Chapter Text
Where am I?...
.
.
.
I feel surrounded by something.
I feel strange, like something in me is different…
I feel drowsy, warm, safe.
.
.
.
I don't know how long I stayed like that, but at some point, something changed.
It started as a soft hum in my body. That hum soon turned into a surge of energy, and I went from asleep to awake in an instant. Light filled my field of vision.
I blinked, dazed by the sudden light hitting my eyes.
The first thing I saw?
A dirty tiled floor.
Still dazed, I struggled to focus, confused.
Why was I on the floor?
I didn't recognize this place.
I tried to move and immediately felt that something was wrong.
My legs?...
I tried to move them. I couldn't even feel them.
I tried to look for where they should be, before I noticed something else.
My arms.
Those weren't my hands.
I stared at the strange limbs I'd unthinkingly assumed were mine. I tried to lift an arm, and instead, something else moved.
Translucent. Shaped like a lightning bolt.
"What?"
I froze.
That wasn't my voice.
I felt myself go rigid, trying to make sense of the situation.
Where was I?
What had happened to me?
I remember…
What do I remember?
I felt like I couldn't breathe.
Wait…
Was I breathing before?
I wasn't breathing. What was going on?
I felt like I was gasping, but no air filled my lungs. I couldn't feel them in my chest at all.
I remembered grounding techniques and went through them.
*5 things you can see.*
I saw the tiled floor, dirty and worn.
I saw a pile of old, dusty books off to one side (had they always been that big?).
I saw a trash can near me.
I saw a clock hanging on the wall.
I saw, behind me, the biggest television I'd ever seen in my life, old-fashioned in style, that still seemed to have power — the switch glowed red, showing it was off.
*4 things you can touch.*
I touched the tiled floor.
I felt the dust covering it.
I turned to touch the wooden stand under the television.
I lifted myself a little to touch the metal of the screen (had I lifted myself?).
*3 things you can hear.*
I could hear the television's static.
Some bird singing outside.
Someone's laughter, far off.
*2 things you can smell.*
I breathed again. Still without feeling it fill my chest, I noticed the smell of dust.
And the smell of damp.
*1 thing you can taste.*
I tried to taste something and noticed a strange but pleasant flavor.
Very pleasant.
I blinked, feeling a little calmer now, though still not understanding what was happening.
I looked toward where I was touching the television and realized how big it was compared to me…
And I was touching it at its full height.
I looked down, toward where I was floating. I definitely had no legs, and now, calmer, I noticed that nothing hurt. I had the feeling something should hurt, but nothing did. I actually felt pretty fine.
I focused on that sweet-and-sour taste I liked so much, so I wouldn't spiral again.
Think…
WHAT HAPPENED?!
First… am I human? Because I honestly don't know what I am right now. No hands, no legs, and I'm floating.
Yeah. Definitely not human.
I floated a little closer to see my reflection in the screen, and froze at what I saw.
That… was a Rotom.
I moved my — arm? — and the reflection moved along with it.
I felt my mouth go dry. This had to be a dream, right? I couldn't be a Pokémon.
Pokémon aren't even real... Right?
I remember they're not real. They're a video game franchise — one I like a lot, but fictional all the same.
This is a dream. I know I love ghost-type Pokémon; it has to be a dream.
I flinched when I heard the laughter outside again, closer than before.
I pressed myself against the television's static screen from the shock of flinching back, and immediately had the strangest out-of-body experience I'd ever had.
Instantly, the flavor I'd barely noticed before multiplied, and I felt it fill my mouth.
It was… delicious.
Very, very delicious. What on earth was this?
I blinked, noticing my vision had shifted into something different. Could I see the room, but no longer so small?
It was strange. I saw it like I was looking through a television…
Was I inside the television? I felt myself looking around; it felt like being inside a warm room, or a bed.
I couldn't turn my view. I could only see through the screen, but I couldn't move the television's angle.
But I wasn't confined either. I could move… inside?
This… was very strange.
Not uncomfortable. Just strange. I'd never felt anything like it; I don't think I could have dreamed up something like this.
Was I really a Rotom?...
I felt something like swallowing the flavor filling my mouth, and relaxed. How could it be this delicious? And what was it?
I stayed like that until I heard the laugh again — like a child's — and watched in disbelief as a Gastly passed through the door, laughing. Not opening it, not breaking it — passing through it, as if it weren't there.
Gastly laughed until she looked around the room, and her smile faded as she searched for something that wasn't there.
I stayed still, frozen between disbelief and fear. Something instinctive told me this Pokémon was stronger than me.
