Chapter 1: Robbed at the Finish Line

"Remember class, everything we've discussed about Dark Ages will all be on the mid-terms next week." Grayson told the numerous students. "The test will cover cumulative, so it'll cover everything from the first chapter to now, from Ancient Times to what we've learned about Mediveal Europe. Make sure to look over your notes from the previous classes so you don't forget what we've learned back at the beginning of the semester. And remember! You won't be able to take the midterm if you don't have your exam pass, so make sure you bring it so you don't have to run back to your dorm room or mailbox."

Ding Dong Dong Ding!

"Alright, there's the bell. You're all dismissed." Grayson said as all the students began to gather their things and quickly left the lecture hall. Grayson couldn't help but let out an amused sigh at the sight as he gathered his own things.

His name was Grayson Hawthorn, but to his students he was known as Professor Hawthorn. He spent eight sleepless and exhausting years struggling to get his Ph. D and another five further studying for the postion, so he was going to wear that title with pride. He managed to even get that professor look down with the dark trenchcoat he was wearing over navy blue cartigan and white button up shirt.

He ran a hand through his shaggy black hair as he took in a satisfied breath. Today wasn't his first time teaching. It wasn't even the first class of the day for him. Yet he still felt that mixture of nervousness and excitement every time the bell signaled the start of his lecture. This was what he lived for. Teaching. It wasn't a job many would want, and the pay was so-so, as most teaching jobs were (though Gray's position as a university professor helped in that department.), but he wasn't doing this for pay so that hardly mattered.

Grayson was a professor for one reason and one reason only: to educate the next generate. The share knowledge to and guide the people who would come after him. That was his passion. While he didn't particular handle children too well, as they were too rambuntious and energetic for him to juggle on his own, Gray found joy in teaching teens and young adults, age groups who were in desperate need of a guiding hand. Some more than others. Grayson should know. He had needed that hand when he was that age.

That's how it all started. He still remembered dearly that fateful day during his third semester of college. 'Poorly' wouldn't be enough to describe the problems he had when he was trusted into his new responsibilities that came after high school. The stress of it all was only compiled by the fact that he had no idea what he was doing at the time or what he would do in the future. Because of that, he had spent the first few semesters floundering about like a fish out of water.

Gray had wanted to postpone college until he had an understanding of what he wanted to do, but his parents essentially forced him to go before he was mentally ready. Gray loved his parents. They were wonderful parents, bless their soul, but they had forced an ultimatium on him once he graduated. Either he went to college and they would help him financially, along with letting him continue to live in their house for free, or he would have to start paying rent and get a job until he eventually did go to college.

Considering he had just gotten out of highschool and his part-time job didn't give him enough pay that would help him pay rent for anything, he was left with very little choice but to go.

So he went to college and picked a major he thought he would enjoy. Computer science. He lied working with technology and computers, and he had wanted to learn how to program for a while. Grayson thought it would be a fun experience.

It was not. It was anything but. After just three semesters, he had grown to hate the course and the classes, but his hatred grew to a new level with his teachers. Unhelpful. Strict. Constantly berating the students. It was the first time Gray could honestly say he hated someone, and it thoroughly ruined whatever fun he had with the classes.

He was lost, unsure of what to do, and the longer he floundered, the more money and time would be drained from him. He was about to resign himself to his fate and drop out, but that's when he met his savior: one Jessica Alba.

Professor Alba saw the rut Grayson was stuck in and the piling levels of stress, anxiety, desperation, and depression he was stewing in. One day after class had ended, she took Gray aside to speak with him, and she did something no other teacher had really done for him before. She offered him advice. Good advice. And not just that.

It became a weekly thing, speaking with Professor Alba, and some times, they would talk about school related things, but other times they would just chat about mundane meaningless things. It the first time a teacher had done something like this for him. Perhaps it helped that she was realitivey close to his age when compared to the other teachers, though she still had many years over him. Still, Grayson eventually considered her not just as one of his teachers but also his friend. And once he realized that, his path became clear.

He wanted to do that for others. When someone was struggling and didn't know what to do, Grayson wanted to be the one to extend his hand and offer them advice just as Professor Alba did for him. The world needed more teachers like that in the world. God knows Professor Alba was the first teacher to do that for Gray. Some people never got that during their years of education. Teachers should be more active in helping their students, but there were only so many teachers in the world and they only had so much time to spare.

So Gray decided to become that teacher and make it work. Even if other teachers couldn't do it, he would find a way to make it work for him. He wanted to be that helping hand. He wanted to be the one to offer advice to one who needed it and couldn't get it from anyone else. He wanted to help nuture and mentor others and watch them grow. The very thought of helping potential future students of his growing up and him helping them along their way to success warmed him up inside.

His path was set. And he finally had a goal he wanted to reach and the passion to do it.

It took years. Many sleepless, exhausting years before he achieved it, but he was here. Grayson was now a professor and he was teaching multiple courses covering math, science, math, and other general topics. Even more than that, he had also managed to become one of the university's Academic Advisors, so he would be able to offer more students the help they might need if they so desired it. He couldn't be happier.

Of course, he wasn't done. He was only an associate professor. He wasn't a full professor yet, but he would be. Just a few more years of proving his worth and he'll be able to apply for the position. That gave him plenty of time to further his own research.

Sure, he specialized in history, math, and general sciences as a teacher and had to research that to an extent, but it wasn't his main focus. His main focus was researching the field of education. The older he got, the more he realized that being a good teacher who helped his students and lent them an ear wasn't enough. The world needed better teachers like that, and the entire system needed to be reworked from the ground up. He was seeing issues and problems with it everywhere, and it was only becoming more apparent the further along he went.

Once he managed to become a full professor, his position at the academy would be so high he could finally start changing things for the better. From the bottom up, and that would just be the beginning. His dream was to better the education system, so children and young adults were given the proper tools to succeed and a guiding hand to help them when they were lost. A system that allowed for flexibility for the individual to choice their path, but was still firm enough to not allow them to flounder around doing nothing.

But that would be for the future. He still had a lot of research to do if he wanted to improve the system or even rebuilt it. For now, all he needed to do was teach his students to the best of his abilities and continue his research until he could become a full professor.

Professor Grayson Hawthorn. It felt right. A missing puzzle piece that he had finally found. It fit him, he thought, and he wouldn't be letting it go any time soon. He had a lot more work to do.

"Professor Hawthorn?"

The nervous, yet curious young voice finally seemed to bring Gray out of his thoughts as he packed. His olive eyes slowly found their way to his side and were met by small blue orbs belonging to one of his students.

Marie Beaufort. A Junior in her fifth semester who majored in History. Someone who had been in multiple of his classes already, and someone who was slowly becoming one of his favorite students, though Gray would never admit to having favorites.

Even now, he saw his younger self in Marie. Anxious. Nervous. Scared. Stressed beyond belief. And yet, unlike him, there was a fire already lit in her eyes. Curiousity that flowed through her that needed satiation. A desire that pushed her to keep moving, even when under an unbelievable amount of stress.

Marie Beaufort was so much stronger that Grayson had been at that age, so much so if he had met her back then he would have been incredibly jealous, but now as an older adult and, most importantly, as her teacher, he couldn't help but still find it incredible that even though she seemed to her life more figured out than he ever did at that age, still still came to him for not only advice, but just to speak about the class, the lesson, and other things.

She saw him as not just a teacher, but a friend as did other students he spoke to to offer advice or lend an ear to. It was something that always managed to cheer Grayson up when he was down.

"Ms. Beaufort. Did you have any questions about the lecture, or was there something else you wanted to discuss?" Grayson asked as he finished packing up, carefully sliding his laptop into his satchel before pulling the strap over his shoulders.

"Nothing about the lecture, but I wanted your advice with something." Marie replied, a thin line forming on her lips as she seemed to steady herself.

"Of course. You already know I'll always lend an ear to any student who needs it." Gray told her as he motioned her to follow him as he walked outside of the room. "What do you need?"

"Well…" She began, trailing off as she thought about how to ask her question. "You, uh, remember what my major is?"

"Of course. You're studying History for your major."

"Yes…History…" Marie muttered as a frown began to form on her expression. "I was…wondering if it was too late to switch to something else."

Grayson stopped walking the moment he heard that, and he had to stop himself from spinning around to Marie with bulging eyes and asking the obvious question of 'why'. That was something he was not expecting at all. Some other students, he could see them wanting to switch their majors since it was clear whatever they were studying wasn't working or clicking with them, as had been the case with him during his college years. Marie wasn't one of those students in his mind. He had thought he had seen passion burn in her eyes during those classes. Was he mistaken with that observation, or had something changed recently.

Either way, he was there to lend an ear and offer advice. The last thing Marie probably needed was him to show just how shocked he was. If he did, she might clam up or say she changed her mind. So, Gray schooled his expression and let out a small hum as he started walking against after his very brief pause.

"I see." He slowly began, measuring his tone to remain soft and stable. "To answer your question, no. It's never too late to change courses, even if you might think it is. It will be difficult, sure, but if you are truly set on your decision, then I believe you should go through with it. However, if I may ask, is there any reason why you want to? Is your current major not working as well as you hoped?"

"It's not that. I enjoy my classes a lot, and I still really love history too." Marie explained, figetting a little with her hands as she spoke. "It's just…before, I didn't know what I was going to do exactly. I had wanted to do something with history since it really interested me, but there's a lot that falls under that. There are a lot of things I could do or become with a History Major."

"That is true. It's a bit more broad of a major compared to other things like Professional Writing." Grayson hummed in agreement.

"Yeah, and that always bothered me, since I didn't know what exactly I wanted to do. At least, before now. I think I know what I want to do."

"Then that's good." Grayson offered a smile. "From what you've said, can I assume it still falls under History?"

"That's right." Marie nodded, causing Grayson to let out a sigh of relief in his mind. His observations weren't wrong.

Marie really did like her classes and course. Phew… His self confidence in being able to tell how his students were feeling or how they were doing would have been destroyed if he had been wrong about that.

"Then would you mind telling me what you plan to do in the future then?" Grayson then asked, causing Marie to show him a bright smile as she beamed at him.

"I was thinking of becoming a teacher like you!"

Grayson froze up again, but this time he couldn't hide his feelings as surprise painted over his face. Of all the things she could have said, those words were not what Grayson had expected. Marie didn't notice it right away though and continued speaking.

"I was hoping to switch to an Education Major with History as the focus. I was hoping to teach at around junior high or highschool level eventually." Marie explained, that familiar passion Gray was familiar with now at the forefront of her words as she expressed her desires happily.

"G-Good." Gray managed to force out, finally regaining controll over his expression as he put back his reliable mentor look again. "Wh-What made you want to become a teacher?"

"I told you already. I want to be a teacher just like you." Marie told him with a soft smile. "It's just…I've never had a teacher who I could just talk to like a normal person. None of my old teachers ever let me vet or ask them advice about whatever was bothering me unless it had something to do with the class. Even my other teachers now don't do that, but you do. You happily lend an ear to anyone and offer them encouragement and advice. Really good advice. I honestly don't know what I would have done without you. I was so lost during those first few semesters, I didn't know what I was doing."

Grayson's heart began to sped up and emotion swirled in his chest. Still, he said nothing as he let his student continue.

"Eventually, I realized that I wanted to do that too. I wanted to help others like you did for me. I think there should be more teachers willing to just be there for their students. To not just be their teacher, but perhaps even a friend. It's thanks to you that I managed to make it this far already, and it's thanks to you that I know what I want to do now. But I wanted to hear your advice on the matter before I actually go through with it. What do you think Professor–H-Hey, what's wrong?"

