6 months ago —
At 5:00 PM, twilight painted the city in gold and amber. It was like any normal day… until the sky cracked.
Not metaphorically.
It fractured like glass.
People were filming the setting sun when the first tear in the clouds appeared. Dark lightning crawled across the empty dusk.
No one ran at first, their faces frozen in shock. Then, suddenly… something fell.
It wasn't a meteor. It had wings. A tail burned with ferocity. Flames roared across the skyline as it descended.
Silence gripped the crowd… until someone screamed.
The livestream cut. And the world was never the same.
Across the planet, reports flooded the internet and news networks.
Creatures emerging from the sky, the land, and the sea.
At first, there was awe. Then, war broke out when the military fired the first bullet. By sunset, three cities were burning.
I stared at the monitor, heart pounding but not from fear but from recognition.
"That's... a Charizard." my voice barely came out. The name felt illegal to say.
In this world, that word meant nothing. No one grew up with trading cards. No one had played Pokémon Gold or remembered Red and Blue. No one knew Fire-types, evolutions, or base stats.
In this world pokemon had never existed.
Except in my memories.
I wasn't born here. At least, not the first time. I had lived an ordinary life once, collecting Pokémon cards as a hobby, before dying a normal, unremarkable death. I thought that was the end, until a flash of light brought me here, into a parallel Earth almost identical to the one I knew. Almost.
Here on the new world, there was no such thing as pokemon or anything related to it. So yeah Pokemon never really happens until today.
Another video auto-played. A small yellow creature stood atop a police car. Sparks danced across its cheeks as six soldiers surrounded it, weapons ready.
Lightning struck. All six fell unconscious.
"Pikachu…" I whispered, breath quickened.
They're doing it wrong. They're approaching it wrong. but I couldn't blame them. They didn't know what they were dealing with.
The world saw monsters. I saw a brand-new world.
And then, a translucent blue screen appeared before my eyes.
[System Initializing...]
[Unique Condition Met: Prior Pokémon Knowledge Detected]
[Exclusive Authority Granted — Pioneer Researcher]
[Beginner's Gift: x1 Pokéball (100% Capture Rate)]
My heart stopped.
Then the screen shifted. Outside my apartment window, something small had landed on the balcony railing. Orange scales glimmered in the fading sunlight, a tiny flame flickering at the tip of its tail. Its large eyes met mine, curious and alert, and it tilted its head slightly, as if sizing me up. The red-orange sunset cast a warm glow across its body, making the flame look almost alive.
The blue screen updated:
Species: Charmander
Type: Fire
Level: 5
Ability: Blaze
Bond Level: 5
Moveset: Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen
I laughed. Not because it was funny but because I understood something the entire planet didn't.
"You're not a demon," I whispered."You're a starter."
A Pokéball appeared in my hand. I stared at Charmander.
"Charmander… I choose you," I said, softly throwing the Pokéball.
The red light swallowed it whole.
The ball clicked shut.
The world feared extinction.
I saw evolution.