Light at the End of Mediocre

Jason was and still is an unremarkable human being. Born to a family as a single child his life was bound for mediocrity. He went to schools in his neighborhood obtaining what could only be described as a piece of paper marking the end of his 12 years of schooling. Achieving what could only be described as barely passing the mark.

His next stage in life was working in a fast-food restaurant serving overpriced sandwiches to people living more fulfilled lives than he ever did. But there was one thing that set him apart from the rest. The only achievement he had that could be counted as extraordinary. It was that he won a regional tournament for a video game, Pokemon. Now some would say that's quite pathetic, but as Jason would put it 'The 2,000 dollars I got from it says otherwise'. While his parents weren't very thrilled it was Jason's first time experiencing something above mediocrity.

Oh, the joy he felt, elated he bragged to his fellow co-workers about his win. Every lunch break would be filled with Jason's ramblings about how he won Regionals. His Co-Workers couldn't care less about how he won it but didn't hesitate when it came to getting free lunch from Jason to celebrate his win. After all, they might as well get some reward for listening to what could only be described as a grown man's desire to play with digital pets for kids.

But in all his mediocrity, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. A way for him to become somewhat special. A letter had arrived for him for an invitation to the Pokemon World Championship in August. Jason had been waiting for this day to come, perhaps by winning this he could obtain the coveted scholarship to get him out of his current situation. To rid himself of his mediocrity and find who he truly is. With a grin on his face like a kid getting ready for Christmas day, he jolted on his calendar the 23rd of August, ghe day his life will change.

----

"Look if I win this I could get a scholarship for college!" Jason said with the invitation letter in his hand as he spoke to his parents. "I've got a shot at this, remember that time I won that 2,000 dollars? I've done it before!"

"Jason, dear we've been through this already. What if this is all a scam like they've been showing on the news!" His mom exclaimed "This is telling you to go across the country for who knows what! I'm telling you it's for your own good, listen to your parents!"

"Mom! This is a reputable company they're famous! You've even seen the advertisements for it when you go online you can't seriously think this is a scam!"

"Hey I've been on there enough to know a scam when I see one, don't you remember aunt Betty! Oh her poor heart I don't want that to happen to you!"

"But!"

"No means no, Jason," His father said, still seating on the couch. Not even bothering to move his head towards Jason. "As your mother said, it's too dangerous. And you've got a job to do over down at the mall. I won't have you quitting just to fly to knows where."

"Dad I could make it big from this what can't you understand?!"

"You can make it big from you're at right now!" His father shouted, slamming his can of beer down on the side table. "I worked my ass off in retail like you are doing now back in the 80s and I was able to raise a whole family, you ain't gonna run away to some other part of the country just because you're afraid of working hard!"

"This isn't the 80s I can't even afford to get my own home with my current paycheck!"

"That's cause you ain't working hard enough! Playing around with your toys has made you soft! Was the biggest mistake getting you that toy. Should've broken it years ago! Now you're gonna forget this whole nonsense and get back to reality!"

"My god you both are insane, can't you see this is my only shot into improving my life?! I can't get anywhere from where I am don't you see?! Im trying to change my life for this better with this!"

Jason's father stood up with fury Jason hadn't seen in a long time. He froze in place as his childhood trauma took over him. His father walked up to him and snatched the letter from his hands while a finger jabbed at his chest.

"Do not bring up god like that, are we clear boy!?" Jason's father shouted as he looked right into Jason's eyes.

"Y-yes..."

"Now no more of this talk about leaving, you're gonna go back to your room and reflect on this mistake." His father said as he tore up the letter. "I knew we shouldn't have let you stop visiting church. You're gonna start coming with me every weekend now you hear me? And make sure I never see you playing with that toy of yours. Is that clear?"

"yes..." Jason mumbled.

"I said IS THAT CLEAR?!"

"Yes!"

His father threw what was left of the letter onto the floor and went back to his sofa, ready to drink another can of beer while his mother went back upstairs. There want anyone to console Jason, he was on his own.

Jason looked down to the floor, littered with the remains of his invitation to the World Championship. His calling in life, the future he envisioned for himself, was torn to pieces on the floor of his home. A burst of nervous laughter came out of Jason as he bent down to pick up the remains of his invitation. He didn't know what to feel with all the emotions swirling inside of him. He cradled the pieces of paper and walked back to his room, tears filling up his eyes. On the end table next to his bed he placed the pieces of paper and lay on his bed.