Gastly circled the room once before opening her mouth and shouting:
"Meema! The egg's gone!"
I felt my blood run cold hearing that, understanding her words with perfect clarity.
Others didn't take long to arrive after the shout. Another Gastly, a Haunter, and a Gengar soon passed through the walls and floor to come in and search, bewildered, for the missing egg.
"That's odd, I checked on it not long ago," Haunter said, in a voice that sounded almost teenage, glaring reproachfully at the second Gastly who'd come in. "Did you move it for another prank?"
Gastly shook her head immediately (her whole body?).
"It wasn't me this time! I know Meema got really mad last time!" she said, in a young, girlish voice.
Gengar started laughing then, and the rest of the ghosts stopped arguing to look at her. I looked at her too, at a voice that reminded me of my mother.
"Are you going to come say hi?" Gengar asked, looking at the television screen — straight at me.
I stared at her in disbelief. Gengar had to be at least five times my size.
If I understood right, I'd just been born, and this was a fully evolved Pokémon.
When I didn't come out, Gengar frowned and huffed.
"Come on, come say hi to everyone, little one," she said, before reaching her hand into the television.
I screamed in panic for a second when her huge hand grabbed my incorporeal body inside the screen and pulled me out without much resistance.
"No! Let go of me!" I shouted, struggling against her grip.
The rest of the room watched, amused at my fear, until, unable to hold it back any longer, my eyes filled with tears. The giggling stopped when Gengar looked at me in surprise and gently held me up in front of her.
"Shh, come on, don't cry. Meema's here," she said, pulling me into a soft embrace, and the same feeling of safety I'd felt before waking up wrapped around me again.
It took a while before I calmed down — long enough that the Gastlies and the Haunter left the room, leaving me alone with Gengar, who kept holding me gently.
"Feeling better?" she asked, once I'd stopped crying.
"Y-yeah," I said timidly, when she pulled me back from her chest without fully letting go.
"Wow, you've got some unique eyes, little Rotom," she said, smiling, while I looked at her, still a bit dazed from all the emotions I'd gone through in the last hour.
"Me…? My eyes?" I asked, unsure, and Gengar nodded calmly.
"Yes. I can see my reflection in them. The Rotom who left you here didn't have eyes as clear as yours," she smiled, stroking my head.
"The Rotom who left me here?" I couldn't help but ask, feeling calmer now, noticing Gengar wasn't going to hurt me.
"Yes. But I can tell you're very confused. Tell me — do you have other memories?"
I startled at how sharp her observation was, and stared at her, wide-eyed. She laughed.
"So you do. Tell me, how much do you remember?"
I stayed quiet for a while before speaking.
"I… was I human?"
At that, Gengar looked at me in surprise.
"Human? Wow. You must have had a very strong aura, then," she said, finally letting me go. I nearly fell, before floating again. It was strange — floating felt natural.
"I don't really remember anything specific," I murmured, calmer now. "Just… general things. And that I shouldn't be a Rotom."
Gengar nodded and sat down on the floor, gesturing for me to come closer.
"Well. It's good that your Meema's here to explain things, isn't it?" she smiled kindly, as I moved closer and settled onto the floor beside her.
"You died."
I startled at her bluntness, staring at her in shock. She shrugged.
"There's no sugarcoating that and still moving forward. Sometimes a ghost-type Pokémon keeps certain memories if its soul is old. You're one of those cases — you remember being human, but not who you were. You died, and now you've been reborn as a Rotom. You must've had a fairly strong aura in life; normally, the soul's cycle stays within the same species," she explained, quite calmly.
I stared at her for a while before nodding slowly.
"I died," I said, tasting those bitter words, and Gengar stroked my head while I processed the information.
We stayed quiet for a while before she spoke again.
"It's better to process it from the start. Some ghosts don't accept it, and over time, they go mad. I know I was probably fire-type before, but I don't know what Pokémon I was. Doesn't really matter to me, either," she said, laughing softly.
I stayed quiet a while longer before looking at her again.
"How…? I understand I died, even if I haven't fully processed it yet. But… why am I a Rotom?"
Gengar looked at me for a moment, then brought a hand to her chin, thoughtful, and looked up at the ceiling before answering.
"Usually, the aura decides for you. You might have had an electric aura, or died because of something related to that. You must've had a strong aura to be reborn as a Pokémon at all, considering how small a human's usually is compared to ours — even more so if you managed to keep memories. Like I said, I only know I was fire-type from my affinity for that type of attacks."
