Day one hundred and eighty. The notification came at dawn.
Jaune woke up at his usual time, body conditioned by six months of training to rise before the sun. He pulled up the system out of habit, expecting the usual countdown.
[ALERT: First Quest Activating in 24 Hours]
[Quest Details Available: View Now?]
His breath caught. Twenty-four hours. Tomorrow morning, he'd be gone.
"Show me."
The screen shifted.
[FIRST QUEST INFORMATION]
[Quest Activation Time: Tomorrow, Dawn (Exactly 24 hours from now)]
[Destination: Pokémon World - Sinnoh Region]
[Mission Objective: Protect Coordinator Dawn (Age 15) from Team Galactic forces during Lake Verity raid]
[Context: Team Galactic is conducting a raid on Lake Verity to capture Mesprit, one of the three Lake Guardians. Dawn, a Pokémon Coordinator from nearby Twinleaf Town, will be at the lake when the attack occurs. Your mission is to protect her and other civilians from Team Galactic forces during their operation.]
[Duration: 3 Days (Pokémon World Time)]
[Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ (Tutorial)]
[Failure Condition: Dawn's death or permanent injury]
[Success Rewards: Enhanced Stamina +50%, Danger Sense (Basic)]
[WARNING: Time Dilation Variable]
[Remnant Time Passage: UNKNOWN (Estimated 1-7 days)]
[Quest will activate automatically in 23 hours, 57 minutes]
Pokemon world.
Jaune felt a weird mix of relief and anxiety. He knew Pokemon. Watched the show as a kid, played the games. Relatively low stakes compared to what it could have been.
Dawn was a main character from Diamond and Pearl. Coordinator who did contests. Team Galactic were the bad guys who wanted to remake the world using legendary Pokemon.
Three days protecting one girl from Pokemon terrorists. Tutorial difficulty.
'Could've been worse. Could've been Dark Souls. Or Warhammer. Pokemon I can handle.'
He could do this.
Jaune got dressed and went downstairs. Morning training with his father would be normal. He'd tell him about leaving after.
The kitchen was quiet. His father sat at the table with coffee, reading news on his scroll. His mother was at the stove. Most of his sisters were still asleep.
"Morning," Jaune said.
"You're up early," Nicholas said without looking up. "Even for you."
Jaune poured himself water and sat down. His mind was already running through what he'd need. His sword, obviously. Travel clothes. Basic supplies.
"Something on your mind?" his father asked.
"Yeah, actually." Jaune set down his glass. "I need to leave tomorrow. Solo wilderness training. Three days, maybe longer."
Nicholas looked up from his scroll. "Solo? The entrance exam is in two weeks."
"I know. That's why I need to do this now. Test myself before Beacon."
"Test yourself how?"
"Real survival. No backup. See if I can handle being alone in dangerous territory." Jaune met his father's eyes. "You've trained me for six months. I need to know if it actually worked."
His mother turned from the stove. "Jaune, that sounds risky."
"It's controlled risk. I'll take my scroll, keep it on for emergencies. I'm not trying to get myself killed. Just want to push myself."
'Lying to my family about fighting terrorists in another dimension. Great start to my interdimensional career.'
Nicholas was quiet for a moment. "Where?"
"Deep forest. Maybe mountain territory if I feel confident enough. I'll stay within a day's travel of home."
His father studied him. "This is important to you."
"Yeah. It is."
"Alright. But you check in every day. Morning and evening. If you miss a check in, I'm coming after you."
'Can't exactly check in from another dimension, but sure, Dad.'
"Deal."
"And Jaune?" His father's expression was serious. "If something goes wrong, if you get hurt or in over your head, you call immediately. Pride isn't worth your life."
"I know. I will."
His mother came over and hugged him. "Please be careful."
"I will, Mom. Promise."
After breakfast, Jaune went through training with his father like normal. If Nicholas noticed that Jaune was more focused than usual, more intense in every drill, he didn't comment. They sparred for two hours, Jaune lasting thirty-seven minutes before his father disarmed him.
"Good," Nicholas said. "You're learning to pace yourself. Not burning out your aura in the first ten minutes."
"Thanks."
"Whatever this wilderness trip is really about, you're ready for it. Trust your training."
Jaune nodded. His father knew something else was going on. He just wasn't pushing for details.
