Chapter 1
Second Chance
I snuck into my parent's bedroom, ignoring the hammering of my heart.
The room was a disaster area, dirty clothes strewn everywhere and beer cans littering the surface of both bedside tables and the chest of drawers.
Dad's snores reverberated loudly, and I began the search for his wallet. It wasn't in the kitchen or living room, so it had to be in his room. However, it also wasn't on the chest of drawers it would usually be, perhaps because cans and other junk were already spilling over the edge of it so there was no room for it there anyway.
I crept closer to the bed where several days of clothes lay crumpled, slowly and quietly checking for the wallet. I gently lifted a pair of jeans at the top of a pile, and felt the extra weight in them immediately.
Bingo.
I rifled through the pockets and found the wallet quickly, pulling it out and seeing how much cash he had. I found a $20 and a few singles, but that was all. It would be enough to buy ingredients for the twins' 9th birthday cake, but if I wanted snacks for their friends I would need to check for more tomorrow, because otherwise there would be nothing left for dinner that night, a far cry from the pizza's I hoped to get for them. That would be a terrible end to their birthday.
I suppose getting a cake at all would still beat my birthday back in March though.
I couldn't help but send the man on the bed a glare. Why did you have four kids if you couldn't look after them? Damn irresponsible… I guess it wasn't all his fault, it was probably a joint decision with Mum, but seeing she was dead, he had to take the blame for two.
I looked back at the wallet, and saw the picture he had in it from happier times not so long ago. Mum and Dad were smiling, and my brother and sisters looked so carefree. I also looked happy, I noted with some surprise. I'd always overthought stuff, and I can remember trying to get my hair right because it had been cut just before the photos and I liked it long, but I thought it still looked weird so I'd worn my favourite pokemon cap over the top of it... Such a stupid thing to worry about.
"Rob, the twins are ready!"
I startled as Rosie's voice rang out through the room, then froze, waiting to see if Dad would wake up.
His head was facing towards me, and his snoring had paused. I stared at his closed eyelids with bated breath, hearing my heartbeats. They stayed shut. His snoring resumed as he rolled over, and I started breathing again.
I put the wallet on top of his clothes, not bothering to put it back in his pocket, and left the room to walk my siblings to elementary school which was on the way to my middle school.
I didn't know if he would notice the money missing, but I doubted he would care either way. After all, that was his problem these days.
He just didn't seem to care about anything.
-break-
10 years later
I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling, on a bed that was far too big.
I frowned. Did I have a medical episode last night… because this wasn't the palliative care ward?
Frowning, I tried to sit up, but my body had other plans. Pain coursed through my chest like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my ribs, and my head throbbed like… I laid back down with a groan.
It was too painful to think.
As if on queue the door opened. I opened my eyes to see a young pink-haired woman in a nurse uniform walk in. Even in my disoriented state, I noted that the uniform was unlike anything that I'd ever seen back in my usual ward.
I tried to shake the thoughts out of my mind, but aborted the effort as pain shot through my head. I closed my eyes and gently laid my head back down. Staying still was good. Movement was bad.
"It's good to see you awake," the nurse said. "We almost lost you when you first came in. How do you feel?"
Made sense I suppose, my body was so riddled with cancer that I knew any time I went to sleep that I might not wake back up.
"I feel-" I started, before realising my voice had come out like a squeak. I gave a cough, then tried again.
"I feel like I got run over by a truck." My voice was still a bit weird. "Could I have some water?"
I heard the nurse murmur something, and I heard a set of footsteps walk away. I hadn't seen her partner walk in. I opened my eyes to check to see a pink blur just as it went around the doorway. I looked back at the nurse, who was somewhat familiar even though I couldn't quite place her.
"She will be right back with some water." she assured me.
"Thank you." I replied. Once again my voice was an oddly high pitch, but then again my throat was feeling rough. Perhaps some water would help.
"So Oliver, what's the last thing you remember?"
I frowned as I tried to think of a response to the question, but my mind was unusually sluggish.
"Well, before I went to sleep I was coughing up blood again, and I haven't had any appetite for a few days-"
The nurse jolted and looked at me worriedly.
