AN: Just tell you all, I'd maybe put my word limits in each chapter as 5-4k words, for now maybe. I got the plot planned out and uh, I think that's basically it for now.

Anyway, I hit a bit of a roadblock in my other fic (A Very Normal Trainer/AVNT) so I guess I'll write stuff here, and again, for now, there won't be really anything big so for action-packed readers, be patient lol.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon

"Reyes, have you gotten your project?" my mother shouted from the kitchen.

"Almost, Mom! We're gonna get it done by I think… tomorrow," I shouted back.

"Glad to hear, Reyes! You still have a lot to catch up on," my mother replied, her voice echoing through the house with satisfaction. "Anyway, it's almost 12 PM now. Head to school, my hardworking son!"

I chuckled lightly. "Yeah, yeah. Love you, Mom!"

I strapped on my school backpack and petted my cat, who was sitting right by me, for one last time before heading out. It's been two years since I came back. Look how much time has passed—it felt like yesterday… I still miss Team Starlight.

I opened the door of our house and walked to the highway. It isn't far, and I can commute my way to school; the walk is only 400 meters.

When I arrived at the highway, or the main road, I waited and called for public transport—a tricycle, my home city's main public transport vehicle. A trishaw, to be precise, attached to a motorbike roof and superstructure. It may not be durable, but it's reliable.

As I climbed into the tricycle, I noticed there were already two passengers inside—a middle-aged woman holding a few shopping bags and a young guy around my age, earbuds jammed into his ears, bopping his head to whatever beat he was listening to. I scooted over into the spare empty back seat since the front seats were occupied, making sure I got my things properly settled. The driver, a gruff-looking man in his 40s, revved up the engine, and we were off.

The tricycle rattled slightly as we picked up speed, but it was surprisingly comfortable. The breeze from the open sides cooled the warm noon air as we zoomed past rows of houses and small shops. I glanced around, taking in the view. It's funny how much you notice when you've been away for a while.

As we cruised down the highway, I couldn't help but notice that it was different—no, better. Four years ago, it was all concrete, with barely any cracks, but now it was paved with smooth asphalt. "So many changes," I murmured to myself, half-expecting a bump or sudden dip that never came. Despite adapting for two years, I still felt strange seeing the city like this.

We approached a traffic light that definitely wasn't there before. I raised an eyebrow as the tricycle slowed to a stop. Across the intersection, I spotted a brand-new McDonald's glistening in the midday sun. That made me chuckle—of all the things to pop up in my absence, an American fast-food chain was the last thing I'd expect. I shook my head, smirking at the sight. 'Well, American freedom has touched my city,' I thought with dry humor.

The light turned green, and we were off again, merging back into the light flow of midday traffic. I looked around, noticing other small changes here and there—more traffic signs, new buildings sprouting up like weeds between older, familiar ones. Even the old sari-sari store I used to pass by was gone, replaced by a sleek convenience store.

"Too bad it's gone now," I muttered, leaning back as the tricycle swerved to avoid a group of pedestrians who had decided to jaywalk right in front of us. The driver grumbled something about people needing to use the crosswalk, but we passed through without a hitch.

Another minute down the road, and I could see the familiar gates of my school come into view. I thanked God that my classes didn't start until 1 PM today. The school was already bursting at the seams with over 11,000 students, so they had to split the schedules between morning and afternoon. I wasn't a morning person—never had been—so I counted my blessings that I got to sleep on most days.

As we pulled up to the side of the road near the school's entrance, I handed the driver the fare and stepped out. "Salamat!" I said, nodding in thanks.

"Ingat!" he replied, giving a small wave before speeding off.

I stood there for a moment, adjusting my backpack and glancing at the busy campus grounds. It was a far cry from the quiet world of dungeons and Pokémon I'd left behind. But hey, it was home. And I was going to make the most of being back.

I sighed and shook my head—time for another round of catching up. I'm 18 now, but due to my 'coma' or my getting PMD'ed, I missed out on a lot in those four years—two years of missing education and two years of catching up. All my familiar friends have already entered college, some at prestigious universities, some going abroad, and some already graduated and are now productive members of society.

