After the end, Kay found himself in an abyss of darkness, though he wasn't sure if it was because his surroundings were pitch black, or if he'd gone blind. For that matter, all his other seemed useless. He could neither hear, touch, taste, or smell anything. This was his worst fear realized.
People had long since debated the existence of an afterlife, though every major religion disagreed on the specifics, they all agreed that there was some life after life.
He had always stayed out of those conversations because he really didn't care who was right. If death was more than neverending darkness he'd be okay. Yet, he found himself in his current predicament. How long would he idle away for? Probably eternity.
He wasn't sure why his last thoughts were of reincarnation. His parents had been christians and had raised him and his siblings as such, though he hadn't been devout himself. From the time he was little he'd do anything to get out of church, and eventually his mom stopped taking him along. She simply took her other two kids and said nothing further.
When it came down to it, the idea of reincarnation just sounded convenient to him. The gift of a second, third, or even fourth chance sounded like a godsend; it was an idea that very much appealed to the regrets of the dying man.
Hours later, a figure materialized before him in the dark void. Its body appeared gradually, as though little bits of the dark space were coalescing together. The dark figure approached the spot where Kay's consciousness lay.
-I guess I can see, huh.
He snapped out of his thoughts, as it settled near the spot directly before him. During his free hours Kay had managed to keep himself occupied one way or another. As the mysterious being reached him he had been trying to remember the names of every Pokemon, which became increasingly difficult when it came to the later generations that he'd only played once or twice.
"I'm sorry about the wait," said the figure with an emotionless tone, one that made it sound not quite sorry.
It was hard for Kay to focus on the figure. Aside from its face, the entire body was colored a deep obsidian hue, even darker than the blackness of the void. Blending in with the background, Kay was able to ascertain little more than obvious features like arms and legs.
The face did have color, though it was constantly changing. It was like he was simultaneously looking at a myriad of different faces every second. At first, he saw normal skin tones like white, brown, and black, however, the shades of blue and purple confused him.
In addition, the faces featured were constantly being altered. Feminine features soon looked masculine and some didn't look human at all. He was sure at one point horns and bestial ears had been feaured on it's head
Kay soon averted his eyes, as the rapid changes were giving him minor nausea.
"Well, moving onto business…"
The figure clapped its palms together, though instead of the harmless "clap" sound Kay had expected followed a series of sharp and grating noises. With the simple action, the space behind the shapeshifting being began to rend and tear apart. Sounds like the crumpling of styrofoam and chalkboard scratches resulted, as a portion of the void was peeled off like a band aid leaving a small distortion in the darkness.
Kay could see light in the hole, which stayed within the bounds of the tear. It didn't spill into the endless space like he hoped it would. It seemed as though such bright light couldn't penetrate the darkness of the void.
"I'm going to make this quick. Time is money, as they say," said the being, dripping with sarcasm.
"If you want a chance at reincarnation, head though this gateway. If not, you can stay here. If you're still sane in ten thousand years, I'll stop by again. Though by that point, most have gone insane. Well, what are you waiting for?"
The being spoke rapidly. It spoke so fast it was hard for Kay to process.everything it was saying, though he didn't sweat the details. After all, it had just offered reincarnation to him. He decided to head towards the door, and was about to stand up when he remembered he didn't have a body.
"Oh… you actually want another chance? And you looked so at home here too."
Once again the being put his hands together, triggering another miracle. Kay, who had been only a disembodied soul, felt the darkness of the void wrap around him. The shadowy substance suddenly grew very hot as it transmuted into flesh and bone. Kau felt himself on his knees moments later, in the same body he'd lived his entire life with.
Overweight and awkward though his body was, Kay was glad to have it back..
"Gods, you are ugly. No wonder you want another life."
Though the words stung, Kay couldn't deny them. He had lived the past thirty years as a sloppy and overweight man. He'd started balding years ago and what remained was greying with every passing year. Even the blue eyes he'd inherited from his parents were out of place on his thick, stretched-out face. He'd always been a heavy eater, but without regular activities like school and clubs to keep him active, his belly had only grown over the years. He had always been ashamed of his appearance, but had never had the resolve to do anything about it.
Not wanting to look or even acknowledge the figure he'd begun to suspect as a god, Kay shuffled his several hundred pound body to the tear in the void. Wordlessly passing into the hollow of light, he thought he heard the god speak.
"Poor fellow. I'd wish him luck, but there'd be no point really."