"Huh?" Grayson already didn't know how to respond, but when Marie stopped and motioned towards his face, he quickly realized that he was tearing up. He quickly moved to wipe his eyes as a small smile made its way onto his lips.

Joy. That's what he was feeling. Overwhelming joy. Joy at just the mere thought that he had helped someone so much, and that he not only did that, but that he somehow inspired them to do the same for others. More than ever before, Grayson Hawthorn felt joy for his decision of becoming a Professor. He felt unimaginable pride that his desire to help others in the way he was helped when he was younger was now spreading to someone else. And most of all, he felt more fulfillment now then ever before. He had reached far beyond his initial goal and was now inspiring the next generation to do the same.

Gray couldn't be happier.

"S-Sorry. I was just really happy to hear that you thought so highly of me. I didn't think that I'd help or inspire someone so much." Grayson said as he finished drying his eyes. Crying in front of his student? How embarrassing. "I'm…I'm truly happy to here that's what you want to do as a career." Gray then paused for a moment before smiling again. "Would you believe me if I told you I became a teacher for the exact same reason?"

"Really?" Marie asked with wide eyes.

"Yep. I was a little older than you and I spent another semester or two flondering about with not a clue of what I wanted in life. But one of my Professors was there for me. She lent me a hand and an ear when I needed one and offered me better advice than anything else anyone had said to me before that point. Eventually, I realized that I wanted to be that person too, so I became a professor. Hearing you say you want the same thing…I just couldn't be happier."

Gray then cleared his throat as his more calm, mature, professional look came back to him.

"Anyway, no matter what I say, I believe that you should follow the path that your heart is set on if at all possible, which I believe it is. You're an incredibly smart young woman, Ms. Beaufort, and I have no doubt you'll do amazing things. If I managed to help someone like you, then I believe whole heartedly that you can do the same."

"Really?" Marie asked with another smile. "Then…I think I will do it. Can you help me with the process of switching majors?"

"Of course, though you might want to ask your offical advisor for their opinion as well, since technically they're the ones who are supposed to help you with this stuff. But I'm sure he won't mind if I help out if you want me to." Gray said with a smile. "Why don't we head over to my office to start working things out? You have a free period now, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Then let's go get this sorted."

With that, the two of them began walking to Grayson's office, chatting about mundane things and classes as they walked. Grayson felt like this was were he belonged once again. This was were he was meant to be, here in this university helping guide his students and offer them advice. Now he was also inspiring them too. He never would have imagined that before. Things couldn't get any better.

And they wouldn't. No. They would get arguably worse. Because as Grayson took a step on the path to his office, the same path in the same hallway in the same university that he had taken for multiple days, months, years nows, something changed. Something was fundamentally wrong this time.

Grayson took that same step he always took, and he fell. He did not trip. He fell. That one, single step would change everything, because when he took that step, his foot didn't hit the ground. It went through it, as if the ground wasn't there. And immediately, the rest of his body did the same.

Grayson thought he had trip, and let out a yelp when he started falling, but things started moving far too quickly at that point. He realized that he hadn't tripped. His foot had fallen through the floor as though he had missed a step on the stars, and now his body was following suit, falling through the floor just as his food did.

Fear piled upon fear as his little yelp became a scream, but it was too late. Marie and the other people walking through the hallway all saw him fall, but none of them could move fast enough to catch him. And so he fell, and sank, like a stone thrown into the deep end of a lake, until there was only darkness.

Grayson did not wake up immediately, but he did become immediately aware that something was wrong. Pain wracked his body with a dull ache, and a small groan managed to slip out of him as his mind started up again after…whatever happened to him.

He didn't want to move. He felt sore all over, and the last thing he could remember was falling through the floor to…somewhere. Wherever he now was. Truthfully, Gray just wanted to believe this was just a bad dream. He wanted to wake up and be greeted with his appartment's ceiling or the celiing of his office at the university. He wanted to laugh it off and go back to being happy that he inspired someone.

And yet he feared that the sight awaiting him would not be that. That what he remembered was not a dream and something did happen to him. That the dull pain he felt was real and not just a figment of his imagination.

He was afraid, but he couldn't just stay there motionless forever.

So he started to move. The moment he started to, sudden pain shot through him like a searing hot rod stabbing him throughout his entire body. Screams were ripped out of his mouth as he began thrashing about, his voice distorting as he let out his cries. Tears welled up in his eyes as Gray felt his body rip apart at the seems. Nothing could describe this feeling. This pain. It was as if his own body was rejecting him and was trying to destroy itself.

And then it stopped. It disappeared entirely, leaving behind only the dull painful ache from before, though it was a little more prominent now.

The fear Grayson felt now was much stronger, like an opressive force now hanging over him like a cloud. He didn't want to feel like that again. He never wanted to experience that pain again. He would rather die.

But he didn't have a real choice in the matter. He didn't even know what caused that painful sensation. If he kept his eyes closed, he never would learn what caused that.

And so he steeled himself. He was thirty two years old. He wouldn't let this drag him down. He had responsibilities, and he's dealt with horrible and hard things before. This was no different.

He would get through this.

And so, after regaining the breath he lost from screaming in pain earlier, he slowly forced his eyes open.

It took a while for his eyes to adjust. It was so dark. When his could finally see, he was left speechless by what he saw.

A breath-taking starry night sky and tall trees all filled his vision.

Grayson stayed there, lying on the ground for a few more moments as he stared up at the sky. His breath was still shaky, but as he laid in the dirt and his own sweat, his cognitive functions began to start back up.

"Where…am I?" Gray eventually managed to speak, his mouth incredibly dry as he did. So much so that he started to cough right after he finished.

Fine motor controls returned to him then as well, allowing Gray to move his hand and run it down his face. His very sweaty face. He was nearly drenched in the disgusting stuff, but aside from that, he appeared to be fine physically. He wasn't bleeding any where, nor did he seem to have any bruises. All in all, he seemed uninjuried. That brought the question of what caused him that unbearable pain from before, but he shoved that question aside to focus on other things and to vainly try to forget that experience.