Though I did catch up at a good pace—now in grade 11, a senior high schooler. I chose the HUMSS strand so I could finally achieve my career of being a geologist or a volcanologist, either way. Even in those two years of adapting, I still felt… disconnected. I still had the Pokémon side of me, the side where I missed my old friends.

Thoughts like these made me sad. They just occurred every time I went on a long walk or journey. Eventually, I arrived at our classroom, HUMSS A section. My seat was in the back corner because, for obvious reasons, I wanted to cheat if necessary and not get myself noticed doing something fishy. But it barely helped, considering I'm now an adult. It also didn't help that my classmates were two years younger than me. I felt off being a young adult still in high school instead of in college or a university.

A classmate of mine, and also a close friend named Nowel, came over to me. "So how's the position paper we made for EAPP?"

I smiled. "Completely finished now, and for the project proposal, it should be done tomorrow."

He clasped his hands together. "Great!" Then looking around at others, we both noticed a huge portion of them were missing their position papers. "Looks like some of them didn't make one for today."

I nodded. "Yep, they're doomed."

Eventually, our advisor arrived—our Earth and Life teacher, Sir Mark. "Alright, sit down, class. Let us recall what we learned from weathering, erosion, and deposition," he said, looking around for anyone raising their hands, but there was no one. "Anybody?"

Then some goofball decided to call me. "Reyes, sir, he's smart." People laughed.

"Ah yes, Reyes, can you answer?" he asked politely.

I sighed. It's fine; it's all for shits and giggles, so I stood up. "Weathering is the breakdown of rocks and sediments; erosion is the transportation of sediments, and deposition is the stagnant buildup of sediments."

He nodded, satisfied. "Oversimplified, but still correct, Reyes. Thank you; you may sit down now."

The classroom felt like it was slowly suffocating me. Sir Mark was still droning on about weathering, teaching about the types of weathering and their properties, and my mind was wandering to the cement ceiling. I turned to Nowel, who was scribbling notes with an intensity that only made me more aware of my own boredom.

"Hey, have you guys ever considered joining the guild?" Nowel asked, breaking the silence that hung between us like a thick fog.

I shook my head, feeling a bit incredulous. "No."

"Oh hell yeah," Joshua chimed in from my right, excitement lighting up his face. "Imagine how many things you could find out there."

Nowel glanced over at me, his eyebrows raised. "Why not? It's pretty much the big norm here now. You could make big bucks out of it."

Joshua nodded vigorously. "I know, right? Those monsters don't even stand a chance against guns anyway. Better to put them out of their misery."

I sighed, feeling a familiar wave of nostalgia crash over me. "Hm… I don't know." Memories of my old Pokémon friends—Airie the Flygon, Xerxe the Torchic, Rio the Bidoof, and, most importantly, my best friend and partner Eevee, whose name was Flamey—came flooding back. He wanted to be a Flareon, and he did become one. The adrenaline and exhilarating excitement of entering dungeons, the camaraderie we shared while facing off against formidable foes. It felt like a lifetime ago, and it made me hesitate.

"C'mon, Reyes," Nowel urged, leaning closer. "We could make a team of our own and register ourselves in the Guild of Asia in a nearby city."

"True," Joshua added, grinning. "Who knows? We might even become heroes and put a stop to that creepy pink storm thing on top of Mt. Everest. Who knows, it could be one of the creation trio!"

I sighed in amusement, shaking my head. "Oh please, you guys have to recognize the dangers." The thought of diving back into that world was both thrilling and terrifying.

"Maybe that's the fun part," Nowel replied, a mischievous glint in his eye. "The dungeons are more like Pokémon Mystery Dungeons, don't you think? They're kind of different compared to those regular fantasy MMOs and RPG games."

"True," Joshua said, nodding seriously. "They say each dungeon has completely random layouts and an unending number of floors too. Creepy but exciting!"

I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed, sighing in annoyance. "You guys really think it's that simple? What if we end up getting our asses kicked?"

"Or worse, what if we just get lost forever?" Nowel shot back with a grin.

"Yeah, but think about it!" Joshua said, eyes wide with enthusiasm. "Think of all the treasure and adventure! It could be legendary!"

"Legendary, huh?" I scoffed, half-joking. "More like a legendary way to get ourselves killed."

