Waves. The sound of waves. I feel like a wave myself, drifting through the flow.

  "Wait! There’s someone in the water!"

  "What?!"

  "Over there, in the canal! Someone fell in!"

  "Shit, you’re right!"

  I hear a spsh as someone dives into the water without hesitation. Strong hands grasp me, dragging my heavy, half-conscious body towardss the cold, solid bank.

  "Hey!" she shouts, shaking me hard. "Are you okay?!"

  I barely have the strength to push my eyes open.

  The face staring down at me is tight with worry. Her mouth moves, but whatever she’s saying slips into the fog as I drift back into the darkness.

  ?

  I wake up violently, gasping as if I’m still drowning in those icy waters. But I’m not.

  I’m warm. Bnkets weigh me down, and as my vision clears, I realize I’m in a cozy bedroom. The kind that feels safe, comfortable, and even elegant.

  "You’re finally awake."

  I turn my head too quickly, regretting it instantly as a sharp headache pierces through my skull. The woman from before is sitting by the bed, arms rested over the back of a chair, her exhaustion evident in her eyes. She’s dressed in a red uniform, her wild mane of brown hair framing her face like a cloud.

  "Easy there, partner," she says, her voice warm. "You gave us all quite the scare."

  Another wave of pain fres behind my eyes. "Ugh... Who... where am I?"

  "Nimbasa City," she replies. "But you looked like you’d been floating a while. Where are you from?"

  Nimbasa City...

  The name feels familiar, but there’s not much else. I remember those st moments—choosing my “character,” stepping into this new life. But beyond that? Nothing. No real memories of who I was. I know what a car is, or a beach, but I can’t recall ever driving or feeling sand between my toes.

  "Sorry," I mutter, rubbing my temples. "I don’t think I can remember anything before… well, before I met you."

  Her expression tightens, a hint of sympathy in her eyes. "That’s… rough." She shifts, sitting down at the foot of the bed. "My name’s Glinda. I’m a Pokémon Ranger with Unova’s jurisdiction. I brought you here to Blueberry Academy, figured it was a safe pce for you to stay, at least for a few nights."

  “Blueberry Academy?” I repeat.

  Something about that sounds… Wrong?

  "It’s a new thing," she expins. "A public initiative to boost Pokémon research, especially after the discovery of Mega Evolutions. The academy hasn’t officially opened yet, but they’re gearing up to train some top-tier trainers here."

  “What… will happen to me?”

  Glinda leans back slightly, her half-smile gentle but tired. "Well, this isn’t Almia, but the Ranger Association shouldn’t have much trouble finding a family looking for a missing kid."

  Unless they don’t exist.

  "And what if…" I hesitate quietly. "What if I don’t want to go back?"

  She gives me a knowing look, her smile widening just a bit. "You wouldn’t be the first kid to run away for a wild adventure, I suppose. Here, take this." She hands me a device—something that looks like a smartphone encased in bck and gold. "This is the only thing we found on you when I pulled you out of the canal. I thought it might give us a clue, but I couldn’t get it to work."

  I take the device, and the moment my fingers brush the screen, it flickers to life. A soft-blue glow spreads across the dispy, illuminating familiar text.

  Welcome to your new life!

  This terminal will allow you to access our services in a remote and comfortable manner.

  Glinda whistles, raising an eyebrow. "Well, that answers that. At least we know it’s yours. Gotta say, I’ve never seen a phone like that. Looks a bit like a Rotom-phone… but without the Rotom. That’s weird."

  "This… this is important," I murmur, gripping the device tightly. "I don’t know how, but I know it is."

  "Then you'd better take care of it." Glinda stands up, heading towards the door. "Come on."

  "Where are we going?"

  "Well, if you’re really not pnning on heading home anytime soon, there are some people you should meet. C’mon, I’m not your mommy."

  I wouldn’t mind if she wanted to be, I think absently, but I push the thought aside and swing my legs out of bed. The cool air makes me shiver as I follow her into the dimly lit hallway. The corridor is quiet, almost eerily so. I gnce around, taking in the empty darkness around us.

  "None of the students should be awake at this hour.”

  "I thought csses hadn’t even started yet?"

  "This is a full-time facility," she expins. "Once they enroll, every student spends a full year here, focusing on one thing—becoming the best trainer they can be."

  “Damn… That sounds awesome.”

  Glinda leads me down the corridor to a room where light spills from under the door. She opens it, and I step inside, immediately greeted by a strikingly familiar face—Elesa, Nimbasa’s Gym Leader.

  “Well, look who finally woke up,” she teases, her eyes twinkling. “Did our little prince charming enjoy being rescued by a cute ranger? Must’ve made the shock of drowning a little easier, huh, sunshine?”

  “Give the kid a break, Elesa,” Glinda sighs, shutting the door behind us. “He’s had one hell of a day.”