Once he found enough strength to, Gray slowly sat up and took in his surroundings in full. He seemed to be in some kind of forest. How he got there, he had no clue, considering he had just been at the university. But considering he had fallen through the solid ground in the first place, logic was most likely removed from any answer he may get for that. Aside from that, another odd thing was how it had been in the middle of the afternoon when he seemingly fell, yet now it was night. How long was he out for?

"Okay…I don't know what's going on anymore…" Gray muttered to himself as held his head in his hand.

It wasn't a dream, that was clear to him at least. The dull aching in his body proved that, and his sweat felt disgustingly real. So where was he then? Why was he here? And if it made sense, he'd like to know how he got there, too.

"Okay…Okay, calm down. You can figure this out. Just gotta find my way home, and this will all just be a strange memory. A story to tell the students. Just something to laugh about. Yeah… laughing about that time I fell through the ground and ended up in a random ass forest. Definitely 'ha-ha' funny…" Gray grumbled as he finally got up, stretching as he did. "Ah, that feels good. That makes the ache hurt less. Now then, what to do now."

Looks like all those lessons he learned back as a kid camping out with his dad and boy scouts would finally be useful after all these years.

The first thing anyone is ever taught to do if they ever get lost somewhere, whether it be a forest or a cave or even a giant mall, is to stay put. You do not move at all until or unless you have a very specific reason to take a step. The age old saying of hug a tree till someone finds you. Sounds really dumb, but statics show it works incredibly well.

Grayson ended up at this place for a reason, right? Maybe whenever people…fall through reality or whatever happen to him always end up here, and sticking around when and if someone else does show up means he could gain a potential ally in figuring all this out or finding a way back home. Staying put also makes it easier for anyone looking for him to find him, since he's not darting around the place at random and throwing off their search.

It all makes sense even now. The last thing that would help anyone was panicking and running off without a thought. However, while it is one of the easiest, simplest, and most effective things to do when lost, it doesn't work in every situation. Gray had no idea if anyone was searching for him, for one. He fell through the freaking floor at the university and someone woke up in a forest.

There was no way anyone was going to track him down easily. They would probably assumed he died until proven otherwise. And Gray wasn't willing to wait however long it was for someone else to drop in if this was some kind of drop off point. Hell, that might not even be what this place was. He could have ended up at this specific location for some random, arbitrary reason that held no significance whatsoever.

Still, the best thing about staying still in one place, even if it was just temporary, was giving Gray the opportunity to take a breath, calm down, and start really assessing his situation.

"Let's see… I've got no injuries as far as I can tell. This forest doesn't look like any place I can recognize right off the bat." Grayson began speaking to himself in a small mutter as he held a hand to his chin while he looked around. "Nothing seems out of place or artificial. Everything seems real. Nothing of any interest either. No tools left lying around or any signs of life, whether animal or human, at least here."

Gray then looked down at himself and hummed as he pulled up his satchel.

"I still have my stuff, thank goodness. Little mercies." He nodded as he set the bag back down and opened it up. "Laptop, school documents, textbooks, quizzes to grade that are now the least of my concerns, what else? Oh! I've got my multi-tool here! I totally forgot I had this! Guess dad's teachings kept with me longer than I thought."

Grayson then put everythin ack in his bag as he pulled out everything he had in his pockets.

"Let's see… Phone, check, and still a lot of power! Eighty-five percent battery. Good. No serivce. Not good. Sigh… On the plus side, this will give me light for a while, but I should try to use it sparingly."

"What else… Wallet, check, and everything seems to still be here. Car keys, useless, but check." With a small sigh that helped release more tension from his body, Grayson put away everything and began thinking again. "Okay, I know what resources I have right now. Not amazing, but not bad. I can work with this."

Okay, now to figure out step 2. Looks like it was time to start moving. He needed to either get out of the forest, find someone that can help him, find signs of civilization or a landmark he could work off of, or a water source like a river that he can follow that will eventually lead to civilization.

"I can do this. It'll be fine. Nothing bad has ever happened to people lost in the woods in the middle of the night." Grayson muttered as he clenched and unclenched his right hand nervously. "Just…think of it as a game! Like when I was younger. This is just a game of make believe and nothing will go wrong. Keep that mindset and it'll eventually come true."

Wow, talking to himself was helping more than he thought. That was another thing that was encouraged to do if you were lost, as it would help calm you down and nearby people or searchers find you. But Grayson didn't realize how much it would ground him till now.

He just needed to start moving, and then–

Snap!

Grayson froze up. His body tensed up again as he felt his heart start to beat ever so slightly faster in preparation for a fight or flight response. Something was there with him. Gray stood there for only a moment before he managed to force his body to spin around toward where he heard the noise.

A puff of white dart behind a tree with a yip the moment he turned around. Grayson felt his nervousness start to wane as he relaxed a little. It was just an animal. One that seemed to be just as scared of him. And from the little he managed to see, it seemed quite small compared to him. A small dog, most likely.

Well, if it was a dog, maybe it belongs to someone who can lead him to a town or at least guide him out of the forest. Grayson also was found of animals, too, and most animals seemed to be attracted to him for some reason. He could use the company if nothing else.

"Hey…It's okay." Grayson began in a tiny voice as he crouched down to appear smaller. "I don't want to hurt you. Can you come here?"

Gray extended a hand toward where he saw the animal hide while raising the other, showing that he didn't have a weapon on him. He didn't know if the dog was still there, but if it wasn't, then no harm was done. Gray could just go on his way like he planned.

It took a few seconds, but eventually, a nose did stick out from behind the tree. It sniffed the air a little before letting out a small huff. And then, slowly, the animal stepped out into view, and Grayson felt his heart drop as his eyes widened.

This wasn't a dog. It wasn't even any creature that should exist.

