Pokémon : The Perfect Path

Kanto Region - Pallet town

As Velkris was still processing what was happening on his PC, a bright flashing light suddenly hit him in the face. Instinctively, he raised his hands to shield his eyes, but before he could react further, he was knocked off his gaming chair. Slowly, he pushed himself up using the chair for support, still dizzy from the light. Velkris looked at his now-turned-off PC and, for the first time in his life, felt fear.

He rushed over to his PC and examined it hurriedly, looking for any damage. Fortunately, there was none. He had been terrified that something had happened to his partner. But just as he finished his inspection, Velkris felt something tugging at his clothes. Instinctively, he slapped the hand away and quickly put some distance between himself and whatever had touched him.

"Whoever you are, reveal yourself before I do something we'll both regret!" Velkris shouted, trying to sound intimidating despite the nervous edge in his voice. His heart pounded, and he could feel a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

The room was still, almost eerily so. He had no idea what—or who—had just grabbed him, and the fact that his room was completely dark didn't help. He had turned off the lights for his stream, and now it felt like a bad decision. If this had happened in broad daylight, maybe he could have handled it better. But in the dark? With his already exhausted body? Yeah, not ideal.

He took a shaky breath, trying to steady himself. Maybe it was just his imagination. Or maybe one of his friends had somehow broken in to prank him—though that seemed unlikely. Please let it be that.

"Alright, seriously," he said, taking a cautious step back. "If this is some kind of joke, now's the time to come clean!"

He had just felt immense joy after looking at the screen, hoping to transmigrate to the Pokémon world. However, even though he had nothing particularly important tying him to this place, nobody wanted to experience pain or die a gruesome death just to transmigrate. Well, he didn't know about others, but he was certain that he didn't want to—and definitely not at the hands of whatever had just intruded into his house.

As he finished his inner monologue, he heard the intruder speak for the first time.

"Deli Deli Bird?"

His mind went blank at the sound of the voice, immediately considering an impossible scenario. Despite his lingering fear, adrenaline surged through him, and Velkris bolted toward the light switch. As soon as he flipped the lights on, his eyes widened at the sight before him—a Santa Cosplaying intruder that had scared him out of his wits.

'Hahahaha... is this really happening? ...Delibird?' he muttered, almost in disbelief.

At the mention of its name, the creature—Delibird, to be specific—smiled, raised its small wings, and cheerfully waved.

'Delibird!' it chirped.

Velkris felt a strange mix of anxiety and joy colliding in his chest, an unexplainable emotion bubbling up inside him. The fear that had gripped him moments ago slowly faded, replaced with something else—something surreal. Taking a deep breath, he finally took a cautious step toward Delibird. The bird tilted its head, curiously observing the human before it.

Then it struck him—it was a Pokémon. A real, living, breathing Pokémon standing right in front of him."

Velkris stopped hesitating and rushed toward Delibird, lifting it up like a child. He turned it around, carefully examining every inch of its body, as if trying to confirm that it was truly real. Finally, he locked eyes with the Pokémon, and before he could stop himself, he performed a move—Cuddling.

It was super effective... on himself.

"Hahahaha—A Pokémon! A real f*cking Pokémon, right in my hands!" he shouted, his voice filled with pure, unfiltered excitement.

Spinning around in sheer joy, he held onto Delibird's wings, lifting the Pokémon into the air as it flapped along, slightly startled but seemingly enjoying the moment. The room blurred around him, but Velkris didn't care—he was holding a real Pokémon, and nothing else mattered.

"Deli... Deli Bird... Deli..."

It seemed all the spinning had made Delibird dizzy, as swirl patterns appeared in its eyes. The once-energetic Pokémon now wobbled unsteadily, its tiny wings flailing as it tried to regain its balance.

"Delii... Birr... Delli..." it mumbled, its voice slurred as if it had just stepped off a rollercoaster.

Velkris immediately realized his mistake. His excitement had completely taken over, and now he had practically KO'd the poor Pokémon—without even a single battle. Feeling a pang of guilt, he quickly knelt down and set Delibird back on the floor, steadying it with his hands.

"Hahaha—sorry, Delibird! Got a little carried away there," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Didn't mean to turn you into a Beyblade."

Delibird blinked up at him, its eyes still swirling, before shaking its head vigorously as if trying to reset its senses.

Still buzzing with excitement, Velkris couldn't help but blurt out his next thought. "But wait... What are you doing here? Did Arceus send you to transmigrate me?"

That possibility suddenly hit him like a Thunderbolt. If this was really happening—if a real, living, breathing Pokémon was standing right in front of him—then maybe, just maybe, this was the moment. The impossible scenario he had always dreamed of.

His mind raced as he thought back to Alba Andes, the mysterious viewer who had been with him since the beginning of his streaming career. "I mean, I already knew Alba Andes named himself after Arceus, but I thought that was just because he loved Arceus."

He frowned slightly, staring at the Delibird as if it held all the answers. "I definitely didn't expect him—or is it her?—to actually be Arceus."

