It was a warm day, accompanied by a gentle cool breeze and beautiful fluffs of clouds overhead, casting shadows down upon the ground as they blocked the crisp rays of the sun.
Such a beautiful day, not too hot, nor too cold! It was absolutely perfect outside which made for an enjoyable walk!
There was one young man in particular, with sharp features and a rather good-looking appearance, walking down an old crackled sidewalk. The wind softly blew through his long, dark blue hair, sending small strands down over his grey eyes.
He brushed them to the side with one hand, while staring down at his phone's screen intently as he flipped through several songs.
Without much to do during the day, he decided to go to a nearby convenience store, maybe pick up a few snacks and a drink.
The trip went smoothly, entering a small store as a tiny bell chimed with the opening of the door.
Navigating the shop, he grabbed some junk food and a bottle of soda, and left for the counter. Opening up his wallet, he looked past his id, reading: Gunne Magni, as he took out some cash to pay for the goods.
Then with no surprise, he left alongside the chiming of the bell, walking past a local park.
"Bark! Bark!"
Gunne had a soft spot for animals, and the barking immediately caught his attention.
Turning his head, he saw a small black dog all on its lonesome in the middle of the road without any owner in sight. But before he could think any further, he heard the loud sounds of a bus far down the road and the sound got louder as it continued moving with an exceptional speed.
Aghast at the rapidly approaching bus, Gunne yelled out as he dropped all his stuff and ran into the road, hoping to save the small dog that looked at him with a dazed expression.
"STOP!" Gunne yelled out repeatedly, hoping the bus would notice but to no avail.
With a last resort, he dove, pushing his arms forward in an attempt to push the dog out of the way, even at the cost of sacrificing himself.
But in the corner of his eye, Gunne saw the bus hit both him and the dog.
With fleeting thoughts as his consciousness drifted away, all he could think about was how he failed to save the dog.
THUNK!
The bus slammed its breaks upon hearing it hit something, sending Gunne and the dog's lifeless bodies scraping along the harsh cement street.
In a panic, an ambulance was called.
Alas, it was already too late as the two lost their lives on contact with the bus.
***
'I died... and I failed to save that dog....'
Gunne quietly mourned, looking down at his hands which he found to be spectral like the clichéd ghosts of stories.
Despite his shock, he quickly took a look around, finding himself in a space of nothingness.
There was no one around him, in fact, there was nothing around him.
It was just an empty space, and Gunne couldn't help but wonder in fear, 'Is this what comes after life? Will I be trapped in this space forever?'
He shuddered at the thought, but just then a bright light illuminated the darkness, so bright it nearly blinded his vision.
With his surroundings now revealed, he found himself on what appeared to be a white puff of cloud, various structures of marble and gold decorating the room.
And at the top of an ancient staircase engraved with archaic symbols stood a strange being on four legs, emanating a divine aura that coaxed his anxious mind.
This strange creature had an appearance similar to the qilin from Chinese mythology. Its four feet were pointed, tipped with gold hooves, and a marvelous golden cross-like wheel was attached around its body with four green gems slotted within it.
Its body was white and grey in color, and it had a long mane which stood upwards with a pair of green eyes with red pupils. Just below each eye was another green circular pattern, accompanied by an additional streak of gold on its head.
Gunne looked at it in shock, feeling that its divine presence was surely that of a god!
The being looked back at him, suddenly speaking with a majestic voice, its tone far too strange to distinguish if it was male or female.
"Gunne Magni, you made a heroic attempt to save a random dog, one which had absolutely no connection to you."
Gunne looked up at the being with shimmering eyes on the verge of crying. Despite being praised for his heroic efforts, and by a divine being to boot, he could only sigh in sorrow.
"Even so... I failed to save it... What was the point?"
"You failed, but consider where you're at!" The being's mouth shaped into what looked like a smile, "My name is Arceus, and I am a god! Though honestly speaking, I don't have much connection to the souls of your world—that is a different god."
"Then why did you bring me here?" Gunne asked.
