My game screen blared out, flashing in colors of victory with confetti falling across the golden text of CONGRATULATIONS! I let out a sigh of relief. That pesky Arcanine wouldn't go down. Maybe I was underleveled. But the Mystery Dungeon series wasn't too keen of giving out EXP.

Let me establish things. My name is Cyan-yes, odd, I know-and I am a 17 year old male. Currently hunched over my 3DS, I was wearing a plain blue tee and cargo shorts. My hair was a neatly combed mullet, my eyes were blue, and my skin was tan. Now, let's continue. I was playing one of my favorite games, Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon, and was aiming to make friends with all the Pokemon available. A daunting task, but one I would not back down from.

Megalovania was being pumped out of my MP3, but I turned it off once the boss was finished. I didn't need music for now. I decided to save my game, while my character, a Maganium, did a small pose once the save was done. I turn off the console, and set it aside. "Damn..." I mutter. My shoulders sag as I stiffly stand up, deciding to head for the kitchen to make myself something to eat. The cabinet didn't have an extreme amount of food to choose from, but there was always enough to cure any cravings I may end up getting. And for some reason, the majority of them included peanut butter.

As I was going to make myself a plain PB sandwich, I feel a sudden vibration from within my pocket-a notification from my phone. I reach my hand inside and pull it out to see I have one text from a childhood friend of mine, Lana. The text read as follows: Yo Cyan, the gang and I are going to climb Mt. Bronze. Wanna come along?

My eyes widened slightly upon seeing the destination. Mt. Bronze was one of the tallest and most dangerous mountains in the county, and it was close by to where I lived as well. But, the risk of danger and the sudden rush of excitement caused me to push any common sense right out of my brain, and replied in an instant. Hell yeah gal, join you in a bit. Gotta get my shit done first.

A response only 13 seconds later. Kk, hurry tho. We ain't waiting for yo ass more than 20 mins bro

I shove my phone back into my pocket and finish up making my sandwich, quickly scarfing it down as I rushed to my room. Along the way, I call out to my mother, who was in her bedroom, "Hey mom! I'm gonna go out with my friends, is that okay?"

"Sure honey! Just be sure to be back by dinner!" My mom called back from her room. Being a working mom, she wasn't able to really hang out with me much. She was mostly on her computer, trying to satisfy clients. But I knew she cared, and always tried her best to make family time happen. She was the best mom. Finishing up my food, I decided to wear some simple running shoes for the climb, packed my backpack with some water, food, an MP3 for some walking tunes, and my phone. Just in case we found anything on the trail. Never know when one will need extra pockets.

I turn to the mirror situated inside the living room. My eyes dart around my figure, taking in every bit of information my brain could register. Light-brown skin, blue eyes, mullet hairstyle, black hair, skinny figure, toned body, 6'2 ft. tall. Overall, ready to fucking rock and roll. Satisfied, I left the house, entering my green front yard. I lived within a quiet neighborhood with a park, a pool, and a community board. Nothing much really happened around here. Ever.

Anyway, the hiking trail I was looking for was a little ways away. Mt. Bronze was a looming figure, where its' shadow cast down upon us, bringing the folk of my community everlasting shade on the hottest of days. It was ever grateful, and gave photographers a good shot of the full mountain in its glory. I walked a little ways to the edge of town, and there it was. The sidewalk became more gritty, eventually turning into dirt of different shades.

Sure enough, near the start of that trail were my three partners, standing in a semi-circle. There was Sarah, the quiet one. She is 5'4, 15 years old, white-skinned, short brown hair, and squinted eyes. She wasn't Asian, just sensitive to the light. Next was Lana, who was older then me. She was 6'1, 18 years old, slightly dark-skinned, with green eyes. Lastly, there was James. He was my first friend, as we met way back in preschool. As of now, he is 17 years old, 5'11, dark-skinned, messy brown hair, and purple eyes.

The four of us always hung out when we could, and stuck together to overcome any problem. "Hey guys!" I shouted, waving my arm. My three friends stopped their conversation and waved back, each sporting a smile.

