"My head," Thad moaned as he rubbed his forehead. His vision felt scrambled and blotchy as he rubbed at the pounding sensation that had settled into his forehead.

Wait a minute...

Thad immediately sat up and looked around the dimly lit room by a single candle on the nightstand at his side. He was in bed with a pillow with a blanket over him. The room was warm and had a desk, a few posters of martial arts on the walls, and a couple of storage bins stacked on top of each other. A single window across from him showed a dark sky with a few street lights in the distance.

Thad carefully peeled off the sheet and placed his bare feet on the wooden floor. His shirt and shorts were still on, though a bit dirtier than he remembered. He sat for a moment going over the events he remembered: the shore with the blue dog, the weird cosplayer guy Eusine, and seeing a Pokemon.

I saw a motherfucking Pokemon. In the flesh! Or shell, I guess.

Thad laughed and ran a hand over his neatly trimmed head. The laughter quickly died down, twisting into a sad chuckle, and then finally silence. He stared at the floor longer than he cared to remember before rousing himself to stand. Then he dropped down and began doing push-ups.

Exercise had always served as a great distraction, whether it be social life, school, or other obligations. He could just put his mind on cruise control and let his body move on its own. Sure music would have been nice, but the point was to keep that energy directed from thinking too hard about what he'd seen.

"And...one-hundred," Thad whispered out. He propped himself onto his knees and rested his hands on his thighs for a moment. He let out a breath and hopped up to his feet, beginning to do squats. "Just need a bit more."

But I saw it, with its little eyes and stuff. That blue dog must've been one too. Thad grunted as he dipped into a lower squat, holding the position for a moment. What'd he call it? Silicon? I watched a few episodes as a kid. This is just too weird.

Thad stripped off his slightly damp polo shirt and gently dabbed his forehead. He continued his squat routine; dropping twenty-five normal squats followed by the same amount of jump squats, squat jacks, and a full minute of squat pulses. Still feeling a bit paranoid, Thad pumped out one-hundred lunges as well, fifty per each leg.

His legs burned a bit and felt like jelly, but it was that burn Thad craved. Helped keep his mind off of more pressing matters.

"Damn that feels good. Be cool if they had a TRX in here, but the burn is real." Thad said to himself. He struck a pose and flexed his left quad and calf, observing his handiwork. "Hell yeah, looking straight up shredded."

He wiped the sweat from his brow with his polo once again and tossed the shirt on the bed. He scratched at his washboard abs and walked toward the lone door in the room. Parched and knowing he'd have to face his mysterious situation, he didn't hesitate to dwell any longer on the matter. Thinking too hard about it would just make him want to work out more to distract himself.

Thad turned the knob and opened the door slowly. Footsteps pitter-pattered down the hallway, and he stuck his head out and peeked. Thad's eyes widened as he locked eyes with a strange humanoid creature that stood about two feet tall. It had a blend of pale purple and a pinkish skin tone, three fingers on each hand, and three little prongs protruding from its skull.

The creature held a tray with a washcloth and glass of water. It tilted its head to the side in a curious manner. "Tye?"

"Whoa, you're like ET's buff cousin," Thad muttered. He gave a meek wave at the creature. "Sup buddy…?"

"Ro." The creature held out the tray toward Thad. "Rooo."

Thad took a tentative step out of his room and into the dimly lit hallway. He tried his best to smile and seem approachable, but couldn't help but shake the feeling he was in a fever dream of sorts.

"That for me?"

The creature took a few steps forward, and it took all of Thad's nerves to not clench his well-toned glutes and stare. It raised the tray up above its head, and Thad slowly took the warm washcloth and glass. The little creature quickly lowered the tray and folded it under its arm and began walking toward the door at the far end of the hall.

"Uh, wait, do you run this place?" Thad took a sip of water, savoring the cool liquid. "Or do you have a master or something, little guy?"

"Tye." It pointed toward the door it was about to open, and beckoned Thad forth with its three-digited hand. "Ro-ro."

I think it wants me to follow? Take me to its leader or something. Thad reluctantly followed after the little guy, chugging his glass of water along the way.

Thad strolled behind the little helper, trying not to stare too much at the back of its spiked head. The house was one story with a few pictures hanging on the walls showing a slightly chubby middle-aged man in a gi and a woman with red hair wearing a flowy yellow sundress. While the couple looked happy, Thad hummed as he looked at the strange little creatures surrounding the two that also looked quite happy.

Excite the round monkey-pig thing with boxing glove like fists. That looked absolutely furious.

Either I'm being punked, or this is the wackest shit ever.

