Wildheart: Chapter 1

_Unlikely Adventure_

I stared at the truck barreling towards me, the driver slumped over the wheel.

Fuck.

Now, you might be wondering how I got into this situation.

My name is Dennis. I'm 17 years old, and this is the story of how I died.

Of course, I didn't actually die, but you probably figured that out already. So, let's get on with the exposition 'n stuff.

I grew up in Southern California, one of the most populated places in the USA. I'd always had a love for learning new things, writing, reading, exploring; there were all sorts of things I was passionate about.

And from a young age, I was the star student, the best boy, the kid who every teacher loved. My grades looked like the answers to a quirky teacher's multiple choice quiz: all A's.

By the time I reached high school, I was in so much stuff, from clubs to sports teams, to more, that I didn't have a lot of time for myself.

I felt burnout. My grades dropped, from A's to C's and D's. The only thing keeping me passing was the weighted grade classes that set my grade a letter above what it shows.

One day, I got in a fight with my parents about my grades, and stormed out of the house. I planned to walk over to my friend's house, but when I crossed the street…

Well, I think you can figure it out from there.

_

I sat up.

"Fuck, man… my head…"

I put a hand on my forehead, pulling it away when I felt blood. "Damn it, I'm… fucking bleeding."

Struggling to my feet, I looked around.

"Where the hell am I…"

The area around me was nothing but desert, with rocky walls creating canyons.

"This isn't good… ugh…"

I took a step forward, and my legs gave out, sending me into the sand.

"Fuck… help…" I looked ahead, trying to make out something in the distance through the one eye that wasn't covered by blood. My groggy mind told me it was green, and not running, but… flying? And were those wings…?

"Help… me…" My voice was hoarse with exhaustion, and before the mysterious creature got close enough, I blacked out.

_

My eyes fluttered open. I was in a hospital, that much was obvious from a look around the room.

"Fuck me, man… I got... hit by a truck, right…?" I raised my hand, expecting to feel some kind of bandage, but… "How… wasn't there a… it's just skin?"

As I confusedly ran my fingers over the untouched skin, the door opened, and a nurse wearing… unconventional clothing walked in.

What is she, a Nurse Joy cosplayer? I thought to myself.

"Ah, you're awake! Lovely to see that, you were in quite dire condition when that Flygon brought you in!"

What did she say? "Flygon?"

"Yes! You haven't heard of it?" She tilted her head. "Perhaps you're from Kanto… but I'm not sure what you'd be doing out here in Alola."

Kanto? Alola?

"Ma'am, where exactly… am I?"

"This is the Malie City Pokemon Center, on Ula'Ula Island." She pointed to a map on the wall. "I don't suppose you've heard of it?"

I blinked. "I have. I just… how did I get here?"

"We're not quite sure. You don't have any form of ID on you."

"Huh… Well, when can I get out of here?"

She frowned. "You should be perfectly healed, so you can go right now, but since you don't have any type of identification, you'll probably want to get something like that."

"And… how do I get that?"

"It's a very easy process, but for now, you should focus on feeling better. Now, I'll be back soon."

She left, leaving me to my thoughts.

I flopped back on the bed. "What the fuck."

So, I got hit by a damn truck, got isekai'd to the Pokemon world of all places, and now…

"This is crazy…"

God, what are my parents thinking right now? Are they blaming themselves…?

I sighed. Well, I might as well make use of this opportunity. I've always wanted this, after all.

_

A few hours later, I was supplied with fresh clothes, shoes, and directions to where I could supposedly get a Trainer's License. I figured that if I was stuck in the Pokemon universe, I might as well be a trainer.

Not gonna lie, a part of me is definitely hyped about this.

All around me, the city bustled with life. Pokémon flew overhead and scurried through the alleys, some walking alongside people living their daily lives. Something about the sight of all this, something I'd only ever seen in art or writing, filled me with a wonder I hadn't felt since I was much younger.

That feeling of experiencing something you'd never think about getting the chance to.

That's how I felt.

God, this is amazing. And there's the sushi place, there's the library over there… This is really Maile City.

"Ok, looks like the address should be near here…"

I turned, walking down another street and encountering an oddly designed building.

