Nothingness. That was all Leo could think and see as he stared into the colourless ceiling, awake but still in a daze as he tried to come to terms with his situation. Well, what he assumed his situation was, since this all could just be a dream, but he'd woken up in a hospital bed, so unless he was experiencing some inception bullshit... this was real.

He was being nursed back to health in a real life Pokemon Centre, Nurse Joy was the head of department here, and actual pokemon were walking around as though this was just... normal!

Leo took a long, deep breath- which actually irritated his burnt skin a little- and tried to relax and push that particular topic from his mind. He couldn't do that out in the sea, on account of him having to focus on floating unless he wanted to drown. It was a method he'd used to calm and ground himself when he was an easily overwhelmed child, and it gave him something else to focus on.

After repeating the action three times, Leo whispered to himself. "This is crazy." He winced right after, only partly from pain. The words came out hoarse and dry, like he hadn't had a drop of water for days, and his throat stung sharply as iron tainted his mouth.

There was another inconvenience to add to his growing collection of agonies. Apparently, the tear he'd made in his throat via that coughing spree was far worse than he initially thought. The skin behind his tongue was so severely dry, so thin and flimsy from a lack of moisture, that him hacking like that earlier had tore the inside of his oesophagus right open. It was healing on it's own, but a couple of too hard coughs would send him right back to square one.

The obvious solution was to just hold his breath and let it heal on it's own but, according to Nurse Joy- thinking of her as a real person felt weird-, he'd caught an infection in his throat that caused extreme itching, pain, and coughing. It was like a recipe for pain.

Tear. Heal. Cough until he spits out blood, repeat. It was a vicious cycle he was caught and couldn't seem to escape.

But, that wasn't even the winner for worst discomfort he was currently dealing with. No, that honour went to the cluster of blisters which were spread out over his skin. His back was mostly fine, since he'd been floating with his stomach facing up, but his arms were completely bare the entire time he was out in the harsh sun with no unprotected. Every little shift he made had him wanting to hop around in pain.

'This sucks.' Leo thought to himself, wisely choosing not to open his mouth this time and just think his complaints.

This was going to be a long few days, that much was for sure.

Eventually, another male nurse who worked at the Pokemon Centre came in to serve up a tray of food that looked bland enough to lack flavour. It seemed that, no matter the dimension, hospital food was consistently disgusting.

Regardless, Leo ate the shitty sandwich, relishing in the beautiful sensation of cheap cheese and stale bread passing his lips even as it mixed with blood. Not eating for nearly two days did things to a guy, and he wasn't about to complain about the condition of whatever trash they served him up as long as it was edible.

What he was about to bitch about, however, would be the shitty state of his skin. Some of his blisters had popped, exposing the naked, raw flesh underneath, and just shifting in place left stains of puss and blood all over his beds white covers. The pain was something he could grit out, he was pretty used to it, but the risk of further infection had him worried.

"You guys can't just have your pokemon heal me up?" Leo asked despite the pain, almost pleading with the man in front of him, only to get a pitying look in return.

"Heal Pulse only works for open wounds, plus it's effects on humans are much less effective than on pokemon." The man stressed that last part. "All Audino could do was heal your throat, but it grew back far too thin; as I'm sure you've noticed. You'll just have to wait for your injuries to close the old fashioned way."

Leo sighed with a nod, then took a swig of his water bottle before going into deep thought.

The fact Pokemon were real in this world- that the world itself revolved around him- sent his head spinning, but he was starting to come to grips with it. He was probably in Unova, since that was where Audino originated from, but he could be wrong. It had been a while since he'd played any Pokemon games, anything after X and Y were just what he'd picked up through word of mouth or when he scrolled on his phone. He had a good memory, so anything before Black and White he was confident with, but after that it got blurry.

If Leo had known that he'd somehow end up transported into this crazy world, then he'd have certainly followed the games more.

Leo also stuck to the anime up the end of the XYZ series, but same as with the games, he just outgrew that stuff. He didn't have as much free time as an adult, because of him wanting to focus on developing important skills. Anime and video games just weren't a priority.

What a mistake that was.

Standing in the restroom, Leo allowed his expression to morph into one of shock. It stung his face as he stretched his sunburns, but he allowed himself to put the pain aside as he stared right into a mirror and saw himself looking back.

It just couldn't be right. Sure, he had been feeling a little bit shorter, but he just chalked that up to his sunburns making him constantly keel over. It made him breathe heavily and his pupils narrow as he analysed his reflection.

No, that wasn't right. It was him, but younger.

The light freckles he could vaguely make out that had completely faded with age had emerged once more. The vague laugh lines he was expecting to spot at the edges of his eyes and cheeks were forsaken in place of fresh, unused skin with a side of baby fat. His face had taken on a far more coltish youth, one that came at the price of maturity and a sharp jawline he'd developed as time passed.

This wasn't him. This wasn't a grown man in his prime. This was a boy.

For a while, Leo just allowed himself to stare into the eyes of his younger self. It was eerie, to look into the face of someone who'd been gone for years, and to see them mimic your movements so perfectly once more. It twisted something inside him, but he couldn't look away.

