AUTHORS NOTE

Hey everyone, it's been a while.

For those returning from the days of The Multiverse Project, welcome back.

For those who are discovering this fic now, let me give some backstory.

Back on New Year's Eve 2020, I had the idea to start an ambitious fanfiction project, combining several universes, properties, and god-knows-what else into one connected story. I worked for three hours on the first chapter of my first fic, and posted it on January 1st, 2020. To be brutally honest, it was shit. But I like to think that I've improved my writing in the four years since then, and I've decided to throw my hat into the ring again and make a new fic. This will not be a new TMVP, however. This will be a medium-length, hopefully once-per-month fanfiction. No multiverse shenanigans, just a good, clean fic. I hope that you all will hop along for the ride, and stick around for the whole story. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to any fans, and critics who leave a review, and read this fanfic. I appreciate all your support, and will be taking all your reviews into consideration.

Thank you all.

Now let's do this one more time.

All resemblance to any persons, products, or events is purely coincidental.

Chapter One.

With one final move from my Pokemon, it was over. As the reality of what I had just done set in, I began to think about what I'd done to get here. All the hardship, all the blood, sweat, and tears, and all the-

"Ben!" My supervisor roared, breaking me out of my daydreams. "If you're quite done, please get out. We're shutting down for the day."

"Right, sorry Mrs. Spicar." I groaned, picking my Nintendo Switch off the counter.

I walk out of the Gamestop I work at, quickly climbing into my car.

"This is All Things Considered, I'm Ari Shapiro." The radio crackles to life. "Our top story tonight, Israeli Armed Forces tonight attacked several settlements along the border with Lebanon, spawning fears of war in the Middle East. Israel claimed that they were striking at Hezbollah targets, which Lebanon has denied. Egyptian tanks have been seen along the Israeli border, with Syria pledging to defend Lebanon from 'Israeli aggression.' Congress has passed a joint resolution, condemning the actions of all parties."

I tune out the radio, driving along down the streets of Dallas. As I reach the on-ramp for I-35, I hear a blaring horn, and look to my left, to see a truck careening down the road, out of control. I hear the screeching of tires on asphalt, before everything goes dark and silent.

This one will do nicely.

I wake up, feeling grass under my side. I do a mental checklist, realizing that my limbs feel like they're in the wrong place.

"Must've broken something." I think, groaning. I then try to get up, falling flat on my face. "OK, I'll just let my body move how it wants." I sit up, opening my eyes. I squint, seeing a field as far as the eye can see, with a small forest behind me. I smell the fresh air, and hear an unknown bird tweeting above me.

I look at my body, only to be met with black fur.

"What the fuck!?" I scream, trying to scramble away. My body refuses to move how it normally would, and a quick glance reveals why.

"Is that... A paw!?" I wonder, stunned. I quickly make my way over to a nearby pond, and take a glance at my reflection, to be met with a black-furred snout. I widen my eyes and watch as the creature does the same.

After what feels like an eternity, I realize that this thing is me.

"Hey, you there!" A voice behind me yells, making me jump in surprise. "Are you alright, Zorua?"

I panic, dashing into the forest.

"Hey, wait up!" The voice screams, as I hear footsteps behind me. I leap into the forest, as I feel a body slam into my own.

I yelp, scrambling to my paws, as I see who tackled me. It's a black and red cat?

"What's the matter with you!?" They meow, clearly confused.

"I-I'm sorry, I panicked." I say, confused.

"Well, we can figure that out later. Come on, let's get out of here." They reply, turning around.

"Wait," I say, "Where'd the exit go?" They stand there shocked, before turning to me.

"Oh, Arceus. We're in a mystery dungeon."

End of Chapter.

And that's chapter one done and done! Apologies for any errors, I've been working on this chapter from midnight until 2:00 AM. The next chapter will be up as soon as I have time. As always, R&R, and have a great day/night!