"Kantonian Gym…" I read from the sign. "Ohh, I remember this! The place with, what's his name, Ryuki? Turtonator dude."

I pushed the swinging doors open, walking into a large room with a map of Kanto underneath a glass circle.

They're really leaning into the Kanto theme, eh…

I walked up to the receptionist at his desk. "Hi, I recently, uh, moved here…? And I was told I could get a Trainer's License here?"

He looked up, a bored expression on his face. "Yeah, just head through the doorway to the left. Third door, sign says 'Trainer Registration Office.'"

"Thanks."

I walked over to the door, opening it and hesitantly walking in. A man typing at a computer looked up and smiled. "Hello there! I assume you're a new trainer?"

"Uh, yeah. At least, I'm trying to get a Trainer's License."

"Alright, I'll need your name, age, and home region."

Ah, shit. "I, uh…"

Where should I say I'm from… I want a cooler last name, too… "My name's Dennis… Dennis Drayblitz." That works, I guess. "I'm 17, my hometown's Nimbasa City in Unova. I just moved here."

He nodded. "Interesting. I've never been to Unova, is it nice?" He inquired, typing at the computer.

"Yeah, very nice. Nimbasa's a pretty nice place, but I personally prefer the more natural areas. Very nice people everywhere, though."

"Cool, cool. Alright, so you'll need to take a quick test to show your knowledge, then get some immunizer shots at the hospital. You know how poison types can be."

"Yeah. Alright, hit me with it."

_

The test was easy, just basic logic questions and information on Pokemon in general. Then I had to get the shots…

The nurse directed her Comfey to heal up my small entry wound.

"Alright, that's all for the shots. They should take effect after a few days."

I nodded. "Thanks, nurse. And you, Comfey."

The floating lei smiled, letting out a joyful cry before floating away. The nurse looked at me thankfully. "Thanks for that. She's new, so she's a bit under-confident."

"Don't mention it."

With that, she cleared me to leave, and I headed back to the Kantonian Gym.

Upon walking back in, I heard a voice. "Hey hey, there he is!" I turned my head, blinking at the sight of a man dressed in a very Turtonator-esque getup. Ryuki.

I walked over. "Hey there! I'm Dennis. You're Ryuki, I assume?" I held out a hand to shake.

He took it and shook vigorously. "That's me! So, you just moved here, eh?"

"Yep. Back in Unova, the age to become a trainer is around 16, since there's so many strong wild mons, but I didn't get the chance to begin thanks to family trouble. So, I'm taking my chance here."

The dragon trainer grinned. "Hell yeah! Happy to have you starting with us. You aced the test, too, so I've got something for ya!" He gestured for me to follow. "This was, back to the training grounds."

We walked into the battle area of the Gym, where multiple Dragon type Pokemon were visible.

Ryuki whistled a chord of notes, and a Noivern with a curved scar going from its chest to its leg touched down in front of us.

He went up to the dragon, who was at least 7 feet tall, and began scratching its scruff. "This is Usaki, my Noivern. She's a very fast one, and she recently had a clutch with my Dragonite. We haven't had many new trainers recently, so I asked her if she was willing to give one of her babies to a trainer that started with us. And here you are!"

I blinked. "So, I get to start with… a Noibat?"

"Yep!"

A grin split my face. "That's awesome, dude. Thank you so much!" I turned to look at Usaki. "And thank you, Usaki, for allowing me to train one of your offspring. I will do my best to ensure they grow strong and healthy."

She regarded me with a look that said "You'd better," before calling out. A few seconds later, a Noibat swiftly fluttered down next to its mother.

Ryuki handed me a Pokedex. "Oh, and here's this. It's a basic model, nothing too fancy beyond internet browsing, a notepad, and the basic features, but it'll work well. Scan her and I'll grab you a Pokeball."

I walked up to the Noibat and crouched down. "Hello there, Noibat. I'm Dennis, and I would like you to be my starter. I can't promise that I'll be perfect, but I'll try my best to ensure that you grow powerful. Do you accept?"

She looked up at her mother, who nodded, before doing the same to me.

I smiled. "Thank you. Now, let me scan you with this."

I opened up the Pokedex, scanning my new Noibat.

