Friends In The Multiverse

AN: Hey, this is a fun story I made. A nice fun ride if your into it.

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Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own content. Everything else is the property of the original owners.

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Chapter 1: Even the Afterlife has Insurance.

Jake and Kyle were the best of friends. Friends who would gladly push the other down a flight of stairs to get to the last sweet roll before the other.

Well, maybe not to that extent. Perhaps if it was a short flight of stairs. Ten…no, twelve stairs at the max.

In short, they were brothers in all but blood, kicking the other's ass in tetherball since second grade.

Jake was your typical outdoor fitness type. Kyle was the lazy gamer type.

Neither cared for sports nonsense, but they shared an equal passion, or addiction, with fanfiction. Anime, manga, light novels, web novels, fanfiction, you name it, they read it.

In the real world, Jake worked real estate, while Kyle went to further his education and worked a job on the side.

Overall, there really wasn't anything special about them. Just two best friends in their early twenties going about their lives.

Until those lives ended quite abruptly.

Have you ever read those weird fun facts on Snapple caps about how so and so many people die from random things each year?

Well, it's usually just a fun fact. Just a random thought in passing to have fun with. The fun stops when it becomes relevant to you. It's not funny anymore when you become one of those tiny percent of deaths each year.

Say, for example, death by an avalanche.

Do you know how many people a year die from an avalanche? One hundred and fifty. One hundred and fifty out of over seven billion a year.

The odds are ever so small, and yet it does, in fact, happen. Each and every year without fail. It's just a commonly accepted fact of life.

So when the two friends went snowboarding on a random sunny day in winter, only to get hit by an avalanche clear out of the fucking blue, neither really knew what to think.

There was no warning, no siren, no nothing.

Just some shaking, a large shadow, and then two pairs of wide eyes shitting themselves as a titanic cloud of snow crushed them like tin cans in a hurricane.

Which all led to now. Where two floating corporal ghosts stared off into the void with blank faces as a clearly stressed and overworked nondescript middle-aged insurance agent apologized while sitting behind a floating desk filled with clutter and a nametag labeling him as a simple 'Mr. Agent'.

"We are greatly sorry for the inconvenience."

"…"

"…"

"We will pay you back."

"…"

"…"

"Your future is going to be bright."

"…"

"…"

"Will you say something!"

The two floating ghosts turned to each other, still holding blank faces, and nodded slightly before turning back to the middle-aged worker.

"We want to be Isekai'd."

"And we want five wishes, each."

Mr. Agent shook his head. "That's not possible, I don't have that kind of clearance."

Kyle followed up. "Then what can you offer us?"

The man smiled brightly. "I can send you each to a random world with a single wish."

"…"

"…"

"…"

Two deadpan stares met the clearly straining and weakening smile of the insurance agent.

Jake immediately answered. "So you're telling us, that some brat who is the grandchild of your employer, who sent their brat out to 'have fun' in mortal worlds, and caused an avalanche because it seemed like fun, is not able to afford giving us more than a single wish?"

The man wilted a bit, but before he could respond, Kyle attacked. "A clearly multidimensional being, capable of treating worlds like nothing, and he can't spare more than a single wish?"

"A man whose grandchild could just blow some air as you said and cause an avalanche."

"An avalanche that killed two poor innocent souls."

"Young souls at that, who had a full lives ahead of them."

"Mr. Agent, think of the families that will weep."

"Mr. Agent, think of the friends and spouses that will fall apart."

"All this pain, and you can only give out a single wish?"

The insurance agent winced with each point. He knew it was a mistake to explain the whole situation to the two souls in front of him, but it was part of his job. He was quite literally enforced by cosmic law to tell them what and why it happened.

Which is why they each had their emotions slightly muted toward their deaths. Not entirely muted, as it's been proven that such methods lead to negative consequences.

And it was his job to tie up loose ends.

Multidimensional beings were truly overpowered, but when they grow strong enough, the Omniverse itself bounds laws to them. They can't just go around erasing worlds for fun; reality wouldn't accept such a thing.

Negative Karma can build up, and no matter who it is, the price will come.

But if they kept to their own corners and didn't go overboard, it was fine. You could even build up good Karma to offset things.

This is where the Mortal Resurrection Insurance Agency, in charge of getting mortals who died due to these multidimensional beings to agree to deals of equal trade to offset negative Karma, comes in.

As long as they got the mortals to accept the deal, it would write off the bad Karma and consider things settled.

And the grandchild of such a being results in the elder being at fault for allowing it to happen. Hence, the elder has to pay the price for the mortal's wishes.

The only problem is that it's expensive. And the clients hire the insurance agency to lowball as much as possible. And Mr. Agent had spent over thirty minutes explaining to the two souls all the things they could do with their new lives, even showing fancy pamphlets full of false promises and fantasies to lure mortals into rushing their deals. But the two didn't budge.

Jake and Kyle wouldn't take such a scam lying down. They could see the fine print. Mr. Agent wanted to cheat them, and these two fanfiction addicts were not going to stand for that. Figuratively, of course, they were floating.

So the famous guilt trip Karen trick it was.

The insurance agent, stressed and overworked from dealing with dozens of back-to-back cases of random powerful beings getting in trouble in the Multiverse, didn't have the willpower to handle the verbal assault with his caffeine-deprived mind.

He just barely managed to throw on his fake smile. "I… I can, probably, maybe, make it two wishes."

"Four!"

"You think we are some cheap whores!"

"You think our lives were worth so little?!"

"We died man! Died! To a kid playing with snow!"

"Do you know how bad of a rep that gives us?!"

"Someone walks up to us in the afterlife, asks us how we died, and we are supposed to fucking say we got killed by a kid playing with snow?!"

"Have some honor man!"

"Where is your dignity!"

The two friends didn't miss a beat, yelling at the poor worker, who wilted further and further. "T..three! Three wishes! I really can't go beyond that!"

Jake and Kyle quickly paused and met gazes for a moment. Another silent nod passed between them, and they turned back. "Three wishes and three perks for our worlds."

The insurance agent felt like coughing blood. "Are you trying to get me fired!? I have limits you little shits! One perk each!"

The man emphasized his breakdown by slamming his fist on the desk, spilling papers off the table he would later cry over.

Jake and Kyle didn't even hesitate to nod.

"Very well."

"One it is."

A loud gong rang through the void, sealing the deal.

Mr. Agent's exhausted mind, clouded by anger, stopped short at the sound as he realized what he had just said before his forehead slammed on the table. "Fuck."

The friends fist bumped behind their backs, in spirit.

"The deal has been struck."

"No takebacks."

"I…You…Gah! Fuck this! Fine. Whatever, I'm going to get railed for this later anyway. Just pick what you want and get out of here you damn vultures." The man was far too gone to care anymore and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

Jake and Kyle's masks finally cracked as they smirked. All's fair in love and war, and these two were not missing their once in a hundred lifetimes chance of milking this shit for all it was worth. With that said, though, they still had flaws.

The insurance agent handed them both paperwork to sign because, of course, the afterlife had paperwork that had to be filled out.

Just random nonsense questions, reasons for why they were skipping the reincarnation cycle, how many surgeries they had, etc.

It was only at the end that Kyle paused. "Wait, this says we are being given our world. I thought we get to choose it?"

The insurance agent waved his hand tiredly and blew out some smoke. "Yeah, well it wasn't part of our deal kid. The deals been struck and your stuck with what you got. Not that it was a bad deal." The man grumbled a bit at the end and scratched at his messy hair.

Jake raised his pen. "Can we use one of our wishes on it?"

The man shrugged. "You could but it would be a massive waste."

Jake and Kyle sagged over it but accepted it; they couldn't get everything. Jake's eyes widened at a line at the bottom. "Wo, wo, this page says that wishes are all basic tier. What the hell does that mean?"

The man took a drag and looked like he was contemplating if he could get away with shutting his eyes for a three-day power nap. "It means what it says. My client paid for the basic package, so you get basic wishes. None of that gamer nonsense or instant mastery crap. Congrats on realizing how shafted you got."

The man seemingly flipped his personality now that the job was done and no longer cared about trying to cheat the two young souls. Once the deal was made, the universe accepted it as is. Nothing could be changed about it.

Kyle raised a finger. "That seems incredibly unfair."

Mr. Agent scoffed. "Tell that to the other trillions of souls who don't get this deal. Be happy with what you got."

Kyle's finger dropped, then rose, then dropped, seemingly trying to find an argument and failing. Jake just sighed and signed the page.

The paperwork finished, the man pulled out a file from under the desk and read off it. "Alright, with the basic package, you get tier one worlds as destinations. Let's see, a few of them have already been used recently so those are off the table."

Jake's eye twitched. "How many people exactly did this kid kill?"

The man grunted in reply. "Don't ask. It wasn't a small number."

Kyle questioned that. "Are we going to run into these people?"

The man waved a hand and read through the file. "No, there are millions of variations of each world. These worlds or universes form their own bubbles, so to speak. There is an uncountable number of bubbles inside each Multiverse. It's just that below a certain power level, you can only send so many foreign souls to these bubbles every millennium without the universe violently reacting.

Every soul only gets choices based on worlds they are familiar with from all kinds of things. In your cases, games, books, anime, and so on. Hell, you can even choose an authentic sword and magic fantasy world rather than a world you are familiar with. It comes with its own risks as you won't know anything about it, though."

Jake and Kyle digested that as the man wrote down a few things on the file.

"Alright! You two have five options to choose from. And no, you don't get to choose your background or appearance nonsense. Just be happy with what you get and do the work yourself if you want to alter things.

Harry Potter. Akame Ga Kill. Pokemon. Attack on Titan. Highschool of the Dead.

These are currently the only five we have available on tier 1 for worlds you're familiar with. Unless, of course, you want to take the fantasy world route."

The two friends quickly met eyes. An intense light shined in their orbs as a battle of great wills was fought. Two spectral arms were raised, and the insurance agent was quick to raise his hands. "Wait, wait, there is no reason to resort to viol…."

""Rock, Paper, Scissor, shoot!""

Before Mr. Agent could finish his sentence, both spectral arms shot forward at speeds beyond an old grandmother's perception to shoot out devastating blows in a game of epic rock paper scissors. A true match for the ages in a retirement home.

The man watched on speechlessly, only for Jake to fall to his spectral knees staring at his hand holding scissors in betrayal while Kyle stood tall and proud with a kiss to his solid fist.

"Victory!"

"Why hath the heavens forsaken me…."

Ignoring the bewildered gaze of Mr. Agent, Kyle slammed his fist on the table. "Pokemon sir. I choose Pokemon."

The man nodded awkwardly and noted it down.

A palm smacked the other side of the desk as Jake pulled himself up and sighed. "Harry Potter."

It was noted down as well by a man who had stopped caring. "Good, pick your wishes first and then I'll show you what perks you can pick from."

Kyle opened his mouth to speak before Jake slammed a hand over it and hissed at his friend. "Maybe we should talk about it before we set it in stone?"

Kyle blinked and nodded in realization as Jake removed his hand and sent Mr. Agent a questioning look.

He waved back. "Take your time. You got about an hour left before things get randomized and forced on you."

Jake nodded and pulled Kyle aside. "Alright, man, let's be serious for a second here. Wow, I can meet Sirius…." Jake marveled while Kyle groaned in pain.

"Oh god, the puns…."

Jake laughed evilly for a second before snapping out of it. "Wait no, don't distract me. We're not going to the same world dude."

Kyle twitched. "You're the one who brought it up! But yeah, I was thinking about that too. What should we do?"

