"Hiss… ow, ow, ow!"
Ache woke with a jolt, a sharp stab of pain shooting through his back. It felt like someone had slipped a jagged pebble under him while he slept, just to make him suffer.
He blinked groggily.
What filled his vision was not the familiar ceiling of his room, nor the alarm clock he wrestled with every morning. Instead, a lush, sprawling tree loomed above him. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering across his face like shards of gold, dazzling and intrusive.
"What the… Did I black out last night? But I didn't even drink…"
Instinctively, Ache raised a hand to shield his eyes. His mind was still a mess. His last clear memory was lying in bed, scrolling through Pokémon battle videos on his phone. His bed might have been small, but it was comfortable enough.
So how did he wake up in the middle of the wilderness?
Sleepwalking? If that were the case, his sleepwalking skills were absurd. From a high-rise apartment straight into a forest? That would require Olympic-level agility and endurance.
He struggled to sit up and immediately reached for his pocket.
Thank goodness. His phone was still there. The last line of defense for any modern human.
Clinging to it like a lifeline, Ache pressed the power button. The screen lit up. The familiar interface gave him a brief sense of relief.
Then his expression froze.
At the top left corner, where the signal bars should be, three cold words stared back at him: No Service.
Next to it, a glaring red battery icon displayed an equally terrifying number: 3%.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
His lips twitched.
No signal. Battery almost dead. Trapped in an unfamiliar forest.
This was practically the opening scene of a horror movie or a survival show. For a second, he even suspected hidden cameras nearby, waiting for a bald host to jump out yelling, "Surprise!"
He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
The air smelled of damp earth and fresh vegetation, rich and raw in a way no city could replicate. It was almost too intense.
"Stay calm, Ache. You've survived corporate life. What storm haven't you seen… although, yeah, not this kind."
He got to his feet, brushing dirt and grass off his clothes, and looked around.
A classic temperate broadleaf forest. Towering trees. Dense undergrowth. The occasional bird call echoed through the air, unfamiliar, nothing like the sparrows or pigeons of the city.
Grrr
A loud, unmistakable growl from his stomach shattered the quiet.
Ache pressed a hand against his abdomen, embarrassed. Great. On top of being lost and cut off from the outside world, hunger had joined the party. The most basic layer of Maslow's hierarchy was now launching a full-scale assault on him.
"First, figure out where I am. Then find food," he muttered, trying to rally himself. "If I get out of this forest, I might find a road. Maybe hitch a ride…"
Just as he was about to set off, a flash of color caught the corner of his eye.
Less than five meters away, something peeked out from a bush. A small black-and-white head.
Ache froze.
It looked like a caterpillar… but much larger. Its body was about as long as an adult's forearm. Covered in black fuzz, dotted with white powdery markings. Most striking of all was the ring of red, spike-like protrusions around its neck.
His pupils trembled.
As a longtime Pokémon fan, he knew that shape all too well.
"…That's… Scatterbug?!"
He rubbed his eyes, half convinced he was hallucinating from hunger. But the little creature was very real. It wriggled its plump body across a broad leaf, then paused, looking at him with wide, curious eyes as if to say, "What are you staring at? Never seen a handsome bug on a stroll?"
Ache felt his worldview cracking apart and rebuilding itself at the same time.
If that was Scatterbug, then this place…
Before he could process it, another rustling sound came from the grass.
A small orange shape shot out like a cannonball and stopped near a tree.
It was tiny, mouse-like. Round body, large ears, a thin tail like a black wire. Most distinctive were the orange cheek pouches and the whiskers that looked almost like antennae.
"Dedenne?" The little creature tilted its head, curiously observing this strange two-legged intruder.
"De… Dedenne?!"
Ache's voice caught.
If Scatterbug could still be dismissed as some unknown creature that resembled a Pokémon, then Dedenne completely shattered that denial. Its design simply didn't fit Earth's biology.
"I… did I get transported somewhere?"
He stood there, stunned, watching as Dedenne sniffed around, picked up a nut, and began nibbling on it with its tiny paws.
It was exactly like the anime. Only now, it was real. High-definition, fully immersive, no screen between them.
A wave of overwhelming excitement surged through him, chased immediately by an equally powerful fear.
Excitement, because this was the Pokémon world. The one he had dreamed of countless times, filled with incredible creatures and endless possibilities.
Fear, because he was now a complete outsider here. No money. No Poké Balls. No starter Pokémon. No ID. He didn't even know what dangers lurked in this forest.
"Calm down. Think."
Ache forced himself to breathe.
He had watched hundreds of episodes, played every generation of the games. His theoretical knowledge alone could earn him a doctorate, even if he probably couldn't beat Professor Oak in practice.
"Scatterbug. Dedenne. The region where both commonly appear is… Kalos!"
His mind raced.
Kalos. A region inspired by France. Stylish cities, breathtaking landscapes, and… Mega Evolution.
Realizing this steadied him a little. At least he hadn't landed in some uninhabited wasteland. Kalos had a high level of civilization.
Grrr
His stomach growled again, louder this time.
Startled, Dedenne dropped its food and darted into a tree hollow.
"Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt your meal," Ache said with a wry smile, waving toward the hole.
But the problem remained.
He was starving.
"I need to find people. I need a city."
Determination settled in.
He glanced at the sun, roughly gauging direction. If Pokémon like Dedenne lived here, relatively friendly toward humans, then a settlement couldn't be too far away.
He picked up a sturdy branch as a makeshift weapon. It probably wouldn't do much against a real Pokémon attack, but it gave him a bit of courage.
Carefully, Ache moved through the forest, avoiding areas that looked too dense or shadowy. Along the way, he spotted a few Pidgey preening on branches, and a Caterpie inching its way up a trunk.
Each sight filled him with a strange thrill.
This really was the Pokémon world.
After about an hour of walking, exhaustion caught up with him. Just as he was about to collapse for a break, the trees ahead began to thin.
His spirits lifted. He quickened his pace, pushing through the last stretch of brush.
Then, suddenly, the world opened up.
A wide grassland spread before him. At its far end, the silhouette of a vast city shimmered in the morning light.
It was enormous. Elegant architecture stretched across the horizon. At its center stood a towering black structure, piercing the sky like a blade, its surface gleaming with prismatic light.
Ache drew in a sharp breath.
That was Prism Tower.
That was Lumiose City.
The heart of Kalos. A dazzling metropolis.
"I'm saved…" he murmured, eyes shining, even as his stomach growled at the worst possible moment.
He stared at the distant city as if it were a massive buffet.
"Lumiose City, here I come. Please tell me your restaurants are hiring dishwashers… or maybe some kind-hearted Trainer needs a hype man on the sidelines?"
Gripping his branch tightly, Ache set off toward the city, his steps weary but full of hope.
But in his excitement, he failed to notice the patch of grass not far ahead.
Several pairs of red eyes were watching him in silence.
Their ears twitched, alert.