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Arc 2, Chapter 1: Played Around it

by owryintheblindforest

PMD: ALL I WANT PART 2: DAYS GO BY

START

So, you’re the Prophet of Sloth, huh?

What’s that supposed to mean?

Ah, I get it. You’re lazy.

Anyway, I’m going to destroy the world. Not right now, of course. Just letting you know.

Just do what you’re doing right now. Sooner or later, it’ll happen. I just need to meet the requirements.

Then, my friend, a new world will rise in its place.

Jacob rolled out of bed. He had another livestream to do today, and he couldn’t afford to miss it. Gotta stay on the grind. He brushed his teeth, and checked his neck in the mirror. As someone of Italian descent, he was normally very hairy, so he had to keep it in check. I’ve got a light stubble… better take care of that.

After shaving, Jacob proceeded to his shower, and then put on a face mask as he proceeded through the rest of his routine. After making himself a breakfast consisting of eggs and toast, and very carefully eating it with some multivitamins as to not ruin his face mask, he took said mask off. He did some light stretches, and then proceeded to dye his hair blonde, covering up his natural black hair. Perfect…

He walked over to his closet, as he let the news play out on the tv.

Housing prices continue to climb to an unprecedented twenty-three year high in the new York metro area when adjusted for inflation. Many fear that they will be unable to pay their rent for—

Jacob turned off the tv. Nothing relevant to me, he thought, picking out a business casual suit for the stream. I’ve got two hours before I begin. I should be able to buy groceries and get back to the apartment before I have to start.

Wasting no time, Jacob grabbed a reusable shopping bag out from the cabinet, and exited his apartment.

Hoboken was a nice city. Sure, the smell of sewage got in the way from time to time, but it was small, and easy to navigate. You didn’t exactly need a car to get around, which Jacob liked, because he hated driving. Jacob walked about three blocks down from his apartment building, reaching a supermarket. He didn’t have too much to get here, so he’d be able to carry everything back himself without issue.

“Eggs, milk, body wash, oranges…” Jacob muttered. That’s everything. Carrying everything all the way back to his apartment put a strain on his arms, but he pushed through it until he got home. Once he did, he meticulously placed everything where it normally was, messy as it might seem, and stuffed the shopping bag back into the cupboard where it belonged. One hour left…

Jacob’s apartment might’ve appeared messy to an outside observer, but that was alright. He knew where everything was. He did some more stretching, knowing he’d have to sit down and use a keyboard for an extended period of time. Can’t go getting arthritis, now…

With thirty minutes to spare, Jacob sat down at his desktop computer, and powered it on. He minded the excessively bad wiring job, and tried to find a good place to put his feet. He opened up OBS, and then… an emulator, and selected a modifed rom of Pokémon Emerald. Hopefully today’s stream goes better than yesterday.

Hardcore Nuzlockes were a funny thing. Few would think to make an already hard challenge even more difficult by restricting items and levels, and even fewer would chose to do so in a rom hack notorious for its difficultly, but these things made for some incredible content. He’d sunk nearly forty attempts into this particular hack, and was nowhere near the end of the game. But he had to keep going. Twitch chat was depending on him, and he was determined to see this through.

“Good morning Poke-rad nation, how are you lovely people doing? I’m doing fantastic, if I do say so myself! Let’s get this shit!” Jacob always made sure to ham up the energy with twitch chat. This type of high-energy talk was part of his brand, after all.

Unfortunately, he did not, in fact, get that shit. The stream ended with seven failed attempts, with not a single one making it past Roxanne. God Damnit… Hiding his frustration, Jacob ended the livestream, and considered turning off his pc then and there, but instead left it on.

That would be a fatal mistake.

Jacob made his usual dinner for fridays: some pasta, mixed in with veggies and olive oil, as well as some garlic. It was a strange brew, but he liked it quite a bit. The important part is that it was relatively healthy.

As he cleaned up the dishes for the night, Jacob noticed it was strangely hot in the apartment. He’d probably do his nightly exercise in the gym rather than here, but it was still weird.

Jacob wandered into his room, which seemed to be the source of the heat. I shouldn’t have left this on, that was a bad idea… As Jacob leaned forward to turn off his pc, several things happened in rapid succession.

First, he tripped over a stray wire around his desk. It wasn’t terribly big, just big enough to make him lose his balance and fall over. He fell-face first into the mess of wires. Then things got much worse.

