Still absorbing the surreal comfort of this new reality, Ayan moved further into the living room. Every inch of the house felt like it had been pulled from a modern smart-home brochure—except, of course, with Pokémon helping around.
He glanced around. On the table sat a thin smartphone with quite a wide display—definitely something way beyond the tech of 2010 Earth. On the wall, a screen displayed live news alongside a broadcast that updated local Trainer statistics and wild Pokémon alerts.
Everything here looked twenty years ahead—maybe more. The devices were sleek, wireless, and all interconnected through what he assumed was the Internet, this world's integrated Pokémon-human network.
Just then, the main door clicked open with a soft hiss. Heavy footsteps followed.
"I'm home!" came a warm, familiar voice, deeper than he remembered but unmistakably his father's.
Ayan turned just in time to see a tall, broad-shouldered man walk in, dust clinging to the hem of his trousers. His uniform—dark gray with reflective accents—bore the insignia of a construction syndicate. Five Poké Balls hung on a bandolier at his waist, dull from use but clearly well-maintained.
Behind him lumbered a Machamp, towering and confident, wiping its hands with a thick towel. The Machoke team must've been recalled into their Poké Balls already.
"Tough day. Had to clear a blocked tunnel out in the ridge zone," his father said, while Machamp gave a grunt of shared annoyance, then casually picked up a crate near the doorway and set it down like it weighed nothing. Ayan watched, breath caught in his throat. This… this was normal here. Construction work done not with heavy machinery, but with Pokémon. No hydraulic arms—just four living ones.
His father noticed him standing there, staring.
"You have been looking at Machamp for quite some time now. Is there anything wrong? I am telling you, for your first Pokémon I won't let you take any of my Pokémon."
"No… No… I was just admiring your Machamp." Ayan could only speak the truth here.
"You have been acting weird since you got out of your afternoon nap. Are you okay?" his mother had come out of the kitchen and said. Ayan, hearing this, felt a bit guilty too. He always had a good relationship with his parents in his previous life, and in this life too it was the same.
"Yes… Yes… I was just admiring the Pokémon." Ayan admitted.
"If only your eagerness of seeing Pokémon could be transferred to studying, it would have been much better," his dad said as he came and sat on the couch while using the remote to change channels on the television. This made Ayan a bit ashamed, as his predecessor, though liked Pokémon, was never a fan of studying Pokémon.
He probably knew more of Pokémon than the other guy. Wait, no, he probably knew more of Pokémon than the whole world combined. Even though it had been a long time since the advent of Pokémon, the humans didn't have very extensive knowledge about them.
Though the technology of humans had advanced due to the help of Pokémon, it didn't mean that they had made amazing advancements everywhere. Unlike the anime and the game, there were no Pokéblock, no restrictions of 6 Pokémon per person, and the absence of trade technology which allowed one to transfer Pokémon over long distance, thus enabling evolutions in some Pokémon.
And this world had very limited knowledge of Legendary Pokémon, or at least that was what was told in the books that Ayan had seen in his memories. His past memories would allow him to be one of the top researchers of this new world, and thus the single thought alone made him smile.
"Why are you smiling like a dumbass? I ain't complimenting you," his father raised his eyebrows when he saw his son smiling at his casual reprimand.
"Sorry. Sorry… I was thinking of something. Dad, I promise you that I will make you proud with my studies," Ayan said.
"Son, never make a promise which you can't keep. Didn't I tell you that?" his father said.
"Don't worry, Dad. I will sure make you proud," Ayan gave him a thumbs up as he said so. His father could only roll his eyes at the words of his son. Little did he know that his son would achieve things never to be seen, heard, or expected from anyone in this world.
As Machamp disappeared into the hallway, probably to rest or be recalled, Ayan's father let out a long sigh and kicked his feet up onto the sleek, low coffee table.
"Dad," Ayan began, curiosity bubbling up again, "what exactly happened at the ridge zone today?"
"Hah! Now you ask?" his father chuckled. "Well, the city's been planning a new road that links up to Dawki, since that lake has loads of precious resources that the Alliance could use. Easier transport routes, fewer flying-type incidents in the cliffs, better supply lines—you know the drill. My crew was assigned to start tunneling through that section today."
He paused for a second before continuing.
"But guess what we found in there?" Ayan tilted his head. "A big ol' hollow cave system crawling with Roggenrola," his father said, voice thick with exhaustion. "Little guys weren't hostile at first. But once the sound of the drilling started, they panicked—thought we were invading their territory or something."
"And let me tell you," he added, now gesturing animatedly, "you've never seen chaos like a stampede of Roggenrola. It's like a swarm of angry cannonballs coming at you."
Ayan flinched, imagining the scene. Those Pokémon might look cute in the games, but in real life—dense Rock-types moving fast in enclosed spaces? Lethal.
"Nah. Machoke squad held the line. You know that David has Lombre and Nuzleaf, right? Thus, along with him, we were easily able to hold ourselves off. The professionals were already there, so we just helped them to get some bonus later. Hehe…"
Ayan nodded slowly, absorbing not just the story but everything that came with it—the logistics, the danger, the legal systems built around wild Pokémon. It wasn't like the romanticized world of the anime. This world respected Pokémon—because it had to.