“Ding” The convenience store’s door chimed as Noah took a step out of the cooling air-conditioned store. The sky was pitch dark, hinting at the unholy hour he was out. In his hands held two bags of groceries, one filled to the brim with cup noodles of various brands, while the other was loaded with a variety of fizzy sodas.

 

A wry thought crossed his mind, “Just like when Subaru got isekai’ed,” A weary smile formed on his lips, as he silently savored his own dry humor.

 

“Ugh, why’s my eye so itchy?” He brought his right hand to rub the itching sensation away. His eyelids fluttered shut for a brief moment.

 

“Eh?” Noah blinked in confusion, as his surroundings abruptly changed. The sun shone high in the sky, and a sprawling forest was before him, spanning for as far as he could see. He stood on a makeshift path cobbled together from dirt and gravel, eerily devoid of the ambient sounds of wildlife.

 

“Thud” Noah’s bags of groceries fell onto the floor, causing its contents to spill out and tumble onto the floor. “What the fu-” His words were cut short as he took a step back, slipping in the mud and landing on his rear with a second, muffled thud.

 

“ugh,” He grumbled, his fall was thankfully cushioned by a conveniently placed bush. The foliage was so dense that it almost engulfed him completely. Just as he began to untangle himself, the earth beneath him began to tremble.

 

“Earthquake!?” His voice tinged with disbelief and a hint of panic, he flailed in a futile attempt to free himself. But it wasn’t seismic activity that he faced. Instead, from the horizon emerged a figure, or rather, two figures on the move.

 

 

————

 

 

“HURRY UP, HURRY UP,” The man’s partner in crime screamed at him, her voice tinged with hysteria.

 

“I KNOW THAT,” he hollered back, jamming the gas pedal of their truck down as far as it would go.

 

The woman risked a glance over her shoulder and saw two other figures gaining on them at an alarming rate.

 

“They’re gaining on us! HURRY!” She shouted, her hands frantically patting the man on his back.

 

“I CAN’T MAKE THIS THING FLY,” he shot back, his knuckles turning white as they clenched the steering wheel.

 

“Shit! Go, Arbok! Stall them!” The woman hurled a red and white ball from the open rear of the speeding truck.

“Hssss,” the Arbok hissed, unveiling its deadly fangs as a warning to the two rapidly approaching orange canines.

 

“Both of you, use Flamethrower! Make it quick!” commanded the girl of the two pursuing figures, both of whom were riding large, orange Arcanine.

 

The Arcanines effortlessly dodged the Arbok and unleashed jets of flame as they sped by. The snake-like Pokemon was instantly overwhelmed and rendered incapacitated.

 

“NO, ARBOK!” The woman’s voice was tinged with both anguish and fury, torn between her emotional connection to the fallen Pokemon and the reality of their situation.

 

“Her sacrifice will be-” The man’s consoling words were interrupted, as an orange canine suddenly zoomed into existence beside them.

 

“Arcanine, Bulldoze!” The command came from the pursuing girl, and the orange canine didn’t hesitate. It stomped its paw on the ground, and spiky mounds of earth erupted, threatening to overturn the getaway vehicle.

 

Miraculously, the duo managed to stabilize their precarious position. However, one precious item was dislodged from its container and began rolling toward the open back of the truck.

 

“The egg!” The woman quickly realized, lunging at the teetering egg that was moments away from slipping out of the truck’s open rear.

 

“Are you insane?” The man grabbed her arm, pulling her back just in time as a burst of flame erupted at where she was. The egg rolled out of the truck and was lost to the wilderness.

 

“YOU- THAT EGG IS VALUABLE,” The woman screamed, furious at the loss of the valuable egg they’d attained from the Sinnoh region.

 

“That egg might be valuable, but your life’s worth more!” The man retorted, shifting his attention back to their escape.

 

The woman grumbled, before forcing herself to drop the matter in light of his irrefutable logic.

 

 

————

 

 

Noah lay hidden in the bush, utterly petrified, his eyes wide as saucers as he watched the high-stakes chase play out before him. The pursuers were garbed in what seemed to be police uniforms. But what really jolted his senses were the creatures they were riding—Arcanine, right out of the Pokémon world.

 

His excitement peaked when he saw a familiar red and white orb—a Pokéball—being thrown from the truck. A brilliant white light erupted as the ball opened, before just as emerging as a purple snake-like monster — an Arbok.

 

The two Arcanines made short work of it, before the one carrying the girl suddenly sped up, instantly appearing next to the truck. By this point, they were already nearing Noah. The Arcanine stomped its foot onto the ground with immense force, causing Noah to fall deeper into the recesses of the bush.

 

On the other hand, the truck nearly flipped, before miraculously regaining its footing and speeding forward. At this moment, something slipped out of the truck — an oval-shaped egg. The two police officers, immersed in their chase, didn’t seem to notice the oversized poultry and continued speeding forward.

 

Coincidentally, the egg rolled to a stop directly in front of Noah.

 

As the egg fell, he noticed two figures in the truck that were arguing, both wearing black uniforms emblazoned with a conspicuous “R” symbol on their chests. “Team Rocket?” Noah muttered as he saw the uniforms of the two bickering people, “Is this egg that valuable?” Noah’s thoughts were a whirlwind as he eyed the egg lying almost serenely on the path, miraculously uncracked.

 

Waiting for the two officers’ figures to fade into the horizon, Noah finally emerged from his hiding spot, quickly snatching the egg and retreating to the safety of his bush.

 

His eyes gleamed with curiosity as he almost let out a squeal, his excitement peaking as he carefully observed the egg before him. “Pokemon… is this really a Pokemon egg?” Noah’s thoughts raced as he scrutinized every green dot on the egg.

 

Noah was in shock, inferring from the surreal chase that had just unfolded before him, he could only let out a shaky sigh as he had two conclusions; he’d either be having a crazy lucid dream, or he had somehow been transported to the world of Pokemon.

 

The latter, though unlikely, seemed to be the only possibility right now.

 

Noah held onto the egg tightly as his excitement surged, his pulse quickened at the thought, his hands trembling slightly as he held the egg. The fantasies of his childhood suddenly seemed within reach. Maybe this time, he’d be able to live them out.

 

 

————

 

 

Noah didn’t dare to leave his hiding spot, afraid of the wild Pokemon that most likely inhabited the nearby vicinity. Having read a few Pokemon fan fictions before, he didn’t need somebody to warn him of the danger of Pokemon.

 

Thus, he hid in his little hiding spot, living off the peculiar combination of soda and cup noodles. Of course, he had no way to find boiling water in this environment, not that he dared to venture out, anyway. So he could only resort to using soda as a substitute for water to add to his noodles. Needless to say, it wasn’t enjoyable.

 

Noah was praying that the egg before him would hatch soon, to hopefully provide him a fighting chance against the wild Pokemon and be his key to getting out of this forest. The main reason for this otherwise groundless hope was the egg’s size. Its size was much larger than a normal egg, at least that’s what Noah assumed, and it seemed to be on the verge of hatching.

 

On the morning of the third day, as he was mournfully slurping his less-than-delicious bioweapon, a soft sound broke the silence. “Crrk” His eyes shot to the egg. A delicate network of cracks had begun to form on its surface, increasing in complexity with each wobble.

 

In his excitement, Noah’s cup noodles toppled over, spilling their sad contents onto the ground. “Holy crap, it’s happening! IT’S HAPPENING!” He hastily scrambled for a better angle.

 

Just as he settled, the egg had been practically covered with thin cracks. His eyes practically glowed with anticipation as he watched the egg, barely able to contain his excitement.

 

With a final “crack,” a small blue paw burst through the top of the egg, promising the beginning of the first chapter in Noah’s bewildering adventure.