With trembling hands dripping in a cold sweat, I attempted to reach for the Pokéballs fastened on my belt. The Pokéballs. The items that housed my precious companions; partners that I had practiced and bonded with over the course of ????????.

  I grabbed around at my waist blindly, yet despite having repeated this exact same action dozens of times before, those same ??????? managed to elude me. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Str??. ??????. ??????????.

  Strange. How many did I have again? Have what? Pok??mon? Am I a Pok??mon tra??ner? Strange. I don’t think I ever was one…? But then why was I-?

  The sudden crunch of dirt brought me back to reality- no, not reality. If this was real, I would have to acknowledge it. I would have to believe what my eyes were telling me. Which would be absurd. Yes, absurd. Of course this isn’t real. After all, why would ?????? be here? It has ???????? to do with me.

  "Haa... haa... haa..."

  My shuddering breath accentuating my creeping panic, I tried to get one last bit of control over the situation by directing my eyes downward to properly guide my fumbling hands to the Pokéballs.

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  It didn't work.

  ?????? refused to allow me to look anywhere else.

  ?????? demanded my attention.

  Any attempt to ?????? was quickly- or rather instantly- shut down.

  Strange. Strange.

  While endeavoring to clench my chattering teeth, I tried for the next course of action: backing away slowl-

  NOSTOPTHATWHATIFYOUTRIPANDFALLANDLIETHEREHELPLESSLYWHILEITMOVESTOWARDYOUTHAT'SSCARYTHAT'SSCARYTHAT'SSCARY.

  A sudden darkness approached- no, crawled into my heart. My body froze up so suddenly it hurt. But I couldn't even wince in pain; ?????? had started to advance.

  With each ?????????? of ??????'s ??????, the chilly feeling that I had been feeling in my head and core pulsated violently.

  Strange. Strange. Strange.

  What looked to be its ?? remained entirely fixated on me.

  Strange. Strange. Strange.

  Was I even bre??thing anymore? Was my body still functioning properly?

  All I could feel was cold.

  All I tasted was dryness.

  All I heard was the sounds of my shuddering breath, and the slowly approaching dirt ??steps.

  And all I saw was ??????.