It was creepy. It was unnatural. It was wrong.

Leo stormed out of the bathroom, uncaring about the pain and how each step felt like he was walking on lava.

Leo allowed himself to smile as he laid back, his burns aching only lightly. He clicked on a TV remote, and the screen flashed to a different channel, one where a heated battle was taking place that drew his eyes.

The television he'd been afforded by the Pokemon Centre was rather old looking, at least by Leo's standards, but it provided a form of entertainment after three days of staring at a ceiling, with no one but the occasional nurse giving him company. And that was ignoring the time he'd spent lost at sea.

So, saying he was bored was a massive understatement.

In that way, the TV was a blessing that rid him of monotony. The TV cut towards a roaring stadium, where thousands upon thousands of fans were sat in the stands. Even just taking ticket prices into account, the profit margin for a single Pokemon battle like this must have been nuts.

Then again, that was a given considering who was in the ring.

"Tonight we have a special battle taking place, the Champion Alder has been challenged by Marshal Braun, Fighting type specialist and member of Unova's Elite Four, for the right to claim his title as Champion of Unova!"

Leo narrowed his eyes, uncaring of how it stretched the shrunken blisters along his cheeks.

Any information he'd gathered on how this world worked was coming right from the TV, so his source wasn't the most accurate, but from what he'd gathered being the Pokemon Champion was a lot like being a Heavyweight Champion in a sport. Whenever they fought, it was like a national event, people were clawing to see the best of the best battle it out. And from what he could gather, which wasn't much considering he was just listening to news channels and filling in the blanks, corporations were willing to pay through the nose to gain exposure through these events.

Being a strong Trainer sounded lucrative. Far more lucrative than being a Fireman.

With a sigh, Leo found the smile he'd been building fall apart. It was probably just a nice idea, but being trapped here in another world, especially one where the cornerstone his childhood was so prominent, it was mighty tempting.

There was another thought he'd been lingering on: him being a Pokemon Trainer. In theory, it was pretty solid. He'd played through the games before, so he had a good idea of what going through Unova would entail and what sort of obstacles he'd have to overcome. Sure, the experience would differ greatly since this wasn't a game with turns, but still.

Why was he here if not to live out his childhood fantasy?

Leo took a sip from his water as he watched the Unova Champion and Elite Four walk out onto their respective sides of the field, both with a Pokeball in hand. The field itself was plain, with the ground being simple dirt and giving no clear visible advantage, but both trainers were slightly elevated above the battlefield's level so that they were a little above their pokemon. Not much, but just enough for him to notice.

Alder looked exactly as the games portrayed, an old man with crazy sun-like red and orange hair that was tied at the back. Along with being dressed in what looked to be robes, with his Pokeballs attached on a necklace around his neck, he was broad and tall, showing he was probably quite buff way back in his prime.

However, Marshal still overshadowed him. Also looking exactly like in the games, he looked like he meant business, the sort of guy you'd make way for in the street. He was dark skinned and almost comically giant, with muscles that were big, yet still appeared compact and purposeful. His facial muscles looked completely still however, if he was nervous then he was damn good at hiding it.

Those eyebrows were... rather eccentric though.

"Matches between the Champion and Elite Four are regularly held, but rarely does an Elite Four member come out the victor! Marshall knows this, so he must be feeling the pressure!"

"That's right, Jim, he definitely is, especially since Alder has announced he plans to retire by this time next year! Everyone knows that an Elite Four member can only challenge the Champion once every three years, which he has to accept, so this is Marshall's last chance to try and pull the rug out from under our long-time monarch!"

Leo creased his eyebrows. That was an interesting nugget of information, a bit of an odd rule though. Wouldn't hosting more battles against strong trainers equal to more money? Then again, restricting it to three years meant that all trainers involved had some time to possibly train, so the crowds would be kept guessing on the result. If one trainer just kept on challenging the number one over and over that would get boring fast.

Alder looked relaxed, like the cheerful old man he was, and Marshal looked dead serious in contrast. The two were like polar opposites, though Alder still off the impression that he was playing for keeps. Shit was clearly going down.

The referee recited something Leo couldn't quite hear, then threw down his flag and back away as Alder and Marshal both threw a Pokeball up high from where they were perched and they let out a flash that materialised on the field below. It was baffling, to see that living creatures could be stored in light like that, but no less baffling than the Pokemon they contained he supposed.

On Alder's side a Boufallant took shape, it's sharp horns gleaning under the stadium lights, whilst on Marshal's it was a tall and powerful looking Lucario. Now, he couldn't claim to be an expert on Pokemon, even in terms of game knowledge, but from his point of view both of these guys' pokemon looked intimidating. That Boufallant looked like it could run him over, whilst that Lucario could probably knock his head clean off his shoulders.

And these were the type of guys he'd need to beat as a trainer?

"Oh, it looks like Alder decided to lead with his Boufallant, a reliable partner of his that has struck with him since he first became the Champion thirty-five years ago! Though out of his prime, Boufallant is still a force to be weary of! Marshal is in for a tough battle here!"