"Stop being such a buzzkill, Reyes," Nowel said, rolling his eyes. "Life's too short not to take some risks."

"Exactly!" Joshua chimed in, throwing an arm around my shoulder. "Just imagine us out there, taking down monsters, discovering treasures—living the dream!"

I couldn't help but laugh a little. "You two are ridiculous, you know that?"

"Maybe, but we're right!" Nowel insisted, his excitement infectious. "Besides, if we don't try, we'll never know what could have b—"

"You three back there are talking too loud." Our advisor finally noticed our little off-topic discussion. "This is a warning; please be quiet."

I scratched the back of my head. "Um, sorry sir, we got a bit sidetracked."

Everything went on as usual—the lessons were mostly boring, and I drowned in them. Still, we managed to pass our activities on time and got decent scores out of it, so at least that's good for the grades.

Then recess hit, and things went downhill. Rainfall arrived. Not too heavy or too light, just enough to be a pain in the ass. It was annoying, especially since I didn't bring my jacket or umbrella. Stupid me. I could technically make an umbrella using Aura, but that would basically reveal what I'm hiding from everyone, and then I'd get dragged into shady government shenanigans. No, thank you.

After recess, everything went on as usual, starting with math—which I hated the most. My brain isn't built for calculating and solving equations, unfortunately. Then came P.E., our physical education. We squatted, exercised, danced, and learned about sources of stress and how to combat them. You know, the usual stuff.

Then the school's PA system announced that classes would end early due to the moderate rainfall. Our P.E. ended right there. And, of course, without an umbrella or a jacket, I was basically screwed and guaranteed to get wet. Idiot me.

"Need some cover?" Joshua appeared beside me. "We live pretty close to each other, so why not head home together?"

Considering I had no better options, I agreed. "Sure."

We headed toward the other side of the highway that led to our homes and waited for tricycles to pick us up.

The tricycle finally pulled up, and Joshua motioned for me to hop in first. I ducked into the small cab, scooting to the far side to make room. Joshua slid in next to me, pulling the plastic covering down over the opening to shield us from the rain. The driver revved up the engine, and we jolted forward onto the main road.

The surroundings blurred as the tricycle's engine hummed against the steady patter of raindrops on the roof. It was already dark outside, even though it was only six in the evening. The rain made everything look hazy, almost dreamlike. But the city was still alive, buzzing with light and activity despite the gloomy weather.

Bright fluorescent signs flickered along the sides of buildings, casting neon reds, blues, and greens onto the wet streets. The highway itself was lined with tall light poles that glowed with a steady yellowish hue, illuminating the constant stream of cars speeding by, their headlights cutting through the rain-soaked darkness.

Water splashed up as vehicles passed, creating brief curtains of mist that shimmered under the streetlights. The buildings loomed tall on either side of us, their windows reflecting the glow of countless lights, some still active with the silhouettes of people moving inside. Even with the rain, the city felt vibrant and alive.

I leaned back, watching as rain streaked down the tricycle's plastic cover. The blurred colors of the city lights merged with the dark sky, forming a strangely comforting mosaic of brightness against the night. A sudden memory tugged at the edge of my mind—a flashback to a time that felt like it was both ages ago and just yesterday.

"So what's more in the human world like? Any more differences?" Flamey's curious voice echoed in my head.

"Basically the same, I guess? Though there are no dungeons, of course."

"Didn't you say you guys have tall buildings that can touch the sky?" Flamey had asked with wide, eager eyes, his flame flickering brighter with excitement.

"I think you're exaggerating a bit there."

"But they're still super tall like you said! I wish I could see them." Flamey insisted, bouncing slightly. I could only laugh then, nodding in agreement. Even if they didn't quite reach the sky, those skyscrapers were still something to behold.

I blinked, the memory fading back into the present as the tricycle made a turn, taking us closer to home. Joshua glanced at me, a question in his eyes, but I just shook my head and smiled slightly.

"Just thinking about some old stuff," I murmured, and he nodded, turning his gaze back to the rain-slicked streets.

Was it worth it coming back? The thought floated in my mind, unbidden. I remembered the emotional goodbyes with my Pokémon friends, and most importantly, my partner Flareon—Flamey.