Asterion glanced around, struggling to pinpoint his location. Dense fog surrounded him, making him cough as he stumbled forward. With no clear direction, he pressed on, hoping for some sound—a twig snapping, the wind blowing—but there was only silence. He would have preferred the terrifying screams of the damned to this eerie nothingness.

  With no other choice, he walked and walked, pushing his legs to their limit. All around him stood trees as tall as Alolan Exeggutors, their tops disappearing into the mist. The cold mist blinded his path and dug into his skin, making the seemingly endless trek even more tedious.

  He could feel the chill of the air, thick with an eerie mist that obscured his vision. Every step he took echoed loudly in the emptiness around him, a sound that seemed to reverberate endlessly.

  Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he stumbled upon a house. Well, It wasn't just a house—it was a mansion, looming out of the fog like a forgotten relic. “What's something like this doing all the way out here? Where did that woman take me?” Honestly, he'd rather have been back where he was before at least it was less terrifying.

  Honestly, it was probably a pretty dumb move but what else was he gonna do? Stay here and die? So he went up to it knocking on the door.

  The person who opened it was an elderly butler built like a stack of pancakes in a tuxedo, complete with a bow tie. It might have had more of an old man look if it wasn't for his brick-sized biceps.

  (Which absolutely needed emphasis)

  For a minute they just stared at each other.

  This felt… wrong

  "Uh, sorry to bother you, but I'm kinda, like, really lost. Could you maybe help me out? I'm in a pretty weird situation and just need a sec of your time to, uh, figure things out so perhaps-", he started to ramble, his nerves getting the better of him.

  "I sympathize with your predicament," he interjected, his voice carrying an air of gentle hospitality. "Why don't you spend the night here? Our humble abode is at your disposal, and we would be most delighted to offer you respite from the vagaries of the night."

  "I-”

  “Well then would you please follow me”

  He frowned at being interrupted for a second time. It was almost as if this guy was just an npc.

  But Asterion did as told walking up the stairs slowly taking his time to look around. There were many paintings with gold carvings. There was one of the old butlers whose eyes seemed to be following him- he whirled around. Did that painting just look at him?!

  No, it was just a normal old painting it had to be. He stared at it a moment longer. Had its eyes been blue the whole time?

  With no real choice, he continued to follow, leading him to the dining room

  Asterion let out a sigh finally feeling comfortable with the amount of food set up he couldn't help but question though it seemed like the butler was the only person left in this house if that was the case then why was there a meal fit for a king already prepared? ‘Wait… hadn't he said our?’

  He'd rather not have questioned it though, first aiming for the pancakes.The moment he touched it though he recoiled.Tt felt wrong, it felt like it had no texture if that was even possible, like someone had tried to make pancakes from scratch with no real idea how to make them.They were soft like a pancake but they didn't… feel anything no texture no nothing he might not have noticed if cut into with a knife but… his stomach knotted

  It was stupid but it reminded him of the myth of Hades and Persephone where eating the food of the dead would keep you stuck in ‘hades’ forever perhaps there was some truth to it

  “I-I’m not hungry.”

  “Please help yourself it's the least I can do.”

  He shook his head

  “The food will get cold.”

  “I’m tired.”

  He stared at Asterion for what he counted at least eleven minutes and six seconds. The longest eleven minutes in his entire life.

  “I shall show you to your room.”

  He let out a breath but he didn't feel relief.

  He got up from the table quickly, following the old man. It was strange though it felt like no matter how fast he walked he could never keep up with the old man.For 3 minutes they walked at this point he was almost running yet he was still at least five feet behind he turned a corner sweat dripping down his face.

  The old man was gone. “What the…”

  “Well? Come along now”, The old butler spoke from behind him

  Asterion simply stared at him before uttering; he was done with this he wasn’t an idiot he tried to ignore the signs but he wasn’t dense “What are you?”

  “You must be delirious from not eating would you like a-”

  “What. Are.You?” Asterion repeated.

  His face went blank.

