I'm aware of the infamous trolls prowling through Pokémon stories rudely and wrongly telling authors Pokémon's names aren't capitalised. To those people or person or whatever, just go away and get a life please. These are their official names as stated by Game Freak thus it's perfectly correct to capitalise them. Stop trolling authors trying to spread misinformation. It's annoying, you're annoying & we don't like you.

A cheerful spring breeze drifted through a pair of opened golden curtains blending in with the bright sun.

"Oh." Came my soft familiar voice, a replica of Dawn's in the anime, her original Japanese one to be precise. "I'm actually in Platinum." Standing in Dawn's bedroom beneath her glossy brown floor tiles and pale-yellow walls, standing beside a bed with an Elekid cover. "Dawn's room" bared much of my personality, featuring a large plushie of my lovely king Snorlax tucked into the corner, a figurine of Aipom in front of a pink Nintendo Switch Lite leaning against my phone holder, two other figurines of Gardevoir and Gallade either side of a docked Nintendo Switch OLED, posters of Leon and Cynthia with their iconic aces Charizard and Garchomp and all of my makeup laid out on top of a drawer beneath the window.

I would've mistaken this for my own had I not stood in the intro of the Gen 4 games.

"Well, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth," I smiled, looking myself over. I had my own light brown skin complexion just like in the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes, though I was wearing Dawn's classy Platinum outfit- a pink trench coat, white skirt with a matching scarf and boots. "Who wouldn't want to be Isekaied into the Pokémon verse?" Filling out their team with their favourites.

Just thinking about the prospect of bonding with my king was giving me gooseflesh.

"Ready or not, coming up!" But I was getting ahead of myself, being reminded of such by a particular enthusiastic roar that could only belong to one boy. He dashed up my stairs like his namesake, bright blond hair styled like a wing cap straight out of Mario 64, two bangs swaying between a pair of fiery orange eyes that embodied his energetic spirit. A lime-green scarf hung from below his neck, complementing his orange and white striped short-sleeved collared shirt, and dark grey slacks completed his attire.

"Oh, hey, hubby!" I needled, watching him blush a rosy red.

"W-What?!" He sputtered. "Quit messing about, Jade! Today's the day we march on over to Professor Rowan's lab in Sandgem Town and ask for Pokémon of our own!" He thrashed around. "This is no time for jokes."

I giggled, "Sorry, couldn't help myself."

He eyed me suspiciously, "I'm fining you one million Poké dollars." The second generation of the Flash turned, readying himself, "Now, let's go! Meet me at Route 201 or I'm fining you another a million!" He stopped, straightening. "Oh, wait! I forgot my bag!" He exploded away in a burst of speed.

"He can never sit still," I giggled.

I walked over to my mirror, checking out my reflection. I bore an exact resemblance to Dawn in Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, only being light black-skinned since I was Jamaican, second generation. Born in England to Jamaican parents.

Dawn's starry midnight-blue hair glistened in the dazzling sunlight stretching down to her back, two fringes cupping either side of her face with yellow hair clips.

Light brown eyes with a hint of gold within its irises sparkled back at me, symbolizing my excitement.

"Time to fulfil a childhood dream," I murmured, clenching a fist. I adjusted my beanie and made my way downstairs, to a small living room equipped with bright blue wallpapers decorated with thin darker blue stripes and brown floor tiles, just like my room. A square table matched the floor, with three chairs tucked into the sides curiously enough. A golden-yellow carpet with square diamonds sowed into it laid front and centre in the middle of the living room and a wide-screen plasma sat beneath a TV cabinet up against the wall separating the stairs and the kitchen area.

"Oh, Jade!" Mama emerged from the small kitchen area, greeting me on the carpet resembling a woman in her mid to late 30s. A crop of shoulder-length hair my colour crowned her head in a bow-cut style with a red hair clip. Her attire comprised of a beige long-sleeved blouse, dark blue pants, an orangey-red apron wrapped around her waist and matching slippers cladding her feet. Interestingly enough, she had creamy white skin, "Your friend, Barry, just left, asking you to hurry along to Route 201. You know how that boy is, he can't sit still for five minutes."

I giggled, "I know, I'm heading out to meet him now. We're going to ask Prof. Rowan for Pokémon!"

"Okay, dear, but be wary of wild Pokémon. They might attack you!" She warned. "It'll be okay if you had a Pokémon of your own to defend yourself, but you don't, so…"

"I know, Mama. I'll be careful." I ambled over to the front door, stepping onto the welcoming mat. "Bye-bye."

