Chapter Text
Cover Art by Manga Mouse
Zzzzzzzztt…
Zzzzzzzztt…
…
“W-Wh-t is t-is?! T– rea—ng’s –e off the…
“I ca-’t con–ol the ga–! It’s go–g to…
“What are you… Get away from…
“Lumi!”
…
…
Slowly inching closer to any semblance of consciousness, I cracked through the dark veil to what I could vaguely describe as some sort of space. The frequent transitions to multiple colors throughout the plane left me in a nauseating daze. I could feel my body being dragged by this constant invisible stream keeping me adrift in this weird place. A building pressure pulsates in my head as I desperately grasp it in an attempt to ease the throbbing pain.
It was at this moment where I realized everything was slowly coming to a halt. I look past the tears building up in my eyes and up ahead to gaze at what appears to be a ball of bright, white light. As the light came closer to me, I could feel my heart start to excessively pound in my chest making me to instinctively try to step back, but to no avail. Before I knew it, the ball was hovering right in front of me, almost beckoning me to reach out and touch it. Almost as if my arms are moving by themselves, I thrust my hands into the glowing orb, my hands nearly disappearing amongst the rays of blinding light. Soon after, weird pulsations from the orb steadily resonate throughout every cell of my body. An aura of warmth and comfort seem to follow these sensations leaving my mind at ease.
In the midst of this, there was something within the light that caught my eye which made a small gasp get stuck in my throat. What started as a dark speck started to grow and morph into a defined shape. Even by squinting I couldn’t make out the silhouette except for the outline of multiple tails.
An audible “What…?” escaped my lips right before the orb of light began to expand in size, consuming more of my arms at its wake. Panic floods my body as I try to break free, but my arms refuse to budge one inch. I couldn’t stop myself from hyperventilating while flailing desperately at the iron grip of this ever expanding force. The light engulfing the majority of my body, I begin to fade in and out of consciousness until fully succumbing to the numbingly warm sensation of the encroaching darkness.
Drip! Drip! Shaaah!
Constant noise floods my senses as I slowly come back to the waking world. A wave of exhaustion threatened to put me back to sleep but I somehow managed to droopily open my eyes. My wits coming back to me, I carefully scanned the dense forested area in front of me. Thunder echoed across the land while the pouring rain beat the earth furiously. Looking behind me I gathered I was underneath a giant tree, shielding me from the unrelenting rain just inches from me.
“Where am I?” My question hung in the air, unanswered. I try to recall the last thing I did before waking up here, but I was met with a dense fog every time. I shook my head of any lingering exhaustion and went to stand up where the ground beneath me felt weird to my hands. I look down and in an instant, fear and dread pierce my heart like an arrow. I was greeted with white, fuzzy paws where my hands used to be. I took a good look around to see I was covered with this snowy white fur and, to my surprise, six cloudy-like tails swishing at every tick I made.
“W-W-What happened to me?” I stuttered desperately as I brought my now paws in front of my face, silently hoping I was just delirious.
‘This has to be a dream, right? There’s no way I’m actually a Pokemon, right?!’ I rationalized to myself for some semblance of hope and went to pinch my cheek.
“Ow!”
…’I need help. Now!’
I scramble upon all four of my paws and take my first steps in this alien body. My body swaying left and right awkwardly, I caught myself from falling multiple times until I got into the rhythm of walking. With only the murky darkness of the forest air ahead of me, I steadily march forward, swallowing a lump of nerves along the way.