Chapter 1

"We barely ever hang out, you gotta come get a drink with us!"

A man is sitting on his couch on a phone call with his friend. His friends and family think he has a slow and boring life but the man is content with it.

"I totally would but I'm super busy tonight."

"We both know you're just gonna stay home and play that new Pokemon game that came out," The man's friend accuses with a sigh.

"I'm super swamped with work, my manager needs this report done on the updated security practices by tomorrow morning," The man on the couch says clearly lying while playing on his switch.

For the man, pokemon has always been a stable comfort in his life. At the age of 24, he's been playing since the game launched when he was a kid. 

"Whatever man, see you later," his friend replies while hanging up the phone. The man continued playing the Pokemon game on his Switch, completely engrossed in the virtual world. The colorful creatures and captivating battles provided a much-needed escape from the monotony of his everyday life. As he delved deeper into the game, time seemed to slip away, and he lost track of the world around him.

Suddenly, a strange smell filled the air, and a faint sizzling sound reached his ears. Startled, the man looked down at his hands, only to find smoke rising from his beloved console. Panic surged through his veins as he realized that his Switch had caught fire.

In a reflexive action, he dropped the burning device onto the carpet, desperately trying to extinguish the flames. The fire quickly spread, engulfing the couch in a menacing blaze. Thick smoke billowed throughout the room, obscuring his vision and making it difficult to breathe.

The man rushes to the door, planning to get the fire extinguisher from his kitchen to put out the flames. Trying the handle, the man finds it jammed. Cursing his cheap landlord for never getting around to fixing it, the man continues to try to force it open in vain as the flames engulf him. 

The man writhes on the floor in pain as the flames engulf him. In his last moments in this world, the man thinks back on his life. 

Although many would look at his life and be disappointed with themselves, the man really doesn't have any major regrets, merely wishing he could have accomplished something more.

The man's vision goes black as he exits the world.

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The pain suddenly vanishes as life returns to the man leaving him crying from the pain. 

He finds himself being held by a giant man with a bewildered expression on his face, as if the man doesn't know what he's supposed to do.

He hears a woman's voice say "Here, give him to me."

The woman wraps him in her arms and holds him lovingly, causing him to feel a strange calming sensation.

Finally calmed down, he hears the woman say "Welcome to the family Zane"

The man believed he understood what was happening, until another woman entered the room, accompanied by a large pink and white creature. "Blissey and I are here for a quick check-up," she announced.

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It had been approximately a week since Zane arrived in this new world, although he found it difficult to keep track of time due to frequent naps

Arriving home from the hospital, Zane takes note of his new home. Although the 2 story home isn't a mansion by any means, it's large enough that Zane can deduce that his new family is fairly well off.

His day-to-day life is rather slow, spending most of his time at home being held by his mother while his father is at work.

Zane isn't really sure what to think of his new family. Although his mother clearly loves him very much, it feels awkward to be treated like a baby despite having the consciousness of a 24-year-old. 

Zane is even more unsure of his father. It's clear the man has no idea what he's supposed to do with a child. When he's not at work and gives Mom a break from watching me, it's mostly spent with him watching TV.

That's not necessarily a bad thing for Zane however. From listening to the news, he has figured out that he probably lives in the Hoenn region, likely somewhere in Rustboro City.

Zane hasn't really seen anyone besides his new parents since they have gotten back from the hospital. The closest he got was overhearing his Mom on a phone call with a relative, likely her brother.

"When are you going to come by and see Zane? It's been so long since I've seen you," his mother pleaded.

Unable to hear the other half of the call, Zane just hears a muffled voice instead.

Zane strained to hear the other half of the conversation, catching only fragments. "I know you're busy with work, but I miss you. Since Mom and Dad passed away, we don't even see each other on holidays."

That brief snippet of a phone call provided the most stimulation Zane had experienced in his first week.

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A few more similarly slow weeks have passed, but today Zane is excited.

He overheard from his father as he was getting ready for work that Mom would be taking him to the market today.

Besides just getting something to do, Zane is especially excited because he will likely get to see Pokemon.

Since seeing Blissey at the hospital, the only Pokemon Zane has seen is his father's Elekid. He doesn't even get to see it most of the day since it goes with his father to work.

Leaving the house, Zane was taken aback by the stark contrast between Rustboro City and the world depicted in the games. Instead of the few buildings he had expected, he found himself in a sprawling metropolis teeming with people and Pokemon.

