"I'm sorry...there's nothing that can be done."

After the comment, I hear a distant sob and feel something...no, someone touching me. It felt like I was in sleep paralysis or having an out of body experience...but I couldn't see anything. I couldn't move...couldn't speak...but I could feel.

I could feel my soul leaving my body.

There's no other phrase or expression I can use to describe it. I could only look around in horror as I was pulled deeper into the void surrounding me and having the last of my senses stolen from me. No longer could I feel the gentle hand of my mother on my unresponsive arm.

'No...no! NO! I'm sorry! I don't want to die, I changed my mind! Please! Mom!' My thoughts strayed to events that felt like they happened at most a minute ago.

I sighed as I punched my code in, finally being able to clock out after a shift of 8 hours. My phone vibrated in the pocket of my black dress pants, making me take it out. As soon as I saw the number, I groaned and adjusted my sweaty work uniform.

'Of course you'd call at this time, Dad.'

I groaned and accepted the call holding the phone up to my ear as I walked down the street to the light, absently noticing that traffic was even busier than usual today.

"Son...I'm glad you answered this time."

I scowled hatefully at the ground as my Dad's first words to me after eight months are a poorly hidden attempt at guilt-tripping.

"Sorry. I've been busy."

I could almost see the condescending look on his face after my response.

"You know, son...after our years spent apart, I think I've gotten over how you hurt me by staying with that woman. I'm willing to let you come stay with me and your siblings now."

I made sure to move the phone's speaker to my mouth as I scoffed, hoping to make my disregard of his offer known and beginning to walk down the crosswalk when the orange hand on the sign finally changes to a walking stick figure.

"Watch your tone with me, boy. Goodness...I remember when you used to be a sweet kid. Then that whore sunk her teeth into you and...here we are."

I stopped in the middle of the crosswalk as the sign showed the numbers going down, looking up at the sky with a blank expression in my face.

"Fuck you, Dad."

I hung up and began walking again, making it to the sidewalk just as the number hit zero.

'What if I just leaned back...and fell into the street. I'll make it look like I tripped or something, and then-'

I cut off that train of thought before it could gain any momentum in my brain. I closed my eyes and breathed in and out, trying to follow the advice my therapist gave that I'd never used before. It didn't do much.

"Connor, is that you?"

My heart sunk to my fucking feet as I opened my eyes and saw him.

In the middle of his group of idiot followers was someone who was near the top of my 'People that I want to see the least right now' list.

"Damn...you really let yourself go after I let everyone know what a freak you are."

I just stared silently as he started to laugh. I hated him. I hated how his laugh still made my stomach feel weird. I hated how his hair flowed in the light breeze, not a single imperfection on his handsome face. I hated everything about him.

"I still can't believe you actually thought I had feelings for you. To be honest, I still wake up shuddering thinking of that time you tried to kiss me at the fair. It'd be better for everyone if you just died!"

It seemed like the world paused for a moment after he said those words. Even his friends turned to look at him in shock. Two second passed, then three. On the fourth second after who I thought the love of my life was confirmed my own feelings about myself, I turned toward the street and closed my eyes.

I tried to do something, anything to get back into my own body. The universe laughed cruelly and spit on my hope by continually dragging me deeper into the void. Eventually, the Universe won out. I stopped panicking, I stopped feeling anything. That's when I knew what death felt like.

As soon as the thought...the fact that I was well and truly dead, set in, everything stopped. I didn't understand what was going on, or how much time was passing. To be honest, it felt like barely a second passed before I started to feel again. It was a slow process, but the feeling of heat on my skin and grass underneath me became clearer after a minute or two. Then, the rest of what was stolen from me was thrust back into my body all at once, making me jump up and scream in pain.