Large amber eyes stared back into his olive ones. It was a small thing, not even reaching Grayson's knee, that had an appearance that closely resembled a fox. It had silky looking white fur with parts that wrapped and bunched around its muzzle like a scarf, hiding its mouth, but the ends of its fur on its head and tail were a pinkish red color.

"Zo." The creature let out in a soft, curt noise like a bark. Gray couldn't help but feel his knees shake as his arms slaked as he continued to stare at the animal in front of him.

He knew what this thing was. It appeared frequently in one of his favorite games when he was younger. Even after all these years without playing the games, Grayson remembered it once he got a clear view of it.

Zorua. That's what this thing was called, right? It didn't look like a normal Zorua he could remember. Zorua were supposed to be black, yet this one was white. Normal Zorua were also supposed to be michevious, yet this one looked sad, almost melancholic. Of course, Grayson wasn't focusing on those details. The thing he was stuck on was the fact that there was a Zorua standing in front of him.

Let me reiterate the point.

This thing was a Zorua, a Pokemon. Pokemon. P-O-K-accent-E-M-O-N. Those little fictional creatures made by Nintendo and Game Freak. The creatures one of beloved video game series in the world.

A creature from a video game was standing in front of him right now.

'Oh…god…'

Let it be known that Grayson did not freak out. No sir. Grayson was completely calm and collected. If anything, he just felt exasperated. After all, there was only one explanation to all of this. Something that made everything click together and finally make sense.

"I've gone crazy." He simply stated as he ran a hand through his dark hair. "This is it. This is what insanity looks like. I am literally hallucinating a video game creature is in front of me. What did I do before waking up here? Did someone drug me, or did I accidently drink some alcohol or something?"

Now that was the question, wasn't it? In truth, Gray didn't remember anything that might be the reason for why he was outside tripping balls. He didn't drink unless it was a special occassion, and even then he wouldn't do it around the school year, so unless someone spiked his drink, he should be fine.

That should be the case, but the small pokemon in front of him made it clear that he was certainly not fine. Yet Gray couldn't remember anything that happened that might explain his sudden halucinations and insanity.

And this obviously wasn't a dream. He had already determined that. No dream was so vivid and lucid. He could feel the grass he was laying on and feel the nice cool breeze passing by. Not to mention the ache that came from the most excusiating pain Gray had ever felt, so this was as 'real' as can be.

What did that mean for Gray at this moment?

'Okay, deep breaths, Gray.' He thought to himself as he tried to ground himself again.

This was fine. Everything would be fine. He just needed to gather his bearings again and get back to focusing on how he could get home. That's what he kept telling himself, anyway.

"Okay, getting back to before, what day even is it? How long was I out? Is it even still May?" Gray grumbled as he began to stand up, causing the Zorua hallucination to move back a bit, a wary expression still on its melancholic face.

Stealing a glance at the illusion his mind had conjured up, he saw the fox creature looking at him curiously, even if it seemed to be on edge by his presence. It kept tilting its head with a raised eyebrow as it watched himm its long mane-like tuff of fur on its head waved in the wind as it stared.

Damn. He didn't realize hallucinations were so…life-like. It was even breathing like it was real. Freaky.

"Okay… No big deal. Just find signs of people like a road or sign or a source of water like a stream or river. Follow those and I'll eventually hit civilization. Then I figure out where I am, get a ride or some form of trasportation, and I'll be home again. Simple. Easy. I've got this." Gray began mumbling to himself to calm his nerves as he brushed dirt off of his clothes.

"No time like the present," Gray chuckled as he slowly spin around before stopping and pointing in a random direction. "I chose you. Random chance, don't fail me now."

Just as he took his first step, a small, soft voice stopped him.

"Ra." The small pokemon called out.

Gray turned back to be greeted by the hallucination's still curious eyes and tilted head. But he didn't give it more than a glance before returning to his decided path. This might not be an acid trip, but that thing still wasn't real. Pokémon weren't real. So no need to give it any thought.

Once again, Grayson took a step, only to once again be interrupted by the little Zorua's bark again. It cried out its name again once more, though more forcefully. This time its eyes were narrowed in slight annoyance. Again, Grayson ignored it and began a brisk pace towards wherever he was headed.

He thought the fox would disappear after that.

It did not. It instead followed him, keeping pace with him with ease no matter how much Gray increased his pace.

After nearly breaking out into a sprint and realizing he hadn't seen anything useful in that time, he stopped with a bit of a hagrid pant. The Zorua, on the other hand, slowed to a comfortable stop before looking back up at Gray with curious, annoyed eyes. It felt as if it was saying 'Are you going to stop ignoring me now'?

But Gray refused to acknowledge it. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't–!

Gray's train of thought was broken when he noticed what was around him now. It wasn't just the Zorua. If he payed attention and looked and listened closely, he could see more of them.

He saw what looked like Pidoves flying over head through the night sky in small groups he could only barely make out from the ground. High in the trees, Sweaddle groups were sleeping, and he could see what looked like a few Lilipups and Patrats watching him curiously from a distance.

"This isn't happening." Grayson growled, more to himself than anything else. "This isn't real. I'm dreaming, or high, or drugged, or…something! I didn't fall through the ground and end up in the middle of nowhere. There are not Pokémon all around me right now…!"

"...Or?"

The creature's eyes seemed to reflect an even stronger curiosity, as its eyes seemed to ask that Gray explain.

"This isn't real!" He nearly shouted at the fox, his loud angry voice scaring off any other pokemon watching them. "Pokémon aren't real! There's no way some video game can ever become reality! Th-this… This is all just a dream! A figment of my imagination! A hallucination birthed from stress, adrenaline, or maybe even drugs! I'm going to blink and open up my eyes, and I'll either be back home, in my office, or still here but there are normal animals around me!"

There was a beat of silence as Grayson glared at the apparition. The fox was also silent, but for different reasons. Zorua's eyes widened at the human's words, as it seemingly put together the possible meaning behind them. I looked down at the ground, hanging its head as it stayed silent in its own thoughts.

Just as Grayson felt a twinge of satisfaction–

"Zor!"