"When we checked your condition we didn't see anything wrong with your lungs or digestive tract… I'll have Chansey check you over again, you just relax here." She shot me a smile that was likely meant to reassure me and briskly left the room.
Nothing wrong with my lungs or stomach? I'm riddled with cancer, mate. Shaking my head in bewilderment as I was now alone, I finally looked around the room, then the large bed, and then myself.
It was then I realised - the bed wasn't too big, I was just too small.
It was with that realisation that the memories started flooding in. I wasn't just Oliver Kane, I was also Oliver Blincoe of the Pokémon World. For some reason I felt more like I was Oliver Kane than Oliver Blincoe, as though my life on Earth had happened more recently, even though I was in the child's body now.
All my memories as David Blincoe were still there though, and I was just starting to piece things together when the door opened, and a Chansey followed by Nurse Joy(?) all but ran in. Above her head were words
Chansey (F)
Current Strength: 63.88 / 68.43
Expected Potential: 6.348 - (7.248*)
Before I could make sense of the random words and numbers hanging over the Chansey's head, they were by my side and impatiently passed me a cup of water to drink. She then touched her stubby arm to my head. A moment later a foreign sensation unlike anything I'd ever felt went through my mind, and while I still felt exhausted, my headache steadily receded until it was all but gone.
"Chansey." She said tiredly as she removed her arm, and I could tell the healing had taken a lot out of her.
Chansey (F)
Current Strength: 51.27 / 68.43
Expected Potential: 6.348 - (7.248*)
"How do you feel now?" Nurse Joy asked cautiously.
"My head feels so much better." I replied, my mouth on autopilot while I thought of what was going on. "Why didn't you do that earlier?"
"Chansey needs to remain prepared for emergencies, so if the patient's condition isn't critical, then we usually let them heal naturally with a few berries and some medicine. If Chansey had been tired when you came in a few days ago, then likely you wouldn't be here with us, given the state of your body at that time."
As she replied to me, Chansey rifled through the nurses pockets and then quickly started munching on said berries, already setting to work replenishing her energy stores.
"I'm going to repeat the question I asked earlier." Joy continued. "What is the last thing you remember?"
I stopped looking at the information hovering above Chansey and searched my memories. While they felt like they happened years ago, they were still there.
"Umm... let me think." I replied slowly. "I remember something happened to Mum, and then I had to live in the orphanage. It was supposed to be temporary…"
As the memories became clear, I felt my heart clench.
"She died… no went missing. But eventually there had to be a funeral anyway."
Joy had stopped writing.
"So I tried to find her." I finished.
I was crying before I even realised. I felt a bit awkward to be honest, and tried to control myself. My memories of this world were getting blended in with the memories of my own, and my body was responding spontaneously. As I looked back at the memories of her on this world, it was obvious she had been a kind and loving mother to this world's Oliver, just like mine was to me.
Nurse Joy didn't press me as I wept
When I wiped the last of my tears from my eyes, I saw Joy waiting for me.
"I'm sorry, I still have to ask a few more questions. Is that ok?" She asked gently.
I nodded, still wiping tears.
"Do you know where we are?" She started.
"Cerulean Pokécenter." I replied numbly.
"Cerulean Hospital. You aren't a Pokémon as far as I can tell." She said, trying to inject a bit of levity, "What is your name?"
"Oliver-" I paused. My old last name was Kane, but now it was… "-Blincoe."
"Good, that's correct. How old are you?"
This was actually the most difficult question to be honest. It was ever changing, and the memories of my life on Earth blended in with my memories as Oliver here. I knew my Birthday on the 28th of March was the same in both lives. However, even as my mind struggled for the answer my mouth acted on instinct.
"Thirteen, nearly fourteen."
Ah, I was truly in a kid's body.
"That's correct, but you won't be fourteen for another few weeks..."
For a moment the only sound was the scratching of her pen, and Chancy's munching of berries. The pen stopped moving, and Joy looked back at me.
"Now, I know you said you remember some of it, but do you have any idea what happened after you went into the caves underneath Mount Moon?"
