The Pokémon:Isekai

The harsh sunlight pierced through my closed eyelids, forcing me to stir. Groaning, I pushed myself up onto my elbows, blinking as my vision adjusted to the brightness.

A soft noise rumbled from my chest, making me glance down. Oddy and Aria were curled up on top of me, still fast asleep. Carefully, I scooped them up and laid them on my coat before stretching out my stiff limbs.

My eyes scanned the clearing until I spotted Skyla near the moonlit pool where the Clefairy had danced the night before. She was kneeling by the water's edge, gathered her blue hair into a loose ponytail as she reached into the pool, her hands submerged. Rotom floated beside her, its screen glowing faintlywhile it smiled and hovered over the water.

"Hey! Good morning," I called out, my voice still groggy from sleep.

Skyla turned her head and gave a small wave.

[Good morning, Alex Carter!] Rotom buzzed, spinning in the air excitedly. [Look what we found!]

I stepped closer, rubbing the last traces of sleep from my eyes. In Rotom's shadow was a smooth, polished gray stone.

"What's that?" I crouched down, taking the wet stone from the ground.

"Morning!" Skyla greeted before tossing another stone at me. I barely caught it. "That's a Moon Stone! And there are more of them!"

I frowned, inspecting the shimmering surface of the rock. "And? We don't have any Pokémon that evolve with these."

Skyla gawked at me as if I had just insulted her. "Alex… each one of these is worth atleast ten thousand Pokédollars!"

I nearly dropped the stone. *Wait.Ten thousand? Not three? Did inflation hit even this world* I thought, looking behind at the pile of moon stones glistening beneath the water's surface.

Skyla's eyes sparkled with excitement. "We're rich!" she shouted to world, already reaching into the pool for more.

That got my attention. Without hesitation, I knelt down and plunged my hands into the water, running my fingers along the cool, smooth stones.

"Alex, just get in already!" Skyla demanded, her voice filled with anticipation.

"Me? Why don't you do it?" I shot back.

She leaned back on her hands, smirking. "We already did all the work collecting those while you were sleeping and dreaming"

"Alright, fine," I relented, rolling my eyes. "Let's make a deal—you take the food, and I'll get the rest of these."

"Bet! But Rotom and I are gonna rest for a while as you do it."

[Yeah, we're tired, Alex Carter!] Rotom agreed.

I shot it a look. "Rotom.....You're a ghost....."

Rotom immediately runned away as if I had a knife on my hand.

Shaking my head, I pulled off my black shirt and pants before jumping into the shallow pool. The water was cold because of the night. sending a quick chill up my spine, but I pushed through, running my hands through the stone-covered pool.

As I worked, my thoughts drifted.

Have I… changed?

I thought back to the battle against that crazed Nidoking. Before all of this, I was just a guy who played Pokémon games, barely exercising outside of walking. If that version of me had been thrown into a real-life Pokémon battle, I would have frozen up in fear. But instead, I had given clear orders, thought strategically, and—even more surprising—I had actually won.

Maybe… if everything had gone according to my plan and if that Nidoking didn't attack Aria while she tried to save Oddy, I could have beaten Nidoking without Skyla's help at all,using Double team,Teleport then Stun Spore and then finish it all with multiple Hexs and Bites.

The thought of this body or this world changing my personality without me realizing it until it happened was already weighing heavily on my mind as I finished collecting the last of the stones.

Climbing out of the pool, I shook off the excess water and looked up to see newly woken up Aria and Oddy helping Skyla and Rotom prepare food.

"I got them!" I called out.

Skyla rushed over, counting each stone as I placed them down. "How many do we have?" I asked.

"Thirty-two! With the those I already collected it's 45 MOON STONES!!" She beamed. "We're filthy rich!"

I grinned without noticing until I pulled all of my clothes back on made me think again. Guess I still love money.

"Where's the bag? Let's pack these up," I said.

Skyla pointed toward Oddy, who was running toward us, the bag clutched tightly in one of the mouths atop his head.

"Let's store these and eat," I said as he handed me the bag.

"Don't worry," Skyla assured me as she started tossing stones into the bag one by one. "Cerulean City is super close—like, an hour at most. We can sell these as soon as we get there."

The morning passed in a relaxed rhythm—collecting the remaining stones, eating the last of the sandwiches Skyla's grandparents had packed, and finally packing up to leave.

We set off, making our way down the rocky cliffside, the landscape slowly transitioning into a more familiar route covered with grass and trees.

The silence stretched between us for a while before Skyla suddenly spoke,her hands in her pocket.

"Hey, Alex… what do you think makes someone a Trainer?"

Oddy, who had been walking beside her, tilted his head to her.

[Trainers are people who battle and collect Pokémon, yes?] Rotom answered as if it were reciting a textbook definition.

I glanced at Skyla, sensing that wasn't the answer she was looking for. She pulled out Nidoking's Pokéball, rolling it between her hands. His massive body looked like a toy inside the ball. He looked up to her face… then immediately flipped her off with rage he had....

Skyla sighed. "Do you think I can be a Trainer?" she asked, her voice quieter this time.

I stopped walking, taking a second to process what she meant. Then I smirked.

"Why not?" I shrugged. "That one hates you because we kicked his ass before you caught him. If you were to catch another, that one would clearly love you. And honestly? I think it'd be fun to have another rival except that boy Sammy."

She stopped in her tracks, making Oddy bump into her leg.

For a moment, she just stared at Nidoking, who was watching her, waiting to see what she'd do or tell next.

Then, a slow smile formed on her lips. "...Looks like I'll have two jobs in the future," she murmured before smiling and jogging to catch up with me.

Up ahead, we spotted two old, muscular men in the middle of what seemed to be an intense argument,one had big legs and small arm while the other had big hands and small legs.

[What are they doing?] Rotom asked.

Skyla's mood seemed to have lifted as she answered, "Ah! Those guys are the Martial artist. Masters of two moves. They've been arguing for years about which is better—Mega Kick or Mega Punch."

I raised an eyebrow as I watched them go back and forth, their movements exaggerated with dramatic hand gestures.

"Some people say they used to fight with their fists and kicks. But after meeting a certain Trainer, they decided to dedicate themselves to teaching Mega Kick and Mega Punch to others instead," Skyla explained. "They also say that if one of them teaches more people than the other for a whole month. the loser has to retire from martial arts and they are still going for years."

I frowned.

*Both of those moves suck. They have high power, but their accuracy is garbage. You always miss when you need them most they are even worse than Focus Blast. Instead of those moves you could just use Return.* I murmued.

"Can't we just ignore them?" I asked.

Skyla shrugged. "I don't know. The Trainer I traveled with before always stopped to talk to one with big legs. He even said his Pokémon knew Mega Kick."

I sighed. "Guess that means we're stuck dealing with them."

Skyla smirked. "Looks like its a yep."

After a few steps forward, one of the two old men finally noticed us. One of them, with a thick mustache and an energy that did not match his age, suddenly shouted,

"Hey, young lads! Do you wish to learn about the punch of roaring ferocity? A move packed with destructive power when the chips are down! Surely, you agree that the ultimate attack is none other than—Mega Punch!"

Before we could react, his companion—an equally old but slightly more aggressive-looking bald man with a beard—delivered a swift kick to his side, cutting him off.

"Shut up, you old fossil bastard!" the second man barked. "Obviously, they've come here to learn about the kick of brutal ferocity! A move so powerful that when it lands, it destroys everything in its path! Surely, you agree that the true ultimate attack is—Mega Kick!"

The first man, still recovering from the kick, growled before throwing a punch straight at the other's face.

"How dare you strike me with that pathetic kick! They used yo be weak but not this weak!!" he roared.

The second man, now sprawled on the ground, groaned before glaring up at him.

"Oh yeah?! Then how dare you punch me with that weak-ass punch, huh?! They used to hurt but now they feel like a fly just bited me You small Bastard!"

Skyla and I stood frozen, watching the scene unfold like a bizarre street performance.

"Should we… run?" I muttered, slowly pointing at the two martial artists who were now both fighting and arguing with each other.

Skyla glanced at them one last time, then flashed a mischievous grin before suddenly bolting toward the Cerulean City gate.

"Hey—wait for me!" I shouted, snapping out of my daze and chasing after her.

Behind us, the old men yelled after our retreating figures.

"You'll be back!" one of them bellowed.

"You'll understand the worth of Mega Punch/Kick someday!" the other added, their voices overlapping as they continued to argue.

Then, as if realizing what they had just said, they both turned to each other with pure rage in their eyes.

"How dare you copy me!" they shouted in unison before launching into another heated battle.

As we ran, I noticed Rotom had stayed behind. Floating at a safe distance, it quietly snapped a photo of the absurd scene before whirring after us.

Then, we crossed into Cerulean City.

The sheer size of the place hit me all at once. Tall buildings stretched toward the sky,signs flickered above bustling streets, and the sound of people and Pokémon filled the air. Compared to everywhere we had been so far, this city was massive—easily twice the size of some real-world cities I had seen before.

I slowed my pace, my head tilting back as I took it all in. "Whoa…"

Skyla, unfazed by the sight, smirked knowingly. "Cool, isn't it?"

"Not just cool…" I muttered, still awestruck."It's awesome!"ı said as she spoke once again. "Its so much better at night...."