  Then, to Asterion's horror, the old man began to transform. His skin melted like wax, dripping off his body in grotesque rivulets. In place of his eyes were hollow sockets that filled with an abyssal blackness, emitting an unsettling aura. A chilling cackle echoed through the room, but it didn't emanate from the old man—or whatever entity now stood before him.

  Suddenly, a shadowy figure emerged from a purple fog, its form twisted and eyes and a mouth filled with souls and hell itself like a nightmare come to life. It was a Haunter, its eyes glowing with a malevolent light that sent shivers down Asterion’s spine. But this was no ordinary Haunter; it was a monstrous entity, towering above him with eyes ablaze like molten gold and a mouth that opened impossibly wide, revealing rows of gleaming teeth though teeth was a misnomer it was more its mouth were made of spikes and it seemed to want to devour the very essence of his being.

  The Haunter's sinister grin widened, black fog escaping from its mouth as it floated closer, his ghostly tendrils reaching out to ensnare Asterion in their icy grip.

  “No!” Asterion tried to struggle away from it. But Asterion found himself ensnared in a nightmare that gripped his very soul. The air around him crackled with an ominous energy as he stumbled to keep from being devoured

  Asterion's heart pounded in his chest each step heavy as he was forced to move forward.

  The ground trembled beneath Asterion's feet as the colossal Haunter loomed closer, its golden gaze piercing through the darkness with an intensity that sent shivers down his spine. He tried to run, to escape the clutches of this monstrous apparition, but his limbs felt as though they were made of stone, rooted to the spot by the sheer force of his terror.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  With a deafening roar, the Haunter lunged forward, its jaws nearly snapping shut with a force that threatened to swallow Asterion whole.

  But even in the face of such overwhelming horror, Asterion refused to surrender to the darkness. With a surge of defiance, he summoned forth a flicker of courage from the depths of his soul, pushing back against the suffocating grip of fear with all his might.

  Then a black and purple sphere of energy hit the haunter

  He tried to turn back to make out his savior but there was no one

  “Go”, the shadows around him whispered the voice was smaller if strangely similar to his own

  And then, with a final push in a blinding flash of light, the nightmare shattered like glass, leaving

  Asterion gasping for air as he jolted awake.

  He chuckled softly, trying to convince himself it was all just a dream. He closed his eyes and lay back, attempting to steady his racing breath, almost on the verge of delirious laughter. But as he felt the cool, soft earth beneath his back, a wave of existential dread washed over him. If none of that had been real, then why wasn't he in his own bed? Why were his memories fragmented and hazy? Why did everything around him feel unsettlingly unfamiliar? The questions echoed in his mind, each one intensifying his growing sense of unease.

  He gulped not wanting to open his eyes but doing so anyway

  In doing so he shot up into a sitting position and coughed, clearly being an unwise decision as he let out wet, painful coughs into his hand for almost a minute. He took deep wheezing breaths, as deep as his lungs would physically allow. He looked at his hands, grimacing at the flecks of grime and dirt dotting his hand and at the copper taste coating his tongue.

  The boy twisted his neck around, feeling utterly bewildered as he stood up on wobbly legs. This place wasn't exactly heaven, hell, or a hospital cafeteria mishap.

  As the haze lifted from within his mind the surroundings showed themselves in a bewitching display of nature's prowess. Towering trees loom overhead, their gnarled branches seemingly reaching out towards Asterion. Each twist and turn of the paths brings forth a sense of dread and uncertainty, as if the very forest itself is conspiring to keep its secrets hidden.

  The air was thick with the earthy scent of moss and damp foliage, mingling with the sweet fragrance of wildflowers that dot the forest floor. Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy above, casting shadows that danced playfully across the ground, further adding to the mystical ambiance of the woods.

  "What the hell..?", Asterion murmured, turning to hiss at the sudden movement pulling at cuts all over his body. “where the hell am I?" He murmured, wearily.

  He pats down his pockets, finding a cracked phone a phone from his world he had attempted to turn it on but sadly it didn't work as he expected. It was strange… all of this on some level on a subconscious level he knew what all these things were but on a conscious level what even was hell? And he knew for a fact he hadn't had these items on him before ‘Had that girl…?’ He just shook his head sighing

  Oh well, he wouldn't question it, he would try to count his blessings – most of which were in his pockets his finger running over something cool, metal, and spherical at the bottom of his pocket. He wraps his fingers around it and pulls the tiny sphere out.

