It took Zane the whole morning to get used to a body ten years younger, but he finally accepted he'd crossed worlds.
Two hours ago, he'd been selling hacked Pokémon to rich kids. He had just landed a fat order—three perfect 6IV customs and was pulling an all-nighter on the first one when the screen went black. Next thing he knew, he was lying under leaves while a twelve-inch green worm crawled across his chest.
That worm was a Caterpie. Which meant he was now inside the Pokémon world.
Any other fan would've cheered—except Zane had spawned in the middle of nowhere. No city, no roads, no friendly Professor handing out starters. Just trees, bugs, and the angry buzz of Beedrill.
Everyone knows Beedrill: bad temper, worse aim, and a sting that'll kill a rookie trainer dead. The pair of ruby eyes staring at him right now belonged to one pissed-off bug. Its twin poison needles glinted like switchblades.
Zane swallowed. One jab, and his trainer career would end before it started.
"BZZZZ!"
Not a cute buzz. more like a war buzz.
The bushes shook. More red eyes lit up—an entire swarm.
Zane bolted.
Wings thrashed right behind his ears. He sprinted harder than he ever had in gym class. A fork in the path popped up like a Temple Run prompt.
THUNK.
Fire exploded on his side. A needle had found flesh.
Damn it, that hurts!
Tears blurred the trail. Then salvation: a river to his left. Zane dove in, fully clothed. Cold water filled his nose; he clamped his mouth shut and swam blind. Something scaly bumped his hand—an orange, vacant-eyed Magikarp.
He grabbed instinctively. The fish flopped, slapped him across the face with a wet SMACK, and vanished downstream. Bubbles stung his eyes, but through the surface, he could still see Beedrill hovering like murderous helicopters.
No surfacing yet.
He kicked deeper and let the current drag him—ten meters, quick breath, back under. Repeat until the buzzing faded.
When he finally crawled onto a muddy bank, the reflection staring back was his own ten-year-old face—soaking wet, poisoned, and somehow still smug.
"Still handsome," he panted.
The sting throbbed. Purple had already spread under the skin. He peeled off his soaked jacket and tee; a translucent purple needle dropped out of the wound. The flesh around it looked toasted.
Great. Poison. In the games, Pokémon lose HP until they faint. Humans? He didn't want to find out.
His stomach growled louder than a Snorlax. Food first, antidote second.
He remembered the anime: trees here grow Berries. Oran, Pecha, Sitrus—whatever cured poison had to be here somewhere. He scanned the branches: yellow, blue, red fruit dotted the canopy. Pecha were pink, right? He'd kill for one.
Exhausted, he spread his jacket on the ground and flopped back. Sunlight flickered through dying leaves—autumn, then. He had to reach a town before the poison reached his heart.
Something hard jabbed his spine. He dug into the jacket pocket and pulled out a marble-sized purple sphere. The moment his thumb brushed it, the thing ballooned to baseball size: purple top, yellow bottom, an "M" stamped above the button.
A Master Ball. His Master Ball.
He clicked the button. The sphere yawned open with a crisp CLACK. Yellow light poured out and formed a bird-shaped silhouette.
"GAH!"
An orange-and-yellow seabird wobbled in mid-air, wings out for balance, neck feathers flapping like a dinner napkin. A Cramorant—no, a shiny one, silver glisten on every feather.
It tilted its head, eyes blank.
Zane's brain suddenly flooded with text:
Species: Cramorant ♂ (shiny)
Type: Flying / Water
Ability: Gulp Missile
Base Stats: 1530 (every stat 255)
Moves: Sacred Sword, Origin Pulse, Spacial Rend, Roar of Time
Current Mood: &@#?+!#
Status: Perfect
Friendship: 100 (loves you more than fish)
Zane's jaw dropped. This was the first hacked 'mon he'd finished for the customer—four broken moves and maxed stats. Somehow, the editor had crossed over with him.
A translucent window popped into his vision:
Pokémon Editor (Trial v1.0.2)
Functions:
○ Identify
○ Move Tutor
○ Shiny Toggle
○ Ability Swap (template missing)
○ EV/IV Max (template missing)
The bird flapped closer, bonked its beak against Zane's forehead, and cooed like a broken kazoo.
"GAH!"
Zane stared. The staring contest lasted three seconds before the Cramorant tried to swallow his entire hat—if he'd had one.
He did have one thing: a brand-new partner, max loyalty, and a body full of poison.
"Okay, bird," he whispered. "Let's go find a Pecha Berry before I croak."
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