I woke up earlier than usual—barely 6:50 AM—but sohow still ended up being the last person awake.
The mont I stepped out of my tent, I froze.
The entire team—already packed—already geared—already checking supplies
…while I was rubbing sleep out of my eyes.
Even the Pokémon were awake.
Great. I had officially beco the least responsible adult in the forest.
I stretched and called out,
"Good morning, everyone."
A chorus of replies greeted :
"Morning, sir!"
"Good morning, Aakash!"
And Mama, with his usual affection:
"Look who finally decided to join the living."
"…Good morning to you too," I muttered.
I set my bag down and started making breakfast for the Pokémon—the sa simple recipe as last night:
Berries chopped and mixed with chilled Miltank milk.
The mont the sll spread:
• Mankey sprinted over, fists vibrating
• The two Growlithe barked excitedly
• Pidgeotto glided down proudly
• The baby Pidgey flock perched above, chirping impatiently
• The four Pichu ford a tiny queue like disciplined children
• Tangela shuffled closer and stopped at my feet like a blue toddler waiting politely
I placed bowls on the ground—eight in total—and the Pokémon dug in happily.
Next, I poured the remaining milk into tal cups for my team.
"Fresh Miltank milk," I announced.
The team accepted their cups gratefully. Even Captain Kabir's stoic expression softened.
After finishing my own cup, I took out my phone and opened the satellite map synced through the military drone.
Our location blinked on the screen.
To the north:
A large freshwater lake—clear blue—surrounded by thick forest
And further beyond:
A waterfall cutting through rocky cliffs
Behind that waterfall was three hills—the end of this Pokémon zone, according to earlier scans.
"We can reach the lake by 8.30 AM…" I murmured."…and the mountain boundary before afternoon."
I slipped the phone back into my pocket and turned around to check on the team.
They were… efficient.
Kadam was doing final safety checks on ropes and kits.Sethi was counting supply packs.Ritu was running diagnostics on the drone.era and Kavya were sorting dicinal herbs and berries.Bhavesh and Arjun were mapping potential routes.Tanisha was syncing ergency beacons.
And the Pokémon?
They were having the ti of their lives.
Mankey and the younger Growlithe were locked in a playful battle—Mankey hopping on tree roots with gymnast precision while Growlithe lunged forward in fiery bursts.
A few ters away, Pidgeotto was sparring with Mama's Growlithe—but slowing her moves deliberately.
Every wingbeat, every feint, every turn… was just slow enough for the Pidgey flock perched above to follow and learn.
Their little heads bobbed in unison, eyes sparkling with awe.
anwhile:
• The four Pichu were playing tag, occasionally shocking each other by mistake• Tangela sat next to obediently, vines curled neatly like a well-behaved child
The peaceful scene ward my chest…
…but also hit with a sudden realization.
A cold one.
I already had three Pokémon.
Pidgeotto.
Mankey.
Pichu.
And I hadn't trained any of them properly.
Sure, Pidgeotto was strong.
Sure, they followed .
But strength without training?
Bond without discipline?
Potential without growth?
That was negligence.
My negligence.
Spreading Pokémon knowledge to the world was important—yes.
But I couldn't ignore my own partners.
Their futures depended on .
Their strength would protect … and countless others.
I clenched my fists slightly.
"It's my responsibility," I whispered.
"To make them stronger. To guide them."
With a new resolve burning in my chest, I reached into my bag and pulled out one of the Poké Balls from yesterday.
Smooth. Red and white. Artificial. A relic of another world.
The mont my fingers wrapped around it, sothing inside shifted.
Responsibility. Purpose. Direction.
I looked toward the sparring ground where Pidgeotto was mid-battle, gracefully dodging Mama's Growlithe's Ember.
"Ritu," I called.
She jogged over, already tapping her tablet. "Starting the drone feed?"
"Yes. We begin today with sothing important."
"Going live in three… two… one…"
The drone humd upward.
The view count exploded instantly:
10,00018,00026,00035,000…and climbing absurdly fast.
Chat burst to life:
[HE'S LIVE HE'S LIVE]
[GOOD MORNING SIR TRAINER]
[WHAT'S IN HIS HAND??]
[PATIL BHAI WHAT ARE YOU HOLDING]
I motioned toward Pidgeotto.
"Finish your battle quickly."
As if she'd been waiting for the command, Pidgeotto pumped her wings and delivered a perfect Gust-Feint combo, sending Growlithe tumbling back gently. She chirped as if saying good job, kid, before landing beside .
I turned to the cara.
"Hello everyone. I know most of you are excited for another day of exploration, new Pokémon, and whatever chaos this forest throws at us."
Chat:
[YESSS LETS GOOOO]
[NEW POKEMON PLS]
[BATTLE BATTLE BATTLE]
"But," I continued, raising the Poké Ball slightly, "before anything else… I want to show you sothing."