"Heya Cyan. Good to see you made it!" James cheered, pumping a fist. Sarah nods shyly in agreement.

"Well, I did. So, we exploring a mountain or what?" I ask. Lana scoffs.

"I just don't want to get in trouble for going to Mount Bronze. Normally, people have to be 18 and over to come on this trail, since Bronze is a terribly dangerous mountain. So, let's not go too far into it, alright gang?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips and cocking them to the right. Since she is the oldest out of all of us, she felt it was right for her to take charge. I didn't have a problem with it, but James loved to crack at her every once in a while.

"Okay MOM." James joked. His victory was short lived, as he recoiled from a slap in the face coupled with an angry glare from Lana. "Fuck. Sorry." He said, rubbing his cheek. Sarah chose to stay silent, but was muffling giggles.

"You better be." Lana retorted, causing Sarah to finally crack and burst into laughter. I just smiled at the sight. James always found some way to make Lana mad, and pushed just the right buttons to do it. It was kinda like a daily routine at this point. I take out my MP3 and clutch it in my right hand, and grip my backpack strap with my left. "Lets' move guys." I command.

Everyone agrees, and we move forwards. The trail started easy at first, but soon became steep, jagged, and uneven. Sarah fell a couple times, and scraped her knees. Both of them. I got dirt all over my hands, while Lana and James toughed out their injuries, which in some cases were minor, and other were major. "Ugh, man, this sucks!" Lana complained, wiping some rocks off her shirt. We had to result into climbing instead of walking, and it was taking a toll on our hands.

"Tell me aBOU-" James started to speak, but wasn't able to finish as he fell down a few feet. He managed to grab on to some rocks and grabbed his footing once more. "I'm okay...-huff-...I'm okay." James said, shaking slightly. Sarah tried to reach over and help him up, but he was a bit too far down. She shimmied down a bit to help him up. "Thanks Sarah...Lana, Cyan. Not to be a coward, but I think we should go back. This is getting a bit too difficult."

"Aw common James!" I tease, grabbing onto an upper rock. "Nothing can go wrong here." As soon as the words left my mouth, the Earth began to shake. Rocks along and beside the trail began to fall down one by one or in clumps. Frisk yelped as a larger one nearly hit her right in the head. "You have got to be kidding me. Earthquake! Let's go!" Lana, James, Sarah and I descended as fast as we could, knowing that time was precious here-every second counted. I was in the back of the chain and was going to hop down another ledge, until I found something poking out of a nearby dead shrub. I reach my hand inside, and grab the object, which turned out to be a very broken purple 3DS. The screen was cracked, the buttons were missing, and the paint was faded, torn, and battered. The circle pad was nearly gone. I shrugged and closed it carefully, leaping to the more evened out trail and running after my now very far ahead group. The entire ground was now shaking violently, and at this point I was able to see double.

Lana, upon hearing a loud thud, turned around and looked up. As soon as she found the culprit, her entire expression morphed to one of horror. Large boulders the size of a house were falling from the mountaintop in all directions, causing a very heavy rockslide. She screamed out as loud as she could, whirling back around and hurrying down the rest of the slope as fast as she could. James, Sarah and I have also spotted the threat, going as fast as our legs could carry us.

But not fast enough. One rock strayed from it's path, and shot into the air. Lana wasn't aware of the object, until she saw a growing shadow form underneath her. She turned around and looked up, only to be squashed by the falling boulder. Her arms flew straight off, cut from her body. Blood spewed up to a yard away, staining the nearby trail red. "LANA!" James shouted, frozen in fear. Sarah looked on in horror, before yanking James' arm, urging him on. I was horrified, but seeing the oncoming rocks, I didn't bother to slow down. Sarah and James were behind me now, running as much as they could. The Earth shook extremely hard now, making it hard to keep balance as the rocks kept going.

Frisk tripped over her own feet, bringing James down with her. I turned around when I saw them fall out of the corner of my eye, screaming out, "JAMES! SARAH!"