"Oof!"

The Zorua suddenly tackled him right in the gut, knocking out all of the air in his lungs and sending Gray hurtling back down onto the ground. Now sprawled out on the ground heaving, coughing, and gasping for air after being hit by something witht the strength of a freight train,

Gray was in pain again. It wasn't comparable at all the the sensation he felt when he first came too in the forest, but it was definitely worse than any other time he had been hit by someone or something.

It was real pain. That was painfully clear. He wasn't an expert on the topic, but he was quite sure no drug of mixture of drugs could produce such real physical sensations like that.

It didn't take long for the fox creature's message within its attack to become clear to Grayson, so he had only one response to the little white animal.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU HIT ME!?" Gray screamed in bloody anger once he caught his breath.

"Zo." The Zorua huffed as it turned its nose up at Gray.

"Yeah, I got it. Message loud and clear. This is all real, and so are you. But did that mean you had to tackle me like that?" Gray hisses as he rubbed his tender gut. "Christ, you hit like a truck. Maybe even literally."

"Hmph. Zorua." That seemed to be praise enough for the Zorua considering the smug smile it now wore in response.

"Oh, laugh it up. I bet my pain is real funny to you." Gray rolled his eyes as he slowly got back up. "Okay. real Pokemon. Real. Okay. Okay. Okay." He repeated that a few more times before he found himself leaning against a tree and running another hand through his hair as his legs began to give out, causing him to slide back down to the ground.

"Oh god, what the fuck happened to me?"

A horrible mixture of panic and fear began to swell inside him as his mind spun. Everything was coming apart at the seams. The world melted away as Gray's vision blurred, not being able to focus on anything clearly anymore.

The Zorua seemed to notice this and let out a gruff noise that Grayson didn't even register. Once it realized that, the creature seemed to become a bit more concern as it came over to Gray and start tapping his leg with its paw. Either way, Grayson was no longer focusing on it or the world around him.

Instead, he was spiraling in his mind. His mind reeled as the reality of his world crumbled away like dust. Everything was starting make sense now, and yet the more he pieced together at this rapid pace, the less things made sense at the same time.

'Reality'. What a vague term. What did it actually mean? Grayson had always believed it to mean the world around him. Everything he could see and touch and feel. That was real. Reality was separate from fiction. While fiction could exist within reality in stories and other media, what fiction described could never become true within the real world. Fantastical creatures with super powers could not exist outside the confines of a game, show, or story.

But that's not what 'reality' ever meant. No. Grayson was now realizing that what his reality really. Just a piece of a grander puzzle. 'Reality' was far more vast than even the confines of the universe. It went beyond that. Multiple universes, something Gray had thought was just a product of science fiction. But… But what if it was true. What if it was real, and other universes, other worlds existed.

What did that mean for him?

Other worlds and realities could exist. Parellel worlds and dimensions and timelines, all separate and connected at the same time. It was mind bending. It was too much at once for Gray, and yet he managed to latch onto a singular detail.

If other worlds and other realities exist, then couldn't there be a way to move between them? If there is a distance to be crossed, no matter how impossible or improbable is may seem, might be traversed one day.

And he had done it, albeit accidentally. When he fell through the floor at the univerity, he managed to cross the barriers between realities and ended up in the world of Pokemon, a world his reality thought to be just fiction. Perhaps each world thinks the other are works of fiction within their own realities.

It reminded Grayson of an old creepypasta he read online. The story was posted with the image of a creepy hallway with yellow wallpaper. If he recalled, the story went something like 'sometimes someone will no-clip out of reality like in a game, and they'll end up in the Backrooms, where there's nothing but six hundred million square miles of endless halls, withering yellow wallpaper, damp carpets, and the electric hum buzz of florencent lights'.

Apparently, the story was true, but instead of no-clipping into the Backrooms, it was a way to break the bondaries of reality and travel to a new world.

And therein lies the problem. Gray was in another world, and the way he got there was an uncontrollable accident. Unless he could find some other way to traverse he boundaries between realities, whether it be a device or no-clipping again, he was stuck there. The chances of finding a device to bring him were already abysimal, but figuring out how to no-clip in reality would be foolish to even consider as a feasible possiblity.

In short, he was stuck in an unfamiliar world with no way to get back home.

He would most likely never see his family again.

He would never see his students again.

He would never inspire anyone again.

He would never be able to fulfill his dream.

Everything he ever did within his thirty two years of life…have now been rendered pointless by a freak accident. By fate.

His life was pointless.

Before he even realized it, Gray had cupped his face with his hands as tears stung in his eyes. He didn't want to, but what else could he do but cry? He was stranded. Marooned. Left with no hope of ever returning. All of his work, all of his passion–it was for naught.

He let out a bitter laugh as he held it just barely held it all together. What a joke. Words failed to properly describe the mess of emotions he now felt. So this was the hand dealt to him. Did any of it matter, then? Was there any point to it all? All of his research, his passion, goals, dreams, aspirations…even the student he managed to inspire…did it all mean anything at all?

His spiraling finally came to a hault when Gray finally registered the small canine creature poking him with its paw. He looked down at the little white fox and stared at it for a moment.

"Right…" Gray muttered as he dragged his hands off his face with a weary sigh. "No time for spiraling. Find people first, then I can fall into depression."

With that heartlifting sentiment said, Grayson stood back up, though he did so like a zombie. There was no life or energy put into it. It was like he was already half dead. But as long as he could still move, then it really didn't matter.

"I don't suppose you know where I should go, do you?" Gray asked in a dull voice as he looked back down at the Zorua. The mischievous fox pokemon could only respond with a slow shake of its head, causing Gray to sigh a little. "Well, that's fine. Not like I had any idea before. I'll just keep heading off in this direction. I'm bound to find something eventually, and if not, someone will eventually find me."

And so, Gray began walking off again, and just like before, the Zorua followed behind him, though now at a closer distance that before. Gray held back yet another sigh as he stopped and turned back around to the little white fox.