"Have fun, dear."

I swung the door open and stepped out into the open. A serene feeling of peace coursed through me taking in the fresh spring air of Twinleaf Village. A small, quaint place, surrounded by lush trees comprised of four wooded houses, including mine. Mine and Barry's houses even had chimneys. Oh, how would Delibird sneak into the other two houses on Christmas night?

Zest aside, I moved past my house and made my way up the thin dirt road of the village, away from the small pond opposite to the exit. Before I could make my way out of the village, a familiar fat NPC-turned-human jogged around me and barricaded my path, sporting an open dress shirt with a grey undershirt and black slacks.

"Hey, Barry was looking for you. I think he's home now. Try looking for him there." He tried pushing me back but I aggressively slapped his hands away, "Huh?"

"Yes, I KNOW! We have plans to meet up on Route 201, so just go away and mind your own damn beewax!" I demanded, leaving him pale.

"O-Oh, okay. Sorry!"

"Humph." I marched straight passed him turning right passed the sign of 201, "Gosh. I always hated that guy." Such a frustrating roadblock. I don't need Barry to hold my hand, thank you. I was perfectly capable of traversing the road to Sandgem Town on my own, especially considering the real world wasn't restricted to the limitations of the game.

Pokémon didn't inhabit tall grass nor was my path barred off by any such barrier, which thinking about it for a second, it made no sense the footpath to Sandgem Town was barred off by tall grass Pokémon inhabit in the games. It basically meant anyone who didn't have a Pokémon in Twinleaf Village was essentially trapped there.

No wonder so few people resided there.

Once they moved there, they weren't getting out.

Thankfully, any such crippling design flaws weren't present here. I stared in wonder down the lengthy country trail, bountiful grass one side and the ever-present "tall" ledge players could jump off for an easy shortcut back to the village on the other. Honestly, though, the ledge barely came up to my heel. I could just as easily hop over it as I could down it.

"Doof!" I heard a familiar sound up ahead.

"Is that who I think it is?" I wondered, quickening my pace slightly until the silhouette materialized into the four-legged shape of the meme lord himself, dark caramel-coated fur, round, crescent-shaped ears protruding from its head and bearded-like mane ever present. He was… perfect. "It is YOU, Chanka!" My fitting nickname for our lord. Tachanka became an endearing character among Rainbow Six Siege's player base, being so bad fans began jokingly referring to him as "lord Chanka."

Bidoof wasn't as cripplingly bad as the immobile Tachanka (formerly, that was before his buff), though. For instance, they were perfect HM mules being able to carry five of the annoyingly essential hidden moves in Rock Smash, Surf, Strength, Rock Climb and Waterfall. HMs were infuriating for fans to work into their party, so having a Pokemon like an evolved Bidoof that could carry much of the baggage was a blessing at the time.

"Bid?" It adorably tilted its little head at me.

"Aw!" I gushed, forming a pyramid out of my hands to cover my mouth. "Ain't you a cutie!" It looked like it had a mask on with its tiny polka dot eyes surrounded by a layer of yellow and small red nose by a patch of dark brown, beautiful beaver teeth protruding from its upper lip.

"Doof!" It chirped excitably, itching closer to me.

"Aw, do you wanna say hi?" I cooed, bending down and placing my hands on my knees. "Come to mama." I reached out with my dormant hand when it stepped into my personal space, affectionally nuzzling and cooing against my leg with a purring-like sound. "You're so cute, Bidoof!~" I sweetly stroked its underside mane, relishing the smooth softness of its individual pieces of fur, "Your fur's so soft, too!"

I enjoyed a few precious moments of playtime with the meme world's lord, tickling its underbelly when it turned over and curled its little legs, relishing every second of actually interacting with a Pokémon in the flesh. How many girls could say they played with a Bidoof? Not many in my old world, I was positive.

Playtime came to a conclusion and I bid the lovely Bidoof farewell, ecstatically waving it away as it ambled contentedly into the bushes.

I fell back on my heels, dropping my arm with a long inhale, "…That was amazing!" I whisper-screamed. "This is going to be much fun."

A blinding dash of blistering white light preceded the leaves rustling around the trees, making me ponder the important question of why fate always tried to go against our positive trajectory.

I instinctively ducked my head from the speedy blur, staring at an enraged pigeon-like creature with a white face and black feathers masking its head, distinct Alfie-esque curled piece of hair hanging from its head.