  She gestures for me to sit next to Elesa, in front of the rge desk that dominates the center of the room. Behind it sits another woman, someone whose face tugs at the edges of my memory, but I can’t quite pce her.

  “You’ll have to be patient with him. He says he’s lost his memories. And on top of that, he doesn’t seem too eager to find his way back home either. Whether he’s telling the truth or not, it looks like there’s nothing good waiting for him in the past.”

  The woman behind the desk leans forward, her sharp gaze studying me. “And you brought him to me because…?”

  Glinda crosses her arms. “Because if he’s going to move forward on his own, he’s going to need Pokémon by his side. And while you might not be the brightest star in every regard, there’s no one better in Unova at sensing a trainer’s potential than you, Hilda.”

  Hilda. The name clicks. She’s… a legend, isn’t she?

  Hilda studies me with a mix of curiosity and amusement. “So, you’re alone, with nowhere to go, and too stubborn to turn back. Is that right?”

  I nod. “It is.”

  “Do you like Pokémon?” she asks, her voice taking on a serious tone.

  “More than anything in this world.”

  “Then I have just one st question for you. Where are you trying to go?”

  “Huh?”

  “You seem determined not to retrace your steps, so what’s your destination? Why should I help you get there?”

  I pause, unsure.

  “I… I don’t really know where I’m going, and I guess it doesn’t really matter to me. What matters is that there’s a whole world out there, waiting, and this life… it’s my only shot at it. I can’t just waste it by sitting around.”

  Hilda ughs wholeheartedly. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

  She reaches into a drawer and pulls out a sleek briefcase, pcing it on the desk in front of me. When she flips it open, three gleaming Poké Balls are resting inside.

  “A long time ago, on a night like this, someone gave me a choice between three Pokémon. That choice led to the greatest journey of my life.”

  My eyes lock onto the Poké Balls, and without thinking, I reach out, instinctively drawn to them.

  “But…” She pulls the briefcase back a little, a pyful smile on her lips. “I think I can offer you something better. That’s why I’m here as the director of Blueberry Academy.”

  “Better than a free Pokémon from the champion of Unova?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

  She grins. “You really do love Pokémon, don’t you? But sometimes, passion alone won’t get you where you need to go.”

  I hesitate, confused but intrigued. “So, what are you offering?”

  “Well,” she says, leaning back in her chair, “csses at Blueberry Academy are about to begin. Why don’t you stay with us for a while? Figure out who you are before you rush off to see the world.”

  The idea of attending a Pokémon academy, especially one as prestigious as this, sounds incredible. But there’s also this urge inside me, a need to just go—explore, fight, live.

  “If you stay,” Hilda continues, her voice turning gentle, “even if it’s just for a few months, I promise you won’t regret it. My only goal is to help every trainer who walks through our doors discover the tools they need to become who they’re meant to be. I believe everyone has the potential for greatness, and it would be an honor to guide you on the first step of your journey. After all, the only reason I ever made it this far is because I was never alone.”

  “Fine,” I finally answer. “I’ll do my best to stay and learn. But… something tells me my pce in this world is out there, waiting for me.”

  Elesa chuckles, elegantly covering her mouth. “Well, I’ll give you an A for that dazzling passion! We might really have some trainer material on our hands here, huh?”

  Hilda gives a small nod. “Now we just need to make sure nothing can stop him.”

  ?

  Back in my room, the first thing I do is pull out my phone. The strange, bulky device feels oddly familiar in my hands. I need to figure out exactly how this system works.

  The screen flickers to life, dispying a lot of numbers:

  Name: Zeke Lionheart

  Age: 16

  Level: 1 (50%)

  Race: Human

  Stats:

  Str: 10

  Dex: 14Con: 10

  Int: 16

  Wis: 14

  Cha: 14

  Points: 0

  Do you need a guide?

  “Yes.”

  Immediately, text scrolls across the screen:

  From here on, you must collect experience by performing actions in the Pokémon world. Accumuting experience will allow you to level up and earn Skill Points to raise your stats.

  Raising your stats will unlock more Perks or evolve those you already have!

  I frown, studying the screen. "But what’s the deal with these stats? Why are they all over the pce?"

  Your stats have been adjusted to match the needs of the Perks you chose during character creation. Because of this, some Perks are already avaible to you.

  You can find more details in the Perks window.

  I gnce towards the corner of the screen where eight icons are lined up:

  [Stats] [Perks] [Objects] [Missions] [Map] [Pokédex] [Pokémon] [Box]

  Curious, I tap on the Perks icon, and the list appears. Just as the system said, a bunch of them are avaible for purchase, though most are grayed out and locked for now.

  “What about missions?”

  Missions may be assigned at any time. Some will give you specific objectives, while others will present greater challenges.