"Is there any reason you're still following? Do you want something or what?" Grayson asked.

The little Zorua once again averted its gaze to the ground. While its fur kept its mouth hidden, Gray could almost swear that it was frowning. It seemed to think for a while before letting out a small grunt and walking up to Gray's side. Gray raised an eyebrow at the strange sight, but then just shrugged as he kept walking.

"Whatever. Do what you want. No skin off my back. Not like I can stop you from following me. Not sure why you want to, though." Grayson said as he and the little Zorua continued walking through the dark forest under the moonlit sky. "So…what even are you?"

"Ra?"

"Well I know your a Zorua, but Zorua are black. Their dark types that can create illusions, but you're white with those strange hair things that keep fading off you like mist. You don't look like any Zorua I've seen. What type even are you? Are you even still a dark type?"

The Zorua seemed to hum before letting out a dismissive grunt of its name, leading Grayson to figure it didn't know nor did it seem to care. It gave off a sort of 'what of it' vibe about it.

"Isn't knowing that sort of stuff important for a pokemon? Well, I guess it would if you had a trainer. Since you're wild, I probably only matters if you get in a fight with another wild pokemon." Grayson noted as he looked down at the Zorua, who let out a small bark that seemed too proud for something that small. "Confident little thing, aren't you? Well, I guess it's fine for you to be a little confident."

"Zo." The Zorua proudly proclaimed as it held its head up high. That got a snort out of Gray.

"You're a cute little guy, you know that?" Grayson finally smiled, albeit weakly.

However, the moment those words left his mouth, the Zorua turned to him and started growling loudly at him, showing its hidden mouth to bare its teeth at him in a snarl.

"What?! What'd I do?!" Gray yelled as he held his hands up defensively as he took a few steps away from the fox.

"Zo! Zo Zo Rua!" It howled and growled at him.

Of course, Gray didn't speak pokemon, so all he could do was use context clues to figure out what had set the fox off. After a brief moment of thinking about it, Gray groaned as he palmed his face in annoyance.

"Uh…I meant to say 'cute girl'?" Gray attempted weakly.

The Zorua continued glaring at him with a snarl, but eventually it gave up, relaxing and hiding its mouth behind its fur once again before huffing and walking past Gray.

It would appear that this particular Zorua was a female, and she did not appreciate the face that Gray couldn't figure that out immediately.

"Well excuse me, princess. I'm not an expert in pokemon and what they look like. I just got here, remember?" Gray grumbled as he stomped off after Zorua. When she scoffed and rolled her eyes at him, he held back a growl of his own. "Yeah, that's right! I'm from a place were pokemon aren't real! That's why I was panicking earlier. I'm not making that up."

Zorua spared him another look before letting out a grunt as she turned forward again. Gray took that to mean 'Sure, then how'd you get here then' or something to that affect. She seemed to be sarcastically humoring him if not shrugging off his words entirely.

"I'm not making this up. I'm pretty sure I'm from another world. I'm from any of the regions here and pokemon aren't real were I'm from." Gray once again stated before a sigh escaped from him. "Damn it, I was so close to."

"Or? Zoa Zro?"

"What do I mean by that? I had a job and a dream back home. I studied for thirteen years in order to be a professor at this university. I finally got the position and I've been teaching for nearly for a few years now, but now I'm an associate professor and not just some assistant. I have my own classes, my own students, and even my own field of research."

"I was going to rebuild the education system for the better, so that students had teachers who would actually help them and advise them, and they'd have a system that wouldn't constantly fail them whenever they didn't know what to do. I-I…I had inspired someone to follow the path I choice, and I was so happy. But now I'm here, stuck here with all of you with no way home in sight. All because I somehow fell through reality…"

Gray hissed that last word out as he crossed his arms. The thought of how he was screwed over by fate still pissed him off and led his thoughts down to a much darker place. A place he had no time to deal with at the moment. Still, that didn't stop his frustration from showing. Zorua picked up on it as seemed to understand that even if what Gray was saying was hard to believe, his frustration was at least real. So, after taking one last glance at Gray, Zorua kept on walking along side him, though she did let out a curious sounding grunt at him.

"Hmm? What's up?"

"Zo. Roa ua rozo."

"You…want to hear more about my world?" Gray asked, getting a curt nod out of the fox. "Well, I guess I can tell you a bit."

Before he knew it, he was telling the Zorua all about his world. The places he'd been, the places he hadn't but wished he could have, the kind of creatures that lived there since they didn't have pokemon, his home–things like that. He nearly forgot that he was talking to a pokemon for a moment, but that came crashing back into him whenever he looked down and saw who he was taking to.

It went on like this for a while. So long that the sun started to rise. Gray didn't know how long they had been wandering the forest. All he did know was that he was starting to get really tired from all the walking, and he hadn't eaten since breakfast before he started work at the university that day. He was at the end of his rope mentally and physically, and that was only pushed to its breaking point every time he remembered how he got there or how dry his throat was starting to feel.

But that's when he saw it. A break in the trees. Hope flashed to life in his chest as he broke out into a run, startling the also tired Zorua, who hurried after him. Gray finally ran past the trees and his tired, broken smile grew when he saw a dirt path. A path that had been cleared so people could travel on it.

"We're finally out." He cried out softly. He quickly scanned the area and nearly cried out in joy when he saw a sign. He dashed over and quickly scanned over it. "Route 1. South to Nuvema Town, North to Accumula Town." He read. That got him to pause and think, cupping his mouth as he mumbled out his thoughts.

"Nuvema Town? Accumula Town?" He repeated. "Okay, I know it's been a while, but those do sound familiar. Hmm…Let's go over the basics. How many generations of pokemon are here back home? I don't recall clearly, but I do remember the last game I played was Violet and Scarlet. That was…generation nine? So nine generations at least that I'm aware of, which means nine main regions. Those were…Kanto…Johto…Hoenn…Sinnoh, Unova…uh…Oh! Kalos, the Hawaii one, Aloha I think, then Galar, and finally that new one based off Spain. Pal…dea it was?"

