The Pokémon:Isekai

After Skyla finished showing some of her inventions, we finally got up and continued through the cave. The flashlight beams flickered across the rocky walls, casting long, jagged shadows as we carefully navigated through the tunnels.

Passing by two ladders, I recognized them from my memories of playing FireRed. One of these leads to a dead end… and the other to a Mega Punch TM. But ı didn't need either of those.

We pressed on but "It's weird," I muttered, swinging my flashlight around the cave.

Skyla glanced at me. "What's weird?" she asked, adjusting her bag.

"My friend said there were tons of Zubats in this cave, but we haven't seen a single one." I frowned, scanning the shadows. No screeching, no fluttering wings… nothing.

[Maybe they're scared of people, Alex Carter,] Rotom suggested, floating lazily beside us.

I shook my head. "I don't know… something just feels—"

Before I could finish, my foot hit loose gravel, and I stumbled forward, nearly losing my balance.

Skyla snorted. "Wow, real smooth, 'Champion-to-be.'"

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," I grumbled, regaining my footing.

As we continued walking, the silence stretched between us once again, broken only by the occasional drip of water from the stalactites above. The air was damp, and every now and then, a small pebble shifted under our feet, echoing through the tunnels.

"So," I started, glancing at Skyla as she pulled her luggage behind her. "Why do you want to be an inventor? Is it a family thing, or just something you decided on your own?"

She smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Where did that come from?"

I shrugged. "I'm just bored of the silence, okay? Thought I'd start a conversation."

Skyla chuckled. "Fair enough. Well, when I was a kid, my dad used to make toys for me—little mechanical things, robots, puzzles, that kind of stuff. Watching him build things from scratch always amazed me. And now… here I am."

She took another step forward, her boots scraping against the rocky path. Then, she turned the question back on me.

"I have a question too," she said.

"What is it?"

"Why did you decide to help a total stranger? You didn't even know me, yet you agreed to take me all the way to Bill's house."

Rotom floated beside us, its screen flickering slightly as it observed our conversation. I hesitated, trying to think of an answer that wouldn't involve the magical mission screen floating in front of my eyes.

I finally settled on something simple. "I liked the sandwiches your grandparents made."

She blinked. "That's it? Just sandwiches?"

"Yeah. They tasted good," I said casually, walking ahead.

Skyla scoffed. "So, if they were bad, you wouldn't have helped me?"

I smirked. "Guess we'll never know."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Wow. Truly inspiring, Champion."

I reached into my bag to grab another flashlight as I noticed my current one flickering. The beam was starting to dim, and when I tried to turn on another flashlight—it didn't work.

I froze.

Something felt wrong.

Skyla's light weakened as well, the once steady glow turning into a soft flicker before dying completely.

She turned toward me. "What happened?"

Rotom's screen glowed faintly, now the only real source of light left.

[Yeah, what's wrong, Alex Carter?] Rotom asked.

I tried switching on another flashlight, but none of them worked. Not a single one.

"The flashlights," I muttered, my voice low. "They… aren't working."

And then, the cave fell into near-total darkness.

I stood up abruptly, dropping my bag to the ground as I snatched one of the useless flashlights and threw it into the air.

"Rotom, Will-O-Wisp!" I shouted, my hand already reaching for Aria's and Oddy's Pokéballs.

[Roger, Alex Carter!!] Rotom's voice crackled with urgency.

Time seemed to slow as purple ghostly flames erupted around Rotom, its entire form glowing with eerie light before it ignited the falling flashlight. The flames engulfed it, turning it into a temporary torch that flickered brightly for a brief moment—just long enough to reveal what lurked around us.

A swarm of Zubats.

Hundreds of them, hanging from the jagged ceiling or circling overhead, their mouth's gleaming as they prepared to attack.

Skyla gasped in horror, stumbling back as the swarm began to stir.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath before hurling Aria and Oddy's Pokéballs into the air.

With a flash of light, Aria landed gracefully on the ground, her small frame tense with focus, while Oddy shook itself, its leaves bristling at the oppressive atmosphere.

I grabbed Skyla's wrist. "We are Running!"

She barely had time to react before I pulled her forward, her luggage dragging behind her.

Aria jumped onto my shoulder, her tiny body trembling as she sensed the overwhelming bloodlust in the air.