I stared at her in silence for a moment before nodding. *(Something related to electricity, then. Pokémon didn't exist before,)* I thought to myself.
"Why did you take care of me?" I finally asked. "If I understand right, whoever laid me was abandoned here. Why did you take care of me? Why are you helping me now?"
Gengar smiled sweetly and let out a small laugh.
"Does it have to be for a specific reason? Sure, others would've left you to fend for yourself, but I've had my own eggs before, and I like to think I'm a good Meema."
"Meema?" I asked, having heard that word several times now.
She looked at me with mild surprise, before understanding.
"Oh, right. Human memories, human thinking — you probably ignore your instincts a lot," she said, thoughtful. "Meema is the Pokémon term for 'parent.' As a human, I think you'd say mom or dad."
She nodded to herself, as if congratulating herself for that explanation.
I nodded, understanding.
"So I'm a Pokémon now," I said with unease, staring down at my now-plasma arms.
Gengar looked at me with a bit of pity and understanding.
"A lot of ghosts are like that. It's kind of 50/50 whether your soul, at birth, is new or old. I don't fully understand it myself — it's passed-down knowledge, not instinct," she explained, looking out the window.
I looked at her with curiosity.
"From what I remember, Gengar are predator Pokémon. They lurk in shadows and curse whoever they chase," I said, unsure.
Gengar snorted at that and burst out laughing.
"Not all of us are like that. Sure, I like lurking in the shadows, but I do that to humans — don't get us confused. Maybe you used to be human, but now you're my kid."
I looked at her with some surprise, still not entirely sure about my situation.
"Are you sure this isn't a dream…?" I said uncertainly.
Gengar immediately gave me a small bonk on the head that made me fall to the floor. It hurt a little, but didn't actually harm me.
"Dreams don't hurt, do they?" she said, looking at me reproachfully. "Get that thought out of your head right now. You'll only drive yourself mad clinging to false hope," she added, with a bit of pity.
I lowered my gaze while rubbing where she'd hit me.
"Can't I do anything…?" my voice trembled as I spoke, reluctant to let it go.
Gengar looked at me in silence for a while before speaking again.
"It sucks," he said bluntly. "Dying and knowing you had a past life is devastating. Holding onto those memories can make it even more painful; that’s why most people don’t remember a thing. You’ve had the good—and bad—luck of retaining some knowledge. The upside: you aren’t a newborn, and you have a better chance of surviving than the others. The downside: you’ll cling to your memories for a long time. It’s going to hurt, and there’s nothing you can do about it but keep moving forward."
I looked at her in silence for a while, processing everything she'd said and weighing her words. *(Remembering something really was an advantage, especially if what I remember from the Pokémon games is actually real here.)*
"But it hurts," I said finally, after a long while.
Gengar sighed and stroked me again.
"It'll hurt for a while. You're grieving right now, but you can't hold onto that," she said firmly, before scooping me up like a stuffed animal, standing up herself, and heading for the door.
"Huh?" I said in surprise at the sudden change in position, and startled even more when she started floating quickly toward the door with no intention of opening it. "Wait! We're going to crash!"
Gengar let out a laugh and kept going until we passed through the door as if it wasn't there.
"You've got a lot to learn!" she said between laughs, after setting me down in the hallway of the house we were in.
I stayed in her arms, trembling from the shock of the sudden action, before letting out a nervous giggle.
"We really are ghosts, huh," I said, still processing that I'd just passed through a wall like it wasn't there.
---
Turns out being a ghost is actually pretty fun once you get used to it. A few weeks have passed now, and after several existential crises — during which Gengar was there helping me through — I've adjusted to this body, with some difficulty.
It took time, but moving isn't hard for me anymore. It still feels strange sometimes, but floating — or levitating, really — is pretty instinctive and natural for me. Gengar told me it's the same for her; it comes down to the Levitate ability.
I haven't told her that I remember being from another world. She'd probably knock the idea of clinging to my old identity right out of me again — that's definitely the hardest part of my situation right now.
I don't think I'll ever forget that I used to be a human girl, but Gengar's actions have made sure I don't cling to it — just remember it as something that's part of me.
I've figured out a few things during this time. For starters — that thing I tasted inside the TV? It's electricity, and I can eat it. Turns out the television's only tasted so good because it was the first thing I ever ate; afterward I tried a (weak) electric attack, and even though it tastes different, it's much tastier, and I liked it.
I also figured out how to use my attacks. Turns out sensing your own aura is pretty instinctive, like levitating, but a lot more conscious than an ability.
