The small and large blue spots on the gunmetal background shimmered softly, their reflection flickering within Kai's crimson eyes. His small hands, trembling ever so slightly with excitement, reached out toward the glass container protecting the egg.
His fingertips hovered for a moment, barely brushing the surface, his reflection ghosting alongside his movements before he gently lifted the glass cover away and set it to the side.
Charlotte and Celeste watched in silent anticipation. The Ninetales let out a soft, melodic purr — "Woorrrhhhh~" — as if encouraging Kai to continue.
His heartbeat drummed louder in his chest with each passing second. Slowly, carefully, he raised his hands again, his breath hitching as his fingertips finally made contact with the egg's surface.
Warm.
The texture was smooth like polished metal, yet strangely organic — almost alive. A genuine smile bloomed on his face, unbidden and pure, brighter than any he had worn before.
Charlotte's heart melted at the sight, her own lips curling into a soft, motherly smile. Beside her, Celeste wagged her many tails in perfect unison, swaying in a playful rhythm. Her actions mirrored Charlotte's warmth — a shared, maternal joy for the boy they both cherished.
Kai lingered on the moment, his fingers brushing over the egg's surface a final time before he carefully placed the glass cover back, sealing it once more in its protective shell.
Then, without warning, he spun on his heel and ran toward Charlotte. He threw his arms around her, burying his face into her shoulder.
"Thank you, Mom," he whispered, his voice muffled but filled with heartfelt gratitude.
Charlotte gasped softly, surprised by the sudden embrace. But her surprise melted into warmth, and she chuckled softly, wrapping her arms around him and gently caressing his obsidian hair. "Silly boy," she murmured fondly.
Kai didn't know why he did it — it wasn't like him — he questioned himself, WHY?, But he didn't care. His heart felt light and warm, a rare, comforting feeling that he didn't want to let go of. His eyelids fluttered between half-open and closed, caught somewhere in a peaceful daze.
Celeste, still standing by, watched the touching moment unfold with quiet delight. Her tails swayed from side to side in a slow, joyful dance, and a contented purr left her throat once more — "Whoorrhhh~" — a sound that filled the room with the feeling of home.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kai lay sprawled on his bed, the egg nestled securely in his arms, his grin wide and unwavering. The smooth, cool surface of the glass container pressed gently against his chest, filling him with a warmth that wasn't from the egg itself — but from the feeling of having something to protect, something to call his own.
His smile faltered, though, as memories from earlier came rushing back — the thunderous stomps of the Rhydon, the adrenaline pounding in his ears, the burning ache in his legs as he barely escaped. His expression hardened, his voice a low murmur in the dim room.
"Starting tomorrow… calisthenics. I can't keep running with this weak body," he said, his voice laced with quiet resolve. His fist clenched tightly, nails digging into his palm. He wasn't going to be powerless again.
With a sigh, he sat up and carefully placed the egg back on the table. The protective glass glinted faintly in the moonlight filtering through the window.
Kai stared at it, his smile returning, softer this time. "Come out soon, little buddy. I'm waiting for ya."
He flopped back onto the bed, twisting to reach the light switch. His hand hovered over it — but then, his finger froze mid-air.
Nothing stopped him. No sound, no sight, no voice.
Just a thought.
His face shifted, his expression unreadable. His crimson eyes stared blankly ahead as his mind whispered, "I hope… this isn't a dream. I hope, when I wake up tomorrow, I'll still be here. I'll wake up in this same bed… near my Pokémon egg. I hope…"
His throat tightened. His chest felt heavier. The day's memories flickered through his mind like a slideshow — Charlotte's warm smile, Celeste's gentle purring, the egg's comforting warmth.
"…that this will be my home forever."
His frozen hand trembled slightly, then finally moved. The room plunged into darkness with a soft click.
Kai lay back properly, his body shifting until his head sank into the pillow with a dull thud. His crimson eyes lingered half-open for a moment, staring into the shadows.
Slowly, his eyelids fluttered shut. His breathing evened out. The exhaustion of the day — the running, the fear, the hope — finally claimed him, pulling him into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Outside, Pallet Town remained quiet and still, the night breeze gently rustling the trees.