"CYAN! RUN!" I heard James respond, before his life ended by being completely smashed by a falling boulder. Sarah screeched, her eyes locking with mine looked, filled to the brim with fear. The next set of boulders rained down, and I could only watch in horror as her organs spilt all over the ground, blood combining with James'. Tears sprung in my eyes, my heart breaking into pieces. The boulders were close now, and the land was getting flatter. MP3 in my right hand, broked 3DS in my left, I took off as fast as I could.

Sweat poured down my face as I did my hardest to outrun the now rolling rocks. My breath came out in short gasps as I pushed my legs to go faster and faster, but no matter how hard I tried, the boulders got closer. And closer. And closer. Tears sprung in my eyes as I realized the truth: I can't outrun these things. The boulders were right on my feet now, and the trail took a deep dive. this proved to be a really bad turn of events. The rockslide reigned above me, and I knew my life was going to be over right then and there. "Well, guess it's game over." I muttered, before a horde of boulders came upon me. I closed my eyes, stood still, accepting what was to come, bracing myself for the brief pain. I didn't notice how the 3DS began to glow and shimmer, before I felt the contact of the rock with my body, and everything went black.

Uuhhg...uhnn..where...where am I? Am I alive? Or is this heaven?

Neither. You are between the border of death and life.

What the fuck? Who the hell are you? Show yourself!

I am a being from another world you humans call a fantasy. I am Arceus, creator of an alternate universe where creatures called 'Pokemon' live and prosper. Humans do not exist there.

...I'm sorry-what.

Through the electronic device you have gathered, I have awakened to give you a second chance. In a new world where you must be the hero.

Oh. My god. This cannot be real. Pokemon are just a game! You guys don't exist. This is some crazy dream.

I can assure you, this is real. Now, I can send you to this new world as a human with memories intact, or as a Pokemon where you lose most of your memories. What is your decision?

Uh...Human, obviously.

Very well. I shall now revive you in the Pokemon world. Please, this universe in in trouble. Find and stop Dark Matter and save all of Pokekind.

Wait wha-

Then, the world around me went white.

...

My eyes snapped open.

Everything hurt.

It felt as if I was on fire. My legs, arms, chest, head, everything. All I could feel was pain.

My vision swirled as I tried to grasp reality. The white world swayed around me, making standing up an impossibility. I decided with a heavy mindset that I would just gather my thoughts as I waited for my vision to come clear once more.

I remember being crushed to death by a rock. Then, somewhere, this odd voice talked to me. Gave me a second chance in the world of...wait. It mentioned something about the world of Pokemon, and that here, humans were extinct for...hundreds or thousands of years? Does that mean...? Did it really happen? Was this all a dream, or just some sick, twisted reality?

Opening my eyes again, I took note that my vision was now back to normal. Forcing my head up, I saw that I was laying down stomach-first on a field of grass. A blue sky with few clouds loomed above me, the sun shining. Flowers dotted across the field, giving the area itself a peaceful vibe. Craning my head sideways, I saw a river, and ahead of that, a waterfall. The other way was a forest, very dense at that. "Phht. This has to be heaven or something. Some sick joke this is." I whispered to myself. Shakily, I stood up, and found that I was indeed dressed in the same attire I was wearing when the...the...

The rockslide!

Reality crashed down on me. My friends were all dead. My parents were probably worried sick. I just have to go home, and tell them everything is okay! But, which way was home? Bronze Mountain isn't anywhere near here. And I don't recall a forest being anywhere near where I lived. Maybe that voice was telling the truth? Maybe I was sent to another world? But replaying it all in my head just made it sound more and more crazy. Pokemon are fictional creatures. NO WAY would they exist for real, let alone in another universe.

Pah. Another universe. How crazy must I sound right now? "It's not real. Just some sick dream." I repeat. I look over my back, and find my backpack was indeed there too. I shrug it off, grunting in pain slightly, and set it on the ground. I grab the zipper and jerk it forcefully, opening the pocket and revealing the contents inside.

The broken 3DS was gone. My water bottle was still there, the food I packed was still there, my phone was there, and my MP3 was still there Strange enough, so too was a bandanna with strange markings, and a white, flat plate. I decided to leave them alone, and pull out my phone. I turned it on, and was greeted to a loading screen, and a bar which was filling up very slowly. I decided to leave it be, and set the electronic down for now.