"Found you!" I shouted in surprise at the ghost that suddenly appeared in front of me and startled me. She laughed before turning and passing through the kitchen wall, right where I'd been hiding a second ago.
"Hey!" I shouted, before passing through the kitchen cabinet I'd been hiding in and chasing after the Gastly who'd become something like a sister to me by now.
Gastly laughed as she fled through the old mansion that had quickly become my home over the last four weeks. We came out into the dining room, where I charged up my energy and shot a Thunder shock at her that startled her just long enough for me to lunge at her in bolt form.
Gastly let out an indignant shriek before yelling at me when, after tackling her with an Astonish, I spun around and vanished through the wall toward the mansion's hall, where I saw Haunter and headed straight for him.
Haunter saw me and immediately turned to put distance between us, trying not to get caught in the crossfire.
Gastly didn't take long to phase through the wall behind me, tongue out, clearly winding up a lick aimed at me. Since she was right behind Haunter, she ended up licking him instead, while I crossed the room and went up to the second floor to duck quickly into one of the bedrooms, listening to them start arguing and then fighting behind me.
Laughing, I reached the second room on the left, where the old television was, and where I could disappear for a few hours without being found.
I got cocky.
When I phased through the wall into my room, I expected a clear path straight to the TV. Instead, Gengar was standing right there, and I crashed into her without so much as fazing her — I bounced off and, before I knew it, slammed into the wall I'd just passed through without any resistance.
"Ugh," I groaned after hitting the wall, and heard Gengar laughing at me.
"Gengar!" I whined after a moment.
Gengar finally stopped laughing at me after a while.
"I was looking for you anyway, little one," she said between giggles, just as Haunter and Gastly phased into the room behind me, ready to pounce.
I shrieked and, turning into a bolt, flew behind Gengar, who snorted but shielded me anyway.
"Leave your brother alone," she said, sounding amused, clearly well aware I'd done something to deserve it anyway.
"He started it!" Haunter shouted, while Gastly huffed and looked away.
"Leave him be, I needed him for something today anyway," she said with a big grin, while Gastly and Haunter reluctantly agreed before turning and leaving, still bickering with each other.
"Well?" Gengar asked, once the ghost duo had left the room.
"In my defense, Gastly wanted to play hide-and-seek," I said immediately, which made Gengar snort and scoop me up gently before carrying me out of the room.
"Where are we going?" I asked, once Gengar had carried me down to the hall.
"Outside," she answered, and I looked at her in surprise.
"Wasn't I not allowed to go outside?" I asked, unsure about going into the forest.
After all this time, I'd finally figured out I was in the Old Chateau, inside Eterna Forest, in Sinnoh.
"You weren't. Before your first moons are up, it's not safe for a hatchling to go fight, not without risking permanent injury. Or, well — thirty human days, if that term's more comfortable for you."
I nodded in response.
"Does that mean I'm going to fight? I thought I was already doing that with the Gastlys."
Gengar snorted.
"Your siblings have been careful to go easy on you with their moves. A wild Pokémon won't show you that kind of consideration," she explained, as we passed through the wall toward the exit, and I saw the forest in person for the first time, instead of through the mansion's windows.
The birds and bugs singing were what I noticed most, along with the wind moving through the trees and, in general, the noise of the forest — inside the mansion, you could barely hear any of it.
I stared in wonder at the trees' foliage at night. I knew it was all dark, but I could see it clearly. Gengar said it came down to our nature as ghosts, being able to see in the dark; several bug, dark, and flying types share the same ability, and Pokémon used to living in dark places, like caves, must have it too.
I watched several Pokémon flee the moment they saw Gengar as we moved through the forest. I stared in wonder at the Wurmple, Hoothoot, Kricketot, and Budew that fled at the sight of us; I saw a pair of Dustox fly up to the treetops and watch us warily, though without fleeing entirely like the smaller Pokémon.
I saw a pair of Buneary step out of our path, a Murkrow that stayed put, guarding its Oran Berry tree, and even a Slakoth sleeping in a tree, not bothered at all by our presence.
The night felt peaceful. The temperature didn't bother me, though I noticed it was quite cold.
I'd almost forgotten why we'd gone out when Gengar stopped in front of a tree and struck it without hesitation with a Shadow Punch that shook it, sending several green Pokémon falling out of it. The forest's sounds paused for a moment at the crash, and I watched as at least six Pineco hit the forest floor and glared at us, visibly annoyed.
I stared with fear at the swarm of annoyed bug Pokémon watching us and pressed myself against Gengar, who laughed and threw me toward them.