And in one quiet, peaceful house, a child slept soundly — his heart full of hope and his arms ready to hold his future partner that now rested in the shell near him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning light spilled softly over Kai's face, illuminating his long hair that lay in disarray on the pillow. As he slowly opened his eyes—like a theatre window revealing a new act—his crimson irises came into sharp focus.
With a languid push against the bed's mattress, he sat up, his gaze drifting over the room. Yet, his eyes fell with quiet disappointment, and he murmured, "So it was all a dream."
But the room before him was not the familiar sanctuary of yesterday. Gone were the soft cushions and warm familiarity; in their place stood his university dorm room, the stark quarters where he had spent his entire first year.
Turning his head slowly to the left, Kai searched for his phone. His crimson pupils fixed on it, and his left arm moved automatically. Yet, just as his fingers neared the device, his hand froze mid-air.
After a hesitant pause, it shifted—not toward the phone, but a little further—and grasped something else: his well-worn GBA SP console.
He brought the console close, his eyes—once vibrant—now seeming listless and haunted as they fixed upon the device. With a deliberate motion, he flipped it open, revealing its array of buttons and a screen that was nothing but a void of darkness. He pressed the power button once, then again, but nothing stirred.
Kai's brows knitted together as he tapped the inert black screen with his fingertip. Then, inexplicably, the black surface began to deform—melting into a wobbly, liquid state that surged toward him like an alien creature. His eyes widened in shock as he stammered, "W-what the hell is going on?!"
In a moment of sheer terror, he flung the console away. But as it left his grasp, the viscous, liquid mass expanded, engulfing his entire body before he could react further. A startled yelp, "Hel-!!!" tore from his lips as the strange substance overwhelmed him.
The next instant, Kai's eyes snapped open. He found himself lying on a cold, dark floor. Groaning, he pushed himself up and stood, muttering, "Argh…where am I?" He spun around, but the world was naught but impenetrable darkness; all he could see was the outline of his own body.
Then, a familiar sound began to echo in his ears—a melody indelibly etched in his memory through years of repetition. "Fire Red Theme?! Where is it coming from?!" he exclaimed, startled. His head swiveled in every direction—left, right, front, and back—yet no source of the music could be seen.
Suddenly, a blinding light burst from behind him. Spinning around, he saw gigantic, luminescent words suspended on an invisible wall, their form composed of 8-bit font pixelated fragments. They read:
"WELCOME TO GAMEBOY ADVANCE"
"THANK YOU FOR USING OUR SERVICE"
"CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AS THE HOST"
"HOST SYNCRONIZATION: 2%"
The surreal proclamation pulsed in the darkness, its radiant glow casting an otherworldly aura over everything. Kai stood frozen, his heart pounding as he grappled with the impossible reality unfolding before him.
Kai raised a brow as he read the 8-bit pixelated glowing words and asked, "What the hell is this?" As he continued to stare, the pixelated text began to collapse, tumbling over him as if the invisible wall had never existed. He could only cover his head with his hands, but the words cascaded down relentlessly until he was completely buried.
In that moment, his closed eyelids snapped open wide in terror. His crimson pupils fixed on the ceiling as he sat up abruptly. Then, with a surge of adrenaline, his eyes swept across the chamber.
Columns of sunlit rays filtered through the glass panes of the wooden window, illuminating a room he recognized intimately—the same soft bedsheet, the familiar textures of home. Unlike the astonishment of yesterday, this time a mirthful laugh escaped him. "This gotta be the worst nightmare I've ever seen," he murmured to himself.
Slowly, he slipped out of bed and ambled toward the life-sized mirror. There he saw his reflection—a 12-year-old body that had surprised him before—yet now it radiated a quiet gratitude. Smiling into his own eyes, he said, "I'm glad that was a dream… and this is not." His head turned to the right, where his gaze fell upon a metallic silver egg adorned with large and small blue spots. It sat encased in a glass container, its surface catching the light from the sunbeams that poured in through the window.
A spark of determination lit his features as he spoke softly, "Now now, I don't have the luxury to waste time. I've got a lot of work to do." Without hesitation, he changed his clothes and washed his face, his excitement mingling with urgency as he grabbed the Pokémon egg and ran outside.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Behind his house, a small garden enclosed by wooden fences bloomed with an array of colorful flowers. In the middle of this floral haven, a crouched figure in a long, pure white frock—her dark brown hair braided and flowing gracefully down her shoulder beneath a straw hat—tended the garden.
