The Pokémon:Isekai

I glanced down at Aria once more, her small body nestled in my arms, before taking a deep breath and standing up. Worry gnawed at me, my grip on her tightening slightly. I turned to Sammy, my voice edged with urgency.

"Sammy! Where's the Pokécenter? Can you tell me?" I asked, hoping he'd point me in the right direction.

Unlike me, he was completely calm, almost too relaxed for my liking. But then, instead of answering immediately, he let out a short laugh, shaking his head.

"Man, don't be such a crybaby. She's just tired from battling," he said with a smirk. "Let her rest for an hour or two, and she'll be fine."

His words should have reassured me, but they didn't. What if something happened to her while she was unconscious? What if it wasn't just exhaustion? The thoughts swirled in my mind, each one worse than the last. I clenched my jaw, my fingers gripping Aria just a little tighter.

Sammy must have noticed the concern written all over my face because he sighed, rubbing the back of his head. Then, without another word, he stepped forward and patted my shoulder.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Follow me. Let's go to the Pokécenter," he said, his tone a little softer this time. "But just so you know, Nurse Joy's going to tell you exactly what I just did." He grinned before gesturing toward Aria. "Now, return her to her ball. She'll be more comfortable that way."

I hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright..."

I gently tapped the Pokéball to Aria, watching her disappear in a soft red light As we made our way toward the entrance of town, the familiar buzzing of Rotoms filled the air.

[Wait for me, Useless Sammy!]

[Wait for me, Alex Carter!]

Both RotomDexes floated toward us, their voices mechanical yet full of energy. I glanced at Sammy's RotomDex for a moment before something clicked in my mind.

"Hey," I said, turning to him. "Does your RotomDex have that same problem with its voice?"

Sammy gave me a puzzled look, his brow furrowing. "What problem?" he asked, genuinely confused. "You know Rotoms automatically fix any machine they possess, right?"

I blinked. "Is that really a thing?" I asked, my pace slowing slightly.

"Yeah," Sammy nodded. "Where and how did it happen?"

I thought back to earlier, recalling the strange moment at the city's entrance. "It happened when we first arrived at the city," I explained. "It tried to talk about the Gym Leader, but then it let out a weird voice,"

"Ohhh, I got it now!" Sammy exclaimed, stopping in his tracks before continuing with a smirk.

"It happened because of the rule the Champion put on the Rotoms," he explained, his tone slow and deliberate, as if making sure I followed.

I frowned. "A rule?"

"Yeah. You have to challenge every Gym Leader in a set order. First is Pewter City's Gym Leader, then Cerulean, then Vermillion, and so on," he said, counting off on his fingers. "Your Rotom can tell you the order, but it can only give details about the next Gym Leader on your path. That means it won't say a word about Viridian City's Gym Leader until you've beaten all the other seven."

That... actually made sense.

"It's the same for Johto, I think," Sammy added. "But I don't know much about them. And from what I've heard, once you collect all eight badges from a region, you can challenge Gym Leaders from other region in any order you want."

As he finished, my mind buzzed with all the new information. So that's why Rotom glitched—it wasn't a malfunction, just a restriction placed by the Champion.

Before I could ask anything else, we finally reached the Pokécenter, its familiar red roof standing out against the town's buildings.

"Here we are," Sammy said, stopping in front of the Pokécenter. He turned to face me, his usual smirk returning. "But let me tell you something—I'm heading back to school to prepare. If you need anything, I'll be there until tomorrow."

He crossed his arms and gave me a pointed look. "And I know I don't have to say this, but if you lose, it's gonna hurt my reputation too, since you beat me. So don't you dare lose, got it?"

Before I could respond, he reached out, shook my hand firmly, and with a casual wave, turned on his heel, heading back down the road.

I watched him go and chuckled to myself. "He's a good kid."

[He is good, Alex Carter, but his Rotom is a douchebag,] my Rotom chimed in, hovering beside me.

I followed its gaze and saw it locking eyes with Sammy's Rotom from across the distance, sparks of rivalry practically crackling between them.

"Just forget about them," I sighed. "We need to check on Aria first, and after that, we need to start preparing as well."

I took a deep breath, already thinking about what lay ahead. If Route 1 was that long, then Viridian Forest is going to be a journey of its own.

With that thought in mind, I stepped inside the Pokécenter.