"Um." A nervous laugh played quietly from my mouth, "H-Hey, there, Starly! How's it hanging?" Starly wasn't interested in any pleasantries, contrary to Bidoof. It wanted all the smoke, closing in on me with its orange webbed chicken-like feet. "Hey, c'mon!" My voice rose an olive in my desperation, backing away from the baby bird that might as well have been an alpha Gyarados straight out of Legends Arceus, "I haven't done anything!"

It shrieked belligerently, thundering toward me.

I backpedalled clumsily knocking my heels together and falling over, "Eep!" I yelped. Girl, what; I was going to die to a random Starly, seriously? If this was some kind of divine punishment for brushing off the NPC earlier, karma was being awfully cruel. I screamed and turtled up, turning over and covering my eyes.

A war cry erupted through the resulting explosive noise, preceded a shattering boulder ploughing through the trees before colliding noisily against its target.

"Huh?" The Starly's crying shriek following its little body slamming against the earth opened my teary eyes. Hesitating, I turned my head, gaze widening. Standing amidst a golden heavenly background conjured entirely from my own imagination was the baby form of my lovely king, slightly lightened (of all things) grey-ish blue fur floating over his adorable bear-like feet, flowing upwards to his two cone-shaped ears extending from his head.

'…Did I just get saved by a shiny Munchlax?' I mused, mind a blur.

Munchlax turned my way from the defeated Starly, warm concern washing over his face, "Munchlax!" He wondered over to me, his weighty steps loudly thudding the earth with his huge white belly. Munchlax weighed about 200Ibs if I remember correctly, resembling a small, super morbidly obese child.

"Munchlax!" He softly patted my knee, concerning growing.

"Um. Did you hear me scream and came to save me?" I asked.

"Munch." He nodded brightly.

"…Munchlax!" I breathed in awe. "Thank you! You're the best!" And wrapped him up in a big hug, pressing my cheek against his.

"Lax." He murmured, doing his best to try and reach my shoulder with one of his short arms. Munchlax obviously had a much-lightened voice in comparison to his fully evolved form, bearing a voice akin to a child.

Could we talk about Gamefreak's HORRIFIC decision to lock this cutie behind the absurd honey tree mechanic? They must've lost their darned minds when they sanctioned that abysmal idea. The idea of slathering honey on specific trees before returning to them six real-world hours later to spawn Pokémon was just as horrible on paper as it was in execution. For starters, no one wants to wait six hours of their life just to find the Pokémon they want.

Their decision to then seal Munchlax behind a 1% encounter rate of four specific Honey Trees each unique to the player's trainer ID and secret ID exacerbated this. Players couldn't replay any of the Gen 4 games thinking they knew where their Munchlax trees were from their previous save file because their IDs would change, thus resetting the trees.

It baffled the mind wondering why they made acquiring Munchlax and subsequently SNORLAX – the best normal type ever – entirely luck-based and I hate them for that.

"Heyyyyyy!" I heard Barry's roaring voice. "Jade!" He frantically stormed up to us, fretting over me. "I heard you scream! What happened?! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Barry," I smiled, affectionally patting my saviour on his back, and Barry dumbly tracked my arm. "Thanks to Munchlax here."

"Munch." He lifted his head, proudly saluting.

"No way!" He abruptly sparked into life. "Is that a shiny Munchlax? You found a shiny Pokémon? That's so cool!"

"Well, he found me more like." I shared a smile with the rare encounter, "Right?" He nodded, awarding me a toothy grin.

"Your very own Pokémon. This is awesome." Barry rambled on, clenching his fists and spasming. "Alright! I'll gotta go back to Professor Rowan and get my own right now!"

"No need." An elderly male voice stopped him in his tracks, and the tall figure of the Sinnoh region's dedicated professor emerged, closely followed by his assistant- the other character the player didn't pick, in this case Lucas.

"Oh, Prof. Rowan." Barry straightened up, grinning and scratching his head sheepishly, "Sorry to you cut off back there in the middle of your lecture but my friend was in trouble."

Professor Rowan scrutinised the blond for a brief period, making him squirm. I couldn't blame him. He wasn't even looking at me yet and I felt slightly intimidated. He had quite the aura about him, helped all the more by his impeccable posture that showed no signs of age. He wasn't balding either, with shoulder-length white hair perfectly in line with his head, two sideburns cupping his stern countenance, signature V-shaped moustache hanging over his nostrils.

Much like the anime, Rowan here also sported a long dark-brown trench coat over his usual game attire of a classy royal blue vest top wore over a buttoned-up collared dress shirt with a smart tie around the collar. A pair of black slacks and shoes comprised the remainder of his smart emblem.

