章 1: Chapter 1 Reincarnated Into The Pokemon World
Ralts stood bewildered by the riverbank, unsure of what to do. She swayed back and forth, lost in her thoughts. Should she use her psychic powers to lift Roy up? This felt a strange sense of "déjà vu", except Roy was in the river a few days ago.
Now, Roy merely had his head submerged in the clear river water.
Roy pulled his head out of the water, coughing violently for a while. Ralts, concerned, tried to approach, but Roy gestured to stop it.
Four days ago, Roy was reincarnated into this world with unfriendly experience.
The original owner of this body was also named Roy, who drowned. When Roy crossed into this body, water flooded the airways. The condition of Roy's lungs, almost bursting, made Roy feel as though his second life would end abruptly on the start.
Roy's swimming skill couldn't lift up this body due to hypoxia. Ralts' psychic power saved him. Although all Ralts could do was lift Roy's head out of the water, it was enough. The strong will to survive made Roy struggle to regain control of his body and crawl up the riverbank.
Roy sorted through the original owner's memories, looking at the small Ralts beside him. A look of bewilderment crossed his face as he realized that he had indeed reincarnated into the Pokemon world.
Pocket monsters, magical creatures, Pokémon.
Roy was very familiar with them. The few bright spots in his bad childhood were the episodes of Pokémon on the TV. That colorful, cute, and handsome world of countless magical creatures had always been the desire of countless people, and Roy was one of them.
But this reincarnation experience made Roy feel very unreal. It was the fourth day he came to the river like this, trying to verify that he had really reincarnated, not stuck in a dream.
The suffocation felt very real, the feeling of water choking his nose was extremely uncomfortable, and the coolness of the river water dispersed the heat from his body.
Roy swore that this would be the last time he would torture himself like this. Starting today, he would accept the fact that he now has a new life in his dream world.
He would also adapt to his change in identity, after all, in this world, there was only one Roy remaining.
Roy took a deep breath, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ralts still watching him. Thinking about how he had spent the past four days in doubt and confusion, never once reaching out to touch this little cutie, he decided to start with Ralts and feel its texture.
Ralts looked at Roy's outstretched hand, panicked, and then turned around, running all the way to the Pokémon Healing Center in Pewter Town.
Roy hesitated for a moment before remembering that the original owner of this body had a significant problem.
"Pokémon phobia."
This was not an uncommon symptom in a world where humans and Pokémon coexisted. There were people who feared Pokémon, who couldn't touch them, and who were averse to their very existence. Lillie, the princess of Aether Foundation, is one of the most famouse example.
That was the original Roy, his upbringing wasn't friendly either. The shadow left by a wild Pokémon attack during his youth had instilled in him a deep fear of Pokémon.
This condition didn't ease as he grew older. His parents had passed away in an accident when he was young, leaving him without their guidance. Considering he hadn't developed a hatred towards Pokémon, he was already considered quite kind.
As an orphan, he was recommended to work at the Healing Center as an adult, but only to take care of the elderly and children who needed extra care due to accidents... As for Pokémon, he had never once touched one.
The Healing Center's Pokémon, who had long roamed the halls of the facility, felt a slight fear towards this man who always seemed gloomy in their presence. Gradually, the Pokémon began to naturally avoid Roy.
But Roy knew another reason why Ralts kept its distance from him. Ralts's horns could sense a person's mood, and when it sensed positive emotions, it would come closer.
It could fool others, but it couldn't fool Ralts... He really was quite gloomy.
Director Cilan stood at the entrance of the Healing Center, holding Ralts in his arms, looking at Roy with wet sleeves and collar, a hint of anger in his expression.
"It hasn't been long since you nearly drowned last time. What if something similar happens again?"
Feeling the concern in Director Cilan's words, Roy lowered his head in acknowledgment.
"Did you send Ralts to watch over me?" Roy asked.
Director Cilan sighed and nodded. "You're already twenty years old. It's not appropriate for someone to be following you around all the time, so I had Ralts keep an eye on you. Don't worry, it won't come into contact with you unless you want it to. They won't touch you unless you give your consent."
"I want to touch it now," Roy said with a smile, pointing to Ralts.
Director Cilan froze, his eyes widening like bells, his jaw almost hitting the floor.
"Uh... alright," Director Cilan stammered, somewhat dazed as he handed Ralts, still cradled in his arms, over to Roy. However, in a sudden realization, he quickly withdrew his hand, shaking his head repeatedly. "No, no, you have your phobia..."
"I want to overcome it," Roy confidently interrupted Director Cilan, and without waiting for the Director to respond, he gently lifted the struggling Ralts from his arms.
The feel of it was amazing!
Ralts's skin was smooth and warm to the touch. With a light press, the soft skin bounced back to its original shape, just like a piece of smooth jelly.
As Roy lifted Ralts, he could clearly see the faint red eyes hidden beneath the bowl-like blue hair of Ralts. The startled look in its small eyes made Roy couldn't help but rub its head a few more times.
