Day 1
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was… wrongness.The ceiling above me wasn't from my apartment in 2025. The fan was an older model, slightly yellowed. The walls were bare. The air smelt different—fresher, like it used to before Mumbai got suffocated with new construction.
My heart hammered.
"No way…"
I scrambled off the bed and ran to the mirror.
A younger face stared back at me. Softer cheeks. Skinny shoulders. No stubble. Not even acne scars yet.
Seventeen-year-old me.
I touched my jaw, then my hair.
"I… I actually went back?"
The panic hit first. Then disbelief. Then a weird calmness washed over me—the kind that comes only when your brain gives up trying to understand.
And that's when it happened.
A soft, bell-like chime echoed inside my skull.
[System Booting…][Initializing Host…][Temporal Rewind Confirmed.][Welcome, User.]
I stumbled backward onto the bed.
"Oh. It's real. It's actually happening."
Then:
[Pokémon Integration begins at midnight.][Prepare accordingly.]
Pokémon.
The word left a chill down my spine. I knew what it meant—if this was real.
But part of me still hoped this was a hallucination.
Then another notification:
[New Ability Unlocked: Evergreen Power]A gentle, restorative energy aiding healing and vitality. Can be shared with living beings.
A healing power.
My hands trembled.This wasn't just a second chance.This was something else entirely.
I took a deep breath.
"Okay… okay. Calm down. One step at a time."
"Aakash[1]! Breakfast is getting cold!" Mom's voice floated through the door.
I stepped out of my room into the familiar 3-BHK apartment:
Cream-colored walls
A long hall with an L-shaped sofa
Fridge humming in the corner
Sagar[2], my younger brother, glued to the TV
Dad scanning through newspapers on the dining table
Everything was so… normal.
It shouldn't be.
My parents still had their jobs. Sagar hadn't gone to college yet.
I sat down quietly beside Sagar.
He gave me a side eye. "You look weird."
"Thanks," I muttered. "Love you too."
He shrugged. "You look like you saw a ghost."
"I saw something worse," I whispered under my breath.
But they didn't notice. Why would they?
For them, this was just another evening.
For me… this was the start of a countdown.
Midnight. The system said Pokémon Integration began at midnight.
11:02 PM — The Night Walk
I couldn't sleep. I needed air.
Our building complex had a small walkway at the back, leading to a cluster of banyan and peepal trees. I'd spent half my childhood exploring them. Even now, the place was quiet, peaceful — a perfect escape.
I told Mom I was going for a walk. She didn't question it; I used to take late-night walks to clear my head before exams.
Fitting.
Cold breeze brushed my face as I stepped outside. The city was quieter than usual. Even the stray dogs were oddly restless, looking up at the sky every few minutes.
I rubbed my palms. "Relax, Aakash. Breathe."
But my steps felt heavier with every corner I turned.
The sky had a faint, unnatural shimmer—as if a curtain of glass lay just beneath the clouds.
I frowned.
"Is it already starting?"
No. The system said midnight. It was only 11 PM.
Unless…
The ground vibrated faintly beside me.
Not a tremor — more like air warping.
My heart jumped.
A few feet away, near the largest banyan tree, space itself rippled like a disturbed pond.
A thin white crack tore open in the air.
A—A spatial rift.
I stumbled backward.
"No, no, no… This shouldn't happen yet."
The light split open wider.
And something small, feathered, and brown shot out of it like a bullet—slamming into the dirt with a choked cry.
My breath caught.
A bird.
No.
A Pokémon.
A Pidgey.
Its wings were singed. Feathers torn. A long scratch across its body oozed a faint blue-tinted blood. It struggled weakly, trying to stand, but collapsed again.
I rushed to it.
"Hey—hey, careful, careful!"
Its red-brown eyes snapped open in fear, glowing dimly. It tried to peck me, but it barely had the strength to twitch.
Then the system whispered:
[Pidgey — Level 17]
[Status: Critical]
My stomach dropped.
This Pidgey hadn't come through intentionally. It had been knocked into the rift during a fight back in its world.
"This… this is insane."
I slowly extended my hands.
"It's okay… I won't hurt you."
Pidgey trembled. Tried to flap its wings. Failed.
My instincts screamed to help it. And the system heard.
[Evergreen Power Activated]
A soft green glow formed in my palm — gentle, warm, alive.
I pressed it carefully onto Pidgey's wound.
The bird stiffened—
Then relaxed, letting out a soft, pained chirp.
The bleeding slowed. Breathing steadied. Its body warmed.
Not healed. Not fully.
But alive.
Barely.
