Prologue

Viridian City

During the first five years of my life, I had zero awareness. I was a regular child among regular children. No special traits or knowledge whatsoever. I only cared about eating and playing. But gradually, I began to remember bits and pieces of my former life.

I don't remember exactly how I died. I have brief visions of a hospital bed and machines strapped to my body. I can barely remember my friends and family; their names and faces unclear to me. I know I was loved and that was good enough to mourn the past me. Although it felt more like a formality, after all I don't even remember my name. All I knew was that I spent a lot of time and money playing all sorts of Pokémon games. I was an avid fan. I would even read, memorise, write and edit pages on fan websites to share any knowledge about those games with other aficionados. Pokémon was my major pastime.

On my fifth birthday, I had a dream. Not the kind which you don't remember the details when you wake up, the kind where you are transported in an alternate dimension when a powerful being speaks to you. I saw Arceus himself.

There was no immense pressure or feeling of inferiority or intimidation like many describe when being in the presence of deities. Instead, he appeared far away walking towards me, from the size of a mountain and gradually shrinking to the size of a horse all while staring at me as he approached.

"Hello Kenta" he said in a deep echoing voice.

"You…you're…" I breathed out.

"You can call me Arceus"

I looked around me. We were in a strangely peaceful place neatly divided by the sky and the water. Above me I saw slowly floating clouds and twinkling stars, below me clear reflecting unmoving water, it might as well have been a mirror. There was no batch of land, plants, rocks, or any animals of any sort.

"Where am I?" I questioned the deity.

"In your head" he answered simply.

'Like Harry Potter?' I though.

"Exactly."

'He can read my mind?'

"Like I said, we are in your head" he chuckled.

It took a moment as I observed him. Multitude of questions rushing through my mind, to the point I didn't know where to start.

"Let me assist you then" he said calmly before continuing.

"I appear in this form as you are firmly convinced that I am the representation of the highest being in this universe. Depending on who and where you are, I take a different appearance. Sometimes an old man with a long beard, sometimes a floating orb of light, and in some cases, a giant bird. It matters not to me" he paused.

"I am here before you because now is the right time to enlighten you as to why you were brought here, in this world which is fictional in your past life."

"I want someone to act as my eyes and ears. I want to see, from a mortal's point of view, the reality of humans and Pokémon living together. I want to witness the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, the successes and the failures. I cannot do it myself for my mere presence in the physical world could disturb the balance and affect lives in ways that I do not desire. In addition, there will be a few tasks that I want you, a human, to perform."

I was about to mentioned the protagonist but he already beat me to it.

"We are in the reality which you know as the 'Anime' version. The boy known as Ash, is Ho-oh's chosen, destined to save the world and many lives on numerous occasions. A hero in every sense of the word. In your case, however, you are MY chosen. You have a different path, which might cross but will only result in minor changes in that boy's journey. There is no need to worry about your actions causing shifts in the original plot. We are talking about your life after all" he reassured me.

"But why me? What's so special about me for you to choose me?" I asked.

"Nothing. There is nothing special about you" he answered truthfully.

I admit I was mildly offended.

"Someone else with even more knowledge or even a more noble character would have been fine but I still chose you because you have the traits I am looking for. Some of which is your complete acceptance of your situation. Many others would have been obsessed about their past lives or lost memories. You on the other hand, have already moved on while mourning, healthily, about what is already done. You are not the kind of person to constantly worry about what cannot be changed."

"Another reason is your awareness; not many can admit their faults and shortcomings as honestly as you. You take responsibility for your action. You do not wallow in your mistakes; you remain composed and try to find sensible ways to make up for them. When bad things occur, many will focus on finding whose to blame, or, if they are responsible, let guilt and self-loathing consume them. I prefer someone who looks for solutions amidst problems. Panic and confessions can wait" he said calmly.

"Of course, there are more than a few humans with those traits, but since I know you would not refuse me, I do not see why I should bother looking for someone else. Just because I am eternal; does not mean I enjoy wasting time" his tone shift to a more authoritarian one.

"Just think of yourself as lucky. In your past life, you have never won the lottery, so this is your big break. Which came at the cost of your life, your works, and your relationships" he added, observing my reaction.

I stiffened. Only now I realised that this new life did not come for free. Rather the price for it was a terrible one. If someone asked me to give up everything I had, including my family, for an adventure in an animated cartoon, I would think they were insane.

"Before the thought crosses your mind; no, I did not kill you. I simply looked among the many, many human souls of the departed who would be suitable for the tasks I have in mind."

I took a deep breath. It was strangely refreshing.

"I understand. What is my first task?"

"Become the strongest Pokémon trainer" he said simply.

"Oh, just that" I said sarcastically.

"Yes, strength and power will be needed for what is to come next" he said, ignoring my tone.

"Do not claim you would not have chosen that path anyway. I told you; I know you. You like Pokémon, and battles are something you have enjoyed, in both lives. You already have a plan on how you are going to start, which Pokémon you wish to devote your time and effort to, and have already begun studying what you need and more. You have already started preparing."

I stared at him, feeling a little intruded on by the lack of privacy. Arceus knew everything about me, my thoughts, my feelings, even my plans.

"Alright. I get it. I just keep doing whatever it is I'm doing. And when I'm ready, you'll tell me to do something, is that right?" I asked.

"Correct. That will be all for now. Good luck and remember; what you see, I see. What you hear, I hear. What you know, I know. Take care, Kenta. I am looking forward to your journey" he said kindly.

I woke up.