Whenever the two got mixed up into things, Kyle always let Jake come up with ideas. he was the idea guy; Kyle was the one who threw out the insane plans that were too much effort and kept him in line.

"Hmm… we got three wishes right? Well one's gotta be a way for us to stay in touch. Maybe a video chat thing like skype?"

"Skype? How old are you dude, just say Discord."

"Fuck off, I wasn't the tech type and you know it."

"It's basic principle."

Jake rolled his eyes and went on. "Anyway! We need to stay in touch. Who knows how far off the deep end we will go if we are left to ourselves. We need to keep each other in check. You know more about Pokemon in general, but I know more about wilderness survival and nutrition. I can help where I can with your stuff.

Meanwhile, I need to keep up with all the plots and various issues in that crazy world of Harry Potter. Who knows what kind of Dumbles I'm going to get and what else will be around. You need to stop me before I start a revolution or something. These aren't stories anymore."

Kyle grunted and crossed his arms. "Yeah, we talked about this dozens of times over the years. About what we would do if we found ourselves in various worlds. It was all fun and games when we could joke around about how gruesome shit could get. But now that it's actually happening I'm a bit freaked out."

Jake patted his spectral shoulder. "Same here man. But if we can stay in touch we can help each other. I think that needs to be a priority."

Kyle nodded his agreement.

"Second, we need a way to travel in the Multiverse. I'm not about to lose my bro forever."

Kyle punched his shoulder, or more like went through it, much to his displeasure. "I feel you bro. Figuratively. Second wish for multiverse travel. Set. And the third?"

Jake's eyes gleamed, and Kyle got a bad feeling. "I have an idea."

"No."

Instant denial didn't deter Jake. "It's a good idea."

"No."

"Come on man, don't be a bitch."

"Every time you tell me you have an idea; I suffer in some way or form."

"Yeah, but it's funny at least."

"…"

Kyle sighed in defeat. "Go on."

Jake smiled widely. "Don't worry, I'm going to do something no one ever does in these situations. Dumb fuck wish fulfillment bastards never see something so simple."

Kyle ignored him and walked back to his seat. Engaging Jake here would have them waste the rest of their time conversing on the idiocy of a large part of the fanfiction community.

Jake, realizing his partner ignored him, grumbled and went back to the desk.

Mr. Agent put down the paper he was filling out and ashed his cigarette. "Made your choices?"

Jake nodded. "Yeah, first wish, we want a way to communicate over worlds. Something to text, call, and video chat if possible."

The agent hummed and thought about it for a minute before holding up a finger to look through a new file. Not long after, he answered. "We can do the first two easily enough. Video calls will be limited. How about a cellphone that's invisible and untouchable by anyone but yourself? It will literally only be able to use the single app to connect you two. They will have data plans that reset every week or so.

Oh, and before you ask, when I say untouchable, I mean not only can no one else touch it, but you also can't hit things with it. We had that issue before with a girl getting an indestructible tablet and bashing the ever-living shit out of things. Died not so long later when she forgot that indestructible it may be, but she was not."

Jake and Kyle shared a look. "Works for us."

The agent nodded and wrote it down. "Alright, that's one for each of you. Any requests on the phone model?"

""Android.""

The two looked at each other and nodded firmly.

The agent sweat dropped but noted it. "Right…moving on. Your phone will always wind up in your pocket."

Kyle raised a finger. "What if we have no pockets or clothes on?"

Mr. Agent smirked, and the two paled.

""No.""

The agent laughed. "I'm just fucking with you. I'll put it down that it will stick to your chest or something. Not like anyone else can see it without your permission."

The two sighed in relief.

"Second wish?"

""Multiverse traveling.""

The agent sighed at those two words and ran a hand over his face. "If I had a dime for every time I heard that. Look, this is beyond the basic package. I can't just give you access to multidimensional traveling so easily."

Kyle tapped the desk. "I didn't hear you say it wasn't possible."

The agent deadpanned at them and sighed again. "Whatever, I'm getting yelled at anyway. Yeah, there is a way, and no, it's not usually just given out. They typically do a karma check but screw it. That little shit has had me running around doing damage control for the last year.

Basically, it's a long-time charge ability. You can either wait ten years for it to charge on its own before being given options for where to go. Or you can do something to affect the timeline of the world. It will speed up your charge as the world notices you don't belong. The energy of the world that it sends at you will speed things up. Fair warning, the more you change the main events, the more the world pays attention, and the more uncomfortable things will get.

It's like gravity tries to compress your body slowly and gradually, increasing the pressure over time. Not lethal but very uncomfortable.

Of course, this only applies if we give you this ability. The very idea of multidimensional travel to various 'bubbles' is anathema to the stability of the bubble in question. If you have it, it will notice and begin rejecting you. If you don't, it wouldn't care if you nuked the planet."

Jake hummed at that. "So we can still mess with the timeline, but we should only do it lightly until we are close to ready to go. Or if we don't take it, we are stuck in the world for life but we can do whatever we want?"

"Pretty much. If you do something big too early and the charge isn't ready, you're going to be in for a very painful time. Unless you do something massive that really gets you a charge all at once. So what will it be? You two want to take the risk?"

The two actually did take a moment to consider it.

Kyle gave Jake a look. "You know this means you can't go full murder hobo right?"

Jake hummed. "It means I can't go full murder hobo 'yet.' And it's not like I can't do stuff in the background right?"

He finished his sentence while looking at the agent, who nodded and blew out some smoke. "Yeah, the effect will be limited if you're not directly the one taking action. It will still affect you, but it's the difference of one-fourth of the effect versus 100% of it.

Still, don't look down on having the world's attention. It's not something like you will be unlucky but more like you will always feel a sense of insects crawling on your skin and have goosebumps. And that's just the initial stages. It's very, very, unpleasant."

Kyle raised a point. "Will this ability let us meet up later on?"

"Yes. Just make sure to use it within five second of the other or the 'bubble' you're going to will reject you. Nasty stuff by the way. It will literally bounce you away and you can end up in literally any other world in the Multiverse. Might just go insane if you land somewhere you can't comprehend."

The two grimaced at the thought and pondered for a moment longer before nodding. ""We'll take it.""

The agent shrugged and noted it down. "Your choice." He filled out a few pages in silence before looking back up. "Alright, I'll need you to sign a waiver saying you understand the risks and can't blame our agency for it if you happen to gain enough power to actually be a threat to us somewhere down the line. Otherwise, your good to go." He finished and passed them a paper each that was quickly read and signed.

"Third wish?"

Kyle looked toward Jake cautiously as he smiled widely. "I want to confirm something."

Mr. Agent waved his hand. "Go on."

Jake leaned forward. "We can't wish for something overpowered, right? You said only basic powers?"

"Yeah, tier 1 basic package."

"Alright, and our Perk is based on the world we go to originally correct?"

"Yes."

"Perfect. Then I want both of our third wishes to be for the most compatible power for us within the world we are going to."

The other two paused while staring at Jake's wild smile.

Kyle raised a finger, dropped it, raised it again, and dropped it once more. "That's….actually not a bad plan."

Jake laughed at that. "Ha! I told you not to doubt me."

"To be fair, I had reason to doubt you."

"Bah, what happened to the bro code?"

"I let you go through with it didn't I?"

"That's beside the point."

"No, no, I believe that is exactly the point."

The agent watched them go back and forth for a minute with a raised brow before coughing into his fist to get their attention. "Gentlemen."

They paused and looked at him. "Right, well, I admit that's not something I hear every day. We do, in fact, have a way of telling what is most compatible, and choosing a power that actually fits your entry world will do wonders for synchronizing you with them.

I remember this one guy with a tier 3 package who asked for the lightning logia fruit from One Piece even though he was far more compatible with the earth element. He had terrible synchronization, and the poor guy got captured by a crazy scientist with a lightning rod and died soon after in agony. Ha, we had a good laugh at the office over it."

The agent chuckled while Jake slightly paled, and Kyle smirked at his friend. Jake often spoke of how much he wanted that Devil Fruit, and he knew what Kyle was saying without speaking.

"Anyway, kudos to you for understanding that your barely twenty year old human brain can't see what works better than a multidimensional being."

He opened a drawer and rummaged around for a bit before pulling out a tablet-looking device and typing away at it for a moment before putting it in front of the two. "Alright, Jake, you start. I set it to the Harry Potter world. Just place your hand on it and it will scan you."

Jake nodded and did so. It was similar to looking at a photocopier at work and sent a tingle down his spectral spine that made him shiver. "Gah, that's a weird feeling."

The agent chuckled and ashed his cigarette, which never seemed to end. "Yeah, it's scanning your soul, which is bare and open right now in this space. Never a nice feeling. You can remove your hand."

The tablet glowed for a moment after Jake sat back before a soft 'ding' came off, and the man looked at it. "Hm… not bad. It seems you're most compatible with the Metamorph bloodline power. It's often never taken seriously, but I assure you it has plenty of secrets to it. Not to mention, it's handy for survival and evolution. Congratulations."

Jake smiled at the news. "Metamorph huh? I can work with that. I never really did see anyone use it the way I thought about before."

Kyle laughed at that. "Ha, I can already tell your going to have a blast. Let me guess, animal features?"

Jake nodded without hesitation. "Animal features."

The two smirked while the agent chuckled and adjusted the tablet. "Alright, Kyle, your turn."

Kyle followed Jake's example, and a minute and a slight shiver later, the tablet dinged once more.

"Hm, that's an interesting one."

Kyle gave the agent a questioning look that the agent waved away. "Ah, it's not bad. It shows you have an affinity for Aura. Specifically Ice type aura."

"And that means?"

"Hm, well you see, Aura in the Pokemon world is a powerful ability if trained right. It has an elevated level of versatility. On a passive state, it can improve your healing, stamina, senses, and durability to elements and physical force. In an active state, it can do much more to empower yourself. What you do with it is up to the individual."

"And the element?"

"Ah, right, that's the interesting part. So as you know, there are eighteen 'types' in the Pokemon world, and that goes for Aura as well. Most Pokemon use Aura naturally, which converts into their type. That's how Pokemon moves work.

So just like Pokemon, people have types as well, except it's not so extreme. Well, it could be extreme, but that's not how it is for you. You lean towards the ice element, but it's not like you will become an emotionless ice statue.

Rather than the neutral normal type aura, which has significant boosts to the existing aura abilities, you have an ice typing that will affect the feel, look, and effect of your aura usage. I won't go deeper into it, but you will find out for yourself what that means. It's definitely a good thing, so don't worry about it."

Kyle looked thoughtful at the knowledge while Jake smiled. "I can already think of a dozen things to try out with ice powers."

Kyle shot him a look. "Share."

Jake smirked and waved a hand. "Later. We'll have plenty of time to chat."

The man nodded at that point. "Yes, I'm not exactly enforced to remind you but you are on the clock. A bit over thirty minutes remain so I advise we finish things up."

The two sat up and nodded, so he went on. "Alright, I've noted down your abilities. We only have two things left, and you're good to go. First, your perks which you little shits guilt-tripped the fuck out of me for."

The two smiled unrepentantly, making Mr. Agent chuckle and shake his head. "Whatever, here is a list of perks you can choose from."

He handed the two a packet tailored to themselves, and it wasn't long for them both to raise a question.

"Oi, what the hell?"

"We get drawbacks?"

The agent smiled wide. "Ah~ revenge~. Yes you do! It was not specified in the deal and so by protocol, the basic package offers only perks alongside a drawback. Oh, and a reminder, no matter what your natural talents are, for the sake of the perks, all your base numbers are set to 0. So any +1 will double your talents and any -1 will double your loss of affinity with the subject. Choose wisely."

