Darkness.
All that surrounded him was nothing but darkness.
When Renan awoke from his slumber, his consciousness slowly cleared. As he opened his hazy eyes, what he saw was a dreamlike swirl of dazzling colors.
In his most recent memories, he recalled leaving work late at night, hatching eggs in Pokémon Sword while walking home.
The last thing he remembered was stepping onto a crosswalk that suddenly lit up.
A traffic accident? Renan wondered. Strangely enough, he didn't feel any pain anywhere on his body.
In the chaotic haze before him, a faint blue, semi-transparent message box floated at the center of his vision:
[Hatching]
In the top-right corner of his vision was a small [-] symbol.
Hatching? What's that supposed to mean?
Reid focused his thoughts. The [-] clicked shut, shrinking into a tiny [+].
He tried rolling over, but instead spun in place with a gulu gulu sound. The view before him remained unchanged.
It was as if his whole body was confined.
Where am I? Some weird place? A hospital?
From the sticky sensation covering him, Reid realized he was enclosed in some kind of sealed container, his body coated in a strange, viscous fluid. It reminded him of the bubble baths he once tried in Japan.
Ugh… I want out.
He tried balling his hand into a fist—only to realize he couldn't feel his arms or legs.
Yet strangely, every part of his body—every cell—was under his control. He could even reshape himself at will.
If that's the case, then… time for my drill to pierce the heavens!
He gathered part of his body into the shape of a tiny drill, pulled back, and rammed it against the barrier that trapped him.
Pa! A faint sting of pain. The drill shattered, but the impact left behind a small point of white light.
So fragile? Renan's spirits soared. Again! Focus it all. Go beyond!
This time he forged a miniature katana from his body and stabbed fiercely at the crack.
Ka-cha!
The barrier split wider.
"Dad! The egg's cracking—it's hatching!"
A young boy's slightly squeaky voice echoed from outside. Although the words weren't Chinese, Renan inexplicably understood them perfectly.
Another world? I'm… inside an egg? Wait, are people here born from eggs? Reid blinked in confusion. Forget it, let's just get out first.
He reshaped into a hammer.
Bang!
Bang!
With each strike, the web of cracks spread. Chunks of eggshell fell outward.
Blinding white light pierced through. Reid braced himself and looked out through the gap.
A boy, about fifteen or sixteen, stared at him with excitement. Black hair, black eyes, a youthful yet handsome face, sharp brows, bronze-toned skin radiating vitality.
Reid exhaled in relief. At least it wasn't some terrifying alien monster.
Footsteps approached from behind. The boy turned back and called, "It's hatching!"
"Got it. Move aside, brat," replied a deep voice.
A tall man in his forties walked in, carrying a wooden basin with careful balance. His features were clear and rugged, muscles firm beneath his simple white shirt.
Gathering his strength, Reid hurled his whole body forward.
Ka-crack!
He burst through the egg, tumbling onto the ground.
Stumoring the world shone bright.
[Hatching complete. System loading…]
Wooden beams arched into the ceiling above. Sunlight streamed through glass windows, spilling warmly onto a floor covered in straw.
The boy crouched nearby, but soon moved aside as the man stepped closer. He set the basin down, white liquid sloshing within.
"Oh, this Ditto's lively—it broke out all on its own." The man chuckled.
Ditto? I'm a Ditto?
Under the light, Reid saw his soft, lavender body, gelatinous and jiggling like a giant blob of jelly.
"Holy sh—!"
What came out of his mouth, however, was only a muffled, "Maaang."
Renan froze.
"Dad, it's hungry, right?"
"Mm. A newborn Pokémon can only eat liquids." The man picked Reid up—his limp body dangling in his grip—and gently set him into the basin. "For Dittos, it's easy. Just soak them in milk."
The father's calm instructions and the boy's eager questions faded into a distant blur.
Half-submerged in the milk, Reid couldn't help but absorb it little by little. Warmth filled him as his hunger eased.
Soon after, he was wiped clean and placed inside a red-and-white Poké Ball.
Who am I? Where am I? And what the hell am I supposed to do now?