I held my head in my hands with such strength that my scalp started to burn in protest. It didn't matter. I could barely feel the pain on my body compared to this. My head pounded with the worst migraine I've ever experienced, feeling like someone took a hammer to my brain and started smashing it to mush. I couldn't even hear my own screams over the unbearable pain, and quickly crumpled into a heap on the floor, the bliss of unconsciousness ripped from me as my brain didn't even recognize what was happening to it. Then, it suddenly vanished.

My eyes shot open for the first time after I...woke up. Died? I took in the surrounding forest with disbelief until my ears stopped ringing and I heard a distinct noise.

"Mreow!"

I sluggishly turned to look behind me, seeing a small, pink cat staring down at me with worry. The thought that such a thing shouldn't exist stuck me to my spot on the ground as I continued looking at the creature with fearful eyes. It had a disproportionally big head compared to its tiny body, and a cute face with closed eyes. Moving further down, its tail started out almost worryingly thin until you got to the top, where a strange bushy tip lied with three pin looking things sticking out of it. Overall, it was an extremely cute, if strange creature that looked like...like...

"Skitty?" It tilted its head to the side and continued to stare at me as it called out its own name, seemingly not understanding what was wrong with the situation.

Almost as soon as it vanished, the migraine came back. This time, though, my brain had apparently adapted quickly and I fainted as soon as it started.

I awoke to the lovely feeling of being dragged across the dirty forest floor. My first instinct was to try to kick off whoever was dragging me, but I stopped myself when the things that happened before I fainted came back to me.

A Skitty...existed? Pokémon, the creatures that the multi-billion dollar franchise are built around, are real. I raise my head the slightest bit to look down at my feet, and am shocked to see the small pink kitten dragging me by the fabric of my pants. It takes me a second to compute the fact that my legs are...shorter. I'm wearing a pair of cargo pants that haven't fit me in years, a sweater that's been lost since I was 13, and a pair of shoes that I grew out of at around the same time.

"Wait!"

Skitty jumps in fright as I yell, releasing my pants from its tiny jaws. I groan as I sit up, panting a bit before moving to stand. I also decidedly ignore how high pitched my voice is, compartmentalizing from most urgent to least urgent problems with the situation.

After re-orienting myself for a few seconds, I level the Skitty with a dumbfounded gaze, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.

"You...you're a Skitty, right? A Pokémon?"

The creature stared back incredulously, slowly nodding its head in confusion.

"Ok. Ok. Fuck." I ran my hand down my face in exasperation as I looked up at the bright blue sky, sighing loudly.

"Do you...know where we are? Or...if there's a city or town or something nearby?" I should feel a bit stupid for asking a Skitty for directions, but frankly, I couldn't care less. My life...was supposed to be over. That I knew for certain. Ignoring the insane reality of Pokémon being real seems like the logical thing to do until I get to a town where I can sleep on it.

Skitty stared at me for a few seconds like I'd sprouted a third arm for a few seconds before nodding and turning around. After it began walking, I followed behind mutely, hoping to all that was holy that I was dreaming and too afraid to pinch myself. I looked around at the mundane trees around us, hoping to distract myself, but decided to look forward again after a couple of Weedle glared at me from a hole in one of them.

"Skit!"

My eyes widened as we crossed over a small hill and a town was seen in the horizon. A sense of familiarity hit me like a...

'Like a truck. I'm dead. Even if I survived, there wasn't a forest for miles back in Sacremento.' My eyes widened as I put the pieces together. 'Unless someone took the time to drive me out here, shrink me, patch up most of my injuries, and leave me in the forest to die, I was...reincarnated, transported, or something similarly insane into the Pokémon world.'

A million things came to mind after that thought, but the most prominent one is simple.

"What the fuck."

AN

Thanks everyone who made it this far! I hope you're liking my first fanfic. I don't have much to say, but this has taken huge inspiration from both Borne of Caution by Fuggman and I Will Touch the Skies by Soussoni. If you haven't read these masterpieces, please do yourself a favor and get to reading. That's all, hope y'all have a wonderful day.