When I regained consciousness, my head was spinning. My eyelids felt like lead, but I could sense something soft beneath me cool, damp grass. After a few minutes of blinking away the haze, I finally managed to open my eyes.
Massive trees towered above me, their canopy blocking out most of the sun. Am I tiny, or are these trees just gigantic? I sat up and glanced around. "Looks like I'm in a forest of some kind," I muttered. My voice sounded different higher, lighter.
Then, I looked down at my hands. I gasped. They were gone. In their place were two small, green, stubby arms with three dainty fingers. A cold shiver ran down my spine. I felt a weight on my back, and when I strained to look behind me, I nearly screamed. Two small, translucent wings were fluttering nervously.
"I'll have to figure those out later," I told myself, trying to stay calm. "First, I need to find out where I am."
I needed to see my reflection. I began to walk, but being this small made every meter feel like a mile. After what felt like an eternity—probably only fifteen minutes—the shimmering blue of a lake appeared in the distance. But before I could reach it, a giant, wolf-like creature lunged out of the brush, blocking my path.
Suddenly, a floating screen appeared in my vision:
[Name: Mightyena] > [Race: Pokémon | Type: Dark] > [Level: 26 | Rarity: Common] > [Title: Pack Leader] > [HP: 70/70 | Atk: 90 | Def: 70 | Sp.Atk: 60 | Sp.Def: 60 | Speed: 70] > [Moves: Bite, Howl, Crunch, Tackle]
"Wait, why can I see its stats?"
I didn't have time to think. The wolf snarled, snapping its jaws, and charged at me. Are you kidding me?! I thought, panic surging. I've been here for twenty minutes and I'm already going to die?
I tried to run, but my legs were far too short to outpace a predator. I looked at my wings. I tried to focus on them, to flex them like a muscle, but they wouldn't budge. The Mightyena was ten meters away... then five.
[BATTLE COMMENCES: MIGHTYENA VS. CELEBI]
The wolf lunged. I threw myself to the side just in time, feeling the wind as its teeth snapped inches from my head. If that hit me, it was over. Think, Jack, think! If I could see its stats, maybe I could see my own? But I didn't know how to fight!
"I need to fly!" I screamed in my head.
As soon as I focused on the thought of flying, my wings began to flap with a high-pitched hum. I lifted a few inches, then tumbled back into the dirt. Wait... do I have to think about using them to make them work? That's so simple it's stupid!
I closed my eyes and visualized myself rising. This time, I shot upward like a rocket. I hovered high above the treetops, well out of the Mightyena's reach.
[SUCCESSFULLY RAN AWAY FROM BATTLE]
"Phew... I made it." My heart was hammering against my tiny ribs. I flew for another five minutes, putting distance between me and the wolf, before descending to a high, thick branch of a Cedar tree.
I sat there, catching my breath. So, this wasn't Earth. This was a world of "Pokémon," and apparently, I had a HUD (Heads-Up Display). If I could see that wolf's stats, I had to be able to see mine. I tried several mental commands until finally, I just thought the word Status.
A bright screen shimmered into existence:
[Name: Jack / Celebi] > [Race: Pokémon | Type: Grass/Psychic] > [Level: 1 | Rarity: Legendary/Mythic] > [Titles: The Child of ???????, Otherworlder] >
[STATS] > HP: 100
Attack: 100
Defense: 100
Sp. Attack: 100
Sp. Defense: 100
Speed: 100
[MOVES] > Energy Ball (90), Leaf Storm (130), Leaf Blade (90), Solar Beam (120)
"Oh wow..." I whispered. My stats were incredibly high for Level 1—way higher than that level 26 wolf. And that title... Child of ???????.