At the guy's satisfied smile, Jake flipped him off, and Kyle just sighed, but both didn't waste time.

Jake's list was pretty simple.

[Harry Potter World Perks:

- +1 talent for Transfiguration

- +1 talent for Charms

- +1 talent for Potions

…

]

And Kyles was the same.

[Pokemon World Perks:

- +1 talent for Navigation

- +1 talent for Aura Control

- +1 talent for Ice Constructs

…

]

Each list had dozens of options accompanied by drawbacks. Some were worse than others.

Jake cringed hard at seeing the drawback ' -1 for common sense'. Just the thought of having the common sense of an average wizard in that world made him shiver.

For Kyle, some were genuinely terrifying. Some made him loved by flying types as a target for their toilet. Meaning he would be dodging white poop for the next decade. Others less extreme made him have a negative affinity for Pokemon from specific typing.

It took them both at least fifteen minutes to narrow down their choice. The two decided it was best to let them decide for themselves on this one.

Jake went first. "Alright, I'll keep things simple here. Some of these drawbacks are just insane. I'll take [+1 Sensitivity to mana, -1 talent for Charms]."

Kyle raised a brow at that. "You sure, man? Charms are really versatile."

Jake nodded. "Yeah, I thought about it, and it's not like I won't be able to do charms, but that I'm less talented at it. Considering the whole Metamorph thing, I figured doubling my talent for Transfiguration would be best, but then I thought more about it.

I'd rather know exactly why and how I'm doing Transfiguration rather than just find the process easier to perform. I can see that being better in the long run and even in the short run. Not to mention, this is a magical world here. Being doubly sensitive to magic than most others will be highly useful for everything I do."

The agent nodded his head as he noted it down. "A sound argument. Since you already chose, I'll mention that you picked well. Considering you're doubling your existing talent, it's not a straightforward process of one plus one. I'm sure you will understand the benefit from the start.

Kyle, how about yourself?"

Kyle's finger slid down the paper and stopped at one option. "I know others sound good but I think I'll take this one. [+1 talent for Empathy, Party Lock: 6]."

The agent hummed at that and noted it down while Jake asked. "Why pick that? I figured you would want something for your Aura."

Kyle nodded. "I did at first but you know me, I don't think I'll be able to handle the spotlight or the public stuff in that world."

Jake took a second and then snorted at the thought. "Ha, ok point to you. Imagining you in a Pokemon league is highly amusing for some reason."

Kyle tapped his finger on the desk. "See. So then I thought, 'what do I want to do in that world?' and the answer I came to is that I want to travel. Meet all kinds of Pokemon and explore to my heart's content. I'd rather see the world than be stuck in any human city. But I doubt the world will be as soft as the anime made it out to be; Pokemon are just as dangerous as humans would be if they had the powers Pokemon had. Probably worse, honestly.

So if I want to travel and see the world in one piece, I need to be able to understand them. I want to respect them and be friends or at least neutral. So with empathy, I can do just that. I would have taken a psychic power if that were an option, but this is my best one."

The agent ashed his endless cigarette and added on. "You're not wrong. We scale Pokemon worlds on a 1 – 10 rating for how great the danger is. Some Poke worlds are apocalyptic 10, and others are loving 1's. The one you're going to is an even 5. Most humans learned to respect Pokemon, but the bad apples keep the violent ones active, so you will see death on both sides. Empathy will take you far if your wish is solo traveling.

And empathy also falls under both main power categories. For psychics, it's more in the mind, but with Aura, it's more about the feeling. You won't be speaking to Pokemon, at least not most, but you will understand them."

Kyle smiled at that while Jake raised a point. "But what about the team lock of six? How does that work and why?"

The agent answered first. "The party lock is at it sounds. He will only be allowed to have at max six Pokemon at one time. No Pokemon beyond the first six will consider him their trainer and no pokeball will function for him beyond that. There will be exceptions if you're doing something like a job but in essence the drawback will enforce itself on the context of 'Kyle may only have six Pokemon in total at one time.' It's a solid way of enforcing the drawback and not allowing him to go around things, as well as allowing him to interact with the world in cases where he needs to use someone else's pokeball or command someone else's or a wild Pokemon. Don't worry, the rule will be enforced on its own when it applies."

The two nodded at that, and Kyle addressed Jake's question of why. "Well, I thought about it a lot, man. This isn't a game anymore; it's real life. Remember when we talked about this a few times? Can you honestly imagine trying to feed and care for a fucking Snorlax? I would need to be a millionaire or the equivalent in that world.

Pokemon are living creatures. You need to make sure they are fed, groomed, cared for, and healthy. I've had pets before, and it's a lot of work when they are only knee-high, less intelligent, and without powers. I honestly don't mind being locked at a party of six. It might be cool to catch others, but I'd rather have a team of elites and family than a mishmash of Pokemon running me ragged."

Jake scratched his chin as he thought about it, and once he did, he nodded in acknowledgment to his friend. His mind was more focused on his own adventure and forgot a few things.

Mr. Agent laughed at their interaction. "You know you two are weird right? I get all kinds of people and species through here and I can say your among the few level headed ones that take this all at face value. Sure we muted your emotions toward your death a bit, but still most either rush along or complain all the way till their time is up. Your little guilt trip and giving me a fucking panic attack in my extremely tired and stressed state aside, it's a bit refreshing to deal with you two. Even if I'm so getting railed by my boss after this."

Jake and Kyle shrugged. "I mean, we're pretty big nerds for this kind of stuff."

"Yeah, we have had 'what if' talks on 70% of this setting at least dozens of times for hours on end. I can't say we wanted or were ready to die at all, but I'm pretty sure we both dreamed of this before."

"Oh I definitely did. I love those I left behind but everyone was grown up. Everyone had their own lives, jobs, families. Me and him were basically just cruising aimlessly."

"Can't deny that, I was trying to make things work while sticking to my hobbies."

"Nothing wrong with that, I'm pretty sure we were normal for insane people in 2022 haha."

Even the agent winced at that one. "I gotta say, your world is a weird one. You're looking at the end of civilization not far off with all that corruption. It's one of the reasons you even got that kid playing around down there."

The two blinked at that.

"Wait, whats our shit world have to do with the kid?"

Mr. Agent changed up the paperwork in front of him. "Hm? Oh, well, in the Multiverse, they have lists of worlds that are approaching their ends.

To make it simple, we got a shit list of shit worlds. If two godlike beings decide to have fun duking it out, they can just pick a dying world and go ham. Say, after your world decides to nuke everything. There will be a price, of course, but people like that pay for it. It's like paying for a yearly vacation in your terms. But until it gets to the end, Karma still limits them. Hence my agency."

"Huh, well then."

"Learn something new every day."

The two thought about it before shrugging. "So, lets continue." "Moving on."

The man laughed again. "That. That's why this is refreshing. All right, wish's made, perks set. Just a couple questions about a few settings and your good to go. Your both aware these will be AU worlds correct?"

They nodded. "How AU?"

"It's varied. Rarely will something be insanely different but it's more common to see a world, in Harry Potter for example, where one character happens to take a different path, a character has a different gender, or some event happened differently. Usually it's a singular event, and that event causes chain reactions. Word of advice, try to recognize what began the chain, and you will have an easier time recognizing how things will go."

The two took that to heart, and the agent went on. "Right, so you're going to AU worlds. There are a few things I can adjust on a tier 1 package. Considering how things are going, I might as well throw you two a bone and give you what I can.

Your looks are randomized; I can't help you with that one. But I can up your chances of getting something good. Gender can be chosen. I assume male?"

Two instant nods were the answer, and he noted it down. "Cool, always important to check. First names can be chosen. Any changes?"

The two hummed at that and looked at each other before shaking their heads. "Nah." "To much effort."

"Alright, Jake and Kyle, it is. As for starting setting, I have two options for you. You can be reborn from babies OR be inserted at age 8 with a randomized background. I'll go up the scale to the highest it can go for you to get an ideal start but don't expect something crazy.

No matter what I do, this is the basic package, so even at max, Jake won't be getting a pureblood house without insane luck, and Kyle, you won't be the child of a professor without something similar. As for what you will get, it will, at the very least, be something you both would be happy with. No waking up in a dungeon being tortured or something."

Jake held up a finger. "Just a moment."

He pulled Kyle aside, and the two quickly talked about their choice. It only took a few minutes for them to come back. ""Age 8, please.""

"Are you sure? Starting from birth will give you more time to acclimatize."

Kyle explained. "We considered that but no matter how much we weighed the pro's and con's, neither of us want to be babies again."

The two shivered at the thought. They both made it to twenty in their new life. Puberty was going to be annoying, but being babies was a different story. Neither had the patience for such a thing.

"Alright, age 8 it is. You will each be inserted as if you always existed alongside a basic pack of memories. You don't have to worry about 8 years of memories. Mortals don't remember their years as babies and you won't either. You will get bits and pieces from age 3 forward and more memories from ages 5 and up but just enough for you not to feel like a stranger in your own body. Everything sound good so far?"

Jake and Kyle nodded with growing excitement as things were concluding. "I can't speak for what you will experience before the age of eight but at least it won't be something deadly. Beware of emotional feedback when it all hits you. You will wake up right after the good luck hits, whatever that is, you will understand immediately upon arrival. Any final questions?"

Kyle raised a hand, much to the amusement of the others, but his question was a valid concern. "What happens if we get killed by another multidimensional being?"

The man scoffed. "You better hope they have insurance."

"…"

"…"

Two deadpan stares answered him, and he waved his hand and sat up. "Don't worry so much. The chances of that happening are a million times smaller than the chances of this exact situation happening. Not only are such beings not allowed in stable world bubbles, at least the ones not on the shit list, but you're underestimating just how big the Multiverse is, let alone the Omniverse.

Trust me, a godlike being in your eyes who could scan an entire solar system within seconds of entering a world could spend a million years traveling the Multiverse without finding you. Unless you piss off one of the few actual organizations out there, then your pretty fucked. Game over. Otherwise, you're golden. I've been doing this job for a long time, and I've seen such a case happen twice. It was just chance. If they have insurance, we have standard procedures to manage it. If they don't have it, you will just re-enter reincarnation. It's not that big a deal."

He shrugged uncaringly and did little to reassure the two, but there wasn't much else they could do. He waited a minute longer for any other questions before he shrugged. "Alright, I'm submitting your files now. Once done, I can't stop the process."

Jake and Kyle tried to think of anything else, but under the lightly enforced calm, they didn't find many logical things to ask. Jake's eyes lit up as the agent filed the paperwork. "Oh, right; how does the multiverse travel ability work? Can we bring others with us? And how do we use it?"

Mr. Agent coughed into his hand in slight embarrassment. "Almost forgot to mention that. To make it simple, if you want to bring others, you need more energy. I highly advise not taking more than one person with you otherwise the world will REALLY come down on you and you are not likely to survive. It's not that it cares about the people but that the energy you will need to charge up is going to make it angry. Adding one addition to yourself will be within the limits."

The man snapped his fingers and pointed at them. "Oh, and that doesn't apply to your Pokemon Kyle and a singular Familiar for you Jake. Those will be counted since they will be tied to your soul. Hell, you will make things a hell of a lot easier for yourselves if you find a way to connect whoever you want to take with your soul. Find a soulmate and all that jazz."

He rolled his eyes and muttered about horny teenagers. "We have protocols to stop those 'Harem' types from traveling the Multiverse and collecting men or women like animals. Take my advice and keep your dick in your pants, your long since predecessors ruined the dream."

Jake shrugged while Kyle grumbled a bit but got over it.

