DISLCAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKÉMON
|PROLOGUE|
I had never run so fast in my life.
My lungs burned as I sprinted down the dirt road of Route 1, my legs threatening to give out from under me at any moment. I jumped over a large tree that only moments ago had been standing. The air around me was sizzling with heat, torching the air on my arms. The exploding rock shards weren't exactly helping either, with tree bark and dirt flying in every imaginable direction.
This is not how today was supposed to go! I thought as I risked a quick glance behind me. The two Rocket grunts were still in hot pursuit, urging their Pokémon—a snarling Houndoom and a Rhyhorn lowering its head to charge—to run faster.
"You can't run forever, kid!" one of the grunts yelled from behind me. "Hand over that Celebi now, and we'll let you leave with your Pokémon!"
I faced forward again, scoffing as I pushed my aching legs to keep pumping. I didn't believe that promise for a second. If it was Jessie and James from the Pokémon Anime chasing me I might believed it, but even then, I wouldn't have handed Celebi over. There was only one reason why Team Rocket would want Celebi—the Mythical Pokémon's time-traveling ability.
"That Pokémon belongs to Team Rocket now," the other grunt sneered. "Houndoom, Flamethrower!"
Without hesitation, the Houndoom nipping at my heels let out an ear-piercing howl as it unleashed a Flamethrower attack. I reacted instinctively, twisting to take the brunt of the blistering stream of fire across my back to shield the already injured Celebi from further harm.
The force of the blast sent me hurtling violently forward, white-hot agony searing through my body. I slammed into the dirt road face first, losing my hold on Celebi as the breath exploded from my lungs on impact. Houndoom sprang forward to press its advantage, its massive form crashing onto me and pinning me to the ground. Its crimson eyes glowed with a feral light, and its sharp fangs glinted in the sunlight as it snarled and drooled, saliva dripping onto my face. The heat of its breath was suffocating, and the smell of sulfur made my eyes water.
Pain exploded from my arm as Houndoom's jaws clamped down, sharp teeth piercing through skin and muscle. The Pokémon's razor-sharp claws scraped down my back, tearing through fabric and flesh. I cried out in pain and fought to buck the savage Pokémon off of me, but the Houndoom was relentless, its teeth and claws digging into my back.
Desperately, I risked rolling over. Houndoom tore into my chest. I kicked out with one leg, my boot connecting with Houndoom's eye. The Pokémon jumped away, howling in surprise and pain, giving me a brief moment of respite from its brutal assault.
The momentary distraction gave me a chance to crawl away and scramble to safety. I picked Celebi back up, ready to start running again despite the blood flowing from the numerous injuries on my chest and back.
Before I could take a single step, a massive shadow fell over me. It was Rhyhorn, charging towards me like a bull. I felt the weight of its powerful body smash into my side like a battering ram. All the air was knocked out of me, and I found myself airborne, the world spinning as I was flung like a ragdoll.
I closed my eyes and twisted in the air so I would hit the ground first, bracing for impact. When I hit the ground, I gasped at the sudden shock of freezing water against my skin.
My eyes shot open, and I found myself underwater. I hadn't landed on the ground at all, but in a river!
Why am I in the water? I wondered, watching as a school of Magikarp swam by me. I felt myself being pulled downriver after the piscine Pokémon. Holding my breath as long as I could, I let myself be pulled along…farther and farther away from Team Rocket and their vicious Pokémon.
I still couldn't believe I'd met two jackasses like that on my first day as a Pokémon Trainer.
No, I couldn't believe people or Pokémon like that even existed in the world!
I felt my lungs start to burn from the lack of air and forced my tired legs to move. When I finally broke the surface, gasping for air, the sunny afternoon had become a monsoon. The sky was now a menacing shade of grey with dark storm clouds looming overhead, spewing out torrents of rain that pelted my face like tiny needles and pounded against the surface of the water.
What the—
I was confused for a split moment before I remembered which Pokémon I was holding in my arms. Celebi must have sent us through time when I closed my eyes.
The river surged around me like a living thing, icy tendrils trying to drag me under. I tightened my grip on Celebi, holding the small Pokémon close to my chest as the rapids carried us relentlessly downstream. I knew we were being swept toward a waterfall—I could hear the rumble growing louder by the second.
I tried to swim against the force of the river, I could feel my muscles straining and my lungs burning for air. I knew that I had to get out of the water before we reached the waterfall's edge. But as hard as I tried, the current was too strong, and it was pulling me closer and closer.
I looked around desperately, hoping for something to grab onto, but there was nothing, no branches or rocks—nothing!
Celebi had dropped us right in the middle of the river, and there wasn't a thing I could grab to stop the current from pulling us towards the waterfall.
All I could do was curl myself around Celebi and brace for the drop.
As we went over the edge, Celebi and I were thrown into a whirlwind of wind and water. I clamped my eyes shut, bracing for impact.
The plunge into the basin knocked the wind out of me, the impact blasting the air from my lungs as icy black water closed over my head. Spinning uncontrollably, it took all my strength not to lose my grip on Celebi as the current pummeled us from every side. The lack of air made my chest burn, and sparkles of light danced across my vision.
Just when I thought my lungs were going to fail and the last bubbles of air would slip from my lips, the current suddenly weakened and spat us out into a large lake.
For long moments, I simply focused on dragging air into my burning lungs, floating in place. Celebi too gulped at the air, its sides heaving.
Until something huge moved in the depths below. My eyes widened in sudden terror as a leviathan shape circled upward toward us with lazy confidence.
There was only one Pokémon in the rivers around Pallet Town this enormous.
Gyarados.
A massive head full of daggerlike teeth rose out of the water.
To Gyarados, we were nothing but food—tired, battered, and bleeding. Easy pickings.
As Gyarados' giant jaws opened beneath us, I twisted my body, narrowly escaping those snapping jaws by inches. I had avoided being swallowed whole but still slammed brutally into smooth azure scales as Gyarados hit us like a freight train.
Gritting my teeth against the shockwave of pain from the heavy blow, I grabbed onto one of Gyarados's scales, clinging tightly as the Pokémon surged through the water.
I clenched my jaw, refusing to let go of the only thing keeping me and Celebi alive.
If I did, we were quite literally dead in the water.
The ferocious Gyarados violently thrashed through the water in an attempt to dislodge me. It was like trying to hold onto a rampaging Tauros. Its massive body twisted and writhed as it approached the shore, causing the water to churn and foam around its muscular body.
3...2...1…!
I released my grip, allowing myself to be launched towards the bank by Gyarados' powerful momentum.
Hitting the shallows, I skipped like a rock twice before I stopped just a few yards from the shore. The water was only waist-high now, and I stumbled out of the lake and up the muddy bank on hands and knees.
Behind me, there was a deafening splash. I spun around as the massive Gyarados erupted from the water.
The colossal Pokémon rose above me, towering at least three times my height. Lightning split the sky as the storm raged on, and thunder boomed, rattling my bones.
Staring up at the massive water beast, I couldn't believe that my first day as a trainer had gone so bad.
Being reborn in the world of Pokémon was supposed to be fun!
Authors Note: Story has gone through a big rewrite as of 12/29/23!
The main character used to be Cross from the Movie, but between Cross, Charmander, and Chansey I just thought it was a lot of C's. So I decided to chang the name and while brainstorming names, the story became this!
Story will still have the same plot and everything, just with more added to it and from a different POV.
Trying 1st Person POV because I thought it would better demonstrate the disconnect with the MC being from "our world".