He nodded to himself. That sounded right. It had been years since he had played any of the games, but he did remember kind of getting back into it recently since a handful of students were fans and managed to drag him into the series again. Of course, he hardly played even then since he was so busy. The last game he remembered playing was Platinum and Black and White.

"Nuvema Town and Accumula Town… Those sound like Unova towns. I'm pretty sure they're the first towns of Black and White. It's been a while, but I did play that game like ten times as a kid." Gray muttered to himself. "So…that means I'm in Unova? That would explain the Lilipup, Sweaddle, and Patrat I saw. It also explains the Zorua, but not why she's different from the Zorua I can remember."

He looked back down at the Zorua in question. The white fox looked back up at him, tilting its head with a slightly annoyed expression that conveyed the feeling of 'what're you looking at' to Gray. White. Not black. How strange… Is this a differenet breed of Zorua? If so, what was different, and why was it here in the region where normal Zorua are from.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter right now." Gray hummed. "I think we should head south. The sign here says it's closer, and I think the pokemon professor of Unova lives there. Maybe they can help."

Time to dig through his memories again. Again, it had been years since he had touched anything regarding the pokemon series, whether it be the anime or the games. He only heard things that happened in the modern times when he overheard students talking about it. Like how Ash finally became champion and the anime was starting use a new protagonist that Gray had heard was already a really good character. Stil, he could remember details from the older stuff he played when he was a teen and young adult.

Pokemon professors were, like him, professors. Duh. But they specialized in certain fields in…uh, Pokeology? While he never played all the games, he did know some, and three always stuck out to him since he was the most familiar with them. Professor Oak for obvious reasons, as he was the first professor at the start in Kanto, Professor Rowan, the professor of Sinnoh, and Professor Juniper, the professor of Unova. If he really was in Unova, then Nuvema Town should be were Professor Juniper was.

He didn't know if Juniper could feasibly help him, but it was better than nothing. At the very least, he could confirm his situation with her and get a better idea of what to do next. And if she was anything like him or the other professors he had meant, she would be estatic to have a chance to learn everything he had to just discovered, from the other realities to how he accidentally fell through space-time to make it here.

Then again, did Gray really want to share the fact he was from a completely different reality, and with a researcher? That sounds like a good way to sir up trouble. He could already imagine being carted off by the Unovian government and other scientists and researchs to be experimented on in order to figure out what made him different, if different realities actually existed like he said, or worse, if there was a way to travel between them since he had done so accidentally.

The thought was enough to make Gray shiver. But this was the world of pokemon. Would these people that were a part of a children's video game series and saterday morning cartoon/anime really go that far? Wouldn't they be all sunshine and rainbows. The power of love and friendship and all that good stuff?

Gray was old enough to realize that no matter the situation, no matter the place, and now, no matter the reality, there would probably always be constances, whether they be good or bad. It was like that old saying 'the only two things guarenteed in life are death and taxes', but in this case Gray would say the constant things are good people, bad people, governments with invested interests that could be either or, and the fact that no world was truly black and white.

This wasn't a game. This wasn't fiction. This was now the reality he was in, and things weren't always sunshine and rainbows, no matter the reality. Gray had to tread carefully, or he could screw himself over big time.

"So don't put my foot in my mouth. Got it." He grimaced before shaking his head. "Either way, Nuvema Town is closer, so I guess we should still head over there. What do you think?" He asked as he looked down at Zorua.

Only to find she had disappeared.

"...Huh?" He finally muttered as he spun around looking for the fox, but all traces of it had vanished. "Oh what the hell? We come this far and you ditch me now?!" He shouted. There wasn't any response from that snarky fox that he could hear, so he just hung his head. "Damn it…alone again."

Perhaps it was foolish of him, but he did enjoy the company. And a foolish part of him was still childish and thought about how neat it would be if that Zorua had become his pokemon. He was in the world anyway, so how cool would it be to become the very best like no one ever was?

But that's all it was. A childish thought. One Gray couldn't entertain even if he wanted to. The Zorua was gone now, and even if it hadn't left, he still had things to do. Places to go to. A home to return to. He couldn't throw it all into the wind just because he was in this world now. He had responsibilities. A real dream he wanted to achieve. One he was close to achieving.

"One step at a time, Gray. One step at a time." He muttered as he continued down the beaten path.

After even more walking, a town finally crept into sight over the horizon. Gray couldn't contain himself as he sped up into a jog toward the town's entrance.

But when he got close enough to see people walking around, going about their normal days, it happened.

The pain returned.

It happened within a single moment. In one instance, Gray was fine and jogging to the town, and then the next, He let out a viseral scream as he collapsed onto the ground. He writhed in pain as screams tore out of his throat, his voice now sounding broken and fragmented, like a audio loop that was glitching. His body felt as though it was being ripped appart, molecule by molecule, and Gray couldn't even register what was even going on.

It went on for a few more seconds, and Gray swore he heard someone approach him and start speaking to him while he was still twisting around in his pain, but he couldn't understand them. He could barely hear them over his own screams and the sound of his body mashing together like a broken computer screen.

And that's really what it was. As the pain started to retreat and fade, so to was Gray's consciousness starting to fade as well. And the last thing he remembered seeing was the cause of the pain. There in front of him as he lay on the ground was his arm, and it was glitching. Just like those old broken tv screens or models in a game when the textures started to spaz out.

He was glitching…and that's when his mind turned off.

A/N: This is my OC Pokemon Story draft. Inspired by stories like Borne of Caution by Fuggmann and Throne of Mud by Howling Armadillo. I always like Stories where a normal guy from our normal world gets sent to a fictional world, especially in the Pokemon world. I wanted to be different from those stories, though, so I came up with an older character who is sent to the Pokemon world, but with two catches, which you will see in these two chapters I have.