Director Cilan felt his understanding of the world being shaken... Roy had been at the Healing Center for seven years now, and during those seven years, his attitude towards Pokémon was akin to avoiding a fierce flood.
He ate alone in a small compartment, avoiding meals with the Pokémon.
He didn't participate in caring for the patients at the Healing Center with the Pokémon. The Pokémon were strictly not allowed to participate in the care of the patients.
He avoided any contact with the Pokémon. After the accidental touch, Roy didn't dare to leave his room for a whole day.
He refused to accept help from the Pokémon. Heavy lifting tasks were usually assigned to Pokémon with strong strength, such as Machop, Ursaring, and Onix. But it didn't work with Roy. Most of the equipment Roy had procured for the Healing Center was transported by himself using tools. He not only rejected the help of suppliers but also wanted to reject the help of the Pokémon at the Healing Center.
For Roy, the only way to protect himself from the lingering shadows of his childhood was to avoid any deep or further contact with Pokémon.
Like a thorn, he stubbornly hoped that others would understand him, but whenever someone tried to get close to him, they would end up getting hurt by his thorns.
Psychologists had seen him, and the subtle influence of the Healing Center had been tried, yet Roy still only stayed at the point of being willing to coexist with Pokémon... and now, he had actually reached out to touch Ralts?
Director Cilan was a devout believer, and he couldn't help but start to pray, hoping that he wasn't seeing a hallucination due to old age. However, as he finished his prayer and opened his eyes, he found Ralts happily snuggling into Roy's arms, completely devoid of the panic he had felt just a moment ago.
"Roy, are you not feeling well?" Director Cilan felt that this question was quite rude, but he still asked, forcing himself to resist the urge to reach out and check for a fever.
"It's very hot today, so I think it's more likely that I have heatstroke rather than a fever," Roy replied.
Director Cilan trembled his lips, his wrinkled face relaxing. After a while, he sighed, "Seven years... When you came to the Healing Center at thirteen, I hoped you could bravely face them. Their existence is magical, they are cute, beautiful, full of mysteries, fascinating... I always hoped you could free yourself from your childhood nightmares and bravely experience this world."
Director Cilan gently embraced Roy. "You did it, my child, although I don't know how. But you did it, and I hope you're not just suppressing your fears to perform all this."
"I didn't lie to you. After the drowning incident, Ralts saved me. Over these four days, I've thought a lot, and I made this attempt in the end. As you can see, I succeeded. There are some special reasons that prompted me to make this change, but please forgive me for not being able to tell you."
I wouldn't dare say it out loud... How do I say it, telling you that the old Roy is gone, and now you're facing someone who's taken over his body... Roy decided not to stir up the old director, keeping this secret hidden deep inside.
"Everyone has secrets, and if you don't want to say, I won't ask. As long as the change is for the better, that's what matters," Director Cilan replied with a smile.
Roy had an urge to cry.
Before his reincarnation, he wasn't doing well.
Depression made his life exceptionally painful. He walked on thin ice in social situations, and in the workplace, he had to put on various facades to cater to others. The pressure of finances filled his days with irritability and a sense of powerlessness.
He knew he was sick, very sick. He went to see a psychologist, and while the psychologist's counseling made him feel somewhat better, it was only a temporary relief. Back at work, the symptoms persisted. The torment of depression haunted him, causing palpitations at night, insomnia, and constant anxiety during work hours.
At his most desperate moment, he made a phone call. When he heard his parents' voices on the other end of the line, his longing for this world reached its peak... He tried to explain his situation in the simplest words possible, as if he were a drowning person throwing the last straw to the person he trusted the most.
However, his parents didn't understand him, nor did they understand depression. They simply thought their son was lazy and not ambitious enough.
They couldn't read the hysteria hidden beneath his calm words; they only heard the surface...
So he smiled and said goodnight to his parents, went to work the next day as usual, diligently backed up all his work, and sent it to his colleagues.
After having his favorite food at a hotel in the evening, he walked to the rooftop of the residential building, overlooking the brightly lit streets, the bustling roads. He waited until the hustle and bustle faded, until the night was deep and the streets were empty, until there was no one downstairs, until he didn't have to worry about falling and harming innocent passersby, then he took a leap.
In the whistling wind, he recalled the absurdity of his half-life... He felt sorry for his parents who raised him, but he truly felt helpless. Just facing it took all the courage he had... and he couldn't find anyone who could comfort him, who could help him hold on.
People plagued by depression, aside from self-medication and escaping from despair, have little else to rely on...
To outsiders, their cries for help often seem like whining, so they make jokes, categorizing their pain as overthinking... These tiny opinions pile up like small stones on the shoulders of those suffering from depression, and no one knows which one will push them into complete despair.
