(First Person POV)
As long as I can remember, I've always loved Pokémon.
The battles, the adventure, and most of all…the pocket monsters themselves, I've always loved them with all my heart.
Even though I was born far from their original airing, the franchise really resonated with me in several levels. I played ALL the games I could get my hands on, yes, even original copies of red and blue.
I won the different leagues several times, heck, I use a team of 6 different Pokémon every time, over and over again so that all of them had a tag. Good times, unfortunately, I'm about to die just right after Gen 10 was announced.
I'm currently attached to several life-supports just to give my family some more time to say their goodbyes.
I really love them, they helped me throughout my whole life with this disease of mine, even though it would've been cheaper to let me be in pain, I really lucked out with them.
I can't get into too much detail about what's the illness that I have but all you need to know is that its nothing good for me and that I won't live past today.
I look around my personal hospital room, decorated with several pictures of Pokémon and most importantly, my Hall of Fame for each playthrough I did.
Pokémon Red: Charizard, Pidgeot, Beedrill, Golem, Lapras, Victreebel.
Pokémon Blue: Blastoise, Arcanine, Dodrio, Jolteon, Gengar, Kangaskhan.
Pokémon Yellow: Pikachu, Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, Snorlax, Primeape.
Pokémon Leaf Green: Venusaur, Rhydon, Raichu, Gyarados, Hitmonlee, Rapidash.
Pokémon Gold: Typhlosion, Furret, Ampharos, Sudowoodo, Kingdra, Dragonite.
Pokémon Silver: Feraligatr, Noctowl, Tyranitar, Scizor, Heracross, Houndoom.
Pokémon Rubi: Sceptile, Swellow, Slacking, Aggron, Camerupt, Metagross.
Pokémon Saphire: Swampert, Flygon, Shiftry, Armaldo, Manectric, Salamence.
Pokémon Platinum: Infernape, Rhyperior, Floatzel, Staraptor, Luxray, Lucario.
Pokémon Black: Serperior, Stoutland, Gigalith, Zebstrika, Swana, Darmanitan.
Pokémon White 2: Samurott, Unfezant ♂, Leavanny, Krookodile, Chandelure, Hydreigon.
Pokémon X: Greninja, Charizard X, Florges, Aegislash, Dragalge, Trevenant.
Pokémon Y: Chesnaught, Noivern, Aurorus, Sylveon, Heliolisk, Blastoise.
Pokémon Sun: Incineroar, Vikavolt, Crabominable, Lycanroc Day, Wishiwashi, Kommo-O.
Pokémon Ultra Moon: Decidueye, Lycanroc Dusk, Silvally, Salazzle, Araquanid, Naganadel.
Pokémon Sword: Cinderace, Obstagoon, Corviknight, Drednaw, Flapple, Grimmsnarl.
Pokémon Shield: Inteleon, Dragapult, Hatterene, Perrserker, Falinks, Coalossal.
Pokémon Legens Arceus: Typhlosion Hisui, Empoleon, Kleavor, Ursaluna, Sneasler, Goodra Hisui.
Pokémon Scarlet: Skeledirge, Palafin, Pawmot, Garganacl, Bombirdier, Revavroom.
Pokémon Violet: Meowscarada, Clodsire, Armarouge, Baxcalibur, Gholdengo, Dondozo.
Pokémon Legends ZA: Feraligatr, Falinks, Scolipede, Scovillain, Skarmory, Zygarde.
Yeah, I know, I've had a good run playing these games, I can't really complain at all. I just, I wish I could see more of Pokémon.
As the anesthetic is being released as my heart starts to fail, my body doesn't feel pain as I close my eyes forever.
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.
Or at least that's what's supposed to happen.
I woke up in the middle of a white room, there's absolutely nothing other than a bookshelf and a hammock, I question it at first, wondering if this was the afterlife or some sort of in-between of sorts, but eventually I just went towards the bookshelf and browsed for some books.
It was all Pokémon. Like, literally, from move-pools to different forms and stat changes but it also had some more obscure factoids of information, like inside information about how Pokémon biology worked, detailed explanation about Pokémon lifestyles and usual habits.
It was way more insightful than anything the anime or any other medium ever brought, sure there were some medical tidbits every now and then but it all ended with the soothing tune of the Poke center as the team magically cures itself.
I don't know if this is heaven, bit it sure feels like it.
"Glad to see you like them, I feel quite proud of them." I heard a voice in my head.
I look behind me and see a man sitting in the chair, he wears a set of white clothes and a white scarf, I can't even confirm that he said all that, but my gut tells me it was him.
"Uh…HMP! Hello, my name is Kaori." I greeted him, sorry for my awkwardness, I haven't talked to any real people besides my parents and doctors for a whole year, so I'm kinda rusty.
"Pleasure to meet you lad." The man shakes my hand firmly, which is weird because he was sitting literally a second ago.
"Sorry for reading without permission, are these yours?" I asked.
"They are, not that it matters anyway since no one bothers to read them. What's the point of writing something if no one ever reads it?" The man huffed a tad annoyed.
"I-I like them, the way every Pokémon has its own detailed and specific information that goes deeper than the lore presented, I really love what you've written here." I admit to the man.
He only stared at me for a second before he started to laugh. "HAHAHAHAHA!!!!" It was a loud yet cheerful laugh, the type that makes you want to laugh.
"Thanks, really, it's nice to see someone appreciate some nice literature." The man thanked me before sitting back.
As he did that, he snapped his fingers and another chair appeared in front of him.
"Why don't you take a seat?" He nudged me to sit.
Now normally I would've been extremely skeptical about this whole situation but the presence this guy has is just too soothing for me to panic.
I sat down and I lock eyes with the man; we're just sitting there for a long time before he spoke.
"You're dead." He said casually.
"Yeah, that tracks." I answered.
Don't get me wrong, I want to be alive and all but give me the immense evidence that tells me otherwise, yeah, I can't exactly deny this any further.
"Yeah, heart conditions are a bitch and a half. Anyway, thoughts bout that?" The man asked me.
"Well, bummer, I'm kinda sad that my mom and dad were crying but I'm sure they'll be fine. Or at least I hope so." I answer.
There's not much to it, really, when you die you die and there's no going back, can't take back what you did nor say what you didn't, I made peace with that long ago.
The man just hums in response before nodding.
"Fair enough, it's a simple answer not too detached nor heartless. I like that." He stood up and walked past me before stopping. "But….you know, just because this is your end, doesn't need to be THE end." He says cryptically.
I was confused, but the very next moment I saw something that changed my whole afterlife.
*SNAP*
With a snap of his fingers, we were no longer in the white room, no, we're now in a grassy field.
"Wha- where are we?" I asked as I retake my balance, a bit woozy from the sudden shift.
"Are you a boy or a girl? Hehe, always wanted to ask that question under this context." The man said.
Now, I genuinely thought it was a question for me, but after seeing the grasslands I understood it was just a rhetorical question.
The grasslands were filled with Pokemon, from Rattatas to Pidgeys, to the gorgeous Rapidash throttling through the field so freely.
If this is a dream, I don't wanna wake up, and if it's heaven then I thank God for this chance.
"I take it that you love the view, don't you?" The man asked me as he now wears sunglasses for some reason.
"It's...beautiful." Words couldn't describe what I was seeing. Everything felt so much "life like" compared to any media the Pokemon Company ever made.
"Good to know." The man smiled before his tone grew a tad serious. "Kaori, if you had the chance to live in a world like this, would you take it?" The man asked me.
There was a small pause, I thought about it for less than a second before the words left my mouth.
"I would." My answer was firm and unmoving, if I could even experience 1% of the Pokemon world, I wouldn't have any regrets.
The man smiled and snapped his fingers, bringing us back to the white room.
"Sorry for the late introduction, my name's Wexof, a God, a deity, whatever divine almighty being you want to call it, and I have a proposition for you, Kaori." The man, Wexof, told me.
I only nod as my brain processes that I've been speaking to God this whole time, although it makes sense in every way considering what I've seen.
"You see, as a God I make several worlds every now and then to keep my boredom at bay and all, you know how it is." Wexof started explaining.
"So, I decided to make a Pokemon world of my own...however, there were some...unforeseen circumstances hehe." Wexof shyly continues at the end.
I squint my eyes a little. "What type of "circumstances" exactly?" I questioned the God.
"Well, I kinda went a bit overboard with certain things I did there, to put it simply and sum it all up: I forgot to add a certain "Critical Element" into the world for it to exist." Wexof explains.
"And what's that?" I asked.
"I'm afraid there's no simple way of saying what it is but all you need to know is that I need your help." Wexof told me.
I wager my thoughts for a moment before remembering that I'm going to a Pokémon world and stop caring.
"Alright, I'll do it, but can I ask for a favor?" I asked him.
"Shoot." Wexof.
"I want to read all these Pokemon books, I really want to learn more about them and these books are more insightful than anything I've ever seen before about Pokemon." I beg Wexof to let me stay.
"Ok… I don't really have a problem with it but here's the catch, you can't remain here indefinitely, your soul wasn't meant to remain in places like these for long." Wexof explained to me.
"How long do I have?" I asked.
"At much, a year, 365 days are the limit." Wexof.
"A year's enough, please, let me stay." I begged one last time.
Wexof starts thinking about it and nods after a while.
"Alright, I'll let you stay for a year to learn as much as you want, however, once the time's done, I'll yeet you into the world, ok?" Wexof.
"Thank you very much!" I immediately bowed and thanked him before shaking his hand.
"Now, since you'll probably try to take every second here, let's get this out of the way: Starter Pokemon and Starting Region." Wexof.
"Chimchar, and I don't really care for which region I'm from, but I wish to start in Kanto, get the full Pokemon experience." I answered.
"Done, I'll leave you to your books, but if you need anything don't hesitate to call my name." Wexof then left in a flash of light.
The entire room shifts from the white waiting room appearance to that of a library, I'd call it the Akashic Records or something because it had several books about the Pokemon World, from items to berries to everything!
I take a big breath and smile.
"Time to get to work."