Ashwin had never imagined death would feel like floating.
There was no pain, no fear — just a vast, weightless nothingness. He drifted in silence, untethered from time, from space, from himself. Memories ebbed and flowed: city lights blurring past the bus window, the quiet hum of his phone, the subtle ache of routine. Then came the light — not a tunnel, not a flame — but a burst. Brilliant and blinding.
Then he fell.
Not through air. Through existence itself.
And then — impact.
He gasped sharply as his back met the ground. Cool grass cushioned his fall, and the scent of soil, flowers, and something rich with life filled his lungs. Ashwin groaned, blinking against the golden sunlight that filtered through a leafy canopy overhead.
Where… was he?
He slowly sat up, muscles aching as though they had been asleep for centuries. The world was too vivid, too vibrant. The blue of the sky above him was impossibly deep. Trees surrounded him, towering like silent guardians. Birds cried out in the distance — strange calls he had never heard before. Leaves rustled with movement he couldn't see.
A place untouched by pollution, noise, or even human interference. And yet, it pulsed with life — something more than natural.
He tried to recall how he got here — a crosswalk? A flash of headlights? No… that didn't feel right. This wasn't Earth.
Then, a voice. Weak, hoarse, and barely audible.
"…Please…"
Startled, Ashwin scrambled to his feet and followed the sound. Pushing past thick underbrush and blooming flowers, he spotted an old man slumped beneath a gnarled tree. His clothes were weather-worn, patched together in places, and a long cloak hid his legs. His beard was tangled, his eyes dim with exhaustion.
Yet when they met Ashwin's, something passed between them — not just recognition, but relief.
"You're… not from here…" the man whispered, lips cracking as he struggled to speak. "Good… That means it's not too late."
Ashwin rushed to his side. "What happened to you? Who—?"
"No time… Listen," the man said, pulling a small object from a pouch on his chest. It looked like a smooth oval stone fused with crystal circuitry, glowing with gentle blue runes. "This… is the heart of your journey."
He placed it in Ashwin's palm. The moment skin met stone, a shock ran up Ashwin's arm.
[System Activation Detected.][Initializing Core Modules...][Confirming Identity…][Link Established. Welcome, Breeder.]
His eyes widened.
[Assigned Role: Farm Manager & Pokémon Breeder.][You have been granted the following core skills:]
[Breeding Efficiency Lv.1]
[Crop Cultivation Lv.1]
[Pokémon Affinity Lv.1]
[Resource Management Lv.1]
[Location Set: Near Willowbrook Town.][Environmental Link Calibrated.][Daily Quests Unlocked:]
[Pollinate 3 types of Crops]
[Hatch 1 Pokémon Egg]
[Assist a Townsfolk with a Task]
[Harvest or Water Your Fields]
[Initial Companion Acquired: Female Combee – Pollinator Class Pokémon.][Bond Level: Neutral.][Special Trait Detected: Worker-Class Hive Behavior. Combee may scout territory, assist in pollination, and signal Pokémon interest.]
Ashwin could hardly breathe.
"What… is this? What are Pokémon?"
The old man coughed, smiling weakly. "You'll learn. This world—this land—it responds to kindness. To patience. Pokémon are part of it. And now… so are you."
"But why me?" Ashwin asked, kneeling beside him. "I was nobody back in my world…"
"That's exactly why," the man whispered, hand falling limp. "You… have space in your heart to grow. Not to fight, but to care. This place needs that."
With one final breath, the man's body went still. The wind gently rustled his cloak, as if nature itself offered its farewell.
Ashwin stood in silence, the weight of the glowing stone still warm in his hand. His other hand curled into a fist at his side. He was not a warrior. He had no sword, no grand destiny… and yet, something ancient had brought him here.
A choice had been made.
The grass around him glistened with morning dew, and not far off, fields stretched into gentle hills, where rows of half-tamed wildflowers swayed like waves. Insects buzzed lazily through the air. The faint sound of a stream trickled nearby. And deep in the trees, something watched — cautious, curious, drawn to him.
Ashwin took a step forward, then another.
This wasn't home. But it could be.
And so he walked — toward the fields, toward the scent of life, toward the first chapter of a future he had never asked for… but one he was now bound to shape.
[Main Objective: Establish Your Farmstead.][Sub-Objective: Develop a Sustainable Pokémon Habitat.][Questline Unlocked: Foundation of Fame.][Progression Requirement: Grow with your Pokémon and your land.]
Ashwin didn't know what lay ahead.
But for the first time in a long while — he felt alive.