Hey there. Welcome to my story. After playing Breath of the Wild again and watching too many primitive survival videos, I decided to flex my writing muscles for the first time in a while. If you have something to say about my story, don't be afraid to do so.

Ok I don't really know how to write a novel or long story so this is where it all begins.

Daniel, a man of 23 years stares forward into the sea. He is seated at the sandy base of a palm tree whose fronds gently billow in the wind.

'Huh. Why am I at the beach?'

The man stands up and his brown eyes scan the immediate area. The water is crystal clear. Even the sea foam looks clean. The gentle breeze and rhythmic splashing of waves do nothing to calm the increasingly distressed man. He turns around to find a tropical forest. Palms, lesser trees, bushes, and yellowing grass stare back at him accompanied by the rustling of greenery.

'Alright what's going on? Why am I here? Why can't I remember getting here?'

The man looks at his left wrist.

'And what happened to my watch... and my wallet... AND MY PHONE?'

The gravity of the situation starts tugging at the man's brain.

'This can't be happening. No, wait wait. I probably just left them on a table somewhere or something. The house or hotel or whatever must be nearby.'

The man begins to walk along the beach. The sun's heat beats his brow and forces him to squint and shield his face.

'I must be on vacation or something. But why would I pick a tropical vacation? I got enough of the beach as a kid. Maybe some of my friends wanted to go and I decided to go with them. But this isn't a mainland beach. The water is too clear. No way any of them wanted to fly out to some island. Not only that, I would have worn different clothes. Maybe break out the Hawaiian shirts.'

The man takes account of his apparel. Orange flip-flops separate his feet from the warm sand. A black leather belt supports a pair of faded, dark gray cargo shorts which reach his knees. A bright yellow t-shirt, devoid of any branding or lettering covers his torso.

'Try to retrace your steps Daniel. The last thing I was doing was... was walking home from the gym. That would explain the clothes, maybe not the flip-flops though. But that doesn't explain the location. I was several hundred miles from the sea. And judging by the increase in elevation inland, this is a volcanic island. I can't think of any lakes with volcanic islands in the USA. And what happened to my stuff? If I had my phone I could just... '

The man halts his beach side hike. A few feet in front of him is a crab of unusual size. It's walking sideways from the forest to the sea. Its bottom half and legs are a creamy white while its top half and big meaty claws are orange. However the man is fixated on the crab's eyes. They're massive and full of expression, completely unlike the stalks and beads of any crustacean the man has seen before. It's almost cartoonish.

'Excuse me but what kind of crab is this? It looks like it could reach my kneecaps and smash them. And its eyes. That crab looks surprised to see me. Well the feeling's mutual, buddy.'

The creature continues towards the water, its eyes locked onto the man. The man resumes his hike, keeping some distance between him and the creature. The creature stops and pivots as the man passes by. The man takes a look over his shoulder.

'Well that was weird. Can't find that in the US. Are all the animals here so...'

Again, the man stops. His eyes latch on to a bird perched atop a palm tree. Its beak is half black and half yellow. Its wings are very rectangular, each one sporting a blue band of coloring and ending in two points like a ribbon. The bird's eyes are vertical bars, cartoonish and filled with expression. The man's jaw drops.

'That looks like a wingull'

"Wingull! Gull!"

The bird shouts in a parrot-like voice and two more birds land on the tree.

'Oh my god that is a wingull. And that crab... that was a krabby! Why are there Pokemon here? Is this the real world or the Pokemon world? Is this VR or something?'

The man grabs his face, then the sides of his head and finally his scalp. The sun continues to beat his brow.

'Okay this is definitely probably reality. If it isn't, it isn't different enough to matter. The sun is very convincing right now. But...'

The man approaches the sea. A gentle wave hits the shore and washes over his feet.

'Sure feels like the sea.'

The man squats and lets his right hand catch a wave. He cups some seawater in his hand and dips his tongue in.

'Yup. That's saltwater.'

The man resumes his walk on the beach. Sand now sticks to his wet feet and flip-flops.

'Ok, lets just accept this to be reality. No use in pretending otherwise. Right now, I'm in a world with Pokemon. I doubt I'll figure out which Pokemon world I'm in until I reach civilization. Hopefully it will come into view soon.'

The man continues his hike around the island. He spots more Pokemon around.

