Everyone has said that at the end of one's life, how they respond in their last moments shows what kind of person they are. In my last moments, I screamed like a little girl. No joke, Trunk-kun took my jokes seriously. All those tropes about the cliché death leading into the "next great adventure" conveniently forgot to mention the pain that came with being run over by a bleeding trunk.

The terrifying feeling of both pain and fear as the darkness of death closed in on me like a tidal wave was almost indescribable. Why? Why me? I was a good person. Or at least I thought I was a good person. I did the odd helpful task: walking the old lady across the street, volunteering at the animal shelter and soup kitchens, and donating to good causes regularly.

So, believe me, I didn't think I would be looking up at the sky with blood pouring from practically every orifice on my body. The usual thoughts popped to mind, like I hope my parents don't cry too much or I hope I remembered to delete my browser's history...

I was pretty young, not even 25 years old yet. All the things I wanted to do and planned to do. I wanted to travel! To experience all the downs and highs of life! What had I really done in my tiny time in the world? A pointless degree in political science? Failed relationships abound? Sure, I was the golden child of my family, going to college, getting a nice "Dr." in front of my name, but in the end, none of that really matters.

It's such a cliché, but it was the really good moments that came back to me: the memories of my siblings, the laughter of my little sister playing with one of the family dogs, the playful fights with my brother over really meaningless things, my mother's love and her amazing cooking, and the hunting trips with just my dad and me. My friends, the deep and meaningful talks on so many issues with my best friend.

All these thoughts seemed to last a lifetime, but in reality, it was probably less than a minute. I forgot where I heard it, but they say that the last minute of your life can feel like a hundred years. Oh, I can agree; I'm not leaving this world without regrets. I can say, however, that I tried my best.

As that last thought faded from my mind, I felt the coldness start to creep in. It's kind of like being in the heat of summer and then walking into an air-conditioned room. But instead of being a relief, this was a feeling of dread marred by the coming darkness.

The last thing I recall as I died was the flashing red and blue lights that flickered in my view as the paramedics ironically said it was going to be "Alright."

DING!

"Huh?"

Floating? That was the first thing I noticed upon awakening. There was simple darkness all around me. It was like I was adrift in an abyss of night and void. I couldn't feel my legs or arms, or really anything at all. I had my mind and my memories, which I supposed was a good sign?

This continued for what I assumed was quite a while. Then again, it could have been just five seconds. Something told me I was outside of time and space. Was this the afterlife? I mean, I was a Christian, albeit one who didn't really go to church, but still! Where were all the pearly gates? Or the brimstone and hellfire? Not gonna lie… kind of a letdown.

At this rate, I was going to die of boredom… well, again. Maybe there was a super heaven? Or hell? Here I was, just randomly floating in an endless abyss like a dumb jellyfish.

I heard it before I saw it.

Ding!

OH! I had heard it before! Right after I died!

Then, out of the darkness, floated a small glowing light with golden echoes around it. Well, it was nice to know I could still see things! And that there were things to see! As it got closer, I could see that it was a white ball of light with some white and green flashes every now and again.

"I wonder what it is," I thought.

"Well, that would be me," a voice suddenly spoke out.

Throughout my life, I was one of those people who wasn't easily scared; no movies or haunted houses could do the job. But BELIEVE me, when that voice spoke, I figuratively, you know still dead and all, crapped my pants!

"Hello?" I thought out loud.

"Well, little one, you seem to be quite lost," the voice spoke again.

"Lost? I died; I think." This glowing orb's voice seemed familiar; like the thought of who it was just outside my power to think of.

"Do you want a second chance?" the increasingly familiar voice asked, with a tone I couldn't quite place.

"A second try? I died! Don't I go to heaven or hell or whatever comes next?"

"That would be the usual way of things, but every now and then, people like you get the chance to try again." The voice had a warm and soothing quality to it this time, and I couldn't help but feel calmed.

"Well, anything would be better than aimlessly floating in this dark void!" I mean, come on!

"I then offer you the choice to choose a new life," it said in a loyal tone.

"I accept!" I exclaimed.

With an amused edge in its voice, it replied, "Well then, have a safe trip!"

"Wait! Who are you?" I suddenly realized I didn't know.

"Oh? Well, you already know my name; I'll let you figure that out." It mused with a slight laugh.

At that moment, the light pulsed brightly, and without a single warning, it flashed so that I had to close my eyes, even though I didn't know if they were there!

Darkness then consumed me, and I blacked out once again.

The first thing I realized was that I could feel, feel dirt on my arms and legs—a warm, gritty texture of topsoil between my flexing fingers. Opening my eyes, I was greeted by a baby blue sky filled with fluffy white clouds. It was warm with a slight breeze, and it was actually quite comfortable lying there on the ground. I lay there for likely around five minutes before the realization that I was actually alive again finally hit me like a wave!

Sitting up and looking around, I could see that I was in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by tall grass and some tallish trees. Glancing around, I noticed a clear, beaten path going from one direction to the other. It was at this moment that I felt something was off.

I finally began to look down at myself.

Looking at my hands, I realized they did not look like my hands when I died! I immediately checked my face, and it didn't feel normal.

"I'm a f-ing KID!" I yelled in a high-pitched voice.

In the next moment, I did what every guy would do in this kind of situation and checked to see if I was still, in fact, a guy; thankfully, I was. That was a relief! Checking myself, I found that I was dressed in a black shirt and gray shorts, along with black combat boots and black socks. It seemed like whoever dropped me in this new world also knew that I liked dark colors. I guess that's nice.