Next, the extremely hot wires caught on fire from seemingly the friction alone. This spread immediately to Jacob’s face, and he rolled around in pain.

Then, the wires got caught around his neck as he rolled around, choking him. Never before had Jacob felt such pain.

As Jacob lay there, clawing all over in a vain attempt to save himself from dying a horrible death, all he could think about is what he failed to do. It was horrific. I can’t die now! Not when I still haven’t finished that hack! Not when—

Unfortunately, he’d have to die with those regrets.

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Jacob awoke to silence. He could feel and see nothing.

He couldn’t even breathe.

Is this hell? He wondered. Have I died and gone to hell? Is this it? No forgiveness, no nothing?

Is there even anything?

For the longest time, Jacob tried to stave off the madness as best he could, crouched in the fetal position, drifting in the nothing. Then, finally, he brushed up against what felt like a wall of some kind. On the other side, he could’ve sworn he heard voices, but they were impossible to make out. What is going on? Jacob wondered, pushing up against the wall.

His hands felt weird.

With some effort, he felt around in the darkness. His enclosure was much smaller than he realized, barely able to fit him inside of it. He could swear he felt warmth on the other side.

Then, the shell cracked.

His eyes didn’t seem to be working, but he could tell he’d just broken out of something. The voices he heard didn’t exactly reassure him.

“Vapo. Vaporeon vap!”

“Zang…”

All he could do was cry, for he could not understand. Being able to see the Pokémon in front of him when his eyes started working days later did not help.

What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck WHAT THE FUCK

Jacob rolled out of bed, but it still felt no more real than it had for the last nine years. Not even bothering to check the state of his fur, he rushed over to his mirror, as had become routine.

He was still a Zangoose, no matter how deeply uncomfortable it made him. He couldn’t help but wonder why. What even is this shit? He’d played essentially every official Pokémon game to ever exist in his time as a human, but he couldn’t think of a good analogy for his current situation among any of them, including the spin-offs. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon was the closest, and all evidence pointed to the idea that that was the world he was in, but it still didn’t quite fit. After all, when in PMD did society work like this?

Jacob ran a comb through his fur, meticulously brushing it to be as good-looking as he could get it. He brushed his teeth, then did some stretches, and put on his favorite scarf, which made him feel at least slightly less naked. I went through my morning routine kinda fast today… He was being careful to give his body the nutrition it needed, so that he’d grow up big and strong.

Then again, he might not ever need that strength. To think I’d be reborn in a place like this…

“Good morning, my young prince. Is there anything I might be able to do for you?” a dutiful Appletun waiting outside his door asked. Aldan was a good butler.

“Take me to my sister’s chambers so that I can wish her a good morning, as usual.”

“As you wish, Prince Maxie.”

I wonder if I’m ever going to get used to being called that… Seriously, who names their kid ‘Maxie’? Well, Courtney, I guess, but that still feels wrong. I get that she can name her kids whatever she wants, but still! I gotta look into changing that back to what it was somehow…

Jacob, by some miracle, had been reborn a prince in a noble house on a place called the Eyelash Isles… in a world consisting entirely of Pokémon, where humans were a myth. It was still absolutely wild to him, and he honestly couldn’t have imagined a place like this existing in a universe like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. Then again, it was here, in front of him. He could do little else but accept it as his new normal.

The manor that he and the rest of his direct family lived in was relatively small, which was appropriate, given that his mother was only one of the King’s many wives. Having just one sibling meant that things around the house were relatively calm, but there was the small detail that both he and his elder sister had a claim to the throne, should the king ever pass away. Of course, neither of them were the favorites, but the possibility was always there, despite how much their mother warned them against pursing it. Still, it was nice living here, given how easy the house was to get around.

Jacob knocked on his ‘sister’s’ door, a bit too loudly to ignore. After he got no response, he barged right into his room to see a Glaceon snoozing on the bed, blinds drawn and lights off.

It was nice having electricity around. It made it easy to, say, rapidly flick the lights on and off to annoy a sibling, which Jacob promptly did.

“Grahhhh…” Tabitha groaned, rolling over. “Maxie, if you do that again, I’m gonna freeze your paw pads off.”

“Get up, Mom’s waiting for us!” Why does she love sleeping in so much? Did evolving cause this?