The familiar medical facility looked the same as always—spotless white walls, a row of machines humming softly, and the comforting scent of antiseptic in the air. But unlike before, there were also humans being checked up on alongside their Pokémon, making the place feel even busier than usual.

I took a few more steps into the center, scanning my surroundings. The place was bigger than I expected, but something was off—there was no Poké Heal Machine like the ones I had seen in games. That realization froze me in place.

What am I supposed to do?

My mind raced, trying to recall what trainers did in moments like this. Was there a counter I needed to go to? Should I call out for help? Before I could spiral into full confusion, a nurse approached me, her soft voice cutting through my thoughts.

"Hello? Is there something I can help you with?"

She had magenta hair that curled weirdly,some green earrings and her striking blue eyes shimmered with warmth. Dressed in the signature nurse's outfit, she looked oddly familiar, though I couldn't quite place where I had seen her before.

"Ah! Yes!" I blurted out, snapping back to reality. "My Ralts—she fainted! Can you help

As the nurse examined Aria's Pokéball, she paused briefly, then turned back to me with a calm smile.

"Don't worry, kid. She's just tired," she reassured me, her voice gentle yet firm. "But if you want, I can use a Potion on her?"

Relief washed over me, but I didn't want to take any chances. "Yes, please do!" I said quickly.

She nodded. "Okay! Just wait here while I grab a Potion," she said before disappearing into a back room.

As soon as she was out of sight, I turned to Rotom, who had been floating nearby, watching the exchange. "Hey, Rotom, I have a question," I said in a hushed tone.

[What is it, Alex Carter?] Rotom's screen flickered as it tilted slightly, awaiting my request.

"Can you ask for her name when she comes back? I need to check something."

[Of course I can, Alex Carter! But why? Is she an enemy?] Rotom's voice turned comically serious, its usual mischievous tone replaced with mock suspicion.

I chuckled. "No, nothing like that. I just… I think I might know her."

Rotom beeped in response, though I wasn't sure if it actually understood what I meant.

Moments later, the nurse returned, holding Aria in her arms. My Ralts looked rejuvenated, her eyes bright with energy, and the moment she saw me, she leaped from the nurse's arms into mine.

"Here, she looks better than ever!" the nurse said with a satisfied smile.

"Thanks, ma'am—" I started to say, but before I could finish, Rotom suddenly floated forward and interrupted me.

[Hey, miss, may you please bestow me with your name?] Rotom said in an overly formal tone, drawing a few curious glances from other trainers nearby.

The nurse blinked, slightly caught off guard, then let out a small laugh. "Oh, of course. My name is Jessica."

After she said her name was Jessica, I let out a small sigh ı did not know whether it was out of relief that she was not the Jessie of Team Rocket or sadness that she was not the Jessie of Team Rocket since ı would like to talk with her face to face but It was just a coincidence—a strange twist of fate that she looked so much like the infamous Jessie.

"Rotom, stop harassing the woman!" I groaned, shaking my head as I gently pushed the floating Pokédex away. "Ahhh, what am I gonna do with you?"

Jessica chuckled at our antics but didn't seem too bothered.

"Nice to meet you, Jessica, but we need to get going! So take care~" I said with a small wave, returning Aria to her Pokéball and grabbing Rotom before it could say anything else.

"Yeah, take care....," she called after us as we stepped out of the Pokémon Center.

The sky was already shifting to an evening hue, streaks of orange and purple painting the horizon as the sun dipped lower. A cool breeze drifted through the town, rustling the trees and making the streetlights flicker to life.

[Hey! Alex Carter, why did you make me look like a pervert?!] Rotom suddenly blurted out, floating beside me with a frustrated expression. [You were the one who told me to ask her name!]

I sighed. "I'm sorry, okay? I just… thought she might be part of something I used to really love, but I wasn't sure, so I needed to confirm."

[Hmph! If you make me do something like that again, I'm leaving you, Alex Carter. Know that!] Rotom huffed, crossing its tiny metal arms.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'll make it up to you later."

As we walked through the dimly lit streets, I started looking around for a place to stay the night. There had to be a hostel or small inn somewhere. After a few minutes of wandering, I spotted a sign for a traveler's lodge tucked between a café and a PokéMart.

"Looks like we found our stop for the night," I muttered, stepping toward the entrance with Rotom still grumbling beside me.