Hopping off the ground into a standing position, I could tell I was definitely much shorter… Jeez, I hoped I wasn't an elf or something, right? The sun appeared to be around ten in the morning if the position of the sun was anything to go by. I felt a little extra weight on my back and turned to see that I was wearing a backpack. Pulling it off, I looked inside to see a set of field rations that seemed familiar to MREs, a tightly rolled sleeping bag, and what looked like a set of new notebooks. As I started to move things around to see if there was anything more in the bag, a sound rang out.

"Ring, ring!"

Turning around, I noticed a glowing object on the ground on the other side of the clearing. Walking towards the ringing, glowing object, I could see that it was a smaller, flat-looking object. Upon getting right above it, I could see that it resembled a phone. It was white on the sides with a green button on the bottom right underneath the screen. It had golden-looking bars on the sides. It was really familiar to the point of irritation. At that moment, it started to ring again—a soft ringing sound. A message then appeared on the screen:

"I bestow upon thee this Arc Phone and thy mission: Seek out all Pokémon."

My eyes shot wide, and then I glanced back at the screen. At this point, time seemed to stand still. This couldn't be real, could it? A joke? A dream, perhaps? I couldn't process what was happening right in front of me. This had to be some elaborate practical joke.

But no, the innocent Arc Phone still sat in my hand. This sent my mind through a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts, mostly centered around the following:

"What the fuck?!" I squeaked.

I was in the Pokémon world?! I had an Arc Phone! Was this Hisui or was it Sinnoh? So many questions flashed through my head. I needed to calm down and think about what I knew. First, I was probably in a Pokémon world, which world was to be determined. Second, I had an Arc Phone, clearly from the god of this world, Arceus himself. Third, I had some supplies that would likely last me a while. With all these things established…

Now, to the things that I didn't know. One, which exact world was I in? Was it the cutesy anime world filled with friendship and love that broke reality whenever it wanted? Or was it a darker world from one of the games or comics? Or even some hybrid of them? This was something I needed to determine if I were to begin planning my path forward. Two, it was clear that Arceus wanted me to do something like complete a Pokédex or something similar. What this task ultimately was and how I would go about doing it was not clear, especially given the blank screen of the Arc Phone in my hand.

Third, I had no idea where I was. Was this ancient Sinnoh? Galar? Kanto? Or Johto? I needed to find this out as soon as possible. I dearly hoped this wasn't ancient anything; I needed indoor plumbing, thank you very much! Fourth, I had no Poké Balls or any Pokémon to protect myself if I was indeed in one of those more dangerous versions of the Pokémon world. Thankfully, it looked like I was on some kind of path—or hopefully a route.

Breaking out of my thoughts, I realized that I really needed to start moving if I was going to find civilization before dark. I surely didn't want to come across a wild Tyranitar—or really any dragon-type—in the dark without any Pokémon or repels. Some might wonder why I was so quick to accept that this was really happening. I had always been one to roll with the punches, as it were. Based on everything I had experienced up until this point, I was inclined to believe in the now quite obvious point that I was in the Pokémon world. Unless I saw or learned something to prove that wrong, or that I was in some infinite Tsukuyomi, I would stick with the first hypothesis.

Taking another quick glance around at my surroundings, I couldn't see any Pokémon or hear any, but I guessed some were around. With a deep breath, I started out on the path. It was mostly a path one would see on any major hiking trail. Tall, light green grass lined both sides of the path. Looking at the path, it was clear that it was well-traveled. Hopefully, this meant I might run into someone who could tell me where the hell I was. This also led me to believe that I was more than likely in one of the modern versions of this world. I highly doubted this kind of path would be found in an ancient region or the like.

As the trail took a slight dip down over a small hill, I saw something brown flash in my peripheral vision. There, flying about the trees, was a clear textbook example of a Pidgeotto. It was more than shocking. The bird Pokémon landed on a nearby berry tree and started to eat.

"I really am in Pokémon," I whispered.

The bird Pokémon continued to eat its meal, unbothered by the human having a reality check. As that thought echoed through my head, I felt a mix of nostalgia, joy, concern, and above all else, excitement. I was one of those kids who loved Pokémon! The DS games and, more recently, the Switch games. Even being an "adult," Legends: Arceus was one of my favorite games of all time! The fact that I actually had an Arc Phone in my pocket right now was surreal. The Pokémon anime was one of the first shows I remembered seeing as a kid. That dumb Pokémon rap still haunts my dreams to this day! The fact that I was seeing an actual Pokémon right in front of me felt like waking up in a dream.

As the Pidgeotto finished its meal, it took flight, gliding over the path and right above my head. I couldn't help but be struck with a sense of awe. I was actually, really, in every sense of the term, in the world of Pokémon!

With that realization and the sighting of the first Pokémon, I started down the path. I needed to figure out what I was going to do tonight if I couldn't find anywhere to stay. As I continued to walk, thoughts began to flow through my mind. There was no doubt—I was going to be a Pokémon Trainer, whatever that looked like. All the Pokémon I dreamed about having as a kid could be a reality!

I could catch them all! I thought, sporting what was surely a joker-like grin. Mega Evolution? Z-moves? Mythical or Legendaries? So many possibilities could be realized! That ignored the power that could come from a humble Rattata! So many moves, powers, techniques, styles, and much more. With my meta-knowledge, I would be a master for sure!

These thoughts came quickly, so quickly that I almost missed something partly hidden in the tall grass. It was a sign stuck on a metal pole with a square gray box. Stopping to look at the simple sign, I read:

"2 Km to Pallet Town."

A grin that was anything but innocent spread across my face, my eyes shining with a maniacal glint. Some simple words came out of my mouth without me realizing it, laced with excitement:

"And so it begins."

AN: This is my first time actually putting pen to paper as it were. Please be understanding if I missed any grammar errors or such.

I've been playing around with the thought of actually writing fan fiction for years now. I find myself having the actual time and motivation to actually see it though.

Any thought or concerns would be greatly appreciated!