There are many ways a life can end, but very few ways it can begin again.Aiden's last memory from his first life was rain — heavy rainfall that blurred the world into streaks of white and gold. Cars sped through the storm in glittering lines, neon lights smeared across the pavement, and the air smelled like wet asphalt and static electricity. He remembered a rush of movement, a horn, a flash.
And then silence.
He didn't exactly feel himself die.Instead, he felt himself detach.
His consciousness slipped free like a leaf torn from a branch, drifting through darkness that had no sound, no direction, no color — only a soft, endless nothingness. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He wasn't even sure if he still had a body. It felt as if he existed solely as a thought flickering inside an unfinished dream.
Time didn't exist here.Or if it did, Aiden no longer belonged to it.
For what could have been seconds or centuries, he floated.
Until the void lit up.
At first, it was only a speck — a pale blue glow that pulsed like a distant heartbeat. Then it grew brighter, warmer, almost comforting. The glow drifted toward him, pulsing in a rhythm he recognized instinctively, though he couldn't have explained why.
It wasn't a voice that reached him, but the sensation of intention:
"You are not finished."
The pulse deepened, humming softly as if speaking directly into the center of his being.
"You know our world. Then live in it."
Aiden wanted to ask what that meant.What world?Why him?Why this?
But the light surged forward, engulfing him completely.
And the void shattered.
He woke with a gasp, a child's gasp.High-pitched. Sharp. Desperate.His lungs expanded all at once, flooding him with cold, sterile air. His eyes snapped open to a blindingly bright ceiling lined with silver rails and white panels. A soft beeping trembled near his ear.
Before he could register anything else, a rounded pink face appeared in his blurry vision.
Big eyes. Soft expression. A faint medicinal smell.
A Chansey.
Aiden froze.
The Pokémon blinked at him curiously, chirping a gentle "Chansey~!" as though greeting an old friend. But Aiden could only stare, mind whirling, struggling to connect this impossible creature to reality. He'd seen Chansey in games. In shows. On trading cards he once held as a child.
But never like this.Never breathing.Never casting shadows.Never alive in front of him.
A hand gently touched his forehead.
"Easy," a nurse murmured, her voice soft but steady. "Just breathe, sweetheart. You hit your head pretty badly."
Sweetheart.
Aiden realized — too sharply — that the nurse wasn't speaking to an adult.
She was speaking to a child.
His heart lurched.
He raised his hands.Small hands.Small arms.A ten-year-old's proportions.
His breath stopped.
He wasn't just reborn.He was rewound.
Before panic could swallow him, the medical room door slid open. Two figures rushed in — one tall and imposing, the other gentle and bright-eyed. They moved with practiced urgency, their faces twisted with concern.
The man reached him first.
Broad shoulders.Deep-set eyes.A Fire-and-Dragon insignia embroidered across his jacket.
Aiden recognized him instantly, even though he had never seen him except through meta knowledge of this world.
James Travis.
Fire & Dragon Gym Leader of Los Angeles.A powerful trainer.A respected League official.
The woman who followed him was just as well-known:
Elena Travis.Master Pokémon breeder.One of the best on the West Coast.Beloved, brilliant, compassionate.
But here, in this moment, they were not Gym Leader and Breeder.
They were simply parents.
His parents.
Elena rushed to his bedside, tears shimmering in her eyes. She cupped his small face in trembling hands.
"Aiden… oh, sweetheart, thank goodness…"Her voice cracked. "We were so scared."
James leaned down, brushing aside some hair from Aiden's forehead with surprising gentleness. "You gave us quite the fright." His expression softened, lines of tension easing. "You're safe now."
Aiden trembled.
He wanted to speak — to say he wasn't their son, not really — that he didn't know how this happened, that he wasn't supposed to be here. But when he opened his mouth, all that came out was:
"…Dad?"
James froze — then smiled, relief washing over him like a tide.
Elena collapsed into soft sobs, hugging him carefully.
Aiden's small hands hovered for a moment before he returned the embrace.
This was not the life he expected.It was not the world he left.
But it was the world he was in now. Over the next days, Aiden learned more than any child should have to.
He learned he had fallen off a coastal trail near their ranch, hitting his head on a rock. He learned that the world he was in resembled modern Earth — with cities, governments, smartphones — except populated with Pokémon that lived alongside humans as naturally as birds or pets.
But what shocked him most was not that Pokémon were real.
It was how seamlessly they existed in everyday life.
Joggers ran with Growlithe at their side.Delivery services used Dodrio messengers.Construction crews operated alongside Machoke and Graveler.Children played in the park with Pichu.Doctors used Chansey and Audino to handle medical care.
But the biggest revelation came one week after waking.
James sat him down at the ranch's fire pit, where the sunset washed the sky in orange and violet.
"Aiden," he said, voice low, "there's something important we need to discuss."
Aiden swallowed.
"You're ten now," James continued, eyes soft. "And in our world, because your mother and I are certified high-ranking League staff, you're eligible to receive your first Pokémon. You'll be able to train, learn, and grow under supervision."
A Pokémon.His own Pokémon.
Aiden's heart fluttered with awe and disbelief.
He was ten.This world's rules matched everything he remembered:children of Gym Leaders and high-ranking League officials received Pokémon early — not to battle, but to learn responsibility and skill.
Elena smiled warmly. "Only if you want one, sweetie."
Aiden wanted one more than breath. The following morning, Elena led him to the ranch's inner habitat — a wide field bordered by forest, where dozens of Pokémon rested under golden light.
"Aiden," she said, kneeling beside him, "these are partners your father and I have raised for years. They're all gentle, loyal, and well-trained. You can choose one to begin your journey when you're ready."
Aiden's eyes widened at the choices:
A playful young Growlithe climbing over logs.A serene Ralts sitting on a stump, watching the clouds.A small Dratini curled up near a pond.A territorial Larvitar munching on stones.A shy Vulpix peeking from behind a bush.
And then—his gaze met a pair of amber eyes.
A young Arcanine — still not fully grown but proud, strong, and radiant — walked toward him slowly, as though studying him with deliberate care. The Pokémon lowered its head, brushing against Aiden's small palm.
Aiden didn't choose Arcanine.
Arcanine chose him.
A warmth he had never felt filled his chest.
Elena smiled knowingly."I think he likes you."
James folded his arms with approval."Good judgment. A great partner for a trainer with your instincts."
Aiden pet Arcanine's fur, feeling a bond spark —a bond that seemed almost divine in its clarity.
He whispered,"I'll take care of you."
Arcanine's tail wagged once, steady and sure.
And something deep inside Aiden shifted —as though this moment had been waiting across lifetimes. That night, while brushing Arcanine's fur in the stables, Aiden felt something strange.
A flicker.A pulse.A warmth beneath his skin.
Then his hand glowed faintly blue.
Aura.
The world blurred around him.His breath staggered.The light vanished as quickly as it appeared.
But he knew what it was.
And the world he now lived in would want to know too.
This was only the beginning.