Tabitha, Maxie’s sister, was weird to be around. Already being five by the time he reincarnated, there was a pretty substantial age gap between them, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have a fairly normal sibling relationship. She’d evolved fairly recently into a Glaceon of all things after getting just a little too carried away at a skiing trip they’d gone on. Jacob wasn’t sure how exactly it worked; it just looked like things had worked out that way somehow.

The knowledge that she wasn’t his real sister made him slightly uncomfortable. In his mind, anyway.

Tabitha walked over to Maxie, and glared at him. “I swear, if I ever become queen, I’ll outlaw waking people up before they want to be woken up.

“My princess, there had not been a reigning queen in the last three centuries of the Neoh crown’s existence. Besides, your mother—”

“We get it, Aldan, don’t try to go for the throne, it’ll only put a target on our backs. What we have now is good, so don’t risk it. We understand,” Jacob interrupted, annoyed. You’d think he’d pick up that we were having some sibling banter by now…

“…I see. In any case, shall we head down for breakfast? We have prepared something I believe both of you will enjoy.”

“Yes, yes…” Tabitha replied. She’d been moody as of late, which Maxie could only guess was due to evolving. “Give me a minute, I have some hygiene to take care of…”

The walk down to the dining room was strangely tense, as always. Jacob’s eyes stayed forwards as the three of them walked down the hall, not really sparing much conversation with his sister. Finally, she broke the silence.

“Did you tell mom that we should go on skiing trips more often, like I asked?”

“You do that. I’m not telling her for you.”

“If I do it, she’ll get suspicious!”

“She’ll understand!” Maxie argued. “We’re royalty, we have the money!” Jacob was pretty sure they were rich, anyway. Given how much money they seemed to spend, he’d have estimated they were somewhere in the upper echelons of wealth. It’d be strange for royalty not to be, anyway.

“Mom isn’t going to spend money just because I want her to! You’re the favorite child, you do it!”

“Children,” Aldan urged. “Be nice to each other. Your mother dislikes it when you argue.”

“I’m fourteen,” Tabitha continued, seething at Aldan. “I can’t take mouth from a nine-year-old!”

“Your brother is the smartest nine-year-old I know,” Aldan replied. “He’s a regular child genius.”

Pretending to be dumb hasn’t exactly worked out… Jacob lamented internally. “Shut up,” he said curtly.

Both Aldan and Tabitha looked at him, probably unsure of who that was meant for.

The Dinning room was as formal as ever. A Vaporeon was already seated at the table, looking rather calm and collected. “Good morning, children. How are you today?”

“Maxie woke me up again,” Tabitha complained.

“She was sleeping in too much,” Maxie argued.

“Because you don’t give me enough sleep!”

“Now, now,” Courtney started “No need for arguments this early in the morning. I’m sure you’re still a bit tired, but please. Enjoy breakfast.” Courtney tapped the table twice. “Bring it out, Aldan.”

“Of course, my lady.”

After not much time at all, Aldan and the two other butlers who worked at the mansion, a Simisage named Morton, and a Comfey named Aili, brought out the food. It was the usual fare that Jacob had gotten used to: a heathy mix of berries, meat, and bread. It was a little tiring, but Jacob couldn’t fault something he’d requested himself.

“Your teacher tells me you’re at the top of your class, Maxie,” Courtney started. “You’ve been doing so well in school, I think a bit of a reward is in order!”

“Really, mom?” To Courtney’s credit, she was a better parent than Jacob’s actual mother, who was barely present in his life. Or at least, she spoiled the both of her children to hell and back. Jacob wasn’t sure if that was good parenting, but it felt nice. “I think we should go on another trip.”

Tabitha immediately perked up.

“So soon after Tabitha’s birthday trip? Oh, I don’t know if you’ve been doing that well. What did you have in mind?”

“Somewhere warm and sunny,” Maxie replied without missing a beat.

“Mom, he’s teasing me,” Tabitha objected.

Courtney looked to the both of them, seemingly understanding what she was seeing. “Now, now, Maxie, be considerate of your sister. She is an ice type, she won’t do too well under heat. Speaking of…” she turned to Tabitha. “Have you gotten a better handle on using ice type moves, young lady?”

“…Not quite,” Tabitha admitted. “There’s something that’s not really clicking for me just yet.”

“Hm… I could get you a tutor. The Guild of Honor outpost is just the next town over. I’m sure one of my friends from there would gladly teach you if I asked. Would you like that?”

