The Pokémon:Isekai

While standing on the edge of the cliff, taking in the view of Viridian City below, Rotom suddenly buzzed in front of me, its screen lighting up.

[Alex Carter, listen to me! Viridian City is home to the strongest Gym in all of Kanto—and the second strongest among all 16 Gym Badges across the regions. At the moment, its owner is...] Rotom's voice faltered, the words glitching out into static. [...[*^€"÷=]]

I frowned, confused. "What was that? Say it again, Rotom."

Rotom buzzed in frustration. [Hold on, let me try again! The name of the Gym Leader is...]

Before it could finish, a horrendous, guttural sound burst out from Rotom, like a mix of static and a monstrous growl. The noise was so unbearable that I instinctively covered my ears. Aria, perched in my backpack, winced and let out a soft whimper, clutching her head as if to block out the sound.

"Rotom, stop! What the heck was that?!" I snapped, my voice tinged with both anger and concern.

Rotom floated back, looking as startled as I was. [I... I don't know, Alex Carter. That's never happened before. It's like something is blocking me from saying their name. How strange...]

I exchanged a wary glance with Aria, who was now peeking out of the backpack with wide, uneasy eyes.

"Okay, never mind, Rotom. We can look into it later, so don't worry about it," I said, trying to calm Rotom, who was frantically buzzing and searching for the reason behind the glitch. Its screen flickered slightly, but it nodded—or at least tilted its screen as if nodding.

[If you say so, Alex Carter... but it's still really strange.]

I smiled reassuringly. "First, let's search for useful things in this city, and then we'll figure out a way to enter Viridian Forest. Sound good?"

Aria squeaked softly in agreement, her little hands gripping the edges of my backpack as she peered out with curious eyes. Rotom let out a cheerful hum. [Sounds like a plan! Let's do it!]

Without wasting any more time, I turned and started running down the hill, the cool wind rushing past us as I picked up speed. The breeze felt refreshing, brushing against my face and tousling my hair as the city grew closer with every step. Aria let out an excited giggle, the wind making her short, purple hair sway. Rotom zipped around me in the air, occasionally doing playful spins and loops.

By the time we reached the bottom of the hill, I was breathing a little heavier, but the excitement in the air was contagious. Viridian City was right in front of us.

"Hey, kid! Are you good? You look tired!"

A voice called out from the distance just as I neared the city gates. Sweat dripped down my face as I turned toward the source.

Standing there was a police officer with striking blue hair tied into twin tails, her uniform crisp, complete with a matching blue hat. My breath caught in my throat—Officer Jenny?!

I froze on the spot, staring in shock. Officer Jenny... from the anime? My mind raced. If she was here, did that mean I wasn't in the game's world, but the anime's instead? That changed everything.

Battles in the anime followed different rules—Pokémon sometimes used more than four moves, and Gym challenges were more than just one-on-one fights. Even the Elite Four weren't properly battled in the anime! If I was truly in that world, it meant things were going to be far more unpredictable than I had originally thought.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I barely noticed RotomDex floating up beside me.

[Alex Carter! Come to your senses! Officer Jenny is talking to you!] Rotom's mechanical voice snapped me out of my daze, making me jolt in surprise.

I blinked rapidly, only for Rotom to turn toward Officer Jenny and chuckle awkwardly.

[Hehe, sorry about that, Officer! Alex Carter is a new Trainer, and, well... he tends to overthink things a lot.]

"Haha, no problem, Rotom," Officer Jenny said with a small laugh, giving Rotom a light pat as it floated around her.

I narrowed my eyes as I watched my Pokédex happily spin in the air. Was he... drawn to her?

(Great, just what I needed—a Brock in the form of my RotomDex...) I thought to myself, suppressing a sigh.

Before I could dwell on it any longer, Officer Jenny turned to me with a firm but friendly expression.

"Hey, kid! Can you show me your ID?" she asked, extending a hand expectantly.

That was when I realized—I was screwed.

I did have a Trainer Card, but it was only stored in that weird system screen. Even if I somehow had a physical copy, I had no idea where to find it. My mind scrambled for an excuse.

"Haha, uh, Ms. Officer, the thing is—"

[Here it is! The Trainer Card of Alex Carter is on me!]

Rotom cut me off, displaying my Trainer Card on his screen with a proud buzz.

I turned to him in shock. "Wait, what? You can do that?"

Officer Jenny gave a quick glance at the screen, then smiled as she handed me an approving nod.

"Alex, huh? Nice to meet you, kid! You're all good to go." She gestured toward the city entrance.

With that, I stepped forward and finally took in the full view of Viridian City. Compared to Pewter City, it was massive—almost overwhelming in size. Cars drove through the streets, crowds of people bustled between shops and buildings, and the whole place felt so... alive.

But despite the differences, two buildings immediately stood out at the back of the city. One had a large Poké Ball emblem on its facade—the Gym, no doubt. The other, just beside it, had bold letters spelling out PokéSchool.

I exhaled slowly. "So this is Viridian City, huh?"

Before I could think about my next move, I turned back to Officer Jenny and gave her a quick nod.

"Thanks, Officer Jenny. See ya around."

"Bye, kid! Say hello to my sisters if you meet them!" Officer Jenny called out as I walked away.

I sighed, shaking my head as Aria, the purple-haired Ralts, peeked out of my backpack, and RotomDex floated beside me. Together, we wandered through Viridian City, taking in the sights. After some aimless exploration, we finally settled on a plan: first, we'd check out the school, then the gym, and finally, we'd make our way toward Viridian Forest.

As we got closer to the school, the number of people walking with Pokémon by their sides increased. Some trainers stood in small groups, chatting excitedly, while others were engaged in battles. The energy in the air was different from the rest of the city—lively and competitive.

But just ahead, a particularly large crowd had gathered, their voices rising in excitement.

"Lets go check this out," I said, quickening my pace.

[I'm coming, Alex Carter!] Rotom buzzed, floating ahead of me.

As we pushed through the crowd, my eyes landed on the center of attention—a battle. But not just any battle.

It was a 4v1.

On one side stood four Pokémon—a Rattata, a Pidgey, a Spearow, and a Metapod.

On the other side, an Axew.

But this wasn't just any Axew. Unlike normal ones, this one had a metallic silver sheen running across parts of its body. And behind the Axew stood its Trainer—Sammy.

Aria tensed slightly in my backpack, and I felt my own breath slow as I took in the situation.

At first glance, the odds seemed stacked against Sammy and his Axew. Four Pokémon against one? That wasn't a fair fight. But something was off.

It wasn't Axew or Sammy who looked at a disadvantage.

It was the opposing trainers.

The Rattata, Pidgey, and Spearow trembled slightly, their trainers exchanging nervous glances. Even the Metapod, which normally showed no emotion, seemed hesitant in its hardened stance.

The reason was clear.

Sammy's Axew—despite being outnumbered—stood tall, unwavering, exuding an aura of absolute confidence.

And for some reason, the other trainers were the ones who looked afraid.