"You're a fighter, aren't you?" I whispered.
It blinked slowly.
And faintly, faintly chirped back.
That tiny sound… I'll never forget it.
The first Pokémon voice on Earth.
I scooped the small bird into my arms. It weighed almost nothing — feather-light, fragile.
But to me, it felt like carrying the weight of a new world.
"I'll take care of you. I promise."
The rift behind me flickered… then sealed with a soft pop.
The night became still again.
As if nothing had happened.
But everything had changed.
I rushed back home, carefully hiding Pidgey under my jacket.
My parents would kill me if they knew I brought a "wild animal" home. Good thing they were asleep.
I sneaked into my room and shut the door quietly.
Pidgey lay on my pillow, breathing faintly.
I placed both hands over it and channeled Evergreen Power once more.
Feathers glowed. Scratches sealed slightly. The worst wounds stopped bleeding.
It still needed days… but it would live.
"Welcome to Earth," I whispered.
It chirped weakly, eyes half-lidded.
11:59 PM — The Moment Everything Changed
As I sat beside the small sleeping bird, the clock ticked closer to midnight.
59:50 59:51 59:52—
The air thickened.
The lights flickered.
Pidgey stirred restlessly, sensing something I couldn't.
Then—
MIDNIGHT.
A cold pulse shot through my skull.
[Pokémon Integration: Phase 1 Started][System Synchronizing with Earth][New Abilities Available:]
Field Scan
Status Screen
Pokédex (Locked)
Crafting Module (Locked)
Berry Blender (Locked)
I exhaled shakily.
"This is really happening."
Somewhere far off, a dog barked. Then another. Then dozens.
The city was waking to something new.
But in my room?
It was just me…and a sleeping Pidgey.
The first Pokémon on Earth.
And the first one I had saved.
Day 2 — First Reports
Morning brought chaos.
Mom had the news on maximum volume. Dad's office group chat buzzed nonstop. Sagar kept yelling, "What is HAPPENING?!"
India's news channels screamed:
"Strange distortions seen worldwide!" "Forests and lakes appearing out of thin air!" "Unknown animals captured on video!"
The world had no clue these were Pokémon.
But I did.
And Pidgey—still weak—hopped into my lap quietly.
"You're safe," I whispered. "Just heal."
System chimed:
[Bond Potential: 12% → 20%]
I didn't want to get too hopeful. This wasn't a game. This was a living creature.
I wouldn't force it.
But the bond… was real.
Days 3–4 — The World Realigns
The days blurred.
More distortions appeared worldwide.
Strange terrains merged into cities.
Governments scrambled to calm people.
Social media flooded with blurry creature videos.
By then, reality had sunk in:
I had no combat power. No Pokémon partner officially. No way to defend myself if things escalated.
The world needed knowledge.
Accurate, structured knowledge.
So I opened my laptop and started coding.
A website. And an app.
A global Pokémon database.
PokeDex.
For now, entries were simple:
Name
Type
Behavior
Danger rating
Possible moves
Images?Barely any.
Only what livestreamers and military leaks had captured.
But it was enough to start.
While the world panicked, I built a tool to help it understand.
Pidgey watched from my windowsill, giving approving chirps.
And every night, I fed Pidgey grains, water, and Evergreen Power.
Slowly, its strength returned.
It began hopping. Stretching wings. Fluffing feathers adorably.
Sagar peeked into my room once and asked, "Why do I hear bird noises?"
"Window's open," I lied.
He shrugged and left.
Thank god.
Day 5
Pidgey was healing fast… and at Level 17, close to evolution.
"Soon, you'll become a Pidgeotto," I whispered.
Pidgey chirped proudly.
But my 3-BHK apartment? Way too small.
So I carefully carried him to the big banyan behind our building.
"You'll have space here," I told him." And if you want to go… you're free."
He nuzzled my cheek. My heart melted.
Day 7 — A Bird Ready for the Sky
A week of Evergreen Power and rest did wonders.
On the morning of Day 7, Pidgey's wings flapped strong and sure.
Its feathers were glossy. Its eyes sharp. Its stance proud.
Glow gathered around it—faint but unmistakable.
"Are you going to evolve?" I whispered, heart racing.
Pidgey cried out, fierce and determined.
It was ready.
Physically. Emotionally. Naturally.
I stepped back.
"Go on. I'm right here."
Golden light wrapped around its small body—
Then—
A roar echoed from Aarey Colony in the distance.
And the world continued changing.
But this?
This moment?
Was ours.
[1] Aakash means sky
[2] Sagar means sea. MC's younger brother age-14