“I don’t need a tutor,” Tabitha grumbled. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Alright…”

“Hey, Mom?” Maxie asked. “Why are you such good friends with those guys? They’re not even from here.”

“They’re very fine people. Besides, we have to talk anyway for diplomatic reasons. Why not make a few connections?”

“Okay…” Maxie replied. He didn’t really get why such an allegedly far-flung Guild had an outpost nearby, but he didn’t care enough to find out. All he knew was that the king allowed it, and it had gotten more attention in recent years. I should slow down, I still have some time today.

“I must say, though,” Courtney continued. “They do seem to be a bit short-staffed. Things always seem to move so slowly around there… I wonder what working a job like that is like. Ah well. Don’t work yourselves to the bone, kids. You’ll lose sight of your purpose in life if you do that.”

I gotta feel accomplished about something, though… Jacob thought to himself. It was pretty boring around the manor. Without much work besides school, there wasn’t much to strive for, since his life was all but figured out.

He could try for king, but he knew Courtney hated that idea, so he kept quiet.

Today was both his and Tabitha’s day off, so there wasn’t much to do. Instead, Jacob spent his day laying around outside, twiddling his thumbs. He felt an urge to be doing something, anything, but there wasn’t much, since he wasn’t allowed outside of the Manor property without supervision. Root city was pretty safe, all things considered, but Maxie was only nine.

I can’t get over this… Jacob looked down at his body. Despite seeing it and feeling it constantly, his old memories as a human in his twenties told him something was deeply wrong here. He’d never told a soul, and he wasn’t sure he ever would. Life in a world of crazy animals was confusing, to say the least. Just learning the language they spoke took getting used to. It wasn’t a normal language—that’d be too simple—It was a weird way of saying the same few words in a different way that was somehow compatible with English, and existed entirely in the realm of inflections.

Jacob, looking to distract himself from his own thoughts, scanned the courtyard, and spotted a rather distressed-looking Serperior aggressively knocking on the gate to the property down near the bottom of the hill.

“Hey! You there! Are you Prince Maxie?” the Serperior shouted. “I need to talk to your mother!” Her voice sounded particularly strained for some reason.

Not really sure what to do, Jacob slowly walked down the hill to meet the mysterious Serperior. She looked slightly frazzled, and clearly hadn’t got much sleep the previous night. “Hey…” the Serperior nervously said.

“Who even are you?” Jacob asked. “You can’t just show up.” Realistically, this was something that one of the butlers should’ve done, but Jacob was desperate for something to do. He didn’t take boredom well.

The Serperior gave an exhausted sigh. “Tadame Serperior, Guild of Honor. I have a message.”

“Then just give me the letter or whatever you have.”

“I, uh, actually need to talk to her.”

Jacob paused. He hated to make someone who was so obviously exhausted wait, but he knew that he’d be hearing it from Courtney if he just let Tadame in. Better not to take my chances…

Jacob eventually found his mother lounging in the foyer, engaged in a conversation that appeared to be about Mago berries with Aldan.

“They’re always so expensive…” Courtney bemoaned. “Delicious when prepared well, but— Ah, hello Maxie.”

“Mom, there’s someone from the Guild of Honor at the gate.”

“Ah, finally. I was wondering when they’d arrive,” Courtney said, sounding relieved. “Aldan, go make sure they’re legitimate, as always, then escort them in here.”

Aldan nodded and came back with Tadame about three minutes later. The Serperior seemingly paused, as if taking in the manor, before slithering right up to Courney and bowing. “Tadame Serperior, at your service.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Courney replied, tapping the empty space next to her on the couch. “Come, let’s chat.”

Jacob found the conversation to be boring for the most part. It mostly consisted of Tadame and Courney introducing themselves to each other, while Aldan and himself watched on in silence. Every now and then, he’d find himself latching onto a sentence or two.

“Why do you make a point to meet everyone that works at the Guild, anyway?” Tadame asked.

“I would consider us friends, my dear,” Courtney replied. “It’s important to keep your friends close.” Jacob had heard this before, and by now, he was inclined to believe that she was being genuine when she said this. To an extent, anyway.

“That’s… one way of putting it.” Tadame blinked for a second. “Ah, right. The thing I was supposed to tell you. The guys upstairs wanted to know if you’re hosting the feast in your own Manor again.”

“Ah, that? I was thinking about the town hall this year. The kids seemed… displeased about having the Manor be rented out for a party last year.”