Noibat, the Sound Wave Pokémon. A Flying/Dragon type. Noibat typically lives in dark caves, leaving at night to hunt with supersonic sound waves measuring up to 200,000 Hertz.

The voice was masculine and electronic, as if someone had rerecorded it before adding it in.

This Noibat is female, and possesses the ability Infiltrator.* Its moveset consists of the following: Tackle, Absorb, Gust, Supersonic, Screech, Wing Attack, Leech Life, Tailwind.

The moveset was followed by some physical information, which I shut it off during. I looked over my starter.

"So, would you like a nickname?"

She nodded.

"Great! So, I was thinking about something that had to do with sound and music, and back where I'm from, there's this singer who goes by the name of Hatsune Miku. She can sing incredibly fast, and with the speed and sound manipulation of your evolution line..." I took a breath. "I feel like the name Miku will fit you well."

Noibat seemed to think about it, then nodded.

Grinning, I opened my Pokedex again. "Awesome! Miku, it's great to have you." I opened the Dex to the section labeled "Team Info" and navigated with a bit of messing around to where I could input Miku's nickname.

Ryuki walked back in. "Hey, dude!" He walked up, handing me a Dusk Ball. "Here's her ball. As well, I also got you some of her food. It's all natural stuff, mostly aquatic 'mons and berries, but I throw some Tailow in here and there."

So, they do eat pokemon… "Cool. What kind of gear do you recommend for my journey?"

"Oh, right, you need to get stuff too... well, I'd say some basic camping stuff and some cooking gear, as well as a fishing rod."

I nodded. "Alright." A sudden thought struck me. "But, uh, how do I buy it?"

Ryuki waved a hand. "Don't worry, just use the New Trainer discount with your Pokedex. I wired a good amount of money into it, so go nuts!"

"Oh, thank god." I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't mention it, kid. Us trainers gotta help each other out!"

"Yeah…" I then remembered something. "Hey, Ryuki? There was an asterisk on the Ability part of Miku's page."

He tilted his head. "Really?"

"Yeah, let me show you." I flipped open and clicked on Miku's page. "Right here."

Raihan's expression lit up with understanding. "Ah, I see. Ok! That's actually for a very special reason: do you know about hidden abilities?"

I blinked. "Yeah, but…"

"Well, certain factors can cause a Pokemon to have its hidden ability. For example, Usaki's dad was a Xatu. That parentage caused her to have some psychic abilities, meaning that she has the hidden ability Telepathy, as well as the move Tailwind, both of which she passed on to the little one there."

Realization dawned. "So, that means…"

"Yep! Noibat- what did you call her…" He checked the page again. "Miku, right. Anyway, Miku will learn to use that Telepathy ability as she gets older. It won't be as strong as an actual Psychic type's telepathy would be, more like basic transmission of feelings 'n stuff, but it's proved to be a valuable asset for us." Ryuki scratched Usaki behind the ears, and the she-dragon leaned into the touch. "I'm sure you two will make great use of it."

I looked at Miku. "We will."

The little dragon-bat hybrid smiled, letting out a keening cry.

_

I hitched up my new backpack, marveling at how light it felt.

Ryuki laughed. "Bet you didn't expect that, huh?"

"No, I certainly didn't…"

We had finished buying the items I needed for my journey, and despite how much there was, it all fit easily into an incredibly nice- and expensive- Infinity Backpack.

The pack was perfectly balanced, and only felt a few pounds lighter. Even with Miku's roughly 14 pounds sitting on it, the black and gray backpack wasn't giving me any trouble.

I'd also taken the time to get closer to my starter. I'd given her a small gray bandana to shield her eyes from the sunlight when it got too bright out, and she loved it. It made her look like a brooding anime rival, and acted like a hat brim.

"So, you think you're ready?"

"Yeah, I think so… I've packed up all the stuff you told me to, and I have my stock of Pokeballs and Potions…"

I checked the time on my Dex. "It's getting a bit late, though. I think I'd better stay in town tonight."

Ryuki grinned. "Smart choice. You can use one of the rooms here! We've got a few typically used for our gym trainers, but you can use one tonight."

"Perfect, thanks. Where ar-" As I began to ask, my stomach rumbled loudly.

"Er, would you happen to have any food as well?"