  "So it was real…?", He tried to recall, or at least make sense of his fragmented memories. "Why am I struggling to remember?" He shook his head, deciding it wasn't crucial at the moment. It was no surprise his memories were fuzzy; after all, he had just been transported into a new body. At least he could recall something from his past life. Maybe he was going crazy, questioning if he even had a past life, but he quickly dismissed that notion. It felt more surreal than his current situation.

  Glancing down at his hands, he knew they weren't his own. He still felt the awkwardness of adjusting to this unfamiliar body—it was uncomfortable, but he was slowly adapting. It was like growing inside someone, a constant pressure building up inside him, yearning for release.

  His eye's widened “New body”, he muttered. Crap?! What did he look like?

  He quickly went over to a river… well river was a strong word it was more like a small pond swamp? He didn't really know, not having gone outside a lot in his life.

  He hissed at his sides once again but ignored it looking into the water ‘Well I certainly look like a pokemon human.’ was what he tried to say but the only thing he could say was: “Woah”

  The face that stared at him wasn't his own. Which again was a surreal experience.

  He was thin and pale you could probably see his ribs if he breathed in slightly too much but at least possessed a slender sort of physique if thin, He was adorned with black hair tinged with a shade of a purple or violet a few elongated strands cascaded over his forehead, while a pronounced, sinuous cowlick adorned the Back of his hair. He winced, noting the need for a touch-up later. This was NOT his style.

  Not that he knew what his style was… Ah he'd figure it.

  However, it was his eyes that captivated him the most: an intriguing display of partial heterochromia, one orb adorned with a captivating shade of purple, while the other boasted a mesmerizing blend of purple and gold, with the inner pupils shimmering in stark white. He wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light but were they glowing?

  He looked down at his attire, a mere semblance of clothing, consisting of tattered gray shorts and a worn, torn black shirt.

  He looked down at his hands to contemplate but even that made him blink in surprise. His left hand. It was pitch black Asterion stared at the stark contrast between his darkened hand and the other ‘Of course’ he mentally sighed unsure of what it meant or how it had happened.

  All in all, if he had to say he looked like a mix between Allister and Kieran if some-what androgynous.

  Disregarding that though. Worst of all he was far, far, far shorter. His height was so lacking, even midgets asked him to step aside!

  His scream echoed through the valleys “Nooooooooooooo!”

  He backed away from the river, forcing himself to calm down. contemplating things now would be useless so he pushed it all aside despite how much he didn't want to.

  Asterion paused for a moment, the crisp air of this world filling his lungs as he surveyed his surroundings. The forest loomed around him, ancient and untamed, alive with the sounds of the unseen.

  "Alright," he muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible above the gentle rustling of leaves. "First things first. I need to figure out where I am." Asterion glanced around, trying to discern any familiar landmarks or signs of civilization, but all he saw were towering trees and dense underbrush stretching endlessly.

  Causing him to sigh he thought back, his knowledge of pokemon was almost crystal clear. Those goons from before, they had been wearing almost all orange right? His eyes widened “Am in Kalos?” He muttered quietly.

  He began to pace back and forth, his brow furrowed in concentration. Biting his thumb in deep thought, he considered his next steps. "That's a good first step if I'm in Kalos I just need to figure out WHERE in kalos I am," he continued his internal monologue, "and gather some supplies. Water, food, shelter—if I'm stuck here, I'll need to survive at the very least."

  As he paced, Asterion caught fleeting glimpses of Pokémon darting through the undergrowth, their forms fleeting in the corners of his vision. He frowned at that for being literally in the pokemon world he hadn't noticed many pokemon around he wondered if there was a reason for that.

  He was lucky to land where tall (pine?) trees rose around him, a pond gently flowing off to his right.