"WHAT?!" I exclaimed in alarm as she tossed me right into a swarm of bugs (immobile, but annoyed) that immediately attacked me with Tackles.
Gengar laughed as I, in a panic, levitated quickly to dodge attacks coming at me from every direction. Each of them was at least twice my size, and they collided with each other trying to tackle me.
I dodged at least ten attacks before I was too slow to dodge one Tackle. I closed my eyes, bracing for the pain, and got confused when it never came. When I opened my eyes, I saw another Pineco trying to tackle me and passing straight through instead.
Gengar let out a deep laugh when she saw how confused I was, until I realized what was happening.
I was ghost-type. Tackle is a normal-type move.
I watched, amazed, as the Pineco grew more and more frustrated trying to hit me and getting nowhere. I quickly lost the fear I'd felt a second ago and retaliated with Astonish and Thunder against the Pineco, who couldn't do a thing about it.
I was surprised when some of them used Protect, but the moment their shields dropped, I attacked again. I started smiling when the second one went down, and by the time the third one fell, I was laughing out loud from the thrill of the one-sided battle.
Until the fourth Pineco — the one I was about to finish off — started glowing, and my eyes went wide as I realized what was happening.
After all, I remember perfectly well that some Pokémon learn Self-Destruct and Explosion, thanks to my shiny-hunting habit
I closed my eyes in terror for a second as the world went white.
I blinked, noticing the lack of pain again, and saw that the forest floor was scorched and the remaining Pineco were all knocked out.
After processing it for a moment, I reacted and huffed at my own fear — Self-Destruct is a normal-type move.
Gengar confirmed it, laughing at my fear from a distance, until another Pokémon dropped from the tree — one almost as big as Gengar, silver with red, and a Pokémon that clearly knew more than just normal-type moves.
I watched in fear as Forretress fixed its gaze on me and charged up an attack that, thanks to Haunter, I knew was dark-type.
I froze and tried to flee as Forretress lunged at me. I could feel that this attack, unlike the ones I'd felt from Gastly and Haunter, was definitely meant to hurt me badly.
I couldn't help but scream in fear when I felt it bearing down on me, right before I closed my eyes, bracing for the fatal blow.
It never came. I heard the sound of Gengar exerting herself slightly, and opened my eyes to see her stop Forretress cold and charge up her Fire Punch before striking it down in one super-effective hit.
I stared at her in awe as Gengar huffed and turned to check on me carefully, before noticing I was unharmed and smiling again.
"How was that?" she said cheerfully, as if she hadn't been in any danger at all. Maybe, for her, it really never had been.
It took me a moment to react before nodding and letting out a nervous giggle.
"That… was terrifying," I said honestly.
Gengar laughed at that and scooped me up in her claws before heading back toward the mansion.
"But it was fun, wasn't it?"
I looked at her with a bit of wonder before nodding shyly.
"I thought it was going to hurt, but then they just went right through me."
Gengar nodded.
"You shouldn't be afraid of normal-type. Very few have the ability to hit you with normal or fighting-type moves; dodging them is usually a waste of energy. That's exactly why humans without a developed aura can't touch you if you don't want them to, as a ghost," she explained matter-of-factly, as we headed back toward the mansion. "You're old enough now to fight outside the mansion and go exploring. I'll just ask you to be careful, the same way I've asked plenty of other ghosts who've left my care before."
I stayed quiet for a long while, and spoke again as we approached the mansion.
"So I can leave, if I want to?" I asked, and Gengar nodded solemnly.
"I know what it's like, living with humans. I had a trainer myself, long ago, and you, with your partial memories, probably want to live something like that again, don't you?" We passed through the mansion wall as she spoke. "Though if you'd rather stay here, that's fine too — though your siblings won't go easy on you anymore. They won't hesitate to knock you down if you mess with them like you have been."
I looked at her thoughtfully before nodding, settling on a decision I'd apparently already been planning without realizing it.
"I'd like to see the region we live in," I said, careful not to say "world" — "but I don't want to leave you all yet… can I go, and come back?" I asked uncertainly, before Gengar let out a small laugh.
"Of course you can. You can always come home," she said, in a voice far softer than you'd expect from a Pokémon known for lurking in the shadows and cursing people before all that.
I laughed and hugged her tightly, before flying into the mansion to find the Gastlies and Haunter and tell them the news.
Gengar watched Rotom fly off swiftly to find her siblings and share the news, before shaking her head and smiling softly at the sight of another one leaving the nest.