A soft ding to the side got the man's attention, and he smiled and opened a cabinet. "Aha! Here are the results for your first two wishes."

He pulled out two new Galaxy S10 phones and handed them over. "This is the answer to your first two wishes. It's way fucking cheaper price-wise than giving you two some kind of system shit, but it's perfectly usable. The phones are invisible to anyone you don't give permission to and untouchable by anyone you don't give permission to.

And I'll make a point here, it literally has two functions. Well, technically, three. No, four. The technical one is a clock. It will show the time of day in both of your worlds. This was a free add-on we gave, considering we saved some money on combining two wishes in one device.

The second is that it will always appear in your pocket. If you're naked and you don't specify it staying somewhere, like your bedside table, it will stick to your chest.

The third is the chat software. It works very similarly to Discord for text, voice, pictures, and video chat. Video chat functions will be limited to a few times a week.

The fourth is the world travel function. It will show you a progress bar for how much energy you still need to gather, and once it reaches 95%, it will show you a list of worlds to which you can travel. If you two wish to travel to the same destination for the second world, make sure you jump within five minutes of the other; otherwise, pain and death will be the result. And do not attempt to travel to each other's first world; you will not end up in the same dimension. Any questions?"

"Can we download apps?"

"Can we connect to the internet?"

"No to both. When I say it has only those functions, I mean that permanently. They may 'look' like phones but that is for your convenience, not for functions."

The two nodded at that and examined their phones, but it was a standard-looking android. Seeing they were quiet, the agent went on. "Your third wishes will apply when you arrive. In both cases, it will seem as if they are newly awakened at the time. Our systems will randomly generate a reason for it to happen, and those around you will believe it without question if you decide to tell them."

He leaned back in his chair and checked his watch. "Well, that's everything gentlemen. You have about eight minutes left to ask questions or talk. Feel free to step away if you wish."

Jake raised a finger. "I got one."

"Go for it."

"The fucks your real name? We have just been referring to you as Mr. Agent this whole time."

Mr. Agent chuckled and puffed out a cloud of smoke. "Smith."

Jake and Kyle rolled their eyes and stood up to walk away, muttering about assholes and cliches.

They stopped a bit away and looked at each other.

"So, this is happening."

Kyle snorted. "No shit sherlock."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Oh fuck off, you can't honestly say you're not excited."

"Oh I definitely am. I think this forced calm thing is keeping me from smiling like an idiot."

"Nah, you're doing that now."

"Fuck you I'm not."

"Sure you are."

"Oi! Smith! Am I smiling!?"

"No."

Kyle turned to Jake. "See."

But Jake was obviously looking into the distant void at nothing in particular.

Kyle kicked his leg. "Ass."

Jake chuckled and reached out to pat his friend on the shoulder, and surprisingly it worked as they felt the hit. Jake sent Smith a look, and he nodded back.

"Well man, you ready for this?"

"Considering our dreams of this happening ever since we got into online reading years ago, I really want to say yes but I would be lying. I doubt I'll freak out but this is surreal."

"Ha, tell me about it. I was focusing so hard on benefits that I didn't really focus on how crazy it is."

The two stood in silence for a minute as the clock ticked down.

Jake cleared his throat. "Dude, no homo but I'm glad I'm not alone for this."

Kyle smirked and punched his shoulder. "Same here bro. We've read hundreds of stories with solo main characters and they always change drastically or go off the deep end. As long as we got this lifeline to each other we can watch our backs."

"Heh, wasn't it like that since middle school?"

"Yeah, that fucking bully, what was her name? Sarah? She tried to steal my lunch money and you gave her a wedgy."

"I took that suspension with pride. I remember my mom high fiving me for not taking shit just because she was a girl."

The two chuckled at the memory and went back to silence for a bit. Just staring off into the void and remembering this moment. The moment their lives, or afterlives, changed forever.

"We're going to go far."

"Avoiding cliché deaths and pitfalls."

"Find women we can actually trust for their loyalty."

"Grasp immortality?"

"Why not? Explore our favorite anime worlds?"

"I always wanted to see One Piece and Toriko."

"Fuck the ocean but I second Toriko. We can always go to My Hero Academia and fuck with their 'hero's'."

"Hell yes. Let's be free bro. More free than anyone."

"Not get tied down by anyone or anything."

The two looked at each other and fist-bumped.

"Brothers till the end."

"Let's give them hell."

They took a moment to engrave the memory before they both laughed.

"Hahaha fuck that was edgy!"

"I know, I couldn't help myself! My chunni side exploded."

The two cracked up but joking aside, they knew they were serious about what they said. Two best friends, traveling the Multiverse, living their childhood dreams.

Smith approached them with a smile, and his hands tucked in his pockets. "Well, this is the end boys. I'm pretty sure you will be my last clients for a while as I'm getting put on record duty for the next year, but fuck them. You two were amusing, if nothing else. I did what I could; the rest is all yours."

He waved a hand, and a glowing door appeared next to him.

Jake reached out and shook his hand, much to Smith's amusement. "It was fun man. I would say sorry for getting you in trouble, but I would do it again in a heartbeat."

Smith smirked at that. "That's why I like you kid. Go get em."

Jake turned and gave Kyle a nod before stepping through and vanishing.

Kyle repeated Jake's example and shook Smith's hand. "Any final advice?"

Smith scratched his chin in thought. "I could say something stupid like 'don't die too soon' but I'll just say, live your life your way. This won't be an easy illusion like your fantasies make it seem but you already know that. Jake seemed more ready for this but I can tell your still nervous. Let go of your old burdens. Your free now."

Kyle digested that before seemingly feeling a weight leave his shoulders. He nodded at Smith. "Thank you."

Nothing more needed to be said as Smith nodded back, and Kyle walked into the light.

The door winked out after he left, leaving Smith standing there alone, smoking his cigarette in peace before he sighed. "Hah, I wish I could go back to their age. Back when I got my own deal from that shitty insurance agent."

He turned to look into the void. "Best of luck kids, I hope you don't die too soon and get a shitty job offer like mine."

The void began to shake around him, and he sagged, his cigarette finally burning out. "Yeah, yeah, you old bastards, I'm coming, I'm coming."

Smith and his desk winked out of the void, returning everything to silence. And far, far, away, two souls were beginning their new lives.

It was the start of Jake and Kyle's adventure.

The beginning of their own personal odyssey.

Chapter end.

AN: Thoughts?

 

AN: Fair warning, I will be taking liberties with both the worlds of Harry Potter and Pokemon to fit my story. I like going at things from various angles. So just go with the flow and don't think about 'oh you could done this or that.' I'm well aware of the thousands of stories for both worlds, some great and others not great. I'm just doing what seemed like fun for me to write. I'm no genius, and I'm sure I'll have plot holes here or there. This is about having fun, not fixing the world or making the 'BEST' set up possible. I made this story with my beta and close friend, just having fun with an idea. So let's have some fun and chill out. Feel free to throw down your thoughts.

Enjoy everybody.

.

Chapter 2: New Beginnings

Jake – Harry Potter

Jake blinked his eyes and felt sensations rushing into his brain as his senses returned to him and he sat up in bed.

It was dark outside. Soft moonlight shined down through the glass window and illuminated the bedroom he found himself in. He was lying in a twin size bed, something he never would have been able to fit in at a height of six foot two only hours before.

His eyes scanned the room and took it all in as he adjusted to the light. A simple but cozy bedroom. The bed, a dresser, a nightstand, a bookshelf and desk, and a soft rug. All simple but comfortable just by looking at them.

He scooted off the bed and stood up a bit wobbly but silently on small feet, a bit surprised at how awkward it was to move his body, but a few steps forward and things seemingly eased up as he approached the small mirror on the dresser.

A long second was taken as he examined himself. Soft black hair, blue eyes, and a nice angular face. Well, as far as an eight year old goes. It was a bit hard to tell how well he would grow into it but at least he could confirm it wasn't bad.

He shuffled back to the bed and climbed in. 'Alright. This is real. Real and very weird.'

He took a second to breath in and out. Jake was never the type to get bogged down by the past. He had little left for him in the previous world and those left were fine without him.

Sure, they would probably mourn him but his sisters were grown up and had their own families, and his parents had passed.

Jake wished them the best and he wasn't likely to forget them, but he wouldn't let the memory hold him back.

Emotions were a wonderful thing to feel, but he couldn't let emotion blind him. He had to live for now, not for what was. And now he got a wish he always dreamed of having.

A soft ping went off to his side and Jake turned to see the cellphone he received laying there with a blinking LED light.

Picking it up, a notification was taking up the whole screen.

[One time message – synchronize current bodies memories?

Yes/No]

Jake looked at the message and paused. 'I can reject them?'

Jake knew enough from fiction. Getting the memories would change him. Not to a crazy extent but he would no longer be just Jake. He would be something more. Something new.

He smirked at the thought.

'In for a penny…'

He laid down comfortably and hit [Yes] right before his eyes rolled up and he passed out once more. As he slept his brain was highly active, combining and reconfiguring memories.

At the same time, his body was changing ever so slightly.

His blood heated up drastically and turned his skin red as his partially awakened bloodline awakened fully as a Metamorphagus.

And deep in the chamber between his soul and body, in his mana core, mana began to emanate outward, absorbing mana from the air touching his body, enriching his soul, and from his soul the effect passed on to his body as his five senses adjusted ever so slightly.

The process wasn't fast but neither was it slow, and an hour later, his eyes snapped open once more.

Except this time, his eyes rapidly changed color and dilation. His hair spun through a kaleidoscope of colors and his finger and toe nails extended and retracted while changing colors as well.

For a second he had paws on his hands, then hooves, and then back to normal.

It was a rapid ride that didn't leave him a chance to really think until it all finally stopped all at once, leaving a gasping boy grabbing his chest.

'HOLY SHIT!'

Jake huffed and looked around wildly as he came down from his high. 'That was a thousand times worse than the LSD trip Kyle convinced me to try back in high school.'

Rapid thoughts passed through his mind and his heartbeat was going off like a drum. But with deep breaths and a solid effort, Jake managed to pull himself together. 'Come on, you can hold your liquor to impress a crowd of random ass people in a bar and you can come off a magical high in your new body in the world of Harry Potter.…'

He snorted. 'Yeah, that sounded weird even in my head.'

The humor helped calm him down as things settled in. Memories of his new life filtered in naturally. Almost as if they had always been there.

'My name is… Jake Walker. The current year is…1985. I… I was a pickpocket orphan. Wow, that was a shit life. I don't think I can waste food anymore after remembering that crap I survived on back then.'

The memories even had the taste of the moldy bread he consumed in desperation.

'I, I got caught by the police and they put me in an orphanage when I was seven. In… the Watford Orphanage. I'm around forty five minutes out of London.

The orphanage was Christian based…wow those fuckers really try to brainwash young impressionable children in the current decade. I can't say terrible things about the manners or work ethic with chores but damn, chill on the religious stuff.'

Jake shook his head with a bad taste in his mouth as a stoic atheist.

'Right, moving on. Overall the orphanage was fine, no one abused me or anything. I was… right, on my eighth birthday I accidentally discovered how to change my hair color when some kids spooked me as a joke in the neighborhood.

The kids made a big scene out of it and kept asking me to change to a distinct color like it was a magic trick. And then an old man passing by came over and waved his hand as the kids went quiet and walked away. I got really scared and ran away before he could talk to me.

The next day in the morning, the nun in charge brought me to speak to someone who wanted to adopt me and I met the old man again. Well, my child mind thought old but he was late fifties looking at the most with graying hair.

