Kanto Region.
In a triangular patch of grassy land carved out by the metallic fences of the Pokémon School's southeastern training field, the sun-soaked ground lay still.
At this very moment, a boy wearing a deep blue jacket and a red cap lay flat on the grass.
His eyes opened dazedly, his head still pounding with pain.
"Where... am I?"
Looking around in confusion, the boy couldn't make sense of his surroundings.
Just then, an urgent cry echoed from nearby—
"Pika! Pikapi!!"
A small figure suddenly leapt from the tall grass, landing lightly beside him.
That round body, dense yellow fur, and most iconic of all—the lightning bolt-shaped tail.
"A Pokémon? Pikachu?!"
The boy instantly recognized the creature in front of him.
His eyes widened.
"I'm not dreaming... am I?"
As the thought flashed through his mind—
The voice calling out had drawn closer.
Pikachu dove straight into his arms, nuzzling its red cheeks affectionately against him.
Faint sparks of static could be heard crackling in the air.
"Pika~ pi~!"
Its constant cries revealed just how worried it was.
The boy snapped to full awareness.
He quickly examined himself—signature jacket, the hat…
He finally realized where this familiar feeling came from.
An answer surfaced unmistakably in his mind.
"I've transmigrated!"
It finally hit him.
He had actually transmigrated into the body of Ash Ketchum, the anime's main character from the Pokémon world!
And then—
Another wave of pain surged in his head as a flood of memories rushed in.
—Just moments ago, Ash and Pikachu had been playing on a rooftop.
He accidentally fell from over ten meters high, landing on his head and passing out on the spot.
When he came to… he had become like this.
"Unbelievable. I just casually made a wish—and I actually ended up in the Pokémon world."
Ash clicked his tongue in amazement.
In his original world, he had been a huge Pokémon fan.
After making the wish, "I want to go to the Pokémon world,"—
In a dream last night, a massive 'Hundred-Ton King' transport truck shattered space itself—
And now, here he was.
"Pika?"
In front of him—
Pikachu tilted its head, covered in vibrant yellow fur, a giant question mark written across its face.
Clearly, it didn't understand what its trainer had just said.
In response—
Ash calmed his nerves and gave a gentle smile. He rubbed Pikachu's head and said,
"I'm fine, Pikachu. Just a little headache."
As a fan of Pokémon fanfiction,
He quickly accepted the reality of having transmigrated, and began adapting to this new body.
"Pikapi~"
Hearing that, Pikachu obediently snuggled up next to him.
If the trainer's only problem was a headache, then rest it was~
As long as he wasn't hurt, everything was fine.
In this world, Ash and Pikachu had already been partners for a long time.
They had forged a deep bond, with feelings far beyond the bickering days of their early journey.
And just then, deep in Ash's mind, a mechanical chime rang out—
[Ding! Host transmigration detected. Plunderer System is now binding…]
[Ding! Binding successful!!]
[Welcome, Host: Ash!]
[Initial binding reward has been issued. Would you like to open it?]
Hearing that blood-pumping voice,
Ash's breathing grew rapid.
A system!
The golden standard for every transmigrator's rise to glory!
And with a name like Plunderer, it already sounded incredibly badass.
"Open it."
Without hesitation.
Ash activated the reward.
Perfect opportunity—
To figure out just what this system could do.
[Ding! Initial reward opened successfully!]
[Congratulations, Host has received: Character 'Red' Trait — Battle Legend (Red)!]
[Original owner's trait has been devoured!]
As the crisp system prompt echoed—
The reward instantly fused into Ash's body.
Ash could immediately feel the earth-shaking changes happening within.
A surge of Pokémon knowledge and battle experience flooded his mind.
Even just looking at Pikachu, he could now perceive its abilities with the naked eye.
This single Red-tier trait had practically reborn him.
"A system called 'Plunderer'... so it means I can actually plunder other people's traits?"
Ash muttered to himself, awed by the power flowing through him.
He had a solid grasp of what these "traits" meant.
From the system's interface, he learned how traits were ranked in this world.
In the world of Pokémon—
Every Pokémon and Trainer possessed traits.
Ranked from lowest to highest:
White, Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, Red.
Six total tiers.
And the trait he just received from the system—
Was a top-tier Red trait.
After all—
The one he had just plundered was none other than the legendary strongest Trainer, the in-game representation of the player—Red.
A figure respected by all.
"Unbelievable… I actually stole a Red trait from Red himself."
Ash was thrilled—yet also stunned by the fact that the Plunderer System could devour someone's trait outright.
After being devoured—
The original owner would permanently lose that ability.
This was far more domineering than those lame 'copy' systems.
With that thought,
Ash focused again.
"System, open my character panel."
He needed to see—
Just what traits he now possessed.
[End of Chapter]