  ‘At least I'm not completely alone.’ he thought as he spun the pokeball- or should he say luxury ball in his hands? If worse came to worst hopefully the Pokemon inside would listen… he wanted to release the pokemon inside but he was nervous for whatever reason. ‘I mean c'mon! If YOU were in the pokemon world your potential partner pokemon is such a big deal!’ Or maybe he just wanted the moment to be dramatic…

  He sighed, kneeling next to the river, and taking a drink from the river. Would it be better to clean the water first? Yep. But he was no survivalist despite that being what he was trying to do…

  Noticing the movement in the water Asterion decided to stick his head in the water looking around to see a school of Magikarp. Real life Pokemon!! He was giddy.

  “Hi!” He spoke, forgetting he couldn't breathe underwater and startling the Magikarp.

  He quickly came back up for air coughing, “Dammit Aster Focus! Or you're going to Die for a second time.”

  He faltered for a second looking up at the sky. He couldn't really remember his life that well old or new unless he focused on the memories that were there but it was like they were covered in a deep fog. The memories of the previous ‘Asterion’ were especially difficult to recall, he sighed part of him really wondering whether it would be a good idea to take on his name. Was he disrespecting him? Had the boy had a family? He grimaced at the thought of simply taking his place.

  “I'll think about that later! Don't let you're adhd distract you!” He paused, ‘What the hell is adhd?’ He shook his head, ‘Never mind that…’

  So, there were all these potential dangers lurking around. Yeah, he was pretty clued up on Pokémon, being an autistic super fan and all, but let's face it, there's a big difference between what you see in the games and what goes down in real life. Like, did Pokémon all act smart like in the cartoons, or were they just glorified animals? He was pretty much in the dark on all that, just trying to figure it out solo. Classic, right?

  And so, he started off marching into the woods confidently; he'd use the pond as a land mark if he wanted to be found; he'd have to stay in one place. He would survive this, no matter what, no matter how insane the situation was. Xerneas itself could catch these hands! He just had to take things one step at a time. Quickly he went about gathering berries using his knowledge of Pokemon to find oran, sitrus, pecha, and others while avoiding anything he didn't recognize. Honestly, he was surprised by just how plentiful the food in the forest was. His throat went dry at what that meant ‘plentiful food and water yet creatures chose to make themselves scarce?’ That could only mean one thing… It was morning currently but if his suspicion was correct he'd have to find a hiding spot to sleep tonight.

  Along the way collecting berries he did see a couple of different Pokemon which made him giddy he tried not to show it on the outside but despite it all it made his stomach roll in a good way seeing creatures like jiggly puff and Noctowl he even saw an amoonguss or two he wanted to run up to them and interact with them but that'd be a bad idea. So he settled from watching from afar, finding as many berries as possible

  He even spotted a Gothita! The small Pokémon stood partially hidden behind a tree, its large eyes fixed on him with an intense, somber gaze. He couldn’t help but wonder why it had been staring at him so intently as if it had sensed something unusual about him.

  Hm…

  He contemplated using what was left of his shirt as a bag but would that be wise? He would need to keep warm.

  He shrugged and stuffed his pockets. "Problem for future Asterion," he said with a mouth full of Oran Berry. "Good luck, buddy!" he chuckled, making his way back down to the stream. He honestly contemplated how he had gotten so lucky there weren't too many wild pokemon food was plentiful he had water it felt almost too lucky… he had never been known for his luck he'd have to contemplate more later.

  Strangely he didn't feel hungry or tired at all, if anything he felt a bit energized, his cuts already healing. ‘I’m glad these things don’t only work on pokemon, I can see myself healing in real time!’, he thought, seeing his cuts slowly close.

  Still, it couldn't hurt to rest; Taking a breather he knew how to conserve energy well and could doze off in a snap. So, he kicked back, listening to the soothing sounds of a stream then he'd head back to the pond from before.

  As he stirred awake, a crimson hue beckoned his attention he looked to his side his berries were still in one piece. Stretching lazily, he approached, only to discover the mesmerizing sight before him: a Zorua, its illusions casting a captivating red light.