I was found in the Mount Moon caves?
"No." I replied honestly.
"So you don't remember straying well away from the cleared path recommended for inexperienced Pokémon trainers?" She asked rhetorically with a raised eyebrow, before sighing. "You were found unconscious and poisoned in Mount Moon by a Pokémon Trainer who was searching for mushrooms. A friendly wild Paras led her to your body, which had been poisoned by a Zubat's bite... Does that jog your memory at all?"
"No… sorry." I said lamely. I didn't remember that, which was likely for the best to be honest.
She looked hard at me, then sighed.
"I guess I should give you a bit more information, to make sure you don't do something so foolish again. After your mother went missing nine weeks ago while finding geological samples for Bill's research, search parties were sent out, high priority as she was privy to some knowledge critical for the Indigo League's national security. They saw evidence of her Pokémon fighting, namely some… whiskers of your mother's Raticate, as well as some spores and leaves of her Bellossom. The investigation isn't concluded yet, but there might be criminal syndicate activity involved. You were never going to find anything but trouble by going down there."
She gave me a stern look, but it softened before continuing.
"...when the Trainer found you, she quickly used an antidote and both her potions, but your condition kept worsening as she couldn't make you properly ingest them fully. By the time you were brought back here, your heart had stopped, and you needed to be resuscitated. It's hard to confirm whether your memory loss is due to Mental or Physical trauma, but you should feel more yourself over time."
I nodded numbly, with too much to process. Even the original Oliver hadn't known about there being anything suspicious about his mothers disappearance. Did that mean it was Team Rocket? Or something else?
Over the next half hour I was made familiar with my current situation.
I was to go back to the orphanage. It had originally been set up for War Orphans as a consequence of the Kanto-Johto War when the two human controlled territories had expanded into each other half a century ago. Those children had all aged out in the time since the conflict, and though there was a small but steady influx due to Pokemon incursions, there was still more than enough space for me. I had been temporarily excused from classes, but they were considered incredibly important and the sooner I could get back to school the better.
After she had finished explaining my situation to me, and confirmed that I had no other questions, she let me know a light meal would be brought to my room and left. For the first time since waking up in this world, I finally had some space to take a few deep breaths and consider my situation.
I was in the Pokemon world, which was… interesting. I hadn't played many games since Mum in my previous life died, but occasionally I'd played either of the first three generations while cooking and caring for my younger siblings. There had always been a strong feeling of nostalgia, as it reminded me of a time when life was so much more simple, and grinding to get my Dragonite to level 100 seemed like the best use of my time.
Years later, once the life insurance payout was guaranteed, I had also played a little PokéRogue to distract my mind while my body deteriorated. Despite that, I was still ignorant of many Pokemon, and nearly all lore, post-gen 3.
My thoughts then moved to my family. Rosie had almost finished her degree now, while Ron and Roxy had both headed off to the same university together on an athletics scholarship. Combined with the life insurance payout, they should have every chance of achieving their dreams, and would have degrees to use as a backup.
Having to basically be a parent since Elementary school had sucked, I'd had to sacrifice a lot and it had robbed me of my childhood, but I had been looking forward to the next stage of my relationships with them as we continue. They didn't need me anymore… but I missed them already.
My eyes moistened, and I quickly distracted myself, directing my thoughts to what the window above Chansey meant.
It had said 'Current Strength' and 'Expected Potential', and also let me know that Chansey was a girl, but the numbers were all completely unrelated to things in the game, and the current strength had gone down further when she healed me. Was it like, some combined stats average and fatigue ratings or something?
I mulled it over for a bit, but came to the conclusion that the sample size of one pokemon was too small. If I wasn't completely delusional and I was actually here, then I would figure it out later.
I gave out a yawn, and relaxed deeper into bed as I thought about lighter topics, like what Pokémon would I want on my team? I got more comfortable as I considered it. Something like a Dratini would be good to start with, as it would eventually become a Dragonite. An Eevee would also be good, all the eeveelutions are strong, a Vaporeon would be indestructible to water types, and a Jolteon would be cool… Perhaps also a Larvitar…
- break -
I was well rested and honestly a bit bored by the next time Nurse Joy entered. The meal I'd woken up to had been nice, but after eating it there was literally nothing to do, and while I'd felt awkward about it, I had ended up ringing the bell beside my bed.