The Zubats shrieked and dived toward us.

"Aria, Confusion! Oddy, Stun Spore and , Sleep Powder! Rotom, Shadow Ball!" I shouted, my voice nearly drowned out by the chorus of screeches above us.

The swarm descended.

Aria's eyes gleamed, and waves of psychic energy pulsed outward, hitting several Zubats mid-flight. They twitched violently before crashing to the ground, dazed.

Oddy, clutched by Rotom, released a cloud of golden spores, followed by a haze of blue-green powder. The airborne Zubats choked and faltered, some freezing in midair while others plummeted, slipping into deep sleep.

Rotom, carrying Oddy effortlessly, fired Shadow Ball after Shadow Ball, the glowing dark orbs slamming into the incoming horde and sending them spiraling into the darkness.

I kicked the burning flashlight forward, its flames flickering wildly as it rolled across the rocky ground, illuminating the only clear path ahead.

"Let's go!" I yelled, dragging Skyla along as she clutched her luggage for dear life.

We ran as Aria, Oddy, and Rotom protected us, their attacks barely keeping the relentless swarm of Zubats at bay.

"Can't that Rotom use an Electric move to get rid of them!?" Skyla shouted, struggling to keep up as she clutched her luggage.

"It knows Thunder, but do you think it's safe to use inside a cave!?" I yelled back, my breath coming in ragged gasps as we sprinted forward.

Spotting another dead flashlight in my bag, I grabbed it and hurled it with all my strength.

"Rotom!"

[I am on it, Alex Carter!] Rotom's voice crackled as it engulfed itself in ghostly purple flames, igniting the flashlight in midair.

The flames illuminated the cavern once more—just in time for me to spot a ladder leading downward.

"There!" Skyla and I shouted in unison.

We raced toward it, but the Zubats weren't letting up.

"You go first!" I told her, stopping beside the hole.

She didn't hesitate. She tossed her luggage down first, then scrambled onto the ladder, climbing as fast as she could.

"Okay! Rotom, Will-O-Wisp! Oddy, Sleep Powder and Stun Spore again!"

Rotom and Oddy sprang into action, sending waves of ghostly fire and golden spores into the air. The Zubats, already weakened, succumbed to paralysis or drifted into an unnatural sleep, falling from the sky like dead leaves.

A grin spread across my face. "Aria use Hex!" Aria's eyes glowed a deep violet as she raised her arms, summoning an eerie, malevolent energy.

Hex was a move that Aria learned while beating trainers on Route 3 the move itself was normally a fairly decent Ghost-type move, but when the target was inflicted with a status condition, the move's power went from 65 to 130!

The cave erupted in chaos.

The sleeping and paralyzed Zubats twitched violently as tendrils of ghostly energy wrapped around them, crushing them with overwhelming force. Some shrieked, others dropped limply to the ground. The few that remained conscious scattered in terror, fleeing into the darkness.

With the battle over, Aria leaped down the ladder, and I caught her easily, her small body trembling slightly from the exertion.

The cave fell eerily silent, save for the occasional rustling of fallen Zubats.

"Good job, girl." I whispered, patting her head.

Skyla, still panting, crouched beside her luggage, trying to catch her breath.

"W-what the hell was that!?" she finally shouted, her voice shaking.

"I really don't know," I admitted, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

Rotom hovered beside me, its usual hum strangely uneven.

[It's… weird?] it muttered, almost as if it were confused.

I frowned. "What happened this time?"

[Just a second ago, I couldn't use my light at full capacity.]

Skyla and I exchanged glances.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

[It means, Alex Carter... try using your flashlight again.]

I knelt down, opening my bag to retrieve one of the previously dead flashlights. The moment I flicked the switch—it turned on.

I blinked in confusion. "But… why didn't it work earlier?"

Skyla murmured, "That doesn't make sense…" as she tested her flashlight. It, too, turned on without issue.

She bit her lip, adjusting her coat and shirt, deep in thought.

As I dusted off my hat, I noticed Oddy lying flat on the ground, completely exhausted.

Quietly, I pulled out a few Potions from my inventory, pretending they were just regular ones from my bag, and began treating his scratches.

Skyla suddenly perked up. "Hey, Rotom… is there a Pokémon that can block electricity?"