Prologue

From Childhood Dreams to Alternate Realities

Hey, there. My name is Ben but my real name is… you know what? That's not important. Let's get straight to the point, shall we?

Now, what do you think of when you think of the word 'Pokemon'? The biggest media franchise? or a cash cow or shall I say, a cash yellow rodent?

When I think of 'Pokemon', I think of my late childhood-slash-preteen years. I've always adored the anime- Well, not really adored the anime and I know what you're thinking, "This guy has shit standards," and you'd be correct. Every day on my way to school, I would always watch an episode. I could've gotten more sleep but I didn't because sleep is temporary. Pokemon anime is eternal.

If we're talking about the games, well… not so much, to be honest, but I won't deny the fact that it exists as a part of the essentials in the Pokemon ecosystem. I'd never thought I'd say the phrase 'Pokemon ecosystem' but here I am. Growing up, I never had access to cable television. Well, I kind of did grow up with cable television but they just didn't air Pokemon anymore when I was well aware of the concept of not pissing myself…

…or maybe the fact that I didn't even know what Pokemon was at that time.

Anyhow, like every sane person would think, Pokemon was merely a fictional piece of media. Of course, if you'd say that they are real, you would be thrown into a mental asylum but Pokemon not existing here doesn't mean they don't exist elsewhere.

Here comes: The Multiverse Theory! Look, when I first heard about the multiverse theory, I only thought it was a, well, a theory. If it does exist, I simply do not believe human technology would allow trans-universal travel. It's either to break the law of physics, find the loophole in physics or commit dark magic. It's between the three of those, nothing more, nothing less.

It turns out I was wrong. Dead wrong.

Somehow, the universe decided to say, "Screw this guy in particular," and threw me out of the universe and into another universe. The Pokemon universe, specifically.

I can't believe I'm saying this but it's true. It's both a blessing and a curse for me because- Let's be real here, who wouldn't take the opportunity to live inside their childhood dream? Though, if they found out that they wouldn't be able to see their family and friends again, I'm willing to bet that they would pass on that offer. In my case, I didn't have a choice. It was involuntary and there is no going back.

This is my life now.

…

"Five, Two, Zero, Seven… Five, Two, Zero… Ah!" My eyes scanned for my flight across the flight information display.

"What the fuck do you mean it's delayed?" I muttered.

I sighed. Honestly, I shouldn't be that surprised. I've been a victim of this airline's shenanigans and I doubt this would be the end.

With that terrible disappointment, I thought it would be best to call my friend who would pick me up from the airport so I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Before calling my friend, however, I decided to play with the power button to alleviate my anger a bit.

"Sorry, this number you have dialled is currently unreachable, thank you. Nombor yang anda-"

I tried calling it again.

"Sorry-"

And again.

"So-"

I'm going to fucking lose it. I swear if this damn thing doesn't-

"What's up?" the voice from the other side asked and I put my phone right to my ears again.

"Thank god you answered." I breathe a sigh of relief. "I was about to go crazy. Uh- So like, my flight's delayed."

"My brother in christ, I told you not to fly on that airline."

"Bruv, it's dirt cheap!"

"Yea, it cost like 100 ringgit and an extra 3 hours of your life that you won't get back."

"...I mean, yea, but still, it's dirt cheap."

"Ay, look, money is the enemy of a poor man. Keep the grind set real-"

"Man, shut you bootleg Andrew Tate-lookin' ass, boy."

"Man shut yo skin tone, tickle bone, leave me alone headass, boy. Your ass is like 3'5". You could suck m-"

"How 'bout I fuckin' kill you? How 'bout that?"

"Pull up, bitch."

"Aight bet." I said as I cupped my mouth close to the phone's microphone so as to not let anyone eavesdrop.

Never change, my guy.

Feeling deeply disappointed, I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and decided to stop wandering aimlessly and instead wait at my gate. With a glance at my watch, I sighed because I'll be waiting for another three hours.

…

I was sitting legs-crossed with my chin on my fingers and bread in my mouth as I pondered out the giant window looking out towards the apron. The yellow tint emitted by the late evening sun bounced off the planes taking off, giving them a majestic shine.

I felt the warmth of the sun on my skin and heard the faint hum of the engines as they passed by. I watched in awe as the planes took off into the sky, with a feeling of freedom and adventure as they soared across the horizon.

9M-RAZ, or rather, Niner-Mike-Romeo-Alpha-Zulu, a gorgeous and brand-spankin' new A320 NEO coated in a special livery and also the plane assigned for my flight finally arrived. The livery it was coated in perfectly delivered the message it wants to send.

Two hornbills chillin' on the same tree branch, a proboscis monkey just minding its own business and Mount Murud and Mulu Pinnacles are both visible in the background. At the back of the plane, is a script that says, 'Sarawak, More To Discover'.

A nice invitation for tourists to this place I call home.

I'm a sucker for good livery and man, the vibes and goosebumps I was getting were absolutely insane…

…and I didn't even realise that we are already boarding.

"...zero, seven, is ready for boarding via gate 5, gate 5, thank you."

Huh?

I looked to my right to see a long line already forming. I knew for a fact that I was going to be the last one to board.