I peer into the river, and cringe. I was wearing, as checked earlier, a camo tee and cargo shorts, along with running shoes. Yet, the clothing items were covered in dried blood. My face, arms, and legs were bruised and scarred, giving the appearance I just came out of a war zone. I decided to try and wash the dried blood off my arms by dipping them into the river, and scrubbed forcefully. The blood washed off smoothly, but the scars still remained.

I did the same to my legs, and splashed some water on my face for good measure. I'll deal with my clothes later.

I return to my phone, and see the loading was complete. Yet, to my confusion, instead of the normal lock screen, there was a logo of...

The Expedition Society from Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon? Funny, I was just playing that game. Come to think of it, this place looks exactly like where my character started at. Is what that voice said really true? Because i'm running out of reasons to deny it at this point.

Soon, after the lock screen, several options presented themselves. Six, I counted. There was Stats, Item Storage, Save, and three options with a lock icon. That's...very weird. Curious, I pressed the "Save" option. Out of nowhere, a blinding, bright rainbow aura surrounded me, nearly causing me to fucking hurl. The flash went away after a few seconds, and new text appeared on the screen: Respawn Point Set.

I regained my composure, and read the text. Then, I read it again. And a third time. "O-kay. Don't know what that means, but i'll accept it at this point." I proclaim, rolling my eyes. I heard that my voice was slightly raspy, but shrugged it off. Probably will go away.

I press the Item Storage option, to which it was empty. There was a big list, and a small one in the corner. The small one was divided into three parts: Weapon, Armour, and Effect.

The last one, stats, had nothing on it either. Figures.

I turn the phone off, and tuck it away in the backpack, which was now zipped up and back on my shoulders. Huffing lightly, I turn around, and take a sharp intake of breath. Three Beheyem, EXACTLY FROM THE GAME, were standing there, lights flashing. They expressed no emotion, which I thought at least something would arise since, ya know, human.

But, at the same time, this did confirm my suspicion. This indeed was the world of Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon. And, if I was to be correct, I was the new protagonist. Problem was, I was supposed to become a Pokemon or something. I guess not though, for some reason. Maybe living where a game is now reality had its limits. Yet, this does mean I lack the skills to fight back against wild Pokemon in the dungeons ahead, and am in danger of pretty much any lethal attack.

Back to the front, though, I knew I was outmatched. Without another step, I turned around and bolted. I heard footsteps approach the area I was in, and thought it may have been Nuzleaf making his entrance. I knew what he does in the game, however, so I guess running was a very good choice. I barreled through the forest, swatting away branches, leaping over bushes, and dodging trees. I didn't stop running, no matter how badly my legs ached. I had to keep going.

The layout of the area seemed to change slightly, but in my panicked state, I didn't quite notice the danger until it was a tad too late. I landed face first into the dirt after accidentally tripping, which halted my movements within an instant. I lurched my head upwards, and spat out a load of dirt. "Peh! Yuck." I then take notice of my surroundings, and pale. I was in an empty room, surrounded on three sides by pathways. It seemed to be bordered by evenly placed thicket, which looked impossible to pass through. The entrance I came through was completely gone, but that's not what made me nervous.

What made me nervous was that I accidentally ran right into a mystery dungeon. "Shit." I cursed to myself, pushing my body off the ground. I wiped the dirt off my clothes, and lifted my head warily. I already knew if I ran into a Pokemon-probably grass types since it's a forest-I was in deep shit. Maybe...

I search the ground around me for some sort of item to fight with. So far, nothing of interest. Until my eyes glossed across a very sturdy looking stick. It was smooth, straight, and a leaf growing off the top end of it. Good enough for now, I suppose. I lean down, and grasp the stick with a stern grip. I lean back up, and wield the stick similar to how one would hold a sword. "Alright, I guess this could work. It's pretty solid, and kinda heavy." I mutter, examining the stick. Shrugging, I decide to take the right path, and travel through the dungeon into another room. This one was not as big as the room I entered in, and wasn't as even, but there were some items.