'He's really channelling the spirit of his ancestor, Commander Kamado.' I mused.

"Are you okay, young lady?" He spoke to me suddenly. "You must've had quite the fright I take it."

"Uh, yeah." I jumped a bit, calming and grinning down at my hero, "Thanks to Munchlax here."

"My word, a shiny variation." Commander Kamado's descendant recognised.

"…I've never seen one before." Lucas breathed, donning his Platinum outfit, too, featuring a high-collared blue windbreaker with black arm warmers, a silk white scarf wrapped around his neck, a crimson red top beneath the jacket, black pants and grey sneakers with white lacers, top off with his red linen flat hat.

"Munchlax is already an exceedingly uncommon encounter in the Sinnoh region." Prof. Rowan explained.

'Tell me about it.' A dry smile crossed my lips. Talk about singing to the choir.

"But to find a shiny variation? Good heavens, girl! You might have the devil's luck itself!"

"Guess I built up enough karma," I quipped, beaming at Munchlax, "Right?"

"Munch!" He seemed to agree, lifting his arms up before lying down and resting his head on my lap.

"He seems pretty attached to you already," Lucas noted, smiling.

"That's not entirely uncommon. Baby Pokémon like Munchlax are known to latch onto the first parental figure they find, but this might be an exceptional case. It seems a strong bond is already forming between the two of you," The professor examined.

I imprinted an affectionate gaze at my baby dozing off on my knees, gently stroking his white belly, "Yeah!"

"You should catch him. I mean, I doubt he would leave your side even if you don't!" Lucas joked.

"That's the plan, as soon as I get a Heal ball," I explained. "They're my favourites."

"I suppose that's only natural," Prof. Rowan said, turning back to Barry, "Now, then, young Barry."

"Yes!" He straightened.

"To commend your bravery in trying to help your friend in her time of need, I'd like to award you a Pokémon."

He brightened, "You really mean it?!"

The elderly professor chuckled lightly, "Certainly." He flicked the silver latch of his brown briefcase open, catching the fallen half before laying it on the dirt. "Now, take your time choosing a type. You have the choice between water, fire and grass."

Barry thumbed his chin pensively, "Hmm. Now which one would be good against Jade's Munchlax?" He murmured aloud. Naturally, he would want to pick the type strongest against mine. It was just the tradition for the first four generations. "Piplup, Chimchar, or Turtwig?"

"Might I recommend Chimchar?" He turned my way, blinking. "Chimchar gains the fighting-type after evolving into Monferno. Fighting is Munchlax's only weakness as a normal type." My steady evaluation of Chimchar had Lucas goggling.

"Hey, that's right!" He beamed, hoisting what I resumed was Chimchar's ball up in the air, and upon closer inspection I could see Chimchar's name engraved on the ball on the slivery-white bottom half of the iconic red and ball original Pokéball. "Thanks, Jade!"

"You're welcome." He would need all the help he could get against my king, especially after he evolved into the amazing Snorlax.

"Well, colour me impressed." Prof. Rowan closed his eyes, "This trio are possibly rarer than Munchlax, yet you were aware of Chimchar's secondary typing upon its evolution into Monferno," he sung my praises. "You're quite knowledgeable about Pokémon, aren't you, Jade?"

"Even I didn't know these guys get other types," Lucas murmured, bewildered. "You might know more about Pokémon than me and I've researching them with Professor Rowan for months now." He slumped sadly.

'Well, I have been playing the games for over 20 years,' I caressed the side of my neck sheepishly, "What can I say? I study a whole bunch!"

"And that very preparation will carry you far," Prof. Rowan assured, closing his briefcase. "Please meet me at the lab when you find the time later you two. I'd like to go over a personal request."

"Okay/okay!" We said simultaneously, quickly pointing at each other and chirping, "Jinx!"

Professor Rowan smiled warmly at our antics, passing his briefcase off to his assistant before folding his arms behind his back, exuding a subtle authority, "Take care for now, you two." He ushered Lucas along, "Come along, Lucas. Our research won't complete itself."

"Right!" He bowed to us, "It was nice meeting you guys. See ya!"

"Bye-bye!" I waved them off, watching them climb up a ledge bypassing the tall grass and disappearing into Sandgem Town.

Barry tensed up, bending his knees as he channelled his inner excitement as though he were getting ready to ascend into a Super Saiyan. "Alright! This is awesome! I've got a Pokémon," he clinched his Pokéball tightly in his grip, "You've got a Pokémon!" He pointed at Munchlax, and a smirk whipped across his lips. "You know there's one thing left to do, right?" He squirmed. "Ooh! I've always wanted to say this; Jade, I challenge you to a battle!"

