The twins noticed but didn’t say anything. Perhaps this stranger didn’t prefer to use Pokeballs?
Well, they found what they needed to find. Hopefully, he wasn’t in any trouble.
Rei and Akari exchanged glances, with each one thinking the exact same thing.
Oh boy, Kamado is gonna be so suspicious of him.