[CW: Short Story] There's No Adventure Left, Mr. Protagonist.

[IntSys]

First time being here. An idea struck me while I was wandering in and out of the forums, and so I got to work. Feedback is appreciated though it's not my primary objective here. I just wanted to write something to break a block, and I guess to share it with people too.

 

(433 Words)

Spoiler

“Come on, Charmander! Sarab City’s just up ahead. We’ll take down the first gym in a snap!” The young Pokemon Trainer excitedly skipped past the tall grass in the way, with his new partner busy warding off wild Pokemon with his flames. The sun smiled at him, wishing him a safe journey.

 

…

 

The city came into view through the woods of Route 1. High-rises and highways were a fresh experience to this young boy from the countryside. He couldn’t contain his excitement, his steps getting ever faster, and then-

 

“OW!” He stumbled and fell on his rear. An invisible force barred his path. He readjusted his cap, and tried again… slowly. It was a wall, perfectly transparent. He was so close to the magnificent cityscape, yet so far. “Charmander, Ember!” An idea worth trying. The fire lizard breathed flames at seemingly nothing… and of course, nothing happened.

 

A youngster walked by from his back. “Don’t bother. There’s nothing out there.”

 

“...Nothing?” The young trainer looked at the boy, puzzled. “What are you talking about, there’s a whole city over there!”

 

“Is there? Or have we all been lied to?” The boy laughed, but his eyebrows frowned. The cityscape began to fizzle, and in a few seconds, it degraded into an empty void. “There’s no adventure left, Mr. Protagonist.”

 

“Wh-What? What’s going on?” The so-called protagonist instinctively nudged himself away from the emptiness he was just realizing.

 

“The Creator had given up. He never had what it took to create an entire world to host your daring adventure, and so he left it to rot.”

 

The Charmander seemed to have caught on, and curled up in silence. “What… What will happen to us, then?”

 

“I don’t know, man.” The youngster leaned against a tree. “It’s only a matter of time before he remembers to scrap this world for good. But in short, it’s over.”

 

Unlike his partner, the young trainer chose to laugh it off. “I don’t care. I don’t need a Creator to make my dreams come true. I’ve waited years for this… Nothing’s going to stop me! Come on, Charmander! Sarab City’s just up ahead. We’ll take down the first gym in a snap!”

 

With a swoop, he grabbed his curled-up Charmander and dashed straight into the threshold between Route 1 and the nonexistent city. The hero’s determination prevailed before the youngster’s eyes, as he clipped through the barrier and faded into the oblivion. Tears welled in the youngster’s eyes. One last ode to the protagonist, a thumbs up. Even in a dying world, he managed to play his part well.