Cold and shivering, Carlos opened his eyes and shut them closed. The light jabbed his brain. His whole body was sore and aching but none of it compared to the absolute agonizing pounding in his head. The countless voices, weirdly displaced random words overlapping all around him, didn’t help either. The constant chattering, weirdly displaced screams and this constant undercurrent of aggression, made him anxious. He didn’t really move at first, didn’t bother opening his eyes either. “What is…?” He didn’t catch the rest, the voice was high pitched . “Is… dead?” Something with a much deeper voice responded. Carlos opened his eyes and groaned moving himself in a sitting position. “It ……! We …. warn …..!” Carlos rubbed his eyes and wondered what got these voices so spooked. Carlos looked around, still struggling to get his bearings, the sudden quiet was eerie. The headache made it difficult for him to think straight. He noted how he was somewhere in a mountain range, from what he could tell, halfway on a mountain with a few mountains in his direct field of vision. From what he could see he was in the middle of a huge mountain range. To the side, there was a gap inbetween the mountains and he could see peaks as far as the horizon. Down the mountain he was on, he saw the edge of a forrest.

  “Alright, where the fuck am I? And why is my god damn name the only thing I can remember?” It felt good to get a coherent thought in between the spikes of pain. The wind decided to pick up and blow straight through his clothes. He took stock and noted he was well equipped for hiking.

  Hiking boots, insulated pants, from the looks of it. Shirt, sweater and a really stiff and sturdy, thick coat but none of it did anything about the cold, ruthless wind slipping in between his clothing, sucking any heat he might had.

  he felt the straps of a backpack on his shoulders and took it off and took stock. Some crackers and incredibly tough meat but only enough for a day or 2. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found something akin to a mettle water bottle with seemingly fresh water. Enough water for a day. A knife

  “ouch! Fuck that’s sharp!” He sheathed it back and tied it to his belt. He also found a small axe, some rope with what he assumed was a climbing hook and something that looked like matches but he wanted to save and test that for later.

  Lastly a flimsy sleeping bag and a sleeping bag/tent? It had a bunch of stuff to tie and fasten it down.

  “So I got everything I need to hike/climb mountains but no fucking reason as to why.” Carlos felt strong frustrations and panic set in.

  A deep rumbling and something that sounded like footsteps, something big was coming his way. And along with it, some of the voices he heard earlier, oddly displaced again. Carlos couldn’t place what was wrong but it felt like he heard one thing and then his monkey brain told him something else.

  He didn’t like the sound of it though, that undercurrent of aggression was palpable now. Groaning he got up slung his backpack over his shoulder and gripped the knife and looked for somewhere to hide. He spotted a small crevice in the distance between the rocks of the mountain, about a hundred paces away and walked, hobbled towards it. His legs weren’t cooperating and he had no desire to face something big enough that created thumping footsteps ala Jurassic park.

  He hurried along as well as he could and hid in the crevice. He had a good view on where he had been laying. No sooner did he wedge himself into the crevice out of sight and a monstrosity of a lizard? Godzilla? came into view.

  His heart exploded at the sight. The massive bidepedal creature had a light brown, sandy like, carapace that wrapped around it’s massive bulk of a body. The belly had a more light purple hue. He noted how the carapace had holes around his chest and midriff that shaped it like a creepy face. It’s actual head had 3 bladelike horns pointing back and the carapace had spikes jutting at its back.

  Overall It was massive, but what really made Carlos panic was the face, head?The creature looked pissed and it seemed to be fuming about something.

  Carlos wagered it was 15 feet on his hind legs. Its eyes scanning every nook and cranny of the mountain. Carlos held its breath lest the sound gave him away.

  Everything about this creature screamed power, apex, paragon, ruler and a whole slew of other terms, that told him in no uncertain terms. "you are fucked". He had always scoffed at the anime tropes of "intent to kill, or i can feel his strength" but Carlos was experiencing it first hand in the most intense fashion.

  There was 1 smaller, Still super intimidating, version less spikey and no creepy face on the front. Still a solid 12 feet high it’s carapace a light green. Both specimens had holes in the carapace around the neck and front of their thighs, which seemed to vent air that seemed darker then it's surroundings, adding to their already threatening aura.

  Finally 2 tiny godzilla versions scuttled along pointing with their stubby arms at the spot where Carlos had been mere minutes ago. Carlos, rugged rough and tough outlaw, would definitely have dubbed them cute, if it wasn’t for the terrifying parents with a perpetual scowl on their faces.

  the smaller of the two, still scary as fuck, Godzilla looking lizard got down on all fours and started sniffing like a hound. Carlos broke out in a sweat he knew he was fucked, his brain and bladder told him so repeadedly, this was like walking into a grizzly bear cub but dialed up to godzilla levels of royally fucked.