  He couldn't tear his gaze away. He watched, as the little guy – or gal, who knows – with its deep black and crimson fur, seemed to be up to something. He thought moving closer

  It was working its magic, weaving illusions left and right attempting to create a bear perhaps an Ursaring? But it seemed inexperienced. It was more like it was, well it was like the Zorua had attended a bear-making workshop run by someone who'd only ever seen bears in fuzzy, out-of-focus photos. The poor thing was flipping around like a pancake on a hot griddle, trying to maintain its balance while simultaneously conjuring up a bear out of thin air. It was like watching a comedy sketch performed by a wannabe magician with stage fright. He couldn't decide whether to applaud or offer some crash course on bear anatomy.

  In the end, he couldn't stifle the laughter bubbling up inside him, despite his best efforts. He clamped his hands over his mouth, but it was as effective as trying to stop a volcano with a tissue. Suddenly, the Zorua, with its keen senses, seemed to sense his watching like a predator detecting prey. With a swift movement, the Zorua's head snapped towards his direction, its oddly gold eyes piercing the darkness with an intensity that seemed to slow time to a crawl.

  —

  He started freaking out. Sure, Zorua might be a pushover in the game, but in real life, were humans just squishy snacks for Pokémon? Were they secretly bench-pressing cars when nobody was looking? Was he even prepared for–

  He froze, locking eyes with the Zorua.

  Blink.

  It blinked.

  Blink.

  It blinked.

  Blink.

  It blinked.

  They engaged in a staring contest. Suddenly, he leaped backward, grasping the pokeball in his pocket questioning whether or not he was supposed to battle this thing to his surprise, the Zorua mirrored his jump, as if it couldn't believe he had moved too.

  He snorted “You're just a little fuzzball” he spoke both trying to mask his rising panic with a poorly timed quip but also finding amusement in the situation.

  He stole a glance at the Zorua, expecting it to roll its eyes at his feeble attempt at bravado. Instead, it seemed genuinely offended, its expression morphing into something resembling a grumpy cat who just got called a dog. It huffed, as if to say, "Excuse me?! You got scared, too! I'm a fierce creature of the wild!

  It let out an attempt at a roar that sounded vaguely like a snow leopard chirping it bolted forward.

  He flinched thinking he was going to die for a poorly time quip but the trickster Pokemon stopped at his feet and shut its eyes in concentration, its crimson hair glowing.

  Asterion cocked his head to the side confused as to what It was doing.

  He blinked “Let's not make that a habit…” he muttered.

  Zorua yipped to get his attention.

  Its hair—fur?—was cast in some sort of illusion. It took him a bit to figure out what it was, a bear(Ursaring? Ursaluna?) Zorua puffed its chest out in pride as if to say “Praise me!!”. Then blinking as if to say “Wait…” realizing it was supposed to be intimidating it growled, arching its back the illusion doing the same letting a roar but it didn't really sound like a roar more like an attempt at a roar.

  With a grin, Asterion prodded the illusion with a flick of his finger, dispelling the charade. He couldn't help but chuckle. it seemed to be young if it hadn't even mastered its power over illusions “Maybe I can…’ he thought

  "Well, well, you're just a little baby, aren't you? Not a shred of a threat in sight!" He said bending maybe it was a bad idea to basically pet a wild animal but it looked so inviting

  Zorua eyes widened and tears appeared in them. It shook its head rapidly to shake the tears from its eyes and growled. Then, in a move that surprised Asterion, Zorua charged forward, headbutting him square in the gut. The impact was like getting tackled by a cannonball; causing him to stumble backwards, instinctively grasping the Zorua in his arms. Their entwined bodies setting off an extreme amount of momentum, propelling them into a range of motion that seemed to intensify with each passing moment, an unstoppable force gaining speed by the secon-

  And suddenly time stopped. He looked around in the forest and he could see pokemon who seemingly came out of hiding looking at him in shock such as amoonguss jigglypuff and noctowl. Were those trees trevenant?! There was even a Gothorita he looked down looking at the fearful Zorua in his arms then looking beneath him

  Ohhh

  He was falling to his death

  Dying for but a second time…..

  Ironic really…

  The irony of facing death once more wasn't lost on him, but before he could ponder it further, time decided to hit the play button again, and he let out a scream that could rival a banshee's wail.