His awed expression elicited a chuckle from his mother. "If you think this is impressive, wait until you see the market," she teased.

As they made their way through the city, Zane absorbed the sights and sounds of this foreign place. Pokemon and humans coexisted harmoniously, with people riding on Tauros and Rapidash alongside cars. Pokemon assisted their owners in carrying bags and groceries, a common sight on the bustling sidewalks.

Arriving at the market, Zane is met with a quaint sight that feels out of place in the bustling, modern city. Multiple rows of booths sprawl out through the market, colorfully decorated and each with their unique goods. 

Selling everything from evolution stones to celery, Zane is impressed by the wide selection the market provides. 

His mother keeps her groceries basic, picking up an array of meat, veggies, and assorted berries in order to make dinner.

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Now 3 years old, Zane looks back at the events of his new life.

Since deciding to say his first word at what Zane estimated to be about 6 months old, his life has gotten a lot easier.

Being able to actually communicate, even with heavy limitations, makes someone a lot happier.

From what Zane can remember, most children don't say their first words until around 1 year old, so Zane's parents should assume he's some sort of prodigy. 

As a one-year-old, Zane began to string multiple words together to form rudimentary sentences. It was at this point that his parents really began to realize how smart he was.

His parents were even more shocked when he started talking fluently at two, but they quickly took it in stride.

"How much longer until we are supposed to land?" Zane asked, seated on an airplane on the way to visit his Mother's brother in Sinnoh.

Despite their close relation, Zane has never met his uncle in his entire life. The only thing Zane knows about his uncle is that he is always engrossed in some important work.

Accustomed to his advanced speaking abilities for his age, Zane's mother responds effortlessly, "About 20 more minutes."

Zane occupies himself by gazing out the window, doing his best to pass the time until the plane finally lands.

Once they retrieve their luggage, they exit the terminal and are greeted by Zane's uncle. Standing before them is a man with white hair and a stern expression, whom Zane immediately recognizes.

"Your brother is Professor Rowan?!" he asks in disbelief.

"I'm shocked someone your age knows who I am" The professor states, intrigued.

Thinking on his feet, Zane quickly replies, "I saw you give an interview on TV."

Although Zane has let it become known he's not a normal kid, he still hasn't let his parents know the scope of his knowledge.

"Zane aspires to become a researcher when he grows up," his mother explains. This elicits a chuckle from Rowan, assuming it is just a typical childhood ambition.

Zane's mother isn't wrong, however. As cool as battling Pokemon may be to the man stuck in a child's body, he feels as if people just take for granted how they work. Zane wants to explore the mysteries of how they function.

In all this conversation, Zane's father stands silently to the side, his mind certainly elsewhere. 

Rowan gives them a ride back to his lab/home so the adults can catch up.

While the adults sit at a table, engaging in a discussion about their recent activities, Zane seizes the opportunity to explore the lab.

Despite the room being adorned with white tiles and walls, there is a significant amount of clutter scattered around. Expensive-looking machines of unknown purpose are pushed against the wall. As he turns a corner, Zane encounters a peculiar creature, pink and blue in color, standing at his height.

Having never had the chance to learn very much about the Porygon species, Zane decides to take advantage of this opportunity and interact with it. 

"Hi there, my name is Zane," The boy states. 

The digital Pokemon continues to float in place, cocking its head slightly in confusion.

Drawing on his limited knowledge, Zane continued, "I've heard Porygon are incredibly intelligent. Is that true?"

The Porygon remained still, observing him silently.

Disappointed by the lack of response, Zane moved on to explore the rest of the lab. To his surprise, Porygon continued to follow him, never straying far.

Although it didn't interact or communicate in any conventional way, Porygon's presence intrigued Zane. It seemed to be observing and studying him, and he couldn't help but wonder why.

As the adults found him, they chided Zane for wandering off and potentially damaging expensive equipment. But before they could scold him further, Zane's mother suggested they go to the nearby hotel to check-in.

As they began to walk, Porygon trailed behind them once again. Zane seized the opportunity, feigning innocence as he asked, "Can we keep him?"

His father frowned, stating, "He's not a wild Pokemon. He belongs to Rowan."

But before Zane's parents could reject the idea, Rowan's voice rang out from behind them. "Let the boy keep it. Most of my research is on paper anyway, and I don't get much use out of it."

Not wanting his parents to be able to reject, Zane quickly runs up and hugs Rowan saying "Thank you so much, uncle!"

