Chapter 1: The Golden Finger Crossing
The first rays of morning sunlight pierced through the dense forest canopy, filtering through the leaves and illuminating patches of grass below. The golden light also fell across the face of a young boy lying unconscious on the forest floor. He stirred, rubbing his eyes and stretching, when suddenly he felt his clothes hanging loose around his smaller frame. Startled, he sat up abruptly.
Opening his eyes, he was greeted by a lush, vibrant forest that seemed to stretch endlessly in all directions. Looking down at his own tiny hands and feet, Ryan's mouth twitched in disbelief as he cried out, "What the hell is going on?!"
His voice echoed through the forest, startling a flock of Pidgey that had been roosting nearby. They fluttered frantically into the sky with sharp chirps of alarm. Watching the familiar bird Pokémon disappear into the canopy above, Ryan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Those were definitely Pidgey... Am I really in the world of Pokémon?"
Ding. "Host's emotional state has stabilized. Beginning system initialization."
A pleasant electronic chime echoed in his mind, reminiscent of the sounds from the Game Boy games he remembered from his childhood. Just as his thoughts began to wander, the system spoke again with crisp clarity.
Ding. "This system's primary function is to assist the host in becoming the world's greatest Pokémon Master.
The host can complete various missions provided by the system to earn rewards and enhance their abilities. Multiple subsystems are now active and ready for exploration. Tutorial mode is available upon request."
A translucent blue interface materialized before his eyes, hovering in the air like a holographic display from the games.
The system announced, "This interface is visible only to the host. Navigation can be performed through hand gestures or mental commands."
Ryan quickly processed the situation: First, he had somehow been transported into the world of Pokémon—the real deal, not just a game or anime. Second, his body had been significantly de-aged, though without a mirror he couldn't determine his exact appearance. Third, he had been granted what fans often called a "golden finger"—a seemingly powerful system to help him in this new world.
However, Ryan had always been adaptable by nature and wasn't one to panic over circumstances beyond his control. While he felt a pang of nostalgia thinking about his family back on Earth, dwelling on what he couldn't change seemed pointless. He had to focus on moving forward. The interface was surprisingly intuitive, featuring several main sections: Trainer Profile, Pokémon Status, Item Shop, Lottery System, Mission Log, Premium Store, and Special Abilities.
Ryan didn't bother checking his trainer profile first—instead, he immediately clicked on Special Abilities to examine what advantages he'd been given. After reviewing the options, he couldn't help but mutter, "Why are there so few abilities available?"
Ding. "Due to world stability protocols, not all abilities can be immediately activated. The host can earn Fame Points to unlock additional abilities and register new ones," the system explained.
"How do I earn Fame Points?" Ryan asked.
"By becoming famous throughout the Pokémon world—winning gym battles, participating in tournaments, making significant discoveries, or achieving notable accomplishments."
Ryan nodded, appreciating the straightforward answer.
The currently available abilities included: Gender Swap (which he immediately dismissed as useless), Double Movement Speed, Enemy HP Display, and Lucky Vending Machine (guaranteed rare items from vending machines). After confirming with the system that using these abilities wouldn't have negative consequences, he activated all of them except the gender swap option.
Next, he opened his Trainer Profile. A detailed 3D avatar appeared, showing what looked like a younger version of himself. Clicking on the character model brought up his statistics:
Trainer: Ryan
Gender: Male
Age: 13
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 99 lbs
Strength: 8
Endurance: 9
Intