Jaylen was a kid with a sad life; he did his best to make it interesting and tried his best to be happy.
He was not an orphan, but his parents had divorced when he was young, and soon after, his mum—exhausted and overwhelmed—sent him to live with his grandma. She said it would be better for him there. Maybe she was right. Maybe not. Either way, he didn't have much say in the matter.
At school, he kept his head down. People knew his name, but they didn't know him. Because of his home situation, Jaylen had no real friends. He kept to himself, didn't talk much, and never even bothered trying out for sports or clubs—not until recently. He'd always been one of those kids who sat in the back of the classroom, quiet but observant. Smart, too. He saw things others didn't—little things, patterns, the way things worked. The chaos of his life didn't make much sense, but machines did.
So, a few weeks ago, he joined the Engineering Club. It was one of the few places where he felt like he belonged. Building things gave him control. Rules were clear. Results were tangible. You followed instructions, and something came to life. There was comfort in that.
But what really kept him sane, what made the silence in his room feel less suffocating, was anime.
He binged it like oxygen, diving into worlds where the lonely weren't always alone and where the underdog could still win. There was one anime he kept coming back to—one that meant more to him than he liked to admit.
If you asked Jaylen what his favorite anime was, he'd hesitate before answering. He knew it wasn't the coolest pick. It wasn't edgy or dark. But to him, it mattered.
Pokémon.
Not for the battles. Not even for the powers.
It was the world.
A place where effort mattered.
Where bonds were real.
Where even the overlooked could become important.
In that world, someone like him could do more than just exist.
That night, Jaylen never made it home.
The first thing he felt when he opened his eyes was cold stone beneath his back.
His head throbbed, and a dull ache bloomed behind his eyes. He groaned, slowly sitting up. The hoodie he wore clung to his skin, speckled with bits of gravel and damp earth. The air… it smelled clean. Too clean. Like rain on rocks, like ocean spray. There was a kind of sharpness to it that was completely unlike the stale, dusty air of his grandma's house.
"…What?" he muttered.
This wasn't his bed.
This wasn't his neighborhood.
This wasn't even his world.
He turned slowly, eyes adjusting to the dim light. Towering gray stone walls loomed around him, jagged and raw, as if the cave had been torn open by nature itself. There was no sign of buildings, streets, or anything remotely familiar. A faint light glowed from somewhere behind him, and in the distance, he heard the rhythmic crash of waves.
Jaylen pushed himself up, his palms scraping against sharp rocks. Gravel crunched beneath his boots as he staggered toward the light.
His heart was racing now.
'Am I dreaming?'
The air was too cold. His fingers stung from the impact. The scent of saltwater clung to everything. It all felt… real. Too real.
Then he saw it.
A wooden sign, old and slightly weather-worn, stood just beyond the cave's mouth.
The letters carved into it were unmistakable.
GRANITE CAVE
Jaylen stopped cold.
His blood felt like ice in his veins.
"No way…" he whispered.
His brain immediately rebelled. It had to be fake. Some weird prank. A hallucination. Maybe he'd hit his head? But even as his mind screamed denial, his body had already accepted the truth. Deep down, he knew.
Granite Cave.
Hoenn.
His knees nearly buckled beneath him.
"This is… Pokémon," he said aloud, the word strange and heavy on his tongue, as if speaking it might shatter the illusion.
He laughed—quiet, breathless, borderline hysterical. The kind of laugh that came from a mix of awe and disbelief.
Of all the places he could end up.
Of all the universes.
It was this one?
He turned again, eyes scanning for proof—anything solid, something real to convince him he wasn't losing it.
Then he saw it.
Movement, just a few feet away.
A small metallic shape lay against the stone wall, curled up like a sleeping puppy. Its body was compact and armored, glinting faintly in the cave's pale light. Blue eyes were closed, its breath slow and rhythmic. A heavy head rested on a nearby rock, tiny steel claws tucked in close.
Jaylen's breath caught in his throat.
"…Aron."
The name escaped him before he could think.
The creature stirred slightly at the sound, a soft metallic clink as it shifted. It didn't wake fully, but it responded—just enough.
Jaylen crouched slowly, careful not to make any sudden moves. Up close, the Pokémon looked real. Not cartoonish. Not CGI. Real. Its steel plating was scratched and smudged with dust. There was even a faint warmth radiating from its body.
He reached out, hand trembling, stopping just inches from its head.
"This… this isn't a dream," he whispered.
The Aron's eyes blinked open.
Blue met brown.
They stared at each other for several long, still seconds. Jaylen didn't move. Didn't breathe.
The Aron tilted its head slightly, studying him. Not aggressive. Not fearful. Just curious.
Then it yawned.
A tiny, metallic yawn.
Jaylen let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and chuckled softly.
"Guess we're both confused, huh?"
The Aron inched closer and rested its heavy head against his leg, as if it had already decided he was safe.
Jaylen sat back on the cave floor, stunned.
He looked toward the entrance again. The sign. The faint wind carrying in the scent of sea spray and something more—something new.
His old life, the one filled with silence, shadows, and being overlooked, already felt a world away. Maybe it really was. For the first time in as long as he could remember, Jaylen didn't feel invisible.
He placed his hand gently on Aron's head.
"Looks like… this is my new life."
And somewhere inside Granite Cave,
a new journey quietly began.