I own absolutely nothing regarding anything related to Pokemon in any shape or form.

To be honest, I actually really dislike Isekai fics normally, and I almost never read them. That even goes for SI fics as well. However, I've been encouraged to try my hand at it, and after a recent playthrough of Pokemon White after so many years, I've been getting really nostalgic for Generation 5, the best generation (A claim I'm ready to defend with my life).

Special thanks to those who've encouraged me along the way to get back into writing. I have no clue where this will go, but if nothing else, it feels great to write again. I hope the story will be equally enjoyable to read as it is for me to write.

Now, let's begin!

(See The End for FootNotes)

Finally, a production he could be excited about.

Robin has been working in theatre for the past 4 years now, juggling from one odd job to another, trying out different stories, swapping characters like costumes and wandering the theatre scene, all just to try to find work that both satisfied his passion while also paying his bills.

After a particularly rough dry spell regarding work, Robin has been doing performances and playing characters he didn't really care for. Working for the sake of work, instead of for the art form, as any artist will tell you, is soul-crushing. Of course, reality called, and he didn't really have much of a choice once bills started piling up.

It wasn't like the roles he's been doing recently were bad, far from it. Robin was good enough to breathe life into any role they put their mind to, but it wasn't the sort of characters or themes he really wanted to try out. The last time he did something he actually really felt passionate about was when he scored a significant role in Phantom of the Opera, and that felt like eons ago now.

Yet here he was, 27 & ecstatic like a schoolboy on holiday because he finally would get to play in a piece he personally felt passionate about. Just now, he had just got off the phone with his agent (bless her heart, she struck gold this time) letting him know that he would get the chance to perform in a high-end modern rendition of the ancient play, the Bacchae. (1)

It was a dream come true, really. Whilst theatre work has always been his calling, Robin has always had a soft spot for history & ancient mythology, even getting a minor in classics back in his university days. Getting to marry his love for theatre and his love for the classics like this was almost surreal. Plus, what better play to star in than a Greek tragedy dedicated to the God of theatre himself?

Robin was so excited he simply couldn't contain himself, and he decided he needed to let out his excitement somehow. Glancing at his clock, he realized it was way past midnight, so calling anyone right now wouldn't really be possible. Pacing back & forth, his eyes fell on his old childhood DS. Now that's something he hasn't touched in years. He remembers staying up for hours playing Pokemon on that thing before going off to play pretend Pokemon with his friends at school based on what they had done in their games the night before.

Those days of acting out fake Pokemon battles and elaborate stories, corny as they may be now, had to have been Robin's first introduction into the world of acting in any capacity. Even back then, he could really lose himself in his imagination and fully adopt the characters in his head, drowning out the real world to enter into his own personal world. (2).

Nostalgia bubbled up inside him, and, well, why not reminisce a little? Perhaps one more Pokemon with the Elite 4 after so many years, for old-time's sake? After all, he can't let the people of Unova think he's lost his edge, now can he?

Opening up his rather dusty DS, he turned it on and saw that his copy of Pokemon White was still in, and he smiled, opening up the game. Before he knew it, he was back in Unova, and all his old fantasies (some more embarrassing than others) flooded back to him. What was meant to be a quick 20-minute trip down memory lane turned into a 3-hour gaming session, just exploring and secretly reliving all his old fantasies he projected on the game.

You know, why not really lean into this and celebrate? Robin grabbed some popcorn, some more blankets and a bottle of wine before he continued on. One glass became two, two became four, and before he knew it, his fantasies while playing started really coming alive in his head. 1 whole wine bottle later and Alder was defeated (for probably the 20th time now, because having a team of all legendaries made that battle way too easy) and Robin took a look at the clock before realizing that it was some vague time past 4. He couldn't really tell, since the light on his digital clock was blurry, and he stumbled around looking for something else to eat.

Unfortunately, what he didn't know was that he'd never eat anything again. Wine would be the last thing his mouth ever tasted.

A loud boom ripped came from the top of his apartment building, the shockwave sending the drunken Robin to the floor. Instantly, the fire alarm started blaring, and Robin threw his hands over his ears. If he had a headache before, then this was something else entirely.

Haphazardly, he stumbled to his feet and exhaled a large breath. "This…oh this isn't good…." Robin slurred to himself. Panic began to sink in, though in his current condition, it didn't fully register in his mind, and he couldn't properly understand exactly how bad everything really was. Screams came from his neighbour's side of the wall, and Robin opened the door, only to see that the ceiling had some rather large holes in it, scaffolding and whatnot littering the floor.

"Let's go! Move move move!" Someone called from behind him. He didn't need to be told twice. Running with as much coordination as he could muster, Robin rushed down the hallway, tripping over himself along the way. He could see the exit to the stairs, it was so close, yet perhaps it was just not meant to be.

Something fell from the ceiling, and even in his drunken stupor, Robin could see it was headed straight for a little boy. Robin always thought he would hesitate in moments like these, and maybe he would've, had he not been a whole wine bottle in (or maybe, Robin thinks, his true self really was just this reckless), but without a second thought, Robin leapt forward and pushed the boy out of the way.

And that was the last shred of consciousness he ever felt.

(1) - "Just now, he had just got off the phone with his agent (bless her heart, she struck gold this time) letting him know that he would get the chance to perform in a high-end modern rendition of the ancient play, the Bacchae."

The Bacchae is an ancient classical Greek tragedy written by Euripides, mainly focusing on the god of theatre, wine, revelry and fertility, named Dionysus. The play was often acted out in the theatre of Dionysus in Athens, which you can still visit as a tourist attraction. I've even heard they still use it for plays to this day actually.

Greece is in many ways the birthplace of theatre in the Western world (with India holding that title for the East), and theatre back then was a religious practice in relation to Dionysus' divine sphere of theatre / the dramatical arts. Many modern tropes can trace their origins to Ancient Greek theatre, and the Bacchae is no exception.

(2) - "Even back then, he could really lose himself in his imagination and fully adopt the characters in his head, drowning out the real world to enter into his own personal world."

I can't be the only kid who did this with Pokemon, right? We all had to have played make belief and pretended we were all Pokemon trainers who got to meet Ash and go on adventures. Surely it's not just me?