"Ah, hey, sorry about this. I was wondering when it is alright for me to leave, or if there is something I have to do?"
"First, I have to know whether you plan to go back to Mount Moon?" she asked, sending me a piercing gaze.
"No." I answered immediately.
To do so without pokemon was suicidal… which was likely a part of the reason Oliver had done it, if unconsciously.
She kept looking into my eyes, then nodded, seemingly finding what she was looking for.
"You are mending well, we just want to keep you under observation until tomorrow morning. Though unlikely, sometimes poison type energy can cause a delayed immune response."
I nodded back, but then asked. "Makes sense. Then is it possible I could have my phone back? There is nothing really for me to do here, and I don't like wasting time."
In my last life I had nearly always been doing something, whether it be working, cooking, cleaning or studying (before I had to drop out of school to support my siblings). The only times that changed was when my illness had progressed too far, and I had been forced to slow down. For the last few months I'd idled more time away than I had in the decade prior combined, and now my situation wasn't hopeless, I was raring to be productive.
At my question she smiled.
"Of course there are no issues, we have some PCs in the communal areas. You should have it mostly to yourself, early Spring is the safest time of the year after all, though that will change when all you youngsters start travelling the routes."
That triggered something in Oliver's memories, sending a spike of anxiousness into my gut.
"What is the date today again?" I asked hesitantly.
Nurse Joy winced briefly, realising she had misspoke.
"Don't worry Oliver," she said with a consoling smile. "It has been a tumultuous couple of months, so I just wanted to let you know that I have raised your case with the League, and that due to your unique circumstances you will be permitted to undergo the trainer exam next year even if you fail this year.
"If you are selected next year, you would also be permitted to participate in the first year and second year conferences, although you would only get the first year of your Journey sponsored instead of the usual two by the League."
Everyone was allowed to go on a Journey, but the only way an orphan like me could go would be through an indigo league sponsorship. However, getting a scholarship was a competitive process.
The research Oliver had done before his mother had passed all flooded back to me.
The region of Kanto had about 7 million people, and in my age group there would be somewhere in the region of 100,000 people. Of this cohort, only about 20,000 would be able to go on a sponsored Journey in their first year.
This meant ~80% of kids couldn't qualify. The prerequisites for going on a Journey entailed:
A high grade on the trainer exam.
Aura awareness and control.
A further 5,000 spots would be up for grabs for his cohort next year, but it would be even more competitive.
The reason why this year was the time to go was because the majority of kids only gained Aura awareness after the age fourteen. This meant that while there were ~100,000 in the cohort, only ~30,000 would be valid competitors. However, if you wanted to compete for one of the 5,000 spots the next year, you would be competing against perhaps 65,000 others, which was much tougher competition.
Those who missed out could do their own journey later, but they would be funding it themselves, and there were far fewer tournaments that they could compete in for prize-money unless they were entering the open division.
"Thanks for that, I appreciate it… but when is it again?" I asked again, trying to keep my rising panic from my voice.
Oliver had been in a position to blitz the exam before, and had planned to spend the last few months putting in work to gain Aura awareness… but it hadn't gone to plan, for obvious reasons. I knew the exam was on the 31st of March, but I had no idea how far away that was.
This wasn't just the previous Oliver's feelings, though it had always been his dream as well. Now that I was here, I'd been almost taking it for granted that I'd become a trainer, and make up for my lost childhood on Earth by living out the childhood dreams that weren't just out of my previous life, but out of everyone else's as well.
"It's three weeks away tomorrow, on Monday the 26th of March." Joy replied with a sigh.
It was going to be difficult to grasp.
"Cool, thanks for letting me know" I said, plastering a smile onto my face to hide the urgency I felt as I sat up. "If you could lead me to one of the PCs, then that would be very much appreciated."