  Completing missions will reward you with Skill Points and valuable resources.

  A new window pops up:

  [New Mission] Capture your first Pokémon.

  “I guess keeping myself in track won’t be too much of an issue after all.”

  ?

  The next morning, a soft knock on my door pulls me from sleep, the sunlight already bright outside.

  “E-Excuse me?”

  A shy voice comes from the hallway. I try to make myself look halfway presentable before opening the door. On the other side stands a short girl with long, smooth mint-green hair, her eyes downcast as if she'd rather be anywhere but here.

  "W-We’re starting some battle practice soon, and Ms. Elesa wanted to know if you’d like to join us in the garden…"

  Before I can respond, the girl gives a quick nod and scurries down the hallway without another word.

  “Well, it’s nice to see I’m not the most awkward person here,” I mutter to myself, a smile tugging at my lips.

  I’m feeling much better than yesterday, both in body and spirit. As I step out into the soft warmth of the sun, the reality of this new life finally begins to settle in. Around me, I can hear the distant sounds of students chatting, rushing back and forth, ughter drifting on the breeze.

  It’s... nice. A pce where people are just enjoying themselves, where everyone seems genuinely happy.

  I take my time, zily making my way outside. By the time I reach the garden, there are already two dozen students lounging on the grass, some sitting in small groups, others sprawled out in the sunshine.

  "Ah! Now we have every sleepyhead," Elesa says, stepping forward with a bright smile. “Since we have two new arrivals today, let’s start from the top, shall we? My name’s Elesa, and I’m the Gym Leader of Nimbasa City. I’ll be helping with your battle practice until csses officially start.”

  I raise my hand, a little curious. “What about those of us who don’t have Pokémon yet? I assume this is Pokémon battle practice, right?”

  The thought of fist-fighting cssmates over breakfast crosses my mind, and while it sounds ridiculous, at this point, nothing would surprise me.

  Elesa chuckles. “No worries. Everyone will be borrowing some static partners from me—yes, even those who already have their own Pokémon. The goal is to give you all a chance to try out different types and styles before making any big decisions.”

  That actually makes sense, especially considering how many people end up abandoning their starters because they can’t connect with them. Those people are still jerks, though. But yeah, getting some hands-on experience before picking a lifelong partner is definitely smart.

  “Alright, everyone! Stop spacing out and come make your pick!”

  Near the edge of the garden, shaded by a rge oak tree, sit two boxes full with Poké Balls—one red, one blue.

  “The blue box has stronger Pokémon, but you’ll only be able to choose one. Meanwhile, you can take two from the red box, though they’ll probably be less experienced.”

  Unsurprisingly, most students gravitate towards the blue box—eighty percent, maybe. Soon, the garden fills with evolved Pokémon like Raticate, Kadabra, Graveler, Lombre, and Nidorino. Their new partners gasp in awe, marveling at the strength of their borrowed Pokémon.

  I mean, I’m not trying to be a hipster or anything, but… I head for the red box, grabbing two Poké Balls. Here’s hoping I pull something good.

  The first one comes out with a deep croak, stretching as if ready for action.

  “CROAAA-GUNK!”

  The second one floats into the air with a quiet hum.

  “Bron-Bron.”

  Croagunk and Bronzor. Not exactly what I had in mind, but... not bad. That’s actually a pretty solid combo.

  Croagunk and Bronzor. Those are not the Pokémon I would have picked, but that’s a pretty good combo.

  Pulling out my phone, I hit the [Pokémon] tab. The once-empty window now fills with data on my new team. I can see everything—natures, moves, IVs, EVs. None of it is optimal, of course, but it’s nice to have all the info at hand.

  Elesa cps her hands to get our attention. “Alright, everyone! The objective is simple—try to defeat as many opponents as you can. The moment your Pokémon are unable to battle, you're out. Got it? Let’s get started!”

  My heart races with excitement. “Alright, guys, let’s go find an opponent!” I say, Croagunk and Bronzor by my side as I start to move.

  Most of the students begin to drift back towards the school, probably hoping to find a quiet spot for their battles. I’m about to do the same when—

  “Hey, you!” A kid, a little younger than me, shouts while pointing in my direction. “Yeah, you! The new guy! Ever had a Pokémon battle before?”

  I stop. “Uh, no?”

  “Perfect!” His cocky grin spreads wide as he rushes towards me, full of confidence. “I’m gonna wipe the floor with you! And since it’s your first battle, I’ll even be nice and give you a tip—always pick from the blue box. Everyone knows evolved Pokémon are way stronger.”

  Without waiting for a response, he throws out his Poké Ball. A Pidgeotto bursts from it, wings fpping into the air.

  I watch him, that smug look on his face, and my lips twitch into a grin of my own. To whatever divine being sent this obnoxious kid my way—thank you. This is going to be fun.