"Maybe not, Charles! Whilst Boufallant is certainly powerful, this is still Marshal's Lucario which has seen him through several trying battles! With the type advantage, I have no doubt that Lucario will give us quite the showing!"

Leo ignored the comments as he leaned forward, his eyes zeroing in on Lucario and Boufallant as the match began. Lucario glowed a luminous blue, cowling itself in azure fire almost like armour as it blurred forwards. The sheer speed of the attack was enough to make his heart jump as Lucario tackled into Boufallant, sending it reeling backwards.

Was that Extreme Speed, or was that just pure physicality?!

But, Boufallant was surprisingly unbothered as the bull grounds its sturdy legs to kill the momentum, and it came to a halt. The apparent lack of damage was probably just a show, but it probably wouldn't hinder the normal type.

This battle was gonna be intense-

A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts. It was annoying, to be snapped out of the only fun he got to have all day, but the nurses had been nothing but polite and patient with him so he kept the irritation out of his tone. "Come in!"

Nurse Joy poked her head out and said. "Hey, Mr Moore, you have a visitor."

"I thought I told you to call me Leo." Leo then frowned when he registered her words. "And who's here to visit me? Is it anyone who knows me?" It almost hurt Leo that he had to sell a story about amnesia, since any other explanation about his origins would have him thrown in the looney bin, but it was a necessary evil. Maybe it was wrong to take advantage of sweet, compassionate nurses, but he had no other choice!

Joy looked at him with sympathy. "No, I'm afraid not. However, the girl who found you and called the ambulance has decided to drop by and wanted to check up on you now that you're recovering. You could use some company, and she is around your age."

Leo thought for a moment. This girl was a teenager, and his experience with teenagers was that they were, most of the time, in emotional pieces. He wasn't excluded from this, but he at least considered himself to pretty polite and mature back when he was fifteen, sixteen and dealt with it internally without getting others involved. He couldn't say the same about his classmates who were, more often than not, total idiots.

Still, she did technically save him, so he should still talk with her.

"Okay, let her in." Leo gave her the green card.

Joy practically beamed as she opened the door, letting a girl walk in, and Leo immediately regretted his decision.

Now, Leo didn't like to think of himself as a vain person, but the girl in front of him definitely gave off a strong amount of 'rich girl' vibes. Maybe it was that her blonde hair was far too bright and silky looking to not be taken care of daily, or that her green eyes were paired with delicate eyelashes, but she struck him as someone who was taken care of a little too well. Her clothes seemed brand new, and though he was clueless to fashion in this world, they also looked to be luxurious.

She also appeared a bit too thin to be healthy, with her arms being like sticks, and her cheeks were slightly hollow. If he were a teenage boy, unable to control his hormones, he might call her 'pretty' or 'dainty'.

But to Leo, as a grown man who's eyes weren't clouded by hormones, he would say she looked sheltered, underweight, and very out of shape.

She strolled forward with a friendly smile, one that looked more genuine than he expected, and greeted him respectfully. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Frieda Xander. I hope we can get along."

Her words were a bit too formal for his liking, but Leo could also pick out her awkwardness. She was a teenager, so that was par for the course... no wait- not awkwardness, she seemed nervous around him for some reason. She was shaking as though if he didn't take it she'd wilt.

"Nice to meet you too." Leo took her hand, shaking it firmly, but not too hard. "My name is Leonardo Moores, but everyone just calls me Leo."

As she took his hand, Leo didn't fail to notice how forced her smile looked, but that was probably just her finally noticing how burnt out he looked. Though his lips were no longer cracked up and bleeding, like they had been days ago, they still appeared unhealthily dry and chappy. His skin was an unhealthy red. His blisters were still plainly visible. His eyes were so red that when he looked in the mirror he could have sworn his irises were being blocked out.

He really was a sorry sight.

"It's good to see you're doing better." Frieda began awkwardly, taking a seat on his bed. "When I came across you on the beach, I really suspected that you might have been lost to us. It's simply splendid to see that you've managed to endure, so when I heard that you were here, I decided to clear my schedule and pay you a visit."

Leo couldn't help but think that was a very long way to say 'I found you and wanted to see if you were alright', but he didn't interrupt and decided to smile back.

"Great, I was getting bored here all by myself. If you want to stay, then why don't you pull up a chair and watch the match with me." He invited, though truthfully didn't care that much if she stayed or not.

"Would that be alright?" Frieda asked with a startling amount of excitement in her eyes. When she finally noticed the TV, with a Pokemon battle raging on, her eyes narrowed as the smile on her face became much more real.

Leo couldn't help but suddenly think that maybe he didn't have this girl all figured out.

If you want to support me, then look towards The Magician 565 in the place of patrons. I am a pretty broke student all things considered, so if you want to read additional works of mine then the donations would be much appreciated. I hope to write for you all, and if you could show your support more openly then I'd be happy to crack down!

Additional chapters:

Rising To the Top - 5

Now It's My Turn - 1

An Outlier - 5

The All Mighty Earth - 5

Power Grasping - 3

Dealing With Darkness - 2

God of Destruction - 5

Counterattack - 5

Total - 31