  What Carlos could tell even from this distance, was that these creatures were intelligent there was no outwitting or deus ex machina, he would be at their mercy.

  The 2 little ones he could hear chatter away about juicy meat, they danced excitedly. The biggest one scolded them sternly, even gave them that, “you are both in trouble look”. Not that the two little ones cared. One of them even shrugged to the aggravation of the terrifying parent. Carlos saw the smallest sign of a chance of his survival, melt away with that little shrug.

  The big one got increasingly more frustrated with the lid’l uns.

  He let his breath escape unable to hold it any longer and he felt his soul leave his body as the sigh that escaped him was just a tad bit too loud and the smaller but still terrifying Godzilla, honed in on his position. Squinting its eyes and began to prowl towards him. The other three had gotten into an argument and ignored it.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Carlos wiggled as far as he could into the crevice but knew it was for naught. There was no way he was gonna get out of this alive. Resigned he stopped and simply sat down and awaited his fate. No way was he going to outrun the apex predator on this godforsaken mountain. Frustration mounted inside his chest. What bothered him the most was that he had no goddamn clue as to why he was here or how he had gotten here. There was no solace for him in this moment.

  The heavy thumps closed in and the head of the godzilla lizard came into clear view and they locked eyes for what seemed to be an eternity.

  Carlos looked and looked. And so did the Lizard. “Howdy! mighty fine meeting you here, could you perhaps tell me the closest place where I can place a call? I seem, honest too God, to have lost my way.”

  Carlos blurted it out, he was impressed with his own brevity, staring down at certain death. He even dared to quip a faint smile.

  Carlos couldn’t read the Godzilla’s face but it stared at him for a bit longer till it rumbled in a deep gravelly voice. “Ty I don’t know about hewmons ran but around here, i we don’t take the lords name in vain, tar Arceus be praised tar. So you better be telling the truth ran to me boy. tar”

  it was weird to hear random parts of a word with his ears but understand the emotions conveyed almost perfectly.

  “Arceus, wait isn’t that a pokemon!? So you are a Tyranitar?”. Carlos was stunned to hear the word Arceus and it triggered some sort of memory cascade of his youth. He had been 12 at the time when he first saw the first pokemon series and the adventures of ash, but as life would have it he only really saw the first 2 seasons and never played the games. His knowledge of Pokemon was spotty at best.

  ”You hit your head pretty hard didn’t you? Psh forgetting about arceus, well shouldn’t be surprised with all that blood on your head.” Only now did Carlos feel his face and yes indeed he had blood all over, still wet. The Tyranitar seemed to scoff. “You seem to be an ok sort, something about you reminds me of my deceased trainer” The tyranitar sighed. “Look, stay here till we are gone and go down south. It’s about 1000 miles in a straight line. If you can’t tell which way is which, wait for dawn. Sun rises in the east and that means when you face the sun you take a right.” She waved her right paw. Carlos caught the glitter of the razor sharp claws. “This is right." She pointed at her own waving hand. Remember that.” She looked over her shoulder. "You should stay hidden, my husband hates hewmons. He was caught by one of the bad ones as a youngling and was forced to do unspeakable things. He will kill you if he finds you.” She got up and walked back to her family and shook her head pointing in a few directions and coaxed her family to go back where they came from. Carlos was absolutely terrified, relieved and then terrified again. His fear kept him quiet. And he waited for what felt like an eternity till he moved. He grabbed some of the crackers and meat and chewed while he sipped his water in a ‘totally calm’ manner. He was the picture of zen, on the outside.

  After a while he got up and started walking, he was surprised how nothing was hurting anymore, still sore and tired but his headache was gone, he chalked it up to his adrenaline until he heard a ping in his head and a screen. popped in his periphery of his vision.

  “Ehm, ok… anything?”

  "im not sassy! well i don't think so..." Carlos mumbled.

  Before he could process what it all meant a second screen popped up.

  Carlos was stunned. “Im a pokemon…. Trainer?” It didn't take him long to figure out how it all worked and decided to get up and move. as he moved down the mountain he thanked god... Arceus? he didn't meet any pokemon after the fated meeting with what was most likely a shiny mega tyranitar and his wife.

  Carlos barely bothered reading it. he read the end and it hit him like an absolute hammer. He veered towards the mountain in question and had no other choice but to push all his panic, anger, rage and murderous desire down. He would never see his children and his loving wife again but he couldn't take the time to mourn them. The sight of a charizard and another pokemon a dragon looking pokemon with crescent shaped wings, having an aerial battle let him know he was surrounded by danger. he stepped to it, into the unknown.