Inside the Poké Ball, Reid felt like he was curled beneath a warm kotatsu. Drowsiness overcame him, and he drifted into sleep.
---
A week later.
Renan lay lazily on a wooden crate, basking in the sun. Overhead, a flock of sparrows squabbled as they flew by.
So the Pokémon world isn't filled with just Pokémon. Ordinary animals are still everywhere too.
For the first time, he'd left the little wooden hut where he hatched. Outside stretched an open dirt yard, with a stone house nearby and distant fields lined with fences.
After seven days of wrestling with reality, Renan had accepted the fact that he had been reincarnated as a Ditto.
In his time here, he also learned the names of the family raising him: the father, Haruto; the son, Toma; and the mother, Misa.
The father and son took care of him most of the time. The mother seemed unwell and seldom left the house. She'd only appeared once, a gentle and elegant beauty. The whole family was blessed with good looks.
Renan's gaze shifted to the [+] in his vision. He clicked it. A panel opened before his eyes:
---
[Name: Renan]
Species: Ditto
Ability: System
Type: Normal
Level: 1 (EXP 0/8)
Base Stats:
HP: 48
Attack: 48
Defense: 48
Sp. Atk: 48
Sp. Def: 48
Speed: 48
Held Item: None
Transformation Dex: Empty
Moves: Transform (Lv. 1)
---
Other than this personal status screen, the so-called system had nothing else—no quests, no shop, nothing.
Reid spent days fiddling with it inside the hut, but to no avail. He was still just a weak, evolutionless Ditto.
Whatever. Who cares. Time to embrace the laid-back life.
No more grueling jobs, no more pressure. Every day he just ate and slept, wandered around a little during the day, and returned to the Poké Ball at night. Someone even bathed him every three days.
This wasn't bad at all.
Who said transmigrating into the Pokémon world meant striving for Champion?
Why fight alongside countless prodigies in a brutal competition?
Wasn't a lazy, carefree life far better?
"One-two-one! One-two-one!"
Haruto and his son jogged along the dirt path, chanting crisply. Behind them rushed a disorderly pack of Grass-type Pokémon: Bulbasaur, Oddish, Bellsprout… a whole sea of green trailing after them.
Renan tucked away his panel, his beady eyes glimmering as he watched the spectacle.
All Grass-types, and none evolved? Could it be… this family runs a Grass-type breeding ranch?
The group returned to the yard. Haruto slowed to a march and shouted, "Rest!"
Exhausted, the Grass-types collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
Renan scoffed at them, letting out a mocking "Maaang."
Fools. Why keep grinding when you can enjoy life like me?
Toma noticed the Ditto lounging idly and asked, "Dad, doesn't Ditto need training too?"
"No." Haruto wiped his sweat, eyes sharp as he surveyed the Pokémon. "Ditto isn't for sale to the League, so there's no need to train it. And honestly, Dittos rarely make strong battlers. Almost no trainers bother raising them seriously."
Renan, a former player, wholeheartedly agreed. Even with the Imposter ability, Ditto's weak HP and delayed attacks made it a poor fighter. In reality, raising one would be even more troublesome.
Which was perfect for him.
Who knew being weak came with perks? Good thing I wasn't born as a Bulbasaur.
Toma nodded earnestly.
"Besides," his father added, "we only bought Ditto for breeding convenience. After about a year, it'll enter its mating season."
Renan froze. …For what? Season of what!?
"I see!" Toma's eyes lit up. "Then can we pair it with your Machamp first? You promised to teach me how to raise Fighting-types. I really want a Machop."
"Sure…"
Renan blinked. Wait. Machamp?
He turned his eyes toward the stragglers at the back of the group.
There she was.
A towering, four-armed Pokémon with a muscular, gray-blue body, leading the rear. And tucked between the ridges on her head… a delicate little flower.
Holy sh*t. A female Machamp!
Memories came rushing back. Among breeders and trainers, Ditto had another notorious nickname—"the universal breeding machine."
Renan's heart sank.
This place… I must leave this place as soon as possible.