Shunya woke up before his alarm.
That alone felt strange.
For a moment, he lay there staring at the ceiling, his mind foggy and half-dreaming. Then it hit him all at once—the grass, the town, the warmth of a Poké Ball in his hand.
"Pokémon World…" he whispered.
His heart picked up speed.
He rolled out of bed faster than he ever had on a school morning, washed up, and hurried through breakfast with barely contained excitement. His parents exchanged a glance but said nothing. As long as his grades didn't drop, his VR time had rules—and today was a weekend.
The headset waited on his desk.
Shunya hesitated only a second before putting it on.
"Log in."
---
Light returned.
Not suddenly—gently.
The first thing he noticed was sound. Birds chirping. Footsteps in the distance. The low hum of a town stretching awake.
Then his vision cleared.
Morning sunlight spilled across the town square, warmer and softer than the evening glow he remembered. Shop shutters were being pulled open. Trainers passed by, some yawning, some already animated and focused.
Shunya stood exactly where he'd logged out.
"…It didn't reset," he murmured.
The realization sent a shiver of excitement through him. This wasn't a stage that reloaded. It was a place that waited.
A familiar weight rested at his waist.
He released the Poké Ball.
Pikachu appeared in a flash of light, landing on the stone path. It blinked once—then its eyes widened.
"Pika!"
It jumped up immediately, bounding in a small circle before springing toward Shunya and climbing onto his shoulder like it had always belonged there.
"Hey," Shunya laughed. "Good morning to you too."
Pikachu rubbed its cheek against his neck, tiny sparks popping harmlessly in the air.
A small notification shimmered briefly.
> Partner Presence Detected
Sync Resumed
No drama.
Just continuation.
"That's… kind of perfect," Shunya said.
---
He stepped out of town shortly after.
The air felt different in the morning—cooler, sharper. Dew clung to leaves along the route, and wild Pokémon moved cautiously through the grass, more alert than they had been yesterday.
Pikachu stayed close, occasionally hopping down to investigate something before returning to Shunya's side.
They hadn't gone far when voices reached him.
"—telling you, it was here last night."
Shunya slowed, instinctively crouching behind a low ridge.
Two trainers stood ahead on the path, their posture tense. One held a Poké Ball tightly, the other scanned the surroundings with narrowed eyes.
"A rare spawn?" the second muttered. "This early?"
Rare spawn.
Shunya's pulse quickened.
Pikachu stiffened too, ears twitching.
The ground rustled.
Something moved in the tall grass to their left—slow, heavy, deliberate.
The trainers reacted instantly.
"There!"
A Pokémon burst from the grass—not legendary, not mythical, but powerful. Its presence alone pressed against the air, forcing Shunya to swallow hard.
The trainers moved to engage.
Shunya backed away quietly.
"We're not ready," he whispered, echoing his own words from the night before.
Pikachu glanced at him, then nodded—serious for once.
They retreated until the sounds of battle faded behind them.
Only when the forest felt calm again did Shunya breathe out.
"That was close," he said softly. "This world doesn't wait for beginners, does it?"
Pikachu answered with a quiet spark.
---
By the time they returned toward town, Shunya's nerves had settled—but something else had taken their place.
Resolve.
He stopped at the notice board near the square again. Overnight, a new paper had been pinned up.
Not flashy.
Just simple handwriting.
> Request:
Route patrol assistance needed.
Beginner trainers welcome.
Shunya stared at it.
Not a quest marker.
Not a tutorial.
An invitation.
He looked down at Pikachu.
"Well?" he asked. "Think we're ready for something small?"
Pikachu grinned.
"Pika."
Shunya smiled back.
He reached out and pulled the notice free.
For the first time since entering Pokémon World, he wasn't just reacting.
He was choosing to move forward.
And as he stepped away from the board, the world responded—not with warnings or limits, but with quiet acknowledgment.
Somewhere, unseen and unfelt, the system recorded it simply:
A trainer had taken his second step.
And this time—
He wasn't walking alone.
To Be Continued. [1]
[1] Including last chapter and this chapter, Word count is now atleast satisfied for me.