The door at the end of the hallway opened, leading into a large dining room. A dark wood table dominated with a neatly carved driftwood chandelier. The room with a few doorless entryways leading into a kitchen and a small common room. Thad kept a safe distance from the creature before him as he watched it scamper toward the kitchen and begin saying words in its strange langauge.

Thad scratched at his pec, and then looked down. Damn, I don't even have a spare shirt. Eh, Not like anybody will complain seeing me.

"You say he's up?" A female's voice called out from the kitchen. More remarks sounding of 'ro' and 'tye' replied in kind, sounding excited. Not one, but two of the strange purple-skinned creatures slipped out of the kitchen and into the dining room, one having a small red apron wrapped around its waist. Thad couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the duo, nearly missing the woman that followed behind them.

The red-haired woman matched those in the portraits in the hallway, though a few more lines were on her face than he'd noticed. At least mid-forties by Thad's estimation, but even so, she rocked the pale apron that was wrapped around her lithe body, and her green eyes sparkled in the candlelight.

"Ahh, so you're finally awake?" She said in an easy tone, wiping her hands on the front of her apron. "Hopefully Tyreek didn't disturb you."

"Tye!"

She turned to the creature without an apron and beamed, giving it a little head rub. "Ah, so you found him awake? Wonderful." She turned back to Thad and clapped her hands together. "I'm Diane by the way. Would you mind staying for dinner? Chuck is still at the gym, and we don't have company over much. How are you feeling by the way?"

"Fine, I think," Thad said, his eyes still locked on the creatures flanking the woman's sides. "To be honest though, I'm straight up not having a good time."

"Oh? Whatever is the matter?"

"What're those?" Thad pointed at the creatures. "Like, you for real right now?"

Diane glanced over at her assistants with a quizzical look in her eye. "You mean my Tyrogues? I mean, sure they're not the most common fighting type, but they're quite helpful. Are you not familiar?"

"Nah," Thad replied. "Not even a little. So...they like help you and stuff? They're Pokemon?"

"Must've been quite a fall," Diane said softly. "Look, a nice meal always helps me get my bearings, perhaps the same for you. It's Mantine stew, a local recipe that's truly divine. Go ahead and take a seat and I'll be out shortly with the pot. Tyreek or Tyson can help you get situated."

Thad looked down at the Tyrogue's who looked back with mild disinterest. Unsure what to say, Thad paused until they went back to their business of tidying up and basic chores as Thad pulled out a seat for himself and sat down.

The chairs and decor had a petrified wood theming, from the fissures that seemed to go across the chairs to the table. Even the plates and bowls had a rustic feel to them as Thad picked them up, inspecting them carefully, lest they all be still a part of his imagination. The strange little decals of figures carved on the bottoms denoted some kind of large bird figure with a sleek silver design; some sort of revered creature to these lands.

Diana strode back into the dining room from the secluded kitchen carrying a pot in her hands. Steam billowed out the top of it as meaty and earthy scents filled the room; hints of lemongrass, parsley, and something gamy Thad couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Smells dope. What's in the pot?" Thad leaned forward, looking into the creamy bubbling liquid. He pursed his lips and looked up at Diana. "This dairy? I'm trying to keep my macros balanced is why I'm asking."

Diana took a seat, waving her Tyrogue helpers away. "It's a family recipe for Clamperl chowder fortified with Miltank cream and some local herbs. Pretty hearty and delicious, and after the day you've had, I imagine you're in need of a good meal." She picked up a bowl and began to serve Thad. "Here, have as much as you like."

Thad put on a welcoming smile, though his stomach turned at the thought of all the unnecessary carbs. "Thanks." Thad scooped up a small spoonful, blew on the steaming liquid, and then gulped it down. His eyes lit up as he dove for another. "Damn Diana, this shit slaps."

"Uh, thank you? I take it, you like it?"

"Yeah," Thad took one more spoonful before setting it down, taking a moment to savor the rich flavors. "Haven't had something this good since my roommate David cooked up a gumbo. I'll have to ration myself, so don't take offense."

Hopefully, David had a better trip than me with that mushroom dude, Thad reflected for a moment as Diana ate her own fill. This can't be a dream with food this tasty and those weird little Tyrogue dudes. Shit be wack.

"So, what can you tell me about yourself, Thad?" Diana asked.

He leaned back in his chair and looked thoughtfully with his hand resting underneath his chin. "Well, my name's Thad. I'm about six-foot-three, hundred and ninety pounds, have about five percent body fat, I max squat about four-hundred, and run about a six-minute mile." Thad slurped down more Clamperl chowder and wiped his lips off with a nearby napkin. "Oh, and I'm an economics major. Guess I should mention that too."