As he curled up on his bed, he tried his best to fall asleep. Hoping that maybe, this would all be a bad dream. And that maybe he'll wake up across the country, on the 23rd of August to battle for his chance to overcome a lifetime of mediocrity. And soon, he was off to the land of dreams, where he could be anything he wanted.

Yet this time, it felt more real than ever before. Jason felt as though he was falling through an endless expanse of blackness filled with countless stars scattered all around him. The fall felt so liberating like he was casting everything away to the depths of wherever the stars will take him. He could only wish this dream would never end, that he'd keep falling forever. But life was never kind to Jason, and it never intended to be.

I want to have a Hippopotas for Chrismas~

Or a big Hipowdown will do~

I don't want a ralts, or a really small budew~

I want a big hipowdown to play with and enjoy~

Jason cringed as he felt a terrible headache assault his poor head, and with terrible Christmas music just to add insult to injury.

"Wait... Christmas music? But it's the middle of the year..."

He opened his eyes and confusion immediately sets in as he looked at what appeared to be a child's bedroom. Posters of Pokemon and what he could only presume to be their trainers were plastered all over the walls. Even the drawer was covered in stickers, it was a miracle the walls were even spared. But just how did he manage to wake up in a child's bedroom?

"Oh god, I'm going to jail for this aren't I. Oh, I'm so fucked."

But another question soon emerged in his mind, and it was quite an alarming one. His voice didn't sound like his voice. Rather it sounded like a child's voice, a male voice that has yet to go through puberty. He raised his hand to look at it and saw that his hand had shrunk. In fact, his entire body had shrunk.

"No...no no no what the hell, did I take some kind of drugs? I must be hallucinating... Oh god, this looks so real." Jason said as he started pinching his hand "Ah fuck that felt real."

He took off the blanket covering him and stood up. Everything felt odd, as though the objects he would normally be familiar with like a dresser was abnormally big. The change in perspective confused the heck out of him.

He waddled around the room as he tried to get his balance. The headache didn't help make it easier for him. Finally, he managed to find a mirror close to the door of this room. And what greeted him was an unfamiliar kid, one he had never seen or met before. He raised one hand up and the reflection did the exact same thing. He tried waving his hand in front of his face and the reflection did the same stupid motion.

"Oh god, so that is me... I am a child... That's me in the mirror right there... Jason Harris is a child..." Jason muttered as he got closer to the mirror and felt his face. "I... have officially gone batshit insane."

"Mark?!" Jason could hear a voice from opposite the door, the voice wasn't right outside the door but likely from downstairs like how it was in his home. "Are you up yet?!"

"Yeah, I'm up!" Jason yelled back but was confused by why he said that. But it somehow felt entirely natural to him, as though it was a programmed response.

Jason placed his hand over his mouth and used every brain cell he could muster to figure out what was going on.

"So... my name is Mark?" Jason said, his mouth still covered by his hand "Well that's going to be a pain to get used to..."

"Great come on down! I've got pancakes for you!" the woman's voice shouted again.

The moment pancakes were mentioned, it was as though sparks were lighting up in his brain as the rush of joy flooded his whole body.

"OK, so I like pancakes. So we have that in common, at least I'm not a waffle lover."

Jason placed his hand on the door handle to go outside the room, but his hands stand sweating as he realized something. If this woman is likely this body's mother. Wouldn't she notice something strange with her son?

"Well, worst case scenario I get thrown in a mental asylum right?" Jason muttered with a burst of nervous laughter. "Maybe healthcare is great here, can't be worst than what we had right?"

With that, Jason took a deep breath and swung open the door. He was ready for anything, he'll find a way through this. Who cares if he has a new body, he's still Jason! It couldn't get any worse from here, right? At yet as Jason looked past the now opened door, he finds himself face to face with a particular furry creature.

He could only describe it as extremely fluffy and resembled a brown rabbit at a furry convention.

There was a second where Jason's brain practically froze at the sight. Yet it felt like eons had passed as he tried to compute what he was seeing. In the end, the only possible reaction to what he was seeing was this.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"