He didn't hesitate for a second and clicked the centre button on his ball, dashing it out. A flash of mystical light azure erupted from the original Poké ball, materializing into the shape of the Sun Wukong-inspired creature's first stage evolution.

"Char-char!~" He sang in an adorably squeaky pitch. The little monkey possessed bright orange fur, part of it protruding from his head like a will of wisp flame and yellowish-beige skin. He had wide human-like eyes, white retina filled with dark-brown irises and black pupils. He even had five fingers on each unfurred hand and three toes on his little feet. Bouncing his shoulders and whipping his tail carrying a lone orange and red flame, Chimchar embodied a portrait of childlike excitement and energy.

'I haven't even caught Munchlax yet.' I frowned, smiling. Oh, Barry, ever the impatient one. I glanced down at my sleeping baby, 'Guess it wouldn't hurt to ask him.' I prodded his stomach softly, speaking softly, "Munchlax, dear." He stirred quickly, contrary to his adult form that couldn't be woken without a Poké flute. "Barry wants to battle," I pointed to my friend tapping his foot hastily, "Wanna help me kick his butt?"

"What?" He stammered.

"Lax!" He sprung up, lifting his arms with a determined expression.

"Good boy," I praised, picking myself up on wobbly, sleepy legs.

"Ooh! You're going down for that, Jade!" He fumed, "Chimchar, attack! Use, um." He searched his mind, befuddled.

I hid a giggle behind my hand, lending him one. "Chimchar only knows Scratch and Leer at this level." Battling wasn't so easy when we didn't have a convenient screen with our Pokémon's moves in front of us.

He beamed, "Yeah, that! Use that! Scratch!" He ordered.

Chimchar sprung forward, leaping off the ground and drilling his claws across Munchlax, barely moving him.

'Sorry, Barry, but if that sound Munchlax made taking out Starly is anything to go, he definitely knows Rollout. This fight's as good as over already.' I extended a hand, readying the command, "Finish it off with Rollout, Munchlax."

"Huh!"

"Munch!" He rose his arms and curled into a ball, transforming into a mini boulder before cannoning viciously into Barry's poor Chimchar, pancaking him into the earth with so much force a crack formed. "Lax."

"Chimchar!" He remained face down in the ruined ground, unconscious.

"Looks like we win." I held up a V with my fingers, taken off guard when a ring of glowing blue orbs surrounded and sunk into Munchlax. "Oh." I wandered up to my baby, taking note of his closed right paw concealing a red object. "Do you have Leftovers?"

"Munchlax!" My prince confirmed, holding out his paws like a tray and showing me what resembled an eaten red apple.

"Aw, aren't you a clever boy!~" I gushed and hugged him.

"Jade, what gives?! I just lost with one attack!" Barry whined, returning his downed Pokémon in a flash of blue light. "I thought Chimchar was good against Munchlax."

"Yeah, I did." He levelled a suspicious glare at me. I beamed, holding up a wagging finger, "After he evolves, remember?" He blinked. "I said Chimchar gains the fighting type when he evolves into Monferno, then Rock moves like Rollout do neutral damage to him instead of super effective damage."

He turned away, "So I just need to train then, is that it?" He grumbled beneath his breath, turning back to me with renewed resolve. "Fine! This is just a minor setback on my path to becoming the greatest trainer in the world! See you, Jade!" He dashed away.

"And then he was gone." I sighed, reaching down and offering Munchlax a hand. "Shall we get going, partner?"

"Munchlax!"

We had a whole region to conquer.

I love the Sinnoh games, particularly the remakes and ILCA's fantastic decision to beef up the Elite Four and Cynthia to near-competitive levels. It feels really gratifying hard countering intense strats like Flint's Minimize and Baton Pass tactic with Drifblim to a powerful Iron-Fisting Infernape or bulldozing through Lucian's with a 6x Calm-Mind boosted Clefable or wreaking havoc on Cynthia's team with a powered up Snorlax. She always tries to set up a Nasty Plot on a Lv65 or higher Snorlax with her Lucario and it ends up getting one-shot by Earthquake right away. Snorlax's low speed works wonderfully against Milotic, rendering her unable to use Mirror Coat and using weak Scalds or Ice Beams instead.

All in all, ILCA's Elite Four and Cynthia was the challenge I never realized I needed until then.