Nearby, a graceful Ninetales lay amid the blossoms while Charlotte busied herself among the plants.
A sudden, light thud caught Charlotte's attention. "Hm? What was that?" she murmured, just as she saw Kai tumbling forward. He fell on his stomach and then pushed himself up to do a push-up, all while the precious egg lay next to him, its gunmetal surface shimmering with blue patches in the sunlight. Kai's voice, laced with both determination and a hint of playful self-mockery, echoed softly, "Why is this body so weak? I can't even do a single push-up… argh… are you seeing me, buddy? I'm doing this for you… argh… just one more… push-up…"
Charlotte couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of him talking to himself and to the egg. "Oh boy, how cute~" she murmured. Celeste, basking in the sunlight nearby, peered over and let out a suppressed giggle at the spectacle.
A month passed. Kai's physical training never wavered, nor did his nightmares—haunting him every fortnight. While most would have crumbled under such pressure, Kai instead found solace in sharing every detail of his day with the egg. He carried it everywhere, recounting his calisthenics feats and even his struggles, absurd as it seemed, hoping the Pokémon that would one day emerge from within would appreciate his dedication.
One afternoon, standing in front of the mirror, Kai flexed his newly hardened muscles. "You see this, buddy?" he declared to the egg resting beside him in its container. "This is what I'm working on, yeah?" He struck a pose, his triceps rippling with newfound strength. Then, with a playful chuckle, he added, "Okay, that's enough for today—unless Mom catches me again." The memory of Charlotte teasing him every time he flexed before the mirror brought a blush to his cheeks. Hastily, he pulled his shirt on and bent down to retrieve the Pokémon egg.
"C'mon, lil' bro," he murmured as the gunmetal surface, embellished with blue spots, suddenly began to glow with bright silver and blue hues.
Startled, he exclaimed, "Oh?!" He quickly removed the glass container, setting the egg on a soft cushion where sunlight dappled its blue-speckled shell. Crouching down, his crimson eyes remained fixed, unblinking.
A faint click shattered the silence. Kai stiffened as the egg twitched once, then twice. A hairline crack formed along its surface, glowing faintly blue. The fissures spiderwebbed across the shell, pulsing like veins of liquid sapphire. The air thickened with a sharp, electric scent as his hair lifted ever so slightly, charged by static.
Then, a high-pitched chirp rang out clear as a bell. The egg rocked violently, and Kai scrambled backward, his heart pounding in terror.
With a sound like shattering crystal, the egg erupted in a brilliant burst of light. Shards of its shell dissolved into stardust, swirling into the air as if swept up by an otherworldly wind. In the center of the fading luminescence, nestled in a pool of soft, dying light, lay a small, newly revealed Riolu.
Its steel-blue fur was still damp, and a delicate cream-colored muzzle twitched with nascent life. Its paws, surprisingly large for its tiny frame, were ink-black, with claws sharp and gleaming like obsidian shards. A faint blue halo pulsed gently around the little creature, as if in rhythm with Kai's racing heartbeat.
Slowly, Riolu uncurled itself, its ears drooping slightly in a sleepy manner before it sneezed—a tiny Aura Sphere, no larger than a marble, fizzled out mid-air in the wake of the sneeze.
Kai, his breath caught in midspace, managed to utter a single, awed name, "A-a Riolu…"
Riolu's eyes met Kai's intense crimson gaze. With a burst of excited energy and a wide, infectious smile, the little Pokémon chirped out, "Riioo-luu!" The sound, joyful and musical, seemed to bridge the gap between two kindred spirits.
Mirroring that radiant smile, Kai returned the gesture, his heart swelling with the wonder of this unexpected bond.
Before the moment could settle further, static cracked in 8-bit pixelated fragments and an opaque black screen materialized in midair between them, as if summoned by magic. Written across it were glowing words in 8-bits:
"WELCOME TO GAMEBOY ADVANCED WINDOW"
"HOST: KAI MERKABA"
"CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE OBTAINED A RIOLU"
Kai's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. His face contorted into a grimace as he blurted out, "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"
The surreal proclamation and the abrupt appearance of this mysterious interface left him reeling, caught between awe and confusion as the new chapter of his extraordinary journey unfolded before him.