The dragon trainer laughed. "Yeah, we've got stuff here. But you don't need to eat any of this stuff, we're going out tonight! Every Friday's sushi night for the gym, so you can come with us. I'll cover your order!"

"Oh, damn, thanks!" I was startled by his generosity.

And a bit suspicious of it, too…

_

But, as it turned out, Ryuki's simply a great person. I ended up between him and a Gym Trainer. Apparently, ever since the dragon trainer became the leader of the Kantonian Gym a few years back, he'd been working hard to make the Gym a more well-respected place.

Part of that apparently includes getting sushi for all the trainers.

"So, Dennis, whaddya want?" Ryuki pushed a menu in front of me, tapping on a few different items. "You like basic stuff, or more exotic kinda dishes?"

"Uh… I do like a good variety… most stuff is good."

"Ya like Eelektross?"

I blinked. "You can eat that?"

"Yeah, of course! It's not the most common, but the ones here in Alola have a much richer flavor than most places, apparently."

"Nice. I'll go with that, then."

After everyone's orders were placed, I sat back and began to discuss some things with the gym trainer next to me.

"So, what Pokemon do you have?" I asked.

The brown-haired guy looked over. "Oh, hey! Well, I've got three, my Lurantis, Dragonair, and Politoed. Ryuki's been giving every trainer in the gym a Dragon type if they don't have one, which is why I've got Dragonair."

"Cool, cool." I nodded.

"What about you? You're the new trainer Ryuki gave a starter, right?"

"Yeah, he gave me a Noibat. I named her Miku, after a really popular singer where I'm from."

"Ohoho, a Noibat, eh? Usaki's a fearsome girl on the outside, but from what I've heard, she's a kind soul."

"Nice to know… she seemed very judgemental of me." I remembered, chuckling.

"She's certainly like that! In fact, the first time I-"

Before he could finish, a couple servers walked over with large trays of food.

They set them all down one by one.

"Who's got the Unagi plate?"

I raised a hand. "That'll be me."

The server placed a square plate in front of me. On it were three rolls, rice both inside and out, topped with different things: One with a fish that looked like tuna, one with an eel-like meat, and the other with what I assumed to be thinly sliced Octillery tentacles. Each one was also drizzled with a thick sauce and sprinkled with the panko crumbs used for Crunch rolls. On the side was a small divided dish with soy sauce and what looked like the ginger typically served alongside sushi, as well as some pieces of sashimi laid on a bed of herb-looking leaves.

Damn, this looks good, I thought to myself. I haven't had sushi in a long time… I hope this tastes alright.

"Alright, everybody- Eat up!" Declared Ryuki. All the gym trainers cheered, and we dug in.

I picked up a slice of the eel roll with my chopsticks, and saw what looked like a California roll with eel added on the inside. The color was a bit off, though.

Welp, here goes nothing…

As I took the bite, my mouth was briefly shocked by some sort of static electricity, but I wasn't affected. It was like when you eat something spicy, an aftertaste of some sort but placed at the start of the bite.

The sauce definitely added a lot to the flavor, and I found myself quickly scarfing down my meal.

It tastes just like what I had back home… but better somehow.

Maybe being here, having a chance to do something new with my life, has something to do with it… I mused. Or maybe I'm just being sappy.

Either way, the food was delicious, and we went back to the gym that night feeling full and happy.

_

The next morning was very peaceful, and I set out around 8:45. I'd decided my first stop would be the massive Malie Garden, where camping is allowed according to their website.

Miku, flying by my side with her bandana, swerved around me as we walked the short trek to the park. After about twenty minutes of slow walking, we got to the Garden, where I found a small stand with maps of the place.

"This'll be useful... damn, this place looks big."

I looked up at the large gate, taking a deep breath.

"So, here we are. You ready, Miku?"

She landed on my shoulder and screeched a couple notes.

"Good. Because we're gonna be in here for a while."

_

So, that's Chapter 1 down! I'm trying to make something that flows a little better, write something I'm invested in. Sorry if it feels kinda weird pacing-wise, I'm still working on that part of my writing.

Either way, I hope y'all liked the first chapter, because it'll (hopefully) only get better from here!

ZeraoraTheKnight, out!