“Understood,” Tadame replied, hopping down from the couch. “I’ll let the others know. See you then.”

“See you then too,” Courtney replied. “I hope the rest of your day is peaceful, you seem to need it.”

“I hope so too…” Tadame replied, before being quietly escorted out by Aldan.

“That was your and Tabitha’s gripe, correct? Having a crowd of strangers in your home?” Courtney asked Maxie, seemingly looking to appease.

“Well, yeah…” Jacob replied with a stretch. The less time spent thinking about how badly that screwed with my schedule, the better.

“Good. You will be attending anyway, so be ready to leave early in the morning the day of.”

“Did you have to remind me months in advance?”

“You’re forgetful, my child.”

You just think that… “Anyway, when am I gonna be able to go out on my own?” It sucks not being able to go where I want…

“When you’re old and strong enough. You need to learn how to defend yourself, first and foremost. You’re not terribly strong, you know.”

“Yeah, I know…” Jacob walked off, found his room, then plopped down on his bed rather unceremoniously, staring at the ceiling. Strength was a funny thing. When it was just a video game, knowing his raw power was as easy as looking at a stats screen.

When he was living it, on the other hand?

I’d kill to be able to see hard numbers… Jacob thought to himself. His mind drifted to how easily he’d be able to type in ‘!dt’ and the name of the Pokémon to get any info he wanted on a site like Pokémon Showdown. He’d taken that kind of convenience for granted.

How easy it’d be if I could just do something like ‘!dt Maxie Zangoose’ and get to see everything.

Ironically, all he had to do was ask.

Maxie Zangoose (Jacob Sica)

Age: 9 (+26 from time spent as human)

Qualifies for Typing Magic

Ability: Blessing of Knowledge

Enables the holder to receive any information in Showdown-style fashion that they wish, including information about those they’ve met before.

Constitution -> 1/10

Physical power -> 1/10

Physical resistance -> 1/10

Special power -> 0/10

Special resistance -> 0/10

Agility ->1/10

Stamina -> 3/10

Intelligence -> 9/10

Charisma -> 5/10

Known moves:

Leer
Scratch
Iron Tail

Son of Courtney Vaporeon, and one of Several Princes of the Neoh Crown. The reincarnation of a human known as Jacob Schneider. Known for being a recluse. Was an influencer in his previous life.

When the words faded from his eyes, Jacob took a moment to process what he just saw. …What the fuck?

!dt Maxie Zangoose

Maxie Zangoose (Jacob Sica)

Age: 9 (+26 from time spent as human)

Qualifies for Typing Magic

Ability: Blessing of Knowledge

Enables the holder to receive any information in Showdown-style fashion that they wish, including information about those they’ve met before.

Constitution -> 1/10

Physical power -> 1/10

Physical resistance -> 1/10

Special power -> 0/10

Special resistance -> 0/10

Agility ->1/10

Stamina -> 3/10

Intelligence -> 9/10

Charisma -> 5/10

Known moves:

Leer
Scratch
Iron Tail

Son of Courtney Vaporeon, and one of Several Princes of the Neoh Crown. The reincarnation of a human known as Jacob Schneider. Known for being a recluse. Was an influencer in his previous life.

Oh my God. It’s real. Immediately, Jacob’s mind started racing, barely able to process the fact that he had a special ability that let him look up things like he was playing a simulator. Immediately, he latched onto the fact that he was able to do this because of his ability.

!dt Blessing of Knowledge

Blessing of Knowledge – Ability

A part of the blessing series of abilities given out at birth by Apollo Mew. Grants the holder the power to look up nearly any concept by thinking a command, as well as information about anyone they’ve met before with the same method.

…No damage calculating? Bummer. In hindsight, if Jacob took a closer look at his own stats, he’d realize they were listed as ratings, not exact numbers.

The fact that he couldn’t just calculate damage like this was a video game was lost on him, however.

Alright, who’s this Apollo guy and why did he give me this?

!dt Apollo Mew

Apollo Mew is the name of the deity known for giving blessings to those who they find worthy or interesting. They are also generally perfect, and worthy of your worship. Why don’t you prostrate yourself in their honor right now?

Very funny, I see they wrote that one themself. If you are listening, I was being sarcastic.

I still think you should, a voice that very much wasn’t Jacob’s replied.

Jacob jumped in place, frightened at the sudden intrusion. Who? What? Where? Piss off!

