Getting pulled through the strange mirror portal was much less painful than I expected. From all the various media I've consumed, getting pulled through a portal usually means that it feels like you're being ripped into pieces and put back together again and again. Instead of that piece of nightmare fuel, it felt like I was just flipped over really quickly, like going through a loop in a roller coaster but a hundred times faster.

The feeling gone, I slowly pried my eyes open, hesitant to look about due to the slight possibility that I was in some kind of eldritch landscape littered with sights unable to be comprehended by mortal eyes. What greeted me instead was exactly what I was looking at before, just without the pink-haired man behind the desk.

Looking down, I noticed one big difference. The strange mirror floor below me, which before refused to acknowledge my existence, has apparently accepted the fact that I'm not a vampire now. I assume the reason for being reunited with my reflection was more from whatever the pink-haired man said I agreed to than the mirror warming up to me. Now that I think about it, I never got that weirdo's name. I assume it's Arlington since that was the name on the shop, although I wouldn't put it past whoever the hell's up to this magical madness to lie on their signage. I mean, they're already dragging people across dimensions against their will; some sign forgery would be in no way out of their realm of conduct.

Looking about some more, I noticed that each of the mirrors, rather than revealing my handsome mug, or even the spooky black mist, decided to instead replicate a screensaver and show me various vistas. Within a wooden, head-sized mirror surrounded with carvings of some sort of fish, I spot what looks to be the bottom of a coral reef. The shadow of some unidentified creature draping the portal with shadow confirms that most likely these are actual places. Looking through another mirror, I spotted a cityscape whose skyline was completely alien to me, a massive tower that looks like it'd be at home on a chessboard dominates its skyline. The mirrors apparently finding it funny to taunt me with visions of civilization.

I bet the people living in this city are happy with their day, you know, not stuck in some weird place where the mirrors refuse to function! You know what, that's it, time to try either shattering one of these bastards or going through one.

Looking around for a mirror small enough for me to hold, I spotted one next to a mirror displaying some sort of volcano, smoke bubbling out of its caldera. The looking glass was made of brass, the mirror itself ringed with moldings of laurels and other carvings with meanings unknown to me. The top part of the mirror was crowned with some strange, glowing blue crystal cut into the shape of a diamond. The gem was extremely eye-catching, with it feeling like my eyes are forcibly drawn to it.

"Why is this gem so hard to look away from? I get that all these mirrors are magic and evil or something of the sort, but why is it always something that seems to be trying to suck out my soul or trap me in weird dimensions. Can't I just get a break with some normal supernatural things? Like a ghost, or even a demon, or maybe even Mothman? Mothman seems like a reasonable guy to deal with."

Finally managing to rip my gaze from the mirror, I stuffed it into my pocket, only to be met with the painful jolt, like I just grabbed a live wire.

"That's it! I'm done with this! I can't even put something in my pocket without being assaulted. I'm gonna find that pink-haired prick and make him drag me home even if it means beating him against every mirror in this damn store!"

Flinging the evil brass mirror behind me at the largest mirror I could spot, I finally turned to leave this hell store. I found my way out of the damn maze in a huff, coming across the thick wood door in only seconds. The building feels so much smaller when I'm thinking only of throwing the pink-haired man through one of these damned mirrors. Once again, the door attempts its best impression of a boulder, but my lack of patience or care for property causes it to give in much quicker than previously. I prepare to walk about and hunt down the pink guy, only to see that I'm face to face with a massive pair of red eyes staring at me through a massive golden visor.

"It took you a ridiculous amount of time to get out of the store you know. Did you get lost or something?"

The voice that greets me, presumably from the gigantic monster staring down at me was a deep brassy sound. It was the kind of voice you'd expect from some knight clad head to toe in plate armor, or from a creature such as this.

"You know, that's it. That's the final straw, I'm done. Eat me already."

"Why would I go through all the effort of sending Arlington up to bring a willing human down here from the world of man only to eat you? Your realm doesn't even have any aura to make the food taste good! Not even to mention the fact that Arceus sicced Pinky and The Blue Bastard on me last time I thought about trying that. Just ridiculous, you know that? No freedom around here with those three wardens watching my every move. YOU HEARD THAT PINKY. I'M NOT EATING HIM, NOW BUZZ OFF!"

While going off on its unhinged rant, the titanous thing backed away from the doorway, allowing me to get a good look at the creature currently ranting about not being allowed out of his personal dimension. The massive serpent-like creature stretches at least fifty feet in length, its red, gray, and black spiked body curled up, seemingly in frustration. Looking further up what is without a doubt Giratina's body, I see their six black, red-tipped tendrils swinging about, probably Giratina's way of gesticulating.

"... Along with this, it's just utterly ridiculous that you don't even let me out on food runs! I have to send Arlington floating into some warehouse with a mirror and pick it out like that! It's ridiculous I tell you, ridiculous!"

Apparently done with their tirade, the renegade pokémon finally turns its attention back towards me, done screaming at the sky, or Arceus, or both.

"Alright then, sorry about that little tiny outburst, it gets unbearably boring sitting around here staring through the mirror portals all day. Anyways, you're probably wondering why I've invited you to my humble abode. As you can see, it's not for the decor. I, as you might have gotten a hint of, I am quite bored around here. So I decided, in an incredibly unique and genius idea from almost entirely my end and partially Arlington's, to go and get a human from the world of man, that'd be you, and send said human into the world of man and mon to give us our own entertainment! Aren't you just honored?"

"So, you're planning on taking me, a random guy with zero training and no equipment, and dumping me in the middle of the wilderness in a land full of presumably hostile creatures?"

"You've got it in one. Although you'll be getting some equipment from a hidden cache one of the absolutely insufferable cults of mine has in the Sinnoh Underground. Since that little mine got screwed up a tad bit by Pinky and the lake guardians, you should be able to then walk to whatever region you want to visit."

"You must have it so hard dealing with those annoying cults worshipping you. Now you mentioned my complete lack of aura, won't that be an issue from the sounds of it?"

Giratina apparently couldn't understand the concept of a deadpan, judging by their response,

"Oh I'm so glad you understand the pain these cults are, Arlington doesn't understand my pain at all. I'd love to talk to you about it, but I very much do want to send you on your way. But on the topic of aura, the most I can do is wake up what tiny amount you might have, although I'm not sure what it'd turn out to be. Probably the last aura-infused thing you touched. Anyways, this method has the amazing bonus of keeping your mind sealed off from psychic prying from anything weaker than me. Just warning you though, this might hurt a bit, so, good luck!"

"Wait, what do you mean it might hurt a b-"

A crushing pressure started to engulf my entire body and mind. The feeling like I was trapped beneath a mountain, its whole weight crashing down upon me, my vision going dark with the sole exception of Giratina's red eyes, them boring into my soul.

AN: Anyways, hope you're enjoying this so far. I can promise that the MC will get his first Pokémon within at most two chapters, so don't worry about the MC taking a million years to choose one. It'll be quite obvious when he stumbles upon it.