"I made a deal with the god of your realm, one where I'm allowed to take the souls of animals from their world, and give them rebirth in mine in different forms. Strictly speaking, taking a human's soul wasn't in our contract, but with how busy he is, I'm sure he wouldn't mind!"
Gunne only found himself more confused as Arceus continued, asking, "So... What kind of world is yours? Should you really be telling me all this?"
He felt he was learning a secret, one that was far beyond what his humble existence should know; he was but a mortal youth after all!
"I see no problem with letting you know. My world is known as the Pokémon World. It is inhabited by creatures that are called Pokémon. People and Pokémon live together by supporting each other. Some people play with Pokémon, some battle with them. Of course, there's also the rampant crime that occurs, but I can only control so much."
Arceus gave a mellow sigh, before continuing, "Here, take a look at this."
Right in front of Gunne's eyes, the small black dog that had died beside him reappeared in a small bubble-like orb.
The puppy looked at him with perplexed eyes, but its face was still smiling happily as it wagged its tail.
"Arf! Arf!"
The dog barked out in excitement, pressing its paws up against the bubble. In response, the bubble jiggled like a gelatin substance but it refused to break.
Gunne froze, his mouth wide-open, but after considering the existence before his eyes and his current situation, this was nothing strange!
"Gunne, I'm genuinely fond of your character, and I would like to offer you a special choice. Would you like to live once again? Of course, this new life will be in the Pokémon World and this dog will be following you as your companion!"
He answered without any hesitation, "I want to live again! But, does this dog really want to follow me...?"
Gunne looked at the dog which continued to earnestly wag its tail, feeling that he was overthinking things. Either way, its soul was going to be sent to this new world. At the very least, they could keep each other company.
Arceus looked at him in interest, feeling more amused today than any other, "Of course he would love to follow after you! Naturally, its form will be slightly different, though I've already decided on what Pokémon species it will become."
"There's a lot more to know about the Pokémon world, so I've compiled everything into a special data set for you. You won't have any questions when you wake up! Oh yeah, I've also given you a few boons!"
Gunne tilted his head in wonder.
If Arceus was giving him a few boons, they were surely anything but ordinary!
Looking at the excited Gunne, Arceus felt pleased as it laughed jovially, "Listen up, I've prepared a special gift for you, known as the 'Poké Point System!' This System allows you to obtain points by training and catching Pokémon and by completing special System objectives!"
"I won't go too in-depth for now, that's something for you to check out later. Another boon is that the two of you will retain your memories. And there is one other thing... you could consider it to be a boon...."
Arceus trailed off, to which Gunne felt a bit worried.
"Gunne, I have long decided that I will only reincarnate beings as Pokémon. And as I've experienced my own share of evils with humans... I tend to only reincarnate the animals, not humans. However, your sacrifice touched me and so I have decided to make the exception to reincarnate you, a human, today. Still, I can't break the oath I've sworn to myself."
Gunne felt his heart race as his thoughts ran rampant, 'Does that mean...?'
"There's one solution that I've come up with, and that is to give you rebirth as a Pokémon species known as Ditto. From the get-go, I'll allow you the ability to transform into your human form, but your other abilities and moves will be locked until you unlock them yourself. Whether or not you accept this proposal, it is your choice."
Heaving a sigh of relief, Gunne's decision was already made. His eyes burned with a fighting spirit, "I accept your offer! I want to live again!"
"Good! Then live again, you will!"
Gunne's surroundings waved in and out of existence as a multi-colored portal or wormhole of sorts appeared.
An energy surrounded him and the bubble which still held the dog, lifting them up and guiding them to the portal.
Arceus quickly gave one last reminder, "Gunne, there are some Pokémon out there who are frightening. Likewise, there are many criminal organizations armed with both Pokémon—and guns. Stay safe out there, I hope to see you once again one day!"
And then, Gunne's vision went dark as he and the dog were tossed into the portal, various changings happening to their bodies while they were unconscious.
What they would wake up to was something far more remarkable than they could ever imagine!