That’s no way to speak to a legendary Pokémon. Punishment awaits! For a terrifying moment, the speaker paused. In all seriousness, though, hello. I am Apollo. I am surprised it took you this long to discover this, but you have a special ability I made just for you.

…Why did you feel the need to invade my head the second I started looking into you?

I’m not hearing a thank you.

You’re a narcissist.

Rude. You’re lucky I can’t take that power back. Also, I was partially joking. Jacob heard a sigh before the Legend continued. To answer your question, I have been waiting for this moment for the last nine years. I thought you’d find it quickly, but here we are.

In my defense, who starts a sentence with an exclamation point?

I know of at least one human language that does that. But I guess it is a bit obtuse.

Also, did you seriously not have anything better to do for nine years?

Not really, no. It’s rather boring being a legendary, in fact. Non-intervention laws stop me from interacting for the most part. It’s a small miracle I can even speak to you like this. All I can really do is observe the lives of those I choose to bless.

That’s lame.

I know, right?

So, uh, did you have anything else to tell me, or did you just want me to join your cult?

So very rude. I didn’t, in fact. Have a nice life!

With that, Jacob felt something separate, like he was being tuned out or something. “What even…”

“Uh, Maxie?”

Maxie jumped again as he heard his sister, who had apparently been standing next to the bed the entire time. She had a concerned expression on her face.

“…How long were you standing there?”

“Like, seven minutes or something. You were staring at the ceiling as I kept calling your name. It was weird.”

“Uh…” The hell? That didn’t feel like seven minutes! Holy shit, I wasted so much time doing that! “Okay? Why are you in my room?”

“I was bored, okay? I wanted to talk to someone, and you’re annoying but you’re good at that.”

“Uh… What did you want to talk about?”

“…What do you think of my evolution?”

“I think it probably felt nice.”

“Honestly, it felt more weird than anything.”

There was an awkward pause.

“I do like it, though. It really feels like ‘me’, you know,” Tabitha added, seemingly trying to prevent the conversation from dying.

Hm…

!dt Tabitha Glaceon

Tabitha Glaceon (No alternate names)

Age: 14

Does not qualify for Typic Magic

Ability: Ice Body

The holder can repair injuries and wounds to their body using ice and snow.

Constitution -> 2/10

Physical power -> 1/10

Physical resistance -> 3/10

Special power -> 4/10

Special resistance -> 3/10

Agility -> 2/10

Stamina -> 5/10

Intelligence -> 7/10

Charisma -> 6/10

Known moves:

Icy Wind
Quick attack
Tackle
Tail whip
Sand attack
Baby-doll eyes
Growl
Charm

Daughter of Courtney Vaporeon, and one of Several Princesses of the Neoh Crown. Is very studious, and evolved on a skiing trip. Has potential but lacks experience.

Briefly, Jacob was envious of his sister’s superior stats before he realized he was ignoring her again.

“Why do you keep zoning out? Is something on your mind?”

“No, I uh, just kinda stopped thinking.”

“…What?”

“Could you repeat what you said?”

“…Okay. I was saying that I was having trouble controlling my newfound ice powers. I think I accidentally froze a puddle earlier.”

“Uh, cool. Maybe you should take up training like mom suggests.”

“You’re probably right, but that sounds like a lot of work.”

“You need to work at things to get better at them. There’s no getting around that.”

“Because you’re such a hard worker.”

“How do you think I got to be the golden child?”

“Shut up.”

“No, you shut up.”

“Whatever,” Tabitha huffed, annoyed. “I’m leaving. You have fun zoning out randomly.”

“I’ll be sure to do that.”

And again, Maxie was alone. Staring at the ceiling in his room.

Wondering what the hell he was even doing here in the first place. I should’ve asked the self-proclaimed deity why I was here before they cut me off like that. He looked down at his paws. It felt wrong to even call them paws, but that was what they were. And there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. I hate this so much… He tore his eyes away from his body to stare back at the ceiling. The less he thought about how uncomfortable he felt in his own skin, the better. It wasn’t productive, anyway.

Not that he had anything to do today. He’d always been a restless soul, but being reborn a Pokémon had made it so much worse. Every second he wasted was a second these thoughts crept back into him. He craved distraction, but there wasn’t much.

Somewhere, a Mankey’s paw curled. He wouldn’t see the consequences of that for years, however.

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