"Where are you from?" Diana inquired once more. "Eusine said you were quite out of sorts, but you seem pretty lucid."

"The wizard looking dude?" Thad raised a brow and then chuckled. "He was helpful, but I don't take stuff too seriously from dudes that cosplay or whatever. He may have had a screw loose. Looking for his blue water dog, I think."

"A Vaporeon?"

"Sure, that sounds right."

Whatever that is. Thad scratched at his ear and let out a sigh. I'm gonna have to learn a whole new zoo system, aren't I?

The two ate in silence for a bit until Diana cleared her throat. "So, do you actually have anything else about yourself besides...impressive physique?"

"Does there need to be?" Thad grinned. Diana blinked and flashed a quick smile before remaining straight-faced, and Thad coughed into his fist. "Oh, yeah. Totally. Uh, I'm from San Diego originally, but currently supposed to be near Santa Monica. This is some small island town in north Cali right?

Diana shook her head. "Afraid not, as this is the Johto region. Cianwood is the major port in the Whirl islands besides Olivine City that's across the sea. Olivine is about a two day ferry ride from here. Does any of that sound familiar?"

"Shit, I'm a time traveler," Thad gushed. He crossed his arms and whistled in a low tone. "Or whatever you call traveling to other places that are far."

"Are you okay? Eusine said you may have hit your head…"

Thad smirked. "No worries, lady. I've been through concussion protocol plenty of times. I feel fine as ever. I think. The Tylenol dudes are still weirding me out."

"They're Tyrogues," Diana emphasized, her voice losing some cheerfulness. "A fighting type Pokemon, and members of this household. Do you really not know?" She clapped her hands together and stood up from the table. "Say, you should meet my husband, Chuck. He's in charge around these parts and may be able to connect with you a bit more." She gave Thad a slow once over; a hint of red appearing on her checks. "And maybe whatever workout routine you do will rub off on him a bit."

Thad couldn't help but smile. Gotta appreciate the bod.

The Tyrogues entered the room and began cleaning up the dining room table. They took the leftovers and dirty plates, to which Thad handed them over quickly. He could rationalize them being weird little human helpers, but their short physiques and strange speech still threw him for a loop. He looked at them like one might steal glances at the blazing sun.

"So," Thad started, pushing in his chair, "your man is the boss around here?"

"That's putting it lightly. He's the gym leader, so he helps with local issues, nature conservation, and," she lowered her voice a smidgen, "a bit too much wrestling and boxing with his Pokemon. Suppose it can't be helped considering his preferences."

"Why's he not here?"

"Had a challenger come in on the ferry earlier, so he won't be back until very late," Diana confirmed. "You're free to use the room you were in previously until morning, and then you can talk with Chuck." Her eyes gravitated towards Thad's abs for a moment. "And feel free to use our weight room. Someone ought to get some use out of it. I'll have Tyreek"

Thad gave a salute to Diana as she walked back into the kitchen, tilting his head to the side to get a better view of her rear. Not too bad, Chuck. Not too bad at all, Thad pondered as he stretched his arms, just in case she whirled her head around.

The Tyrogue with an apron walked up to Thad and pointed over to a closed door at the far end of the dining room. "Rogue," Tyreek grunted.

"That the gym?"

"Tye tye," the Pokemon replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

Thad rolled his shoulders and rotated his hips. "You can understand me?" Thad waited until the Tyrogue nodded. "Dope. Have you ever rack weights before?"

The Tyrogue flexed its spindly arms and smirked.

Alright, maybe this Pokemon nonsense is alright, Thad thought, suppressing a chuckle.

Tyreek opened the door revealing a small indoor gym complete with a dusty treadmill, a squat bar, several plates, and an assortment of dumbbells. Thad brushed past the Tyrogue and closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of stale sweat and raw effort.

"No place like home, eh?" Thad said.

"Tye!"

"Close enough." Thad opened his eyes and shrugged. "Now, let's get in a nice cardio burn before we test out that squat bar, eh?"

A/N: Welcome to my Pokemon Si/OC or whatever you want to call it. I decided to write this for the severe lack of 'Chad energy' in the Pokemon Isekai genre. Comments are appreciated, and I'll update pretty consistently since the average chapter length should be about this.

For more quality fics from tons of other talented fanfiction authors, writing advice, memes, or if you want a place to chill and/or bug me, come stop by the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord at discord . gg / 9XG3U7a