Firstly, in the southern corner, there was some gold coins. Poke, the currency of this world. I pick up the money and slip it into my bag. The next item was a blue, oval berry with a light blue bulge on the top. An oran berry. Not sure how this would affect me. Normally, this would fully heal the user and extent their HP by 10. Memories flash in my head, how when I played as my Chickorita-which I named Clair-in my save file, I would always spam oran berries before a big boss battle. Probably a bad habit, because I wasn't able to heal mid-battle. If my partner, a Pikachu named Sammy, was real, he would probably call me an ass for hogging them all the time.

I decide to put the berry in a side pocket, and avoid eating it for now. Not sure how my body would react to it. As I was doing that, though, I heard small footsteps approach from behind me. I whip around, and find my first foe standing right in front of me: A venonat.

I always loved Venonat: When playing Pokemon Leafgreen on my SP, I had a Venonat I refused to evolve because I thought it was cuter as a Venonat and not a Venomoth. I raised it with care, and it took down quite a lot of foes that I came across. So, of course, I was slightly saddened that I had to fight one. But, I know how the mystery dungeon games are. Wild Pokemon in these games were hostile and mostly unable to be reasoned with-except for certain circumstances, or by chance that they want to join your team.

Yet, I still had to summon up my will and fight. I hold the stick in front of me in a battle-ready position. The Venonat in front of me reared back, and launched a purple beam in front of it, heading straight for me. Psybeam. I think to myself. I dodge to the left, and the beam crashed into the wall, sending small bits of debris into the air. Taking the offensive, I rush forwards-with my bag limiting my speed-until I was nearly in front of the bug type. I swing my stick sideways, nailing the Venonat right in the side. To my surprise, a blue number appeared above the Venonat's head. 15, it was. What? Am I able to see how much damage I deal per attack? If so, that's lit.

I snapped out of my thoughts when an aching pain shot through my body, the source being a Psybeam in the chest. I stumbled back a bit, before regaining myself. I lunge again, swinging the stick in a downward slashing motion. It managed to hit the Venonat head on, and a 18 appeared above the bug's head. It stumbled around for a bit, before falling flat on it's face. I could imagine a small squeaky sound being emitted when it hit the floor, as it's entire body seemed to smush onto the ground.

"Well, I think I won." I say to myself. I did feel guilty about beating up that Venonat, since I always had a soft spot for those species. But, nothing really could be done. I move on down the pathway and to the next room.

I came across a splitpath, straight or left. I decide to keep going straight, and accidentally ran into an Oddish. "Okay, great." I sigh, readying myself into a battle position. The Oddish attacks first, firing a couple small seeds at me. That's either Absorb or Leech Seed. I use my stick to swat the seeds away before they could touch me, and swing my stick in a downwards-diagnol slash. The attack lands, and a big 17 appears above the plant's head. Yeah, definitely a damage counter. How am I able to see that? I finish the creature off by simply kicking the Oddish in the face, dealing 9 damage and knocking the thing out. I step over the fainted grass type and continue.

This room was small, and had no items. But, it did have stairs. "Now to test if the Mystery Dungeon logic really works here." I reach out carefully and touch the stairs, and the second my finger makes contact, a blinding light surrounds me for a second, before wearing off, revealing a different location. "Ouch. My eyes..." My vision was stained for a moment, as I was caught off guard from the sudden teleportation. "At least I know that stairs do work like the games and warp me to the next floor. I think, anyway." My vision finally cleared up, and I rubbed my eyes one last time before looking around the new room. It was small, yet still had some Poke on the floor and a pink berry that looked like a flower bud. Pecha Berry.

I grabbed the items and set them inside my bag for later. I can at least hope that the Pecha berry does what it does in the games. I travel throughout the floor, thankfully not running into any other aggressive Pokemon. I reached the next floor with ease, but oh boy would that peace come to a screeching halt.

Before I even regained my senses from the warp, I was launched into the air by a strong gust of wind. I landed on my back, leaving a small crater in the dirt. Thankfully, my backpack broke my fall, yet I still struggled slightly to get back up. Turns out, there were 3 Woobat swarming me, and they launched a group Gust attack right when I spawned. "You bastards plan that?" I grunt, before holding my stick in a defensive position.

