The Pokémon:Isekai

After stepping off the jet ski, I let out a deep sigh and collapsed onto my back on the cool floor, trying to catch my breath. Aria and Oddy, both soaked and exhausted, climbed onto one of the pool's floating platforms, stretching out as they recovered. The battle had taken a lot out of us, and for a while, I just lay there in my swimsuit, my body heavy with exhaustion.

Then, suddenly—cold.

A shiver shot through me as something icy pressed against my skin. Jolting awake, I turned my head to see Leo standing over me, smirking as he held out a bottle of cold water.

"Thanks," I muttered, sitting up with a groan. I twisted the cap open, taking a long drink before dumping the rest over my head. The freezing sensation jolted me fully awake, washing away the last remnants of fatigue.

"No problem," Leo said casually before turning toward Misty.

She stood near the pool's edge, cradling Gyarados's Poké Ball in her hands, her expression a mix of disappointment and quiet pride. As she recalled her partner, Leo approached her from behind—and then, without warning, dumped half of his ice-cold water over her head.

"AAAHH!!" Misty shrieked, jumping in surprise as the freezing water drenched her hair and dripped down her back.

Leo, grinning like a troublemaker, barely had time to react before Misty turned and started smacking him with her small but rapid-fire punches. "YOU—JERK! I—WILL—KILL—YOU!" she huffed between hits, but despite her protests, she quickly melted into laughter and threw her arms around him in a playful hug.

I blinked, watching the scene unfold, my mouth slightly open.

Wait a second…

Without thinking, I sprinted around the pool, stopping near them with wide eyes.

"A-Are you two… dating?!" I blurted out, still catching my breath.

Aria and Oddy, still sprawled on their platform, lazily turned their heads toward us, as if equally curious.

Misty turned to me with a smug grin, puffing out her chest proudly before raising her left hand—revealing a gold wedding ring glinting on her finger.

"Dating?" she said with an exaggerated scoff. "Bitch Please!We're married!"

My jaw practically hit the floor.

Leo chuckled at my stunned expression. "You really didn't know? That's weird—I didn't think it was a secret."

Misty nodded. "Yeah, we got married fifteen years ago. And before that, we were dating for three years."

"Fifteen—WHAT?!" I stammered, my brain struggling to process the information.

Leo smiled, glancing up as if lost in thought. "Man, it really has been that long since we first met at Cerulean Cape, huh?" He let out a nostalgic sigh. "We were so secretive back then. Every time a challenger came looking for Misty while we were having a picnic, I used to run like my life depended on it. Didn't even look back!"

A strange memory surfaced in my mind—the time I played HeartGold and SoulSilver. When you went to challenge Misty in those games, she wasn't at her gym but was instead with some guy at the Cerulean Cape…

I narrowed my eyes, piecing it together.

"So you were that guy," I murmured under my breath.

Leo turned to me. "Huh? What'd you say?"

I quickly shook my head. "Ah—nothing! Just something that came to mind."

He raised a brow but shrugged it off.

Misty, still smiling, reached up to her hairpin and pulled out the small, familiar object. She held it out to me.

"Here. This is the Cascade Badge!" she said, placing the shiny blue emblem in my hand. "Just having this badge will boost your Water-type moves by about 20 percent!"

I turned the badge over in my fingers, admiring the way it reflected the light. Before I could say anything, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Skyla and Rotom had finally returned.

Skyla scanned the gym before walking straight toward me, her hand raised in greeting. Meanwhile, Rotom zoomed forward, practically crashing into my chest.

[HAHA! ALEX CARTER, YOU DEFEATED THE MERMAID OF THE WATERS, MISTY! FROM NOW ON, I CAN BOOST YOUR MORALE EVEN HIGHER!] Rotom cheered, spinning wildly around me.

"Please don't..." I groaned, watching the electric ghost circle me like an overexcited cheerleader.

Skyla chuckled, stepping up beside me. She glanced at the Cascade Badge in my hand before holding out her fist.

"As expected—you won," she said with an approving nod.

I smirked and bumped her fist. "Of course."

She lowered her hand and crossed her arms. "So… are we heading to Jenny's house next, or is there something else we need to do?"

I glanced over at Leo and Misty, who were still talking among themselves, completely in their own world.

With a deep breath, I stood up and stretched.

"I don't think there is!" I said, stretching my arms above my head.

Skyla, who had been watching me, suddenly tilted her head. "By the way… where are your clothes?" she asked, pointing at my swimsuit.

I blinked before glancing over at Leo. "They should be in Room 3, right? And Leo can you please give us a ride?"

Leo gave me a thumbs-up.

"Alright, I'll be quick. Let's meet in front of the gym!" I called as I broke into a jog toward the changing room.

Rotom, for some reason, decided to follow me, floating excitedly beside me as we entered the backstage corridor that led to Room 3.

[Alex Carter! I have good news!] it chimed, its screen flickering.

"What is it?" I asked, glancing at it while still walking.

[The third starter and Rotomdex have been given to a trainer!]

That made me stop in my tracks. "Wait, the Bounsweet?"