The rest of the day passed normally. Lunch with family. Afternoon weapons maintenance and aura exercises. Dinner with all his sisters arguing about something pointless while his parents tried to maintain order.
Normal. Familiar. Safe.
Tomorrow he'd be in another world fighting terrorists.
After dinner, Saphron caught him in the hallway. "You're really doing this wilderness thing?"
"Yeah."
"Why now? You could do it after Beacon starts. They have survival training built into the curriculum."
"I need to do it before. Need to know I can handle myself."
She studied him for a moment. "You've changed a lot in six months. Used to be you'd never do something like this."
"People change."
"Yeah." She hugged him. "Just come back in one piece, okay? Claire will be devastated if you miss Beacon because you got eaten by a Beowulf."
"I'll be fine."
'Or get zapped by a Luxray. That's also a possibility now.'
"You better be."
That night, Jaune lay in bed checking the system repeatedly.
[Quest Activation: 14 hours, 22 minutes]
[Quest Activation: 14 hours, 21 minutes]
He forced himself to close the screen and try to sleep. He'd need his energy.
Sleep came eventually, fitful and filled with dreams of electric rats and terrorist teams and a girl he was supposed to protect.
When dawn came, Jaune was already awake.
[Quest Activation: 43 minutes]
He got dressed in practical dark clothes. Strapped Crocea Mors to his belt. Grabbed a small pack with basic supplies. Checked his scroll one last time.
His family was already up. His father handed him a travel pack.
"Supplies. Food, water, first aid. Your mother insisted."
"Thanks."
All seven of his sisters were there to say goodbye. Even Claire, who normally slept until noon on weekends.
"You have to come back," Claire said, hugging his leg. "You have to tell me about Beacon!"
"I will, squirt. Promise."
Rouge punched his arm. "Don't do anything stupid."
"I'll try."
Violet rolled her eyes. "He's definitely going to do something stupid."
"Probably," Jaune admitted with a slight grin.
His mother hugged him tight. "Be safe. Come home."
"I will."
His father walked him to the edge of their property. "Whatever you're really doing out there, remember your training. Stay alert. Adapt. Survive."
"I will. See you in a few days."
"You better."
Jaune walked into the forest, following old trails until he was deep enough that no one would find him. He found a clearing and checked the system.
[Quest Activation: 8 minutes]
He sat down, centering himself. Breathing exercises. Aura check. Mental preparation.
This was it. Six months of training for this moment.
[Quest Activation: 5 minutes]
Jaune stood up, drew Crocea Mors, and ran through a quick series of forms. Muscle memory. Instinct. Ready.
[Quest Activation: 2 minutes]
He sheathed his sword and took a deep breath.
"Alright. Let's do this."
[Quest Activation: 1 minute]
[Quest Activation: 30 seconds]
His aura flared around him, responding to his focused intent.
[Quest Activation: 10 seconds]
[9...]
[8...]
[7...]
Jaune closed his eyes, centered himself.
[6...]
[5...]
[4...]
"Tutorial difficulty. Easy mode. I can do this."
[3...]
[2...]
[1...]
[QUEST ACTIVATED - DIMENSIONAL TRANSIT INITIATING]
The world lurched.
Jaune's stomach dropped as reality twisted around him. Colors bled together, sounds distorted, and for one nauseating moment he felt like he was being pulled through something impossibly tight.
'Oh this is terrible—'
Then it stopped.
Solid ground under his feet. Fresh air. The smell of water and grass.
Jaune opened his eyes.
He was standing on the shore of a massive lake. Crystal clear water stretched out before him, reflecting a blue sky. Forest surrounded the lake on all sides. In the distance, he could see what looked like a small town.
[Welcome to Pokémon World - Sinnoh Region]
[Location: Lake Verity]
[Time until Team Galactic arrival: 28 minutes]
[Mission: Locate and protect Dawn]
[Good luck, User]
Jaune took a moment to orient himself. The air felt different here. Lighter somehow. And there was an energy to this place, something he couldn't quite define.
He checked his aura. Full reserves. Body felt fine. Sword secure at his belt.
Twenty-eight minutes to find Dawn and figure out what he was doing.
'Okay. I'm in the Pokemon world. This is real. This is actually happening.'
Time to get to work.