The first Woobat came charging forwards, its' wings glowing slightly. I ducked out of the way of the attack, and swung my weapon upwards at the bats' exposed underside, sending it flying upwards. As it came back down, I held my stick in a baseball-bat position, keeping both eyes on the 'ball'. Right when it was in striking range, I swung with all my might, making contact with the blue bat and sending it careening into it's companions. All three crumpled and fell to the ground, defeated.

I roll my shoulders a few times, and saw that behind me was the stairs. "I could have avoided that whole exchange." I deadpan, before shrugging and touching the stairs. As before, a white glow cast around my body, blinding me as I was warped. Yet, as the light dissipated, I noticed that I wasn't in another floor, yet instead, I ended up back in the forest. Guess that was the last floor. I thought to myself as I gathered my bearings.

I stare straight ahead, seeing a dirt road form in the distance. In the game, that road leads to Serene Village. Guess I have to go there next. Normally, the villagers are welcome to the player. Yet, I ain't a Pokemon-but rather a human, which according to that voice and all the Mystery Dungeon games, they have been extinct for hell knows how long. So just seeing one wandering around may be a bit of a shock. And from there, who knows. Maybe i'll become a hot topic, or a lab rat.

I decide to take my chances, but only at night when everyone is asleep. I don't want to engage with any of them, especially Nuzleaf. I know he's the bad guy, and seeing how he has the ability to turn Pokemon into stone, I don't want to mess with him.

Yet.

I swat away branches and brambles with my stick-which was still in top shape somehow-until I reach the dirt road. My shoes sink into the soil slightly, and each step seemed more like a weary trudge. I was tired, sore, and still slightly bloody. Some of my wounds reopened and were bleeding once more. Yet, I ignored the blood and pain, and pushed forwards.

The sun set on the horizon, the sky turning from a fresh shade of blue to a light yellow, a light yellow to orange, orange to pink, and pink to purple. Darkness coated the forest, and stars began to appear in the sky as the moon rose behind me. It was beginning to get slightly harder to see, as the gaps within the canopy of trees that allowed light to get in dwindled. Oh wait, I forgot! I zip open my backpack with one arm, and reach inside for my phone. Pulling it out, I open it to the lock screen and tried to swipe upwards. And, thankfully, that function still worked as well. The menu looked like one from a iPhone 7, and one of the options was a flashlight! I press the button, and a bright light emitted from the back of my phone, shining a bright light in front of me which illuminated the pathway ahead. I let out a sigh of relief, and hold the phone in front of me. I do still have my MP3 and earbuds too. Maybe I could throw on some music. I reach back into my backpack, and manage to grab onto a wire-which I assumed to be the earbuds. I then guide my fingers down the wire, relying only on my sense of touch, and come across a small rectangular piece of metal. I yank the object out, and as I thought, it turned out to be my MP3 with the earbuds attached. Using my one available hand-since the other was still holding my weapon-, I put the right bud into my right ear, and tuck the left down the neck hole of my shirt. I turn on my MP3, and find it still working fully. I scroll through my list of music as I keep walking, and settled on Take Me Home, Country Roads. It was a peaceful song that I felt fit the atmosphere of my forest stroll.

I slip the device into my short's pocket, and let the music flow.

Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads

All my memories gather round her
Miner's lady, stranger to blue water
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads.

The music washed through me, leaving a refreshed feeling in my soul. I smiled lightly and let my body relax at the soothing tune. I use my left arm to zip my backpack shut from behind, and keep walking along the path. I couldn't help but notice how the pathway became more solid and gritty, which I hoped meant that I was getting close to Serene Village.

I yawned lightly. "Fucking thing..." I grunt, referencing the long trail. "How much longer will this go on?"

As if my question was answered, the trees began to part. I reach into my pocket, and pause the song-which was almost over at this point anyway.

My feet planted into the ground, as a small gust of wind rustled my clothing like a flag flapping on its' pole. My eyes shone as I peered over the view from above.

Serene Village rested beneath the hill.