'Tangela, Wingull, some Pidgey and Pidgeotto, Oddish and one Slowpoke. The water has some Krabby, Tentacool, Magikarp, and a Psyduck here and there. Ok so it's mostly gen one pokemon, I must be near Johto or Kanto. The Wingull could just be migrating. Am I in the Sevii Islands? If I am there should be some town or port nearby right?'

Upon finishing that thought, the man notices footprints on the beach. They belong to him.

'No. No no c'mon. I... I'm stranded? I walked around the whole island and not a single sign of civilization? Not even a boat, a dock or even any trash! That's ridiculous! What kind of world doesn't have ocean pollution!

A pit opens in the man's stomach. A cold bead of sweat streaks down his face. He frantically looks in every direction. The sun beats his brow.

'Ok Daniel just calm down. You've been in the sun for a while, find some shade and try to avoid dehydration. When was the last time I had some water?'

The pit in the man's stomach grows. The shade of the forest canopy combined with the sea breeze let the man cool down. However his distress still clings on.

'Just keep moving Daniel. Find a source of freshwater. There must be something to keep all these plants and Pokemon alive. Think about that trip to Hawaii. What did that tour guide say about water on the islands? Usually, islands have a wet side and a dry side. Judging by all the vegetation here I would say that I'm on the wet side. Water flows from high to low so maybe there's water in the middle.'

The man looks inland through a breach in the canopy. The island rises gently, then quickly becomes steep and sharp. Vegetation covers the view all the way to the peak, where some fog appears to gather.

'The volcano doesn't appear to have been active for a while. If it was there wouldn't be this much plant life right?'

The man starts his trek upwards. He picks up a stick to start beating bushes and tall grass out of the way. The incline is gentle but noticeable. It starts to sap the man's stamina, slowly but surely.

'Man I'm way more out of breath than I should be. Damn that burger punk lifestyle. Taking a car everywhere hasn't done me any favors.'

As the man continues his search, the Pokemon of the island observe him. None of them have ever seen a human before, but their caution outweighs their curiosity so the Pokemon remain at a safe distance. The man makes sure to keep an eye on as many of his observers as possible.

'I'm probably the apex predator here unless there's an Arcanine here or something. Islands tend to have a weaker meta so to speak. I should be fine.'

The man treads carefully. Each step is accompanied by a soft crunch of fallen leaves underfoot. The forest becomes thicker and darker. The Sun's rays no longer reach the ground and light diffuses down from the canopy by the wind's good graces. Grass has given way to short shrubs sporting sizable leaves. Flowers of red, yellow, and orange brightly advertise themselves atop their bushes and fronds. Their shapes are more linear than their more temperate counterparts. The sea's whirring breeze has given way to the clicking of insects, chirping bird calls, and the occasional Pokemon cry.

'Looking closely, I can see some actual bugs and even a few normal-looking birds. Are animals and Pokemon different things here? At least I won't need to eat a Pokemon. That is if I could take one down. I'm sure those moves hurt like hell.'

The sound of running water grabs the man's left ear.

'Yes running water! Oh thank god!'

The man rushes towards the stream, loosening his cautious gait. Before him runs surprisingly clear water. The stream bed is visible through the white waters which strike the stones and bends. The man could easily step over the stream and it isn't deeper than one foot, even at the cauldron of earth that catches a tiny waterfall.

The man cups his hands below the waterfall and takes a drink. The cool water alleviates the man's thirst and some of his worries.

'Maybe drinking untreated water was a bad idea. I guess I'll find out how big a mistake that was in a few hours. I wish I had a cup or bottle to drink out of.'

A flash of inspiration reaches the man.

'Wait... I could just use a coconut! I think I saw a particularly low tree on the beach somewhere. Coconut water is also probably better to drink right now. I just hope they aren't spoiled.'

With that the man follows the water downstream. Its flow becomes slower as the land levels out. The stream stops and collects in a depression a few yards from the edge of the forest. The resulting pond is about 3 yards at its widest and 5.5 yards long. Its shaped vaguely like a fat banana with its ends pointing to the sea. Moss covers the stones that sit near the water. Tall, green grass dips some blades in where it can. Three trees shield the pond from drying out. An Oddish retreats from the grass into the forest.

'Ok, don't drink this water. Oddish are part poison type and it might have unintentionally poisoned the water. Plus its still and you can't even see the bottom.'

The man takes mental note of his location and proceeds to the beach. He plants the stick he has been carrying into the sand and begins following the footprints he made earlier in the day. The sun beats his brow.