For a moment, the room was silent except for the quiet sound of Delibird regaining its composure. Then, just as Velkris was about to ask another question, the Pokémon suddenly perked up, looking at him with newfound energy.

Velkris gulped. "Oh no... that look can't be good."

In all his excitement, Velkris had nearly forgotten what sort of little trickster this Pokémon was. In the anime, Delibird had been depicted multiple times presenting people with literal explosive gifts. While the people of the Pokémon world could probably withstand one, he certainly couldn't—not as a frail human.

He understood that.

But Delibird? Definitely not.

As the Pokémon reached into its bag of goods, a sense of unease settled in Velkris' chest. Even though he was a massive fan of the franchise, he still couldn't speak Pokémon, which meant there was no way to reason with the mischievous creature in front of him.

Now fully aware that he had zero way to convince Delibird not to pull something funny, his thoughts raced as he instinctively began backing away—his eyes locked onto the Pokémon, which was now rummaging through its bag.

The creature rummaged through its bag before pulling out something round and glowing brightly in the dimly lit room. Its small wings trembled slightly as it held the object up, eyes wide with excitement.

Velkris took a cautious step back, his instincts screaming at him not to fall for whatever this little prankster had planned. But then he saw it—the unmistakable, heart-melting expression on Delibird's face.

It was trying to use one of the most dangerous moves known to Pokémon enthusiasts.

Baby-Doll Eyes.

Velkris as a veteran gamer knew Delibird shouldn't be able to use that move, But he still felt his defenses waver. The way Delibird tilted its head ever so slightly, the way its round eyes shimmered with innocent anticipation—it was almost too much. He could already feel the temptation to reach out and accept the "gift" creeping up on him.

But then, his years of playing Pokémon kicked in. He knew better.

"I've played these games before, Delibird. You won't fool me."

He crossed his arms and took another step back, narrowing his eyes at the Pokémon.

For a moment, Delibird just stood there, staring at him. The adorable expression faded, replaced by something far more sinister. Its gaze sharpened, its grip on the glowing object tightened, and then—without warning—it hurled the shining ball of light straight at him.

Velkris barely had time to react. His eyes widened as the object flew toward him, leaving a faint golden trail in the air.

But his quick gamer reflexes came in clutch as he caught the ball with his hands. Then, with the expertise one would expect from a true Pokémon Master, he threw it like a Poké Ball—straight toward Delibird's bag, where it had originated from.

Surprisingly, it didn't explode.

Delibird stared in shock, completely stunned by the act of this human who had just done something nobody had ever done to it before. Then, its eyes lit up, as if it and Velkris were truly Delibirds of a feather.

As the creature stared at him in surprise, Velkris held his hands out like Owen Grady and said, "Easy... easy... Delibird. We can talk this out, even though I don't speak Pokémon."

As he spoke, he realized he had backed up against his shelf—the one where he kept his figurine collection. A sudden idea struck him.

Without taking his eyes off Delibird, he carefully reached behind him, feeling around the shelf for what he needed. The Pokémon continued to stare at him, its eyes filled with curiosity.

"Stay still... or I'll have to use this."

With a dramatic motion, he revealed a Poké Ball replica, its button glowing realistically, and aimed it directly at Delibird.

Delibird looked at the Poké Ball, and Velkris eyed Delibird's bag. The atmosphere grew tense, as if they were in the middle of an old western standoff.

Then—suddenly—Velkris threw the Poké Ball straight at Delibird. Instinctively, the Pokémon dodged, backing away with a smirk, confident in its agility.

But that smirk quickly faded when it looked up—only to see Velkris holding its bag instead. In the same instant he had thrown the Poké Ball, he had lunged forward, snatching the bag right out of its grasp.

"Ha! What are you gonna do now, you Temu Santa Claus?" Velkris taunted the Pokémon.

For a moment, Delibird stood completely still. Then, in an eerily familiar gesture, it adjusted its nonexistent glasses and muttered, "Deli deli bird."

Somehow, it almost sounded like... "Just as planned."

Then, with a bright smile, it suddenly raised both of its wings into the air.

Delibird : "Deli Deli Bird!" [Bankai : Kyōka Suigetsu].

He glanced around, expecting something to happen—but nothing did. The room remained eerily silent, with only the soft hum of his PC and the distant sounds of the outside world breaking the stillness.

Then, slowly, his eyes fell on the bag in his hand.

It was glowing.

Not just a faint shimmer, but an intense, almost blinding radiance that pulsed like a heartbeat. The light seeped through the fabric, casting shifting shadows across the room. Velkris' stomach dropped.

"Oh, crap, I really hate surprises," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Before he could even think about dropping it, the glow flared violently, swallowing everything in its path. The walls, the ceiling, his PC—all of it vanished into an endless void of white.

A strange weightlessness took over as his body seemed to stretch and compress at the same time. His thoughts scrambled, panic setting in, but before he could fully comprehend what was happening—

He was gone.

And just like that, the small Pokémon streamer and enthusiast, Velkris, vanished from the surface of the Earth.