Roy's pain came in an instant when he hit the ground, but by a strange twist of fate, he crossed over to Pewter Town. A place he had considered a safe haven, a paradise, at his most desperate moment. The world of Pokémon.
Director Cilan's comfort and care felt like a blade piercing through his unspoken past, injecting something warm inside... Those cold, oppressive feelings, a bit of them seeped out.
Roy knew his depression hadn't gone away, but he had found hope for healing.
He looked down at Ralts, and this time, he was going to face his true self, no longer choosing to escape.
Dinner began amidst the astonished gazes of everyone.
Roy's colleagues, who worked with him, circled around him like they had seen a ghost. In their minds, Roy eating together with everyone and the pokemons in the dining hall was simply impossible.
Pokemons, on the other hand, began to retreat with their food boxes. Director Cilan had warned them not to touch Roy without permission.
But the situation was quite bizarre. Growlithe was retreating too slowly, and Roy casually threw meat to him.
The shock of the colleagues reached its peak.
Roy was actually feeding the Pokémon?
Compared to Director Cilan's composure, the colleagues were more radical. They immediately put their hands on Roy's forehead, and someone very considerately brought a thermometer, trying to tuck it under Roy's armpit. Professional colleagues suggested, for more accurate data, it should be inserted into other parts of Roy's body.
Growlithe was completely bewildered by everything that was happening. He hesitated, but in the end, he couldn't resist eating the meat on the ground. Watching the surging crowd surrounding Roy, he abandoned his food bowl and timidly ran to the other pokemons.
Roy never expected that his childhood habit of feeding dogs back home would cause such a commotion. As his eager colleagues tried to insert the thermometer into various parts of his body, Director Cilan finally came out to defuse the situation, explaining Roy's unusual behavior.
The chaos in the Healing Center's dining hall quieted down, and everyone stared at Roy's face, which made him shiver involuntarily. As a person lacking confidence, especially as a depression sufferer, he felt extremely uneasy being exposed to everyone's gaze.
Someone started clapping softly, followed by another, then a third, and a fourth. The applause continued, warm and enthusiastic, accompanied by cheers. Colleagues waved their fists, shouting loudly.
Amidst the cheers, the head cook of the dining hall, a warm-hearted lady, carried a huge pot of stewed meat and ladled a large portion onto Roy's plate.
The cheers reached a crescendo when Director Cilan and the head cook announced, in celebration of Roy overcoming his "Pokémon phobia," that they were adding extra dishes tonight.
This celebration was getting a bit extravagant. Roy covered his forehead, but the ladle kept moving fast.
After eating for a while, Roy suddenly froze.
What kind of meat was this...? The texture was similar to beef, chewy, juicy, tender...
Braised Tauros?
He glanced at the menu of the dining hall and saw "Braised Beef" listed, then he relaxed.
In this world, Pokémon were actually part of the menu... Unlike the harmonious portrayal on TV, this world was more realistic. While various usable animals from his own world existed here, forming a part of the food chain in the Pokémon world, the relationships within the food chain among Pokémon themselves, and even between Pokémon and humans, still existed.
Most of the time, the government and the Pokémon League advocate for the protection of the status of Pokémon, prohibiting the widespread slaughter of Pokémon for common consumption. For this, they provide substantial subsidies to the breeding industry. However, there are exceptions.
According to memory, about ten years ago, there was a widespread proliferation of Magikarp, and the government of the Pokémon world once encouraged large-scale fishing of Magikarp for cooking. However, based on his own culinary memories... Magikarp, if not cooked properly, its meat was too tough. The meat, however, was tender and popular when stewed and cooked at high temperatures.
Roy didn't have an issue with Braised Tauros. he just wanted to know the facts.
After the lively celebration of dinner, Roy returned to his single room, holding the old newspapers and magazines that his colleagues had requested.
Due to the fear of Pokémon that the original Roy had, he had only learned a lot of knowledge about Pokémon to protect himself but never paid attention to news related to Pokémon. Now, he urgently needed to supplement more information.
As for Pokémon, Roy was a loyal fan of the TV series and had some basic knowledge from playing the games in his previous life. Although not hardcore, he knew quite a bit about basic battle tactics. He totally didn't need the memories of the original Roy.
What he needed to know was whether the world he reincarnated into was the plot of the TV series, the game, or simply a world of Pokémon from another dimension... preferably not a special episode, or else he might need to face an OP version of Red, Green, and Giovanni. It would be best if it were just the regular TV series plot, without too many conspiracies, and without enemies too powerful for him to handle.
After quickly browsing through one newspaper and finding nothing noteworthy, Roy switched to another.
"Team Aqua and Team Magma Conspiracy Thwarted."
Roy glanced at the date on the newspaper, "Great," he muttered to himself, "an old newspaper from five months ago, and the wording makes it impossible for me to determine which world line I'm in."
This time, Roy picked up a magazine. As soon as he flipped to the first page, the headline caught his eye:
"Dominating the Battle Frontier, Special Edition on Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town."
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