His parents sign in resignation, before going to the nearby pokemart to buy a ball for Zane's new companion.

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School bores Zane. 

Now 5 years old, Zane is required by law to start going to school. Although it was nice to be able to tell his parents that he "learned" to read, he finds the tedium boring.

The only highlight is the new knowledge he gets to learn about Pokemon. Once a week, a child is selected to bring in their family Pokemon, and the child has to give a presentation about it. After that, the teacher goes into further detail about the species.

Although the information is limited since it's aimed at kids, Zane appreciates learning about how different Pokemon act in reality rather than in a game.

This week, it's Zane's turn.

Releasing his Porygon, uncreatively nicknamed Pory, Zane begins to go into detail about his loyal partner.

"Porygon is known as the digital Pokemon! Capable of going inside and manipulating computers, his species is vital to researchers and programmers all over the world! Porygon doesn't need to eat anything, since he's made entirely of code, however, occasionally I'll have to use the computer to remove some junk data from its storage."

That's one advantage of having Pory - Zane's parents let him use the computer, trusting the Pokemon to keep him out of trouble.

One of the first things Zane did with access to a computer was relearn how to program. Although a Cyber Security Engineer in his previous life, Zane had learned how to program by association.

Unsurprisingly, the programming languages of this world have differed in development, making Zane have to relearn from scratch.

Zane decided to teach Pory as well. Although Porygon are naturally able to interact with code to some extent, they code in low-level languages with binary in a bizarre and esoteric fashion. 

Although it took a few months, he was able to teach Pory the most popular programming language right now, Kobra.

Programming wasn't the only new skill Zane was able to learn at this time, however.

After learning his dad was an electrical engineer at Devon, he practically begged his father to teach him circuitry. 

This was something completely new to Zane, as he had never learned the skill in his previous life.

The speed at which he learned the skill shocked both Zane and his father.

'I wonder if I still have the learning ability of a child despite my mental age,' Zane thinks to himself.

One nice thing about learning circuitry was it gave his father a chance to bond with him. Zane's father wasn't really a social type, so he didn't even know where to begin bonding with a kid before this.

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Now seven years old, Zane has become even more engrossed by the world of Pokemon and scientific research. These past two years have given ample time for the boy to delve into advanced research topics on his computer.

During this time, he has grown much closer to Pory, with the Pokemon becoming a loyal companion. 

One day, while sitting at the kitchen table, Zane musters up the courage to ask his parents a question that has been weighing on his mind for quite some time.

"Mom, Dad, I've been thinking… you know how I want to become a Pokemon professor when I get older…" I begin.

His parents nod their heads in reply.

"Would you guys be willing to let me study under Uncle Rowan?"

His parents exchange glances, clearly taken aback by Zane's request. They had always known their son was intelligent, but this wasn't a small thing he was asking.

Zane's mother speaks first, her voice filled with concern. "Zane, you're still so young. Shouldn't you stay in school longer?"

"We both know I'm already years ahead of the curriculum, school is just a waste of time at this point," Zane points out.

His mother frowns at this, not able to disagree with the logic.

His father speaks up, "Even if this was a good idea, would Professor Rowan even agree to this request."

Zane pauses at his words. Although he may be related to Rowan, the stern man shows him little favor.

His mother, seeing that her son is serious about this, says, "If you're sure this is what you want, I think I should be able to convince him."

After some more discussion, his mother calls Rowan, in a phone call Zane can only hear half of.

…

"You won't have to babysit, Zane is really mature for his age. Plus the Porygon you gave him will be there to watch him."

"You know how smart he is, he'll keep up fine"

"You still owe me for Christmas of '83"

A smile creeps upon her face as the man agrees.

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Now in Sinnoh, Zane quickly adjusts to his new situation.

Frustratingly, Rowan still underestimates him, mostly using Zane to run errands around town for him. The most advanced thing he has Zane do is data entry into spreadsheets.

Unsatisfied by this Zane decides he simply has to do his own research. He chose a topic that has fascinated him since he was able to research the phenomenon of this world - Type Energy(TE).

TE is the energy that Pokemon utilize to use attacks. However, very little is known about it. The most researchers have been able to do is to measure the presence of it. How that energy turns into attacks is unknown.

Before he does any research, however, he needs some funds.

Posing as a college grad online, he offers his services as a web developer. Zane and Pory quickly make ample funds for research by churning out websites.

Zane first decides to confirm what is already known, recreating a device to detect the level of type energy in a specific location.