[Yes! Bounsweet and Rotomdex Number 3 were given to a trainer from Johto!]

I resumed walking, though my mind was racing. "Johto? I wasn't even expecting a third trainer… let alone someone from Johto."

[Maybe Proffesor Cherry wants things to be as diverse as possible! Just think about it—you're from Sinnoh, Ammy is from Kanto, and this trainer is from Johto! It's like a mix of every region!]

I paused as I reached the door to Room 3, Rotom's words making me reflect. Oh, right… this body's origin is from the Sinnoh. I have been so focused on the journey that I hadn't really thought about the origins. I need to think about that as well. Bu tnot now.

Shaking the thought aside, I stepped inside the changing room and grabbed my clothes. As I changed out of my swimsuit and into my usual attire, I tossed a question to Rotom.

"By the way, do you know what level Aria and Oddy are now?"

Rotom's screen flickered as it processed the data.

[Oddy is Level 23! He leveled up after defeating Starmie. And Aria is Level 24—she reached that level after defeating Gyarados.]

I adjusted my red hat before pausing, my brows furrowing.

"Wait… if Aria's Level 24, then why hasn't she evolved yet?" Normally, Ralts evolved into Kirlia at Level 20.

Rotom hovered in place, as if deep in thought. [Maybe Aria needs a trigger, Alex Carter?]

I shut the locker door and exited the room, walking down the corridor. "A trigger? Like an Evolution Stone?"

[Kinda, but not exactly!] Rotom said, flying ahead slightly before turning back to face me. [Think about it! Oddy was only Level 19 when he fought that Adapted Nidoking!]

I stopped in my tracks. Do I have plot armor? I thought with an amused smirk, but I let Rotom continue.

[But because his willpower skyrocketed during the battle, he gained two whole levels worth of experience all at once and evolved into a Gloom! Maybe Aria has the reverse of that? Maybe she needs something to boost her morale—or some other kind of motivation—to evolve!]

That theory made me wonder even more. "So… do all Pokémon work like this? Evolving later or needing something extra?"

[No, Alex Carter! Most Pokémon evolve at their regular levels. But maybe it's different because Oddy and Aria are Adapted Pokémon! That could be the reason!]

Rotom didn't seem entirely sure, and honestly, neither was I. But it was something to think about.

As we stepped outside the gym, the night air hit me with surprising force, sending a chill down my spine and nearly blowing my hat off. I instinctively grabbed it, looking around for Skyla.

"Alex! Over here!!"

I turned to see her sitting in the backseat of a luxury car, waving at me.

Leo was in the driver's seat, Misty sitting beside him, both also waving.

I let out a low whistle as I approached and entered the car. "I guess being a Gym Leader pays well, huh?" I teased as I slid into the car.

Misty smirked but zipped her lips, pretending to keep a secret.

Leo chuckled as he started the engine. "Nah, most of the money comes from the show tickets and ads revenue."

Misty let out a small growl before turning in her seat to look at us. "So, you guys are staying with Officer Jenny, huh?"

Skyla nodded, handing me the Poké Balls containing Oddy and Aria. Both Pokémon were fast asleep inside, exhausted from their battle.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "Jenny's a childhood friend of mine. Her mother was a bodyguard of my father, and most of the time, she made Jenny tag along with her."

Leo nodded before glancing at her in the rearview mirror. "And where are you two heading after this?"

Skyla grinned. "We're going to Bill's house to show him my latest invention!"

That caught Misty's interest. She turned fully in her seat, eyes wide. "Wait—you're an inventor? What did you make?!"

Skyla's smirk widened as she leaned back confidently. "I invented couple of things like using your emotion to move something and ı upgraded my dad's teleportion device he used on pokeballs!"

For a moment, there was dead silence.

Then Leo abruptly pulled the car over to the side of the road, slamming on the brakes.

"You helped your Father with WHAT?!"

"Haha!" Skyla stammered. "My father was the one who invented the new model Poké Balls—the ones that automatically teleport a caught Pokémon to your PC once you reach your seventh Pokémon. I just… upgraded it."

She reached into her luggage and pulled out a small, sleek device about the size of her head. "Now, with this Link Box, you can access your Pokémon storage system from anywhere."

Misty leaned forward, intrigued. "Wait… you mean you don't need a Pokémon Center or a PC anymore?"

Skyla nodded, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Exactly! Of course, I had some help—a friend from Galar contributed to the Link Box's development. But this…" she paused, gripping the device a little tighter, "this is only the beginning."

She looked up, her expression filled with determination. "What I really want is to make teleportation possible for humans—without relying on Pokémon moves like Teleport. No Abra, no Alakazam. Just pure science."

Leo let out a low whistle as he restarted the car. "That's… pretty ambitious."

I barely heard him.

My eyes were locked onto Skyla's, watching as she spoke with unwavering conviction.

She had a goal—something grand, something revolutionary unlike me who already achieved his dream and now just doing whatever a damm screen tolds him to do.

I wonder… what will i want next...

The thought lingered in my mind as the car rolled forward,towards the house of Officer Jenny.