The man waved his hand and made the nun leave before calmy introducing himself and explaining his actions in a gentle way. He was a wizard. A muggleborn specifically from what he said. Born to two non-magical people. He went to Hogwarts, which he said was a big magical school for magical people.

When I asked him about it, he sighed and said that was a long time ago and how he moved away from the magical world for the most part. He got a job as an accountant in the muggle world and used the skills he learned on the side to make more money selling potions to small shops. Or at least, that's what I got from reviewing those memories. I don't think he was seriously telling an eight year old his life story………No, he really was telling his life story. Abbreviated but damn he's lonely.'

The memories were a bit fuzzy but the old man really was the tired type who failed at many things in life and was trying to wind down. Telling all this to a random eight year old didn't seem like an issue for a while until he seemed to remember what he was doing and explained more.

'He said he was willing to adopt me because he was in the same place I was once upon a time. A lonely orphan making strange things happen around him and getting picked on for it for years until a teacher from Hogwarts came.

He offered me a chance to live with him, to be introduced to the magical world early, and learn about what to expect in there as a muggleborn. Or half-blood? I have no idea about my birth parents and the insurance agent did say I wouldn't be getting a noble house or anything so I shouldn't expect much.'

Jake shrugged.

'If anyone asks, I'll just say I'm a half blood. Not that I care but it's easier that way. Who's going to check?'

The old man, James Walker, left soon after with a promise to check back in a week to see what I decided on.

And it was the following week, only a few days ago, that Jake was adopted and brought to Walkers middle class home. A nice little two story house with a garden out back and a cellar where he keeps the magical side of things.

The house has a gentle Muggle-Repellent charm to, in Mr. Walkers words, 'keep away the annoying salesman and Jehovah witness's.' Jake smirked at that memory. The old man was practically smiling like a bond villain at it.

'I can fully relate to the guy. I never really thought about how muggleborns live after going back into the world. They can still use magic but just subtly and while staying out of trouble. Huh, it actually doesn't sound half bad now that I think about it. How many muggleborns live like this?'

Jake thought back to all those conspiracy theorists and really weird people that everyone just casually ignored in society. '…I'm going to ignore that train of thought. Nightmare fuel to throw at Kyle later.'

Finishing with the memories, Jake came to know that the house actually did have a house elf. An older one named Jeff. Apparently Mr. Walker didn't like the silly name it had at the start and gave him a real name.

Another thing occurred to him as he idly scratched the back of his right hand and took a closer look at it. 'It's like… I'm seeing my hand but there's more? And the more I look at it, the weirder it feels?'

Jake didn't really know how to say or describe it, but it was a warm tingly feeling under his skin. And not only that but there was a vague bluish color flowing under his skin like blood in veins. He blinked and looked again only to see regular skin but with focus, the feeling came back. 'Is this…mana?'

He did choose to increase his sensitivity to mana after all. And that wasn't the only thing. His eyes lit up in excitement. 'Right! I'm a Metamorph! Maybe I'm seeing mana under my skin because of that? Or do all wizards and witches have mana flowing in their bodies? That's a question for later. Now though…'

He focused back on his hand and instead of looking at the bluish outline, he focused on his nails and pulled up a memory of when he let a girl paint his nails because he was trying to hit on her. It worked. But then he had to learn the hard way why nail polish is a bitch to come off.

Slowly, he noticed the vague bluish lines becoming a bit more distinct. There was a warmth coming from his chest and all of sudden, his fingernails rippled like water in a pond and gradually became a bright blue color.

Jake sat there marveling at the results. He did magic! 'I did magic!'

It was only with an effort of will that he managed to not shout aloud in his excitement. The old man was sleeping and he had already seen Jake switch hair colors but that doesn't mean he knew he was a Metamorph.

The guy most likely thought he was doing accidental magic. 'Ah, this is what the insurance agent meant by choosing whether to tell my guardian or not.'

Jake could decide if he wanted to hide his powers and keep it to himself or tell his guardian. Both options had pro's and con's. 'Meh, I'll decide later. For now, magic time!'

Jake threw away his random thoughts and focused back on his hand. For the rest of the night, he sat there like a fool, uncaring of anything else as he swapped colors on his fingernails.

It was the start of a dream and nothing would disturb him. Not even the vibration of his phone hours after he woke up telling him of an incoming message from his friend and brother.

Someone who had a similar, yet very different wake up call.

00000

Kyle - Pokemon

Kyle's experience waking up was quite similar at first with Jake's. He woke up in a warm bed in the middle of the night, found himself in a cozy bedroom, and got up to take a look at himself in a small mirror.

It came as a welcome surprise to find he had silver hair and blue eyes in this life. 'I just know Jake's going to give me shit for the anime hair later.' He was amused nevertheless and unknowingly followed Jake's example with the memory synchronization.

That's where the similarities ended.

Kyle's memories rearranged themselves into order while his body glowed green at first. Slowly enveloping him as a gentle gust of wind seemingly entered through the window with the smell of spring and a feeling of vitality that caused a potted flower to perk up and bloom early.

But then the green color began to change into a pale blue and a cool mist left the pores of his skin. Slowly pouring into the room and lowering the temperature a few degree's.

Nothing drastic happened beyond that except that it didn't go unnoticed. Two pairs of eyes perked up at the feeling of the sudden temperature change and rushed into Kyle's room.

So it was a bit of shock to his system when Kyle's eyes flashed open from his trance to feel a weight on his chest and see two concerned alien faces staring at him.

"Vaaa~."

"Flaa~."

Kyle wouldn't lie that his first thought was to scream in surprise with his new squeaky eight year old voice, but before the thought was put into action, a strange feeling washed over him.

Concern.

That's the only way he could describe it. It was like a wave of emotion hit him and he was a bit overwhelmed.

'Wha..t..'

His hands came up without much thought to scratch the heads of the two hovering over him.

A mixture of settling memories and past memories brought up names to his visitors.

"Vaporeon, Flareon, I'm ok. Sorry for scaring you." In fact, he didn't know how he scared them, he just knew they felt worried about him. Somehow.

'Is this aura based empathy?' The two addressed Pokemon nuzzled against him gently and Kyle couldn't help but laugh at the surreal sight.

'Pokemon, these are real Pokemon. Holy shit, I'm really in the Pokemon world!' He ran a hand gently over Vaporeon's slightly damp feeling body and scratched behind her ear getting a soft purr from her.

Flareon pawed at his hand and he was quick to run his other hand through her warm and fluffy fur to scratch the same location.

Contentment.

Kyle just stared blankly at it all as the two curled up on his bed.

'This…this is amazing.'

He couldn't help it; it was just so sudden and up front. Like a massive slap in the face to tell you this isn't a joke. And at the same time his hands worked, his memories came in, in pieces.

He recalled bits and pieces of a warm home at first. Then recalled a mother's smiling face who got weak and coughed blood. Then a lot of various pieces of holding her hand by a bedside and talking to her as she told him stories of the world. And finally to the face of a doctor apologizing to him.

Kyle Silvers. Son of Dorea Silvers. A kind and fierce woman with long silver hair. She loved him dearly but she was sick with a defect from birth and couldn't hold on forever. At the age of seven his mother had passed away in her sleep.

Kyle couldn't help the tears that spilled from his eyes. The memories were fresh and the emotions were raw. The feeling of love and loss and a variety of other emotions hit him. There was no great pain or suffering in his life outside his mother's situation.

Vaporeon and Flareon seemed to notice his change and were quick to nuzzle his cheeks, snapping him out of his thoughts for a moment.

He chuckled wetly and kept petting them as they comforted him. 'I've had dogs before but this feels completely different.'

He couldn't help but just let the emotions overwhelm him for a bit and sat there crying with the two Pokemon comforting him. It was minutes later when he pulled himself together.

'I'm going to have to spend some time dealing with this later. This is like watching the saddest anime AMV I can imagine and magnifying the feelings it creates a hundred times, while making it extremely personal.'

He smiled a bit at the two supporting him, silently thankful for their presence beyond words, before he dove back into the memories.

When it was revealed that he had no family to contact and that his father was never listed. He was about to be taken to an orphanage when a woman threw open the door to the hospital and all but tackled him in a hug.

Iris Drake. Not to be mistaken with the dragon rearing Drake, was the best friend of his mother, practically sisters if she was telling the truth.

She was just as fierce, if not more, than the legendary Drake in personality and practically threw a policeman who tried to question her out a window before demanding custody of him.

Kyle sweat dropped a bit at recalling the sound of breaking glass. 'No, she definitely threw someone out a window.'

Things moved quickly after that as Iris quickly got custody of him. She did explain things to him clearly and while she asked his opinion, she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Saying no to her was like staring down an angry dragon.

'She does the Drake name proud and she isn't even related to them.' Kyle remembered asking that question in a car ride and she laughed and said it's a commonly asked question but she has no relation that she knew of.

She helped deal with his old home and packed his stuff before paying others to clean the place up and lock it up with someone coming by every month to clean. The house would be kept for him to decide what to do with in the future when he was older. His mother left him funds to start his own Pokemon journey just as he always talked about with her when he held her hand and talked for hours.

More tears came to his eyes at that thought and he did his best to pull them back. He wouldn't wallow like that.

"Let go of your burdens. You're free now."

That's what the insurance agent told him at the end and he wanted to embrace that. Kyle would remember, he would mourn, he would experience his emotions, but he wouldn't drown in them.

He wasn't Jake who could just charge ahead without a care in the world but did things at his own pace and that was ok. He would endure. And he would thrive.

For himself primarily. But now also for the mother that had loved him so much.

He was a middle child in a family with three children in his old life. His parents weren't bad but simply busy working to support such a family. And as neither the eldest nor youngest, he often got overlooked.

It led to bouts of depression that lasted as long as it took for Jake to smack him back into focus. Kyle smiled at the memories of his brother in all but blood entering his life randomly one day and stubbornly pushing into it with all the grace of a bull in a China shop.

They were brothers who had each other's backs, there was no question on that. Physically or emotionally. Or well, as emotionally as it takes for a guy to get their depressed buddy drunk, high, and/or stuck in some annoying situation that he would thank life for much later on when he wasn't in that exact situation.

Kyle pushed away those memories to focus back on the rest of his new story.

He had the funds his mother left him to start his journey, but he was only eight. He had a few years to go and Iris Drake was the one who took him in. And boy did she own her own little slice of heaven.

Drake Farms.

It was a big name here in the Sinnoh region as it was home to truly large, terrifying, apocalyptic monsters of fluff.

That's right, Drake Farms was in fact a breeder group for Eevee's! His favorite all time Pokemon!

Iris and her sister Aster owned the farm and had few employees to deal with dozens of eevee's a year. The Vaporeon and Flareon currently cuddling and purring on him were two of the mothers that were on Iris's Poke team.

You could find most of the Eevee evolutions among Iris and Aster's teams as they focused their lives and professions on breeding them. Humanely of course. The women loved Eevee's just as much as he did and wanted to spread the love of Eevee's to others.

It also helped that they were highly in demand around the world and made the family a decent profit. The Drake's were set for life and could retire whenever they wanted, not that they planned to.

Iris had brought him to the big house on the ranch. A three story old style building with a very cozy and warm design. Kyle broke out in a large smile at the last part of his memories.

After the sisters gave him a warm welcome and cooked up a large dinner, Iris grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and all but tossed him to the wolves.

Or to more specific, the foxes. She threw him into the Eevee den to get accommodated with the litter and he was swarmed by a sea of moving fluff.

It might have been the greatest therapy session he ever had in both his lives. No, it definitely was.