The chat froze.
Then exploded.
[WHAT IS THAT]
[RED BALL???]
[AAAA IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS???]
[HE FOUND A WEAPON???]
[DO NOT PRESS THE BUTTON CHILD]
I held the Poké Ball up to the drone, letting the red-and-white sphere fill the screen.
"You all rember this, right? One of the items Pidgey offered yesterday."
The chat hit maximum confusion mode:
[THEY BROUGHT THAT???]
[PIGEYS GOT SHINY TREASURE LMAO]
[WHAT IS THAT ITEM??]
"This," I said slowly, "is the key to human–Pokémon coexistence. Especially in cities. Especially long term."
Silence.
Even the scrolling comnts slowed, unsure.
"The other items Pidgey brought were naturally occurring—fangs, crystals, stones. But this ball…" I turned it over. "…is not natural. It is an artificial device from the Pokémon world."
Chat:
[WHAT DO YOU AN ARTIFICIAL]
[SO HUMANS EXISTED THERE???]
[ALIEN TECHNOLOGY???]
[THIS IS HUGE BRO]
"This proves one thing," I said. "Even though no ruins or structures have appeared on Earth yet… sowhere out there, in their world or its past, existed a human or humanoid species capable of invention."
Shock rippled through the comnts:
[WORLD LORE DROPPED OMG]
[AAKASH YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THAT]
[EXPLAIN PROPERLY HELLO???]
"And according to my calculations," I continued, "the locations containing technology or human-made structures will not appear on Earth for at least one more year."
Team mbers looked at sharply.
Chat exploded:
[ONE YEAR??]
[WE HAVE TI???]
[THANK GOD NOT EVERYTHING DROPS AT ONCE]
"And Pokémon zone ergence has slowed already. It will slow further after one month."
Relief spread through the world.
"But," I raised the Poké Ball again, "let's return to this."
I rotated it in my palm.
"These balls were likely found by Pidgey elders long, long ago. And kept in the nest. They're worn enough to suggest they've been lying around for years."
I focused on the drone.
"So please do NOT go hunting for these. There are barely any in the wild."
Chat:
[WHY WOULD WE HUNT FOR IT]
[WHAT'S THE USE OF THAT BALL]
"What does it even DO??"
I smiled.
"These are called Poké Balls."
I clicked the button.
Click.
The ball expanded from golf-ball size to full size.
Gasps filled chat.
I double-clicked—minimizing it again—then expanded it once more.
Chat detonated:
[THAT'S SO COOL OMG]
[SCI-FI ENERGY CAPSULE]
[WHAT IS THIS MAGIC???]
[SHUT UP AND EXPLAINNNNN]
"Poké Balls," I said clearly, "allow Pokémon to travel safely with their trainers. So Pokémon are too big for houses. So live in water. So would be impossible to bring into cities."
The team listened with wide eyes.
"Poké Balls solve all that. They allow Pokémon to accompany us—without chaos."
Then I turned to Pidgeotto.
She stood tall. Chest puffed with pride.
"Pidgeotto… I've been with you from the mont you arrived on Earth."
She chirped softly.
"You chose to follow . To protect . To fight beside ."
Her eyes brightened.
"So today, I want to ask you formally."
I extended my arm fully, Poké Ball in hand.
"Will you do the honor… of becoming my partner officially?"
Pidgeotto let out a trembling, emotional cry.
"Pidgeoooo…"
She fluttered forward, eyes shining, and gently tapped the Poké Ball button with her beak.
CLICK!
A burst of red light shot out—
wrapped around her—
pulled her in—
and the ball snapped shut.
It shook once.
Twice.
…click.
Locked.
Quiet.
Still.
In my hand.
I stared at the Poké Ball, emotions choking my throat.
My first official partner.
The chat absolutely detonated:
[WHAT JUST HAPPENED??]
[WHY DID SHE TURN INTO RED LIGHT???]
[BRO WHAT DID HE DO— DID HE KILL HER??]
[SHE DISAPPEARED INTO THE BALL??? IS SHE ALIVE??]
[WHAT IS THAT DEVICE?? HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE??]
[INDIA EXPLAIN PLEASE]
[IS PIDGEOTTO OKAY??]
[THIS LOOKS LIKE TELEPORTATION TECHNOLOGY WTF]
[STOP SMILING AAKASH EXPLAIN TO US NORMAL HUMANS]
[THE BALL JUST SWALLOWED A LIVING CREATURE WHAT]
Behind , the Pokémon clapped—literally—and the team finally snapped out of their trance and applauded.
Mankey punched the air like he claid victory.Growlithe barked happily.Tangela waved vines excitedly.Even the Pichu squeaked in celebration.
I held the Poké Ball to my chest.
"Welco to the team… officially."
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