…

I was seated at the back of the plane with my backpack on the seat beside me. Well, not really at the back. More like three rows from the back because I do not plan on spending two hours sniffing the shitters. The low temperature from the air conditioner made me regret not bringing my jacket with me. It was uncomfortably chilly, and I found myself rubbing my arms for warmth.

It was a long day and the caffeine boost from the morning had begun to die out. Staying awake was exhausting enough and by the time I sat in my seat, I was completely drained out.

However, before I go take a nap, I have one more thing to do.

…

I pinned my phone (which was recording) to the plane window as both CFM Leap 1A engines began to spool up.

The twin engines generated significant acceleration, drawing the entire aircraft forward and pushing me back into my seat.

As it did that, the vibrations from the landing gear intensified before reaching enough speed for a safe rotation and climb. The wing flexed as they did their best to generate enough lift and in a matter of seconds, the vibrations were gone and the only noise filling the plane was the sound of the engines themselves, still giving their best to accelerate.

For some people, it's uncomfortable. For me, it's music to my ears.

"Perfect," I thought to myself as I let my phone go from the window and stopped the recording. Then, it is time to sleep.

…

RJSG 141029Z 26508KT 7000 SHSN FEW020 BKN035 BKN045 01/00 Q1015

…

BONK!

Wha…?

BONK!

Ah… damn…

I opened my eyes and the whole plane was shaking. I can hear the faint murmurs and occasional panic as a response to the aircraft's random rocking. I had little to no energy or awareness for that matter and I was still hitting my head on the walls of the plane. I felt the whole world spin around and my stomach felt like it was going into reverse gear as the plane rocked me from side to side.

I felt like throwing up.

BONK!

And I had no fucking clue what was happening.

Everything was dark.

Everything was quiet but loud at the same time.

The sound of the roaring engines was no more-

Wait what?

…and the sounds of things hitting the plane dominated the ambienc-

Wha- something hitting the planes?

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be making an emergency landing. Stow your tray tables, and ensure all carry-on baggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you. Check to see that your seat belt is securely fastened low and tight across your lap. Keep your seat belt fastened until the aircraft comes to a complete stop. You will need to br- You will need to be seated in a brace position for landing. To brace, place your feet, flat on the floor, cross your wrist, and hold onto the seat in front of you," I heard the voice of a male flight attendant say through the PA system with a slight nervousness in his voice.

I had just awoken from my fine slumber, and I was still traumatized from waking up, so I have no idea which stage of the flight we were on. For all I know, we could be above the ocean for all I know, or this could've been right after take-off.

Even with all the faint screams and murmuring, I decided to keep my mouth shut but I'm going to be real with you guys, I'm scared shitless.

But I'm sure the pilots know what they're doing right? They were trained for this.

Right?

…

RJSG 141016Z 26519KT 0250 +BLSN FEW010 BKN015 OVC030 M07/M10 Q1015 XPC WSR

…

After countless minutes of eerie silence from the plane itself and the darkness outside, I felt a sudden tug on my heart. I glanced outside and noticed silhouettes of trees but before I can comprehend that, everything was jerked to the right, including me and everything that was stored in the overhead compartment. I can't even think of anything at that point as the plane had seemingly dropped out of the sky.

Alright, here's the recap: within seconds, the aircraft went from gliding to stalling and dropping out of the sky. Everything was thrown around, including stuff from the front of the plane which made its way to the back and was all up on my face. It was soft. It's someone's plush. How the fuck?

If you thought it was over, you'd be wrong because the entire section in front of me decided to tear off and everything jerked to the right once again.

Everything crashed one last time and it was finally over. I didn't hesitate and I got up, leaving everything behind. Some of the seats were ripped off their place and items and food from the back galley somehow made it into the front, leaving a huge mess. The smoke and the smell of burning jet fuel prompted me to hurry up. I found the exit and jumped out.

When I escaped the plane, I realised just how cold this place was.

Cold to the point that it didn't make any sense anymore. I looked around and everything was white. It was no tropical rain. It couldn't be raining. Rainwater isn't white. It was definitely snow and the intense wind blew them all around. It didn't make sense. Snow near the damn equator?

How.

HOW?

I shook that thought away and chose not to pay any attention to it. Whatever it was, it was not important for now. I have decided that I want to live and ran I did through the moderately thick snow.

Even if I was blinded by the raging snowstorm in front of me. Even if it meant ignoring the frantic screaming behind me.

The fire helped seeing things in the dark easier but the tears in my eyes were blocking my vision anyway. I can barely make out the path going forward and I thought it would be best to just follow it even if there were no signs of civilization in sight because I know for a fact that it must lead somewhere.

BOOM!

"Fucking hell!" I cussed out as I nearly tripped from the shockwave.

The screaming stopped. I didn't bother looking back. I just kept running and at the same time, I was shivering from the numbing coldness. That is when I felt a sharp pain in the back of my thigh from something. It went in and it felt deep.

My heart skipped a beat and I stopped my breathing for a second. I felt something wet running down my leg as everything slowly started to hurt and ache like crazy.

My head felt light and I couldn't hear anything except an awful din. Everything was fuzzy and I lost track of everything. The world felt wavy and my body felt numb. I couldn't feel my legs and I don't think they can support me any longer.

Eventually, I succumbed to my tiredness and blacked out into the snowy ground.

…

WC: 2256 Words

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