The happy, giddy, feelings he got at the memory combined with his own love and filled him with a steady coolness that soothed his mind and soul.

Kyle's eyes closed unintentionally as the coolness spread through him, and at the same time, he could almost see the outlines of the two Pokemon sitting with him.

He wasn't controlling anything, just letting it happen and feeling it come to him naturally. Some coolness left his body where he physically contacted them and some of their own with distinct differences entered him, accompanied by a feeling of positivity and care.

An unknown amount of time later, he opened his eyes, seeing the bare hints of sunrise through the window, and seeing two pairs of eyes looking at him from their curled forms.

"Flaa~."

"Vaa~."

The two rubbed against him, sharing a feeling of joy with him when it finally hit him. Not like a sledgehammer, but more like a gentle wind. 'So that's what aura feels like, how magical.'

His hands ran over his new friends fondly as he processed that thought and chuckled. 'Heh, Jake gets the magic world and here I am feeling magic.'

Much to his surprise though, when the breath left his lungs, a light mist exited his lips. Kyle blinked at it as a slight comfortable chill hit his skin. Vaporeon seemed to relax into it while Flareon recoiled a bit and heated up while pressing into him.

Kyle laughed and petted the worried mothering Pokemon. "I'm ok girl, I think… that was normal for me."

Flareon gave him a considering look while Vaporeon nodded her head and said something to her sister. It didn't seem to appease Flareon enough to move away but she did stop heating up in an attempt to keep him warm.

Watching the two talk, fully ingrained with his new memories, and just flowing in the coolness of his first touch with aura, and the oddly satisfied feeling of cold, Kyle was smiling widely.

Taking it all in and thanking life for this chance. 'I'll make the most of this, I promise.'

He picked up his phone and typed in a quick message to Jake as the sun rose over the horizon. The chat software looked just like a discord server much to his slight amusement.

[Kyle: Bro, this is amazing.]

He didn't wait for an answer, knowing Jake was probably playing with magic like a lunatic and laughing like a crazy person.

He just sat there, enjoying it all in peace. Not moving or disturbing the serenity, long after the sun breached the horizon and made its journey upwards.

But the peace was not to last as Flareon and Vaporeon's ears snapped up seconds before the door to Kyle's bedroom was thrown open and a loud, yet somehow warm voice at the same time announced itself.

"Rise and shine kit!"

Iris Drake had arrived, and the early hours of the day hadn't dampened her personality even a bit.

00000

Jake – Harry Potter

It was only when the sun had fully risen that Jake was snapped out of his endless enthusiasm of changing his finger nail colors by a soft pop noise in his room.

"Yung master, its be time to rise!"

Jake flinched and lost his focus as his nails reverted back to their normal color. "Huh?"

His intelligent reply and blurry eyes had Jeff the house elf clicking his tongue. "Tsk, yung master not be sleepin right. Youngins be needin sleep to grow big and strong. Come yung master, clean up and comes down to eat."

Jake shook his head a bit and pushed back against the sudden wave of exhaustion. He didn't even realize how much time passed in his experimentation. "R-right, sorry about that Jeff, and thank you, I'll be right there."

Jeff nodded with a smile and disappeared with another slight pop noise as Jake stared at the spot he disappeared from. 'A real house elf.'

It looked similar to the movies image of them, but less… alien? Definitely not human but not as gremlin like.

Jake shook off such thoughts and hopped out of bed. 'Alright, this will take some getting used to but I can't keep freezing up with each new thing.'

Then he paused. 'Wait… I'm a kid aren't I? It's perfectly normal to freeze up at new things and marvel a bit. Ha, this setup doesn't seem so bad.'

He smiled and walked across the hall to the bathroom set for him with a pep in his step, looking around and taking everything in. A quick shower, brushing his teeth, and getting changed using the supplied towels and clothes in his dresser and he felt like a new man.

Or well… a new boy.

With a puffed out childish chest and a feeling of being on top of the world, Jake stepped onto the stairs to head down only to misstep as he was still not 100% adjusted to his body, and he wasn't really paying attention.

"Arresto Momentum."

A gruff voice called out and faster than Jake could blink or faceplant on the stairs, a white light slammed into his side and he slowed down in his fall to a crawl.

The sound of footsteps rang behind him but he couldn't do much but just hang there with wide eyes.

"Boy, what the hell are you doing first thing in the morning? Don't go offing yourself so pathetically." A hand grasped the back of his collar and the spell faded away leaving Jake hanging in the air like a limp pup.

"Um…Good morning."

He was out of his depth and offered a weak smile and wave.

James Walker rose a brow in amusement and walked down the stairs with Jake held outstretched in his arm like a wolf carrying his pup.

James was a tall man with broad shoulders, greying hair, sharp hazel eyes, rough calloused hands, and early signs of wrinkles on his face. "Good morning brat, come, let's have some breakfast and talk."

Mr. Walker set him down at the bottom of the stairs and moved into the open kitchen area with a very light limp to his steps.

Jake unintentionally followed him like a lost pup. His little slip up, the first experience with a spell, and James natural charisma sort of got him caught up and unable to really think things through.

He did take a look around however.

The living room had warm colors, tan leather couches and chairs by a fireplace. A few picture frames and odd things hung on the walls. The floor was carpeted but gave way to hardwood where the living room met the open air kitchen and dining table. At the back of the kitchen was a sliding glass door with a deck beyond.

It was tastefully set up and very…cozy is the word he would use. Another way to say it would be: an older man's bachelor pad.

Mr. Walker pulled out a seat for him before he sat himself at the head of the hardwood table and gestured for him to sit down. Jake took it with a nod of thanks but just as he opened his mouth to ask a question, Jeff popped in and the table was suddenly filled with food for at least a family of three.

James clicked his tongue at the sight and sighed. "Thank you Jeff. I know your excited to feed more than just myself but please don't go overboard."

"Yes sir, Master Walker sir."

He rolled his eyes but didn't respond to Jeff. He caught Jake's questioning look and dropped a short comment. "I told him to leave the master stuff long ago, stubborn elf that one. Loyal but stubborn."

There was an unmistakable sound of a satisfied 'hmph' from the kitchen and Jake found himself chuckling at the scene before reaching for some pancakes and eggs.

Mr. Walker was silent for the most part while they ate aside from throwing in comments here and there. "Sit straight son." "Hold your utensils like this." "Bring the food to yourself, not yourself to the food."

Jake was a bit embarrassed getting table manners thrown at him. It never applied in his old life and he never tried to fix unhealthy habits like them. But James was calm as he gave out instructions. Never raising his voice but calmly instructing and making sure Jake could see his own example.

He seemed like one of the old school types who cared about self-discipline and manners, and to be honest, Jake found himself flushing a bit. It was… nice. It had been a very long time since someone tried to positively encourage him without forcing him.

Like a gentle guiding hand.

The meal flew by with great food and by the end Jake's face was scrunched up as he tried to keep a straight back. 'Holy hell this is harder than it looks.'

Good posture was a long time habit and muscle memory that required you to consciously focus on it and use muscles he wasn't used to. Whenever he got distracted by the food he would unconsciously slouch only for a gentle grunt to remind him.

By the time they were done Jake was red faced in effort and Mr. Walker was chuckling in amusement. "Isn't easy is it boy? Good manners is a battle of will."

Jake nodded. "How long does it take for it to become natural?"

He scoffed good naturedly. "When you die it becomes natural. Life is a battle son, get your baring's, know what direction you want to go, and then focus on the step directly in front of you.

I've made enough mistakes getting ahead of myself. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and you will make progress. Everyone progress's at their own speed, so don't compare yourself to others."

Jake hummed at that bit of wisdom and nodded in acknowledgement.

"I understand but it seems so easy to get distracted." And it really was. Just focusing on Mr. Walker speaking made him start slouching again.

"Distractions are part of life. Try to ignore what isn't important and stick to your own morals and thoughts. You have to fight for your own mind."

"How do I know whats important?"

He pointed a calloused finger at Jakes head.

"Decide for yourself. Think, listen, learn, and answer your own questions. Everyone has different values. The most important things are things that positively benefit you, physically, mentally, magically, or emotionally. If they do none of that, question why you're doing it."

Jake took his words to heart. The older man seemed to ramble quite a bit but Jake found himself getting absorbed in his words. The man spoke with an edge of life experience and wisdom that had you pay attention and focus.

Mr. Walker gave his plate a glance. "You eat enough son? Don't be shy."

Jake shook his head with a smile. "I'm full but thank you Mr. Walker."

The man nodded. "Call me James if you wish. Mr. Walker is fine to, whatever you're comfortable with." When Jake nodded back he turned to the side.

"Jeff. Wrap up the rest and drop it at the usual place."

"Yes sir!"

Jeff snapped his fingers and the table cleared. Mr. Walker answered Jakes unspoken question. "The stubborn elf makes more food than I can eat. I ask him to drop off whats left at random spots in the homeless areas of the city. Better to help a poor soul than just waste decent food."

Jake gave the old man an admiring look but he sent Jake a sharp look in return before continuing. "Boy, careful with that look, don't go thinking I'm some hero type. I'll crush those fantasies now. If you can help a soul without bringing trouble on yourself, so be it. But don't hurt yourself for them. The world doesn't appreciate softness and it will throw you a curveball if you slip up.

Take care of what you have first, then think about others if that's your wish."

Jake took his words in. He was never the hero type, in fact, he disliked the very concept of a Hero, but he fully agreed with Mr. Walkers views. Take care of yourself and your own, then support another if you can and desire to.

It's a tough line to figure out but the world is not white and black. Life is about deciding these things for yourself on a case by case situation. "I understand Mr. Walker."

Jake found himself really warming up to the older man. He was fatherly in a way but also standoffish like an uncle. Mr. Walker grunted happily and sat back in his chair.

"Good. Now, we should discuss a few things. Namely what you want to do from here." Jake sat up in his chair as he went on.

"I brought you in the other day and I gave you some time to get comfortable without bothering you, I didn't want to pressure you.

I told you why I took you in, I see a lot of myself in you when I was that age. I want to help you. Not just for yourself but for myself as well. I have nothing to hide there, I made plenty of mistakes in life, it would be good to help you avoid some of em.

I gave you a brief overview before. Magic, wizards, dragons, magic school, and a few things I mumbled about. I can tell you what I know, give you books to read up, get you accustomed to the world you have the option to enter.

I'm not expecting a brat to decide your life path right now, but I'm leaving a few options on the table. I've long since learned that if a man doesn't decide things for himself, he won't amount to nothing.

You understand boy?"

Jake nodded seriously and he smiled. "Mn. Good. Keep your ears open and your head on a swivel in life.

Alright, I have a few options for you.

One, you can ignore all the magic stuff. I can teach you how to control yourself so you don't have an accident and you can go on with the non-magical world. Go to school, find yourself a girl, get a job, have your own family, the whole nine yards. If you put in the effort and time, it can be yours with enough luck."

Jake grimaced at the thought. He didn't want to interrupt the man but he hated that idea, and the older man seemed to notice. "Ha! Not your cup of tea eh? Fair enough. Magic is a wonderful thing after all.

Second option, I enroll you in school here in town, and on the weekends and holidays, I teach you about magic and wizard society, get you ready for the whole thing once your eleventh birthday hits and some teacher comes knocking."

Jake was much more interested in that idea.

His mind was rapidly going through various idea's and plans from fanfiction and his own conjectures. This wasn't a story, he wasn't the main character, this was the real world now.

He couldn't just hop on a bus, go to London, enter Diagon Alley, and grab a nice inheritance from Gringotts.