He is able to find the majority of the components he needs at a local electronics store; however, he still lacks a crucial component - the part that reacts with TE.

Researchers were able to create a specialized organic compound that emits different electrical signals when it reacts with TE. This is a very costly solution.

Without a better idea, Zane is forced to purchase it online.

With the skills learned from his father, he is able to successfully assemble a working device.

Rowan, taking notice of this, seems impressed but doesn't say anything.

Testing the device, Zane measures various attacks from Porygon and notes the results of the strength of their Type Energy.

This is the furthest that researchers have been able to go so far, however, Zane feels like he can still go further.

Biting the bullet, Zane places an order for the materials to make 3 more of the devices.

Over the next several weeks, Zane assembles the additional devices in his free time running errands for Rowan.

Zane's idea is simple: place the 4 devices in a pyramid around the Pokemon. Then, using triangulation, turn that data into a 3d representation of how the TE flows when using a move.

Although Zane was able to measure the data, he found himself with a new issue: the computers in this world suck.

They struggle to do much more than render a webpage or open a spreadsheet. Expecting them to process and render data from 4 high-fidelity sources would take several weeks for each render.

Since Zane wasn't a computer engineer in his last life, he simply lacks any knowledge of how to improve the computers here.

Fortunately, Zane has a Pokemon that essentially works as a high-speed sentient computer as a pal.

After 6 months of hard work, Zane is finally able to get a 3d rendering of what the TE of a move looks like while being used.

When Zane presents his findings to Rowan, the stern professor is taken aback by the depth of the child's research. He studies the 3D rendering of the Type Energy flow, his eyes widening in genuine surprise.

"This is remarkable, Zane," Rowan says, his voice tinged with a hint of excitement. "You've managed to capture something that no one else has been able to. But now, the question is, what can we do with this knowledge?"

Zane ponders this question for a while, before coming up with an idea, "I wonder if it would be possible to train a Pokemon to modify the flow of TE to replicate a move without the prior knowledge of it."

After some back and forth between the pair, Rowan offers to help acquire a Smeargle to help test the hypothesis.

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Over the next few months, Zane works hard training his new Smeargle, nicknamed Arty, to manipulate type energy manually.

During this time, Zane also worked to record dozens of moves' patterns, which he dubbed the Energy Signature.

By analyzing these signatures, Zane was able to understand how various moves function. Take tackle for instance. Tackle is one of the simplest moves, and works by spreading normal type energy evenly throughout the body.

This is in opposition to a more complex move like flamethrower. Flamethrower works by creating a spiraling motion with fire TE inside the body. This creates a vortex-like effect, drawing in more energy. The user then condenses into a ball, before rapidly unleashing it through its mouth.

To test the practical application of these findings, they were even able to teach a Starly quick attack without telling it what move it was learning.

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Zane, now 10 years old, has made significant progress in his research on Type Energy manipulation. With the guidance and support of Professor Rowan, he has been able to refine his findings and develop a more formal research paper.

The paper focuses on the practical applications of Type Energy manipulation and its potential impact on battle strategies and Pokemon training. Zane spends countless hours pouring over data, conducting experiments, and analyzing the results.

Finally feeling like he was ready to publish his findings, Zane approached Rowan for advice on the subject.

"Well to put it simply, you can't," Rowan began, "Only certified professors can have their research recognized, so you can either wait until you go through university, or I can publish it under my name and credit you as a contributor."

Zane's frustration builds as he contemplates his options. He wants recognition for his hard work and doesn't want to wait until he goes through university. He decides to approach Rowan once again, hoping for an alternative solution.

"Is there really no other way, Professor?" Zane asks, a hint of desperation in his voice.

Rowan chuckles, clearly amused by Zane's determination. "Well, there is one other way," he says, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You could always follow in Professor Oak's footsteps and win the yearly league tournament."

"It's simple then, I just have to become this year's champion," Zane resolves.

Rowan, who wasn't serious about his suggestion, started, "I cannot stress how bad of an idea that is. Not only would you be at the minimum age competing against people as old as 18, but you would also be facing people who have studied their whole lives to become a trainer. I admit that you have great talent as a researcher, but have you ever even looked into the basics of battling?"

"But I can get one thing they don't have - your sponsorship," Zane arrogantly stated.

"No," Rowan said plainly, "I only give my sponsorship to the most talented trainer, you are not one of those. If you want to pursue this crazy scheme, it will be without my support."

Frustrated, Zane storms off to begin his impromptu journey.