He didn't have a fortune or an ancient noble mansion waiting for him. And he was eight. People don't ignore an eight year old walking on their own.

All he had was his knowledge and his gifts. And that knowledge was just surface level. He didn't actually know how to make a potion or cast a spell.

He needed to learn, to grow, and to adapt things to his benefits. Besides, how hard could middle school be when he already got an associate's degree?

A slight shiver went down his spine as he recalled all those are you smarter than a fifth grader shows. 'Delete brain. Delete all those thoughts!'

Despite Jake's internal issues, James went on. And Jake was thankful he didn't interrupt as he got to the third option. "Last option, and this one you will have to prove yourself capable of. I'll give you a few weeks to really get a good understanding of what you're getting into with the magic business.

If you think your determined enough, if you really decide you want to give it your all, I'll give you a hand.

We can homeschool you for the most part. I have a sharp mind for math considering I'm an accountant. English, economics, geography, and foreign languages, specifically Latin, I can help with all of that. I have enough books in the library and we can get plenty of workbooks for you to make your way through.

Might need to sign you up for some classes to handle Science, History, and art if you want the last one. I'm not great with those. It's going to take some real guts and dedication. No teacher to hound you and no peers to judge you. Your own efforts will rely on yourself. You will have to take government sanctioned tests to judge your level a few times a year, but otherwise your time and life will be your own.

And in that time, you can pursue magic to your heart's desire. Take it from me boy, Hogwarts is one mighty experience and useful for learning magic, but seven years of ignoring the rest of the world will cripple you if you decide not to live in their world. The choice is yours between the three. I'll never question or judge you on what you pick."

Mr. Walker finished his piece and picked up the tea cup that appeared on the table sometime while he was speaking and waited for Jake to think.

Jake already knew his answer, but he wanted to ask something else. "Why?"

Mr. Walker rose a brow. "Why what boy? Don't leave open questions like that."

Jake twitched. 'He says good things but I think that's going to get old pretty soon.' He went on. "Why are you offering me so much? You adopted me and explained why, but you're going through so much effort for me. A random kid pulled off the streets and thrown in an orphanage."

Mr. Walker put down his cup and grunted. "Solid question. One I believe I answered already but perhaps not enough. I'll give you a bit of a rant son. You might not understand everything now. Or tomorrow. But remember my words and ponder it. One day, you will understand.

You're young child, so very young. I can't even begin to describe my mistakes. How I wish I could change things. To go back and slap my younger self. But I can't, and I live with that and move on. Life isn't no place to wallow in the past. However, the past shapes who we are today.

And I saw a child, in a very similar situation to myself. Do you know what would have happened if those kids that saw you changing hair colors left that day?"

Jake had an idea but didn't say anything, he didn't want an answer. "I can assure you nothing good. Questions would be asked. Answers they don't like will be given. Your life would get harder. You understand hardship don't you? You told me you were a pickpocket street urchin before the coppers caught ya."

Jake nodded with downcast eyes. Those memories were his and not at the same time. He remembered them. Felt them. They changed him ever so slightly. His old self didn't know hunger the way his new self did.

A rough hand lightly patted his back. "Don't sag son. You survived. Take pride in that. You have fire in your eyes and I saw that since day one. The world is tough without a golden spoon. And even for them, the challenges will come one day.

But back to the topic at hand, once you discovered your magic, even ignoring others, you would be hounding yourself with questions. It's not a fun feeling trying to figure out what you are, while being shunned, and having no one to turn to. It's downright terrifying at your age.

Then some robed up teacher shows up once you're old enough and attempts to compress an entire culture into a half hour conversation. Without a real care how much you comprehend. They may not hate you, but their culture internally looks down on us muggleborn types. Those born without magical parents. Their society places us at the bottom even though lawfully we have the same rights as others.

It's a tough life for a muggleborn orphan. Walk in unprepared and they will chew you up and spit you out if your soft. You asked me why I want to help you boy?"

Mr. Walker met Jakes gaze as he nodded. "I realized I could help someone else avoid most of my hurdles. I didn't do many good things in my life, I help where I can, do the little that can make all the difference to someone else, but this is as much about you as it is for me.

I want to help you, see you thrive, show those bastards what a prepared muggleborn could do. And at the same time, heal some old wounds. But I won't push you toward that. Your life and your choice is yours; I made my choice to commit to this the day I met you at the orphanage, and by god I won't abandon what I decided to do."

He pointed a finger at Jake and practically radiated authority for a moment. Even using his actual name for the first time since meeting the older man. "Listen here Jake and make sure this above all sticks. When you make a choice in life. Follow through with it to the end. Don't hesitate and lose yourself in 'what if's' or insecurities. Give it 120%. Hesitation will get you killed."

He held the feeling for a moment longer before calming and breaking out in a chuckle. "Well, figuratively anyway. Hesitation often leads to failure, not death. At least not right away. Just tell yourself that to enforce the seriousness of it. You understand all that son?"

"I do Mr. Walker." Jake held his gaze with the older man for a long second until he nodded. "Heh, maybe you did, maybe you didn't.

You're young brat, I didn't expect all my rambling to stick in that little head of yours. But don't worry, that's why I'm around. To make sure my life lessons get dug in. I hope you like long lectures because I won't go easy on you. It's been a while since I've had someone to ramble to after all. Those young interns always look exhausted at the end of the day."

He mumbled the last part to himself and Jake felt his eye twitch. 'A real character I ended up with here.'

James tapped the table with a finger and got Jake's attention back. "So, whats it going to be brat? Are you ready to take on the big challenge? Or do you prefer the other paths. Don't be thinking any of them are easy. Life isn't easy. You will have many years to decide what you want to do overall. These choices will just prepare you for different things.

Decide now. Follow your heart. Don't give yourself time to hesitate. Let nothing stop you from your desires."

Jake smiled wide at that. 'Damn if that doesn't ring loud in my ears.'

"I think you know my choice old man." Mr. Walker grunted in amusement and smiled wider. "Say it boy, state your desire clearly. Do it for yourself more than me."

Jake stood up and answered. "The third option. Give me all you got old man! I want to learn about magic."

The older man stood up and laughed loud. "Haha! Good lad! I'll give you hell, it won't all be fun but I promise you this. You won't just learn about magic but what it means to be a real man. To stand tall in the face of adversity and charge with your head held high."

Jake smiled so wide under the old and scarred wolf's words, his Metamorph abilities kicked in and caused his cheeks to actually stretch and shift to make his smile wider. If the old man noticed, he didn't point it out.

And Jake didn't seem to care if his little secret mattered anymore.

00000

Kyle – Pokemon

"And that over there is our root cellar. With all these mouths to feed, it would cost a fortune on electricity so we did things like our ancestors and use nature as nature intended. You following kit?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I told you to call me Iris or aunty."

"Yes ma'am."

"Oi, you want to play chew toy with the young litter?"

"No, no I do not. But I would appreciate it if you put me down."

Kyle felt his request was justified. Iris was warm, positive, caring, and a great woman with a strong personality. But that personality tended to go at her own pace.

So when she barged into his room an hour ago, grabbed him by the back of his shirt, and hauled him off like a sack of potatoes under the smiling gazes of his new friends to show him around the property, all without putting him down, he found himself less than amused.

Iris blinked owlishly and realized what she was doing before putting him down on his own two feet. "Ahaha, sorry about that. I think I'm a bit too used to dealing with Eevee. When I need one I just grab em to make them stop misbehaving. Developed some strong habits I guess. I'm not used to dealing with small ones like yourself."

Kyle waved a hand and stretched his short legs a bit to get some blood flowing. "It's fine, I appreciate your energy honestly. I just like to move on my own."

Iris chuckled and smiled mischievously. "I'll try but no promises kit."

Kyle shrugged. "I'll take what I can get."

Iris laughed and smacked his back good naturedly. "Good man! Now come on, let's head back. Aster probably has breakfast ready."

Kyles stomach growled at that and he realized how hungry he was. For all of Iris's little tour, he was actually absorbed in learning about his unfamiliar environment and didn't pay attention to the fact that he hadn't eaten yet.

Iris's long legs moved at a quick pace back to the house that Kyle had to put in an effort to match on his shorter ones.

Iris was a tall woman at around six feet. She had mismatched eyes with one blue and one green. Her hair was long and brown. And she had the body of a fit model in Kyles opinion. Not the frail type, but one who worked on a farm her whole life with defined instead of bulky muscle.

From what she said, her family came from an extensive line of breeders. Every other generation they changed species of Pokemon as the new head of the family had their own preferences.

Iris and her elder sister Aster loved Eevee's and chose them. But they grew up helping their father with his Mareep farm.

She even mentioned how her great grandmother actually focused on breeding Chimchar back in the day, but the league enforced rules on starters and the family moved on to something else.

It was all really fascinating for Kyle. Seeing such an old farm, kept up by generations of families, and with such rich history in the land.

The farm was about four hundred acres of land, south west of Oreburgh City, and about a day or two walking distance from Sandgem Town. Meaning it wasn't far from Twinleaf town and the lab of Professor Rowan.

Kyle couldn't recall if something were around this area in the games but he didn't dwell on it, those were the games.

And this was Sinnoh, not Kanto. He could probably recite Kanto's landmarks by heart after all those years playing Leaf Green and Fire Red. Or even Yellow. He knew not to worry about game knowledge. He would use what could, but not expect everything to be like he remembered.

Smith did say these were AU worlds after all. 'Hm, I wonder what AU affect Jake's Harry Potter world has? I can see a dozen ways that can go bad off the top of my head. I'll check in with him later.'

Kyle noticed how Jake didn't respond to his text but didn't worry. The asshole was probably scaring the crap out of someone with his interest in magic or causing chaos. Maybe both.

In another world, Jake sneezed on Jeff accidentally while peppering the poor house elf with questions and apologized while trying to help wipe his face with a napkin only for the elf to try and escape getting help from his 'young master' and forgetting he could teleport. All while an old wolf watched on in amusement from the living room while reading a book.

Kyle snapped out of his thoughts when Iris opened the front door and called back. "Come on! Stop spacing out kit. It's mealtime!"

Kyle laughed at her exuberance and followed her in. Iris ran into the kitchen. "Morning sis!"

A slightly deeper voice called back. "Don't shout first thing in the morning Iris."

"Aye, aye, ma'am!"

Kyle winced at the sounds of clattering pans and entered cautiously. Aster turned from where she nailed Iris with a ladle and smiled at him. "Good morning Kyle, sleep well?"

Kyle smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah, it was great. Flareon and Vaporeon came and kept me company."

Aster chuckled at that. "Yeah, those two are real mother hens. Don't be surprised if you find them fussing over you all the time."

Kyle scratched the back of his head with a laugh. "I don't think I'll mind too much. Eevee's are my favorite Pokemon. I'm grateful for the two checking on me."

Aster smiled gently and pulled him into a side hug. "I think you will fit in just fine around here kit. Don't be afraid to speak up if you need anything."

Kyle nodded his head. He liked Aster.

She was shorter than Iris but well, bustier. She had a large chest, tan skin from working outdoors her whole life, and a slightly husky voice.

Iris was the energy and optimism while Aster was the backbone and discipline. Both were formidable women.

Speaking of Iris, she popped up from the ground with a red welt on her forehead and dove in to scoop him in a hug. "Yeah kit! We're here for you."

Kyle flushed a bit at the contact.

He was a grown man in mind but this situation wasn't one he had a lot of experience with. The pure warmth they gave off and singular focus made him feel special and warm inside. "Thank you, both of you, I really appreciate it."

Aster smiled and ruffled his silver hair. "Don't worry about it."

Iris nodded and put him down. "Yeah, one for all and all for one around here. We take care of our own."

Kyle couldn't help but hug the woman in thanks rather than say anything. She was just full of joy, it was infectious. He could even feel that coolness of aura in his chest bloom at the contact.

Soon enough, the three were sitting at the table and the two were throwing out funny stories of silly things they did over the years.

Like the time Iris accidentally walked upon a Machop hatching from an egg. The little girl thought Iris was her parent and followed her around like a duckling.

And Iris, being a teen at the time, decided to go full force and show the little one how to train her body and how to fight all the way till it evolved into a Machoke and left on her own journey. Iris never saw her again but she was sure her surrogate 'daughter' was doing well out there.

Iris also told a story about how Aster actually managed to scare a dragon into behaving. A wild Gabite wandered onto the farm and threatened some Eevee and Aster marched right up to the dragon and gave it a piece of her mind.

The pitiful thing looked like it would jump off a cliff if she told it to by the end. Aster gave it some berries and sent it on its way, properly chastised. Apparently a wild Garchomp occasionally comes around from the mountains to make sure no one is bothering the farm.

It was adorable.

"And remember the time those Combee thought you were their queen! Hahahaha! I was laughing for weeks!"

Aster flushed under her tan skin and threw a spoon at Iris who yelped and ducked under it.

It seemed after chastising a trio of Combee who harassed a young Eevee, they were certain Aster was their queen and followed her around loyally, doing anything she said as if a royal decree.

Kyle was in tears laughing at their tales. The two had hundreds of stories to share and he wouldn't mind just sitting around listening to them all day.

Unfortunately, work calls and they had dozens of Eevee to care for. They quickly went through a list of tasks on a tablet, getting their schedules in order while Kyle waited patiently, just listening in curiously.

Once they finished however, they turned to him rather than get up.

"Kyle, we do need to talk."

"Yeah, what do you want to do?"

Kyle tilted his head. "You mean in general, or right now?"

Aster shrugged. "Technically both."

Iris added on. "Mhm. You told me you wanted to be a trainer right? Do the gym circuit when you turn eleven?"

Kyle nodded. "Yeah, I've wanted to be a trainer since I first heard about them from my…mother…" He grew sad and paused for a second before pushing on, not that the girls commented even though they noticed. "And she left me the funds to get started. I don't know what I want to do full time, but I think I want to travel the world. I'll give the circuit a try first though."

Aster smiled widely at that but Iris elbowed her side and they exchanged a look before going on.

"What about your education?"

Kyle gave them a questioning look before his eyes widened a bit in realization. 'Oh, right. I'm eight. They think I never went through school and college.'

To be honest, Kyle was thoroughly tired of school. He was months away from getting his bachelor's degree before he died and wasn't looking forward to a re-run.

That doesn't mean he couldn't understand his current situation however. "Um… I'm not sure. What do.. I mean, what do people usually do? Anyone is eligible to be a trainer from the age of eleven right?"

The two nodded and Aster explained. "Yes. But also no. It's a bit complicated so I'll give you a general run down.

In Sinnoh, anyone can start their journey at age eleven. Not everyone does. Not everyone wants to be a trainer. And many others do it for a year or two before realizing they don't like it and going back to school.

And an even larger percent of those who do it just stick around one or two cities for a year rather than take the gym circuit challenge or travel.

Sinnoh will let you register at age eleven, but you can't travel to another region until you're at least thirteen and have two years of experience with a trainer license. And they are very strict with what you can do until thirteen, more so for your first year, and a bit less on your second year. Some regions are more lax about things but that's how Sinnoh is.

Speaking from experience, I can say it's a good thing. Pokemon are amazing beings but we can't forget the inherent danger. There are good and bad Pokemon just like people. And I don't mean specific species. I mean individuals. You shouldn't judge a species by the actions of a few. For good or bad.

Not to mention all the ways a child can die in the wild. Infection, starvation, getting injured, sickness, not recognizing territory of a predator, and so much more. It's a real trial by fire for most regions. I won't lie to you kit, it's harsh, its gritty, and it's harder than anything else, but if you push through, you will make some of the most unforgettable memories in your life."

Aster took a pause to drink some water and Iris went on. "Yeah, it was crazy for us. I almost died a few times my first year from stupid trivial things. But I'm glad I kept going. I lasted about five years of my trip while sis took eight years to decide to come home and be a breeder."

"Mn, it was some of the best years of my life."

Kyle looked at them in a new light. Just imagining it with everything he could, five or eight years was a crazy amount of time for things to happen. "Wait, did you two compete in the league?"

Iris grimaced and Aster chuckled. "I…lost twice and then just stopped."

Aster laughed harder and Iris scowled. "Haha, she almost tore apart the kid who beat her the second time, it was hilarious."

Iris stuck her tongue out to show her point. "Bah, not like you were much better."

Aster rose a brow and shrugged. "I made it to the top sixty-four my second try but lost there. Honestly, I lost interest at that point. I found more love in the wild, in journeying with my team and trusting my life to them and vice versa."

Iris sagged. "Yeah, I just stuck around Sinnoh and took a vacation to Unova a time or two. It was fun traveling the region. There's just so much to see."

The two sisters blinked as they found Kyle sitting closer to Aster all of a sudden. He looked at them with a serious expression. "I choose Asters path. Please teach me sensei."

The two looked at him blankly for a moment before cracking up laughing with Kyle joining in. It took a few minutes for the three to calm down when Aster pulled him into a side hug and smiled at him. "Haha, you want to follow my path huh kit? Alright, I can teach you a thing or two."

Iris wiped a tear from laughter and pretended to pout. "You traitor. Abandoning your aunty Iris so easily."

Kyle actually felt like apologizing for some reason when Aster flicked his ear. "Don't take shit from her Kyle, she's just messing with you. Hm… it looks like we should add in 'how to read women' into your future training."

Kyle suddenly felt a feeling of danger at those words. Asters frame seemed to suddenly loom over him.

"Ahaha…. I misspoke?"

She smiled wildly. "Too late."

Kyle sagged comically before perking back up. "Eh, whatever."

The sisters laughed at his act. "You got guts, that's good."

Iris pretended to pray for him. "May you find luck on your journey."

Laughs went around before Iris brought her point back up. "Heh, jokes aside though, we have a suggestion."

Kyle wiped his eyes and nodded for her to go on. "It's about your education. You see, Aster and I both learned the hard way that leaving for so many years during our teen years to travel or have fun tends to have an adverse effect on education. When we came home to be breeders, we had to get licensed and we each suffered for two years catching up to things we could have known much easier if we dealt with it earlier."

Aster nodded and added in. "Yeah, it sucked. We didn't have much of an option back then and I doubt we would have changed our minds, but things are different now. Technology has had rapid booms in the last decade."

Iris jumped in. "It's been awesome! Digitized non-living objects has made transport so much easier. Not to mention the travel packs for trainers and such that allow you to carry way more than usual without a huge weight increase."

"Better outdoor clothes and gear."

"Improved systems at Poke-centers and malls."

"Better trainer systems for competing and exchanging money."

"That one is so unfair! Back in our day, we had to actually trade paper money, and sometimes people would run without consequence to paying the winner. These days anyone who challenges you has to register their ID with yours so it's officially logged. If you forget to do it, you can only blame yourself if they don't pay up."

"And not to mention everything is done electronically now. No one carries cash when you can just link bank accounts."

"Right. Anyway, our point here kit, is that we want you to continue your education while you travel."

Kyle took in all their points, internally happy with how the world matched up to some of the game stuff, and then looked at Iris. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that we will get you a traveling tablet. It's like a small touch screen computer for the road. Solar paneled and water proof, and you can use it to continue learning while you travel around."

Kyle considered it seriously but couldn't see an issue with it. "Sure, I don't mind. It doesn't sound all that bad to be honest."

Iris and Aster smiled at his acceptance. "Impressive, I'm proud of you Kyle, it's a very mature choice." "Yeah kit, it's smarter than us at your age."

Kyle flushed a bit under their praise and they laughed. "That's still three years away right? What should I do until then?"

The sisters looked at each other for a moment before turning smiles full of teeth on a suddenly nervous Kyle.

"Well you need experience dealing with Pokemon."

"Could use some toughening up as well."

"What better way to prepare then."

"Working with Pokemon full time."

Their eyes shined bright with mischievous light and Kyle had to look away from it before he went blind, so he did what any respectable man in a child's body would do and ran away.

Laughter resounded behind him as they called. "You don't run from fox's kit!" "Flareon! Vaporeon! We have a runaway!"

Kyle ran as fast as his stubby little eight year old legs could carry him. 'I'm perfectly happy to work on the farm but those two could make Satan shit himself!'

He busted out the front door just as shapes of all forms charged after him from places he didn't even notice before.

The fluff tide encompassed him within seconds and the poor boy drowned in a sea of moving and yipping bodies.

He couldn't help the laugh that burst from him at it all. 'I think I'm going to love it here.'

00000

Later that night, with the sun long since set, two young boys, in different worlds, collapsed face first in their beds with full stomachs and content smiles.

[Kyle: Bro, this is amazing.

Jake: Ikr. It still feels like I'm dreaming.

Kyle: I woke up with a Flareon and Vaporeon cuddling me.

Jake: Fuck you! My place has a house elf. He's named Jeff, lol!

Kyle: Why Jeff?

Jake: Adopted parent is a muggleborn. He thought the wizard name was stupid.

Kyle: Fair.

Jake: Yeah, what's your set up?

Kyle: Eevee farm.

Jake: Bullshit!

Kyle: Heh. One of the owners was best friends with my…mom..

Jake: You good?

Kyle: Bro… my new memories were tough. I had a mom who really loved me. I watched her die from an illness.

Jake:…I'm sorry man. That's rough.

Kyle: I'll deal with it, it's just surreal you know? I lived it and didn't. Whats yours?

Jake: I'm here if you need me bro, we're in this for the long haul so talk to me if you need to talk. As for my own, it was shit. I was a pickpocket street urchin for a few years before getting caught by the cops and thrown in an orphanage. My adopted parent found me there doing accidental magic.

I can't look at bread the same anymore man. I keep getting flashbacks to the moldy fuzz I ate to survive. But I can tell I would eat if again if I had to. It's weird.

Kyle: Nah, that sounds like you in both lives lol.

Jake: Heh, fuck you too. It is what it is. Made me appreciate food more than ever though. Don't waste food dude, trust me, you will hate yourself for it if you ever starve.

Kyle: Again, fair. I'll try to avoid the situation. Anyway, I'm passing out bro. The woman who adopted me, Iris, she's like a dog on cocaine, or a fox I guess. She ran me ragged.

Jake: Oh? She drained you huh?

Kyle: Fuck off, she's a sweetheart. Scary and kind of a badass but a real good hearted person.

Jake: Heh, I'm happy for you man. Enjoy the dream. We got three years till our journeys start.

Kyle: Don't remind me. I'm just taking it day by day for now.

Jake: Meh, make some long term plans dude, study your aura and empath powers.

Kyle: Yeah, yeah, I'm passing out. Night bro.

Jake: Fine, fine, I'll get on your case later. Night.]

The two smiled from their own locations. The conversation itself wasn't anything important but what was unsaid between them was just how satisfying it was to have someone to speak with.

To know you're not alone. To be able to share your deepest secrets with someone you can trust.

Their lives were irrevocably changed, but as long as they had their brother to watch their back, their core wouldn't change.

Like Jake said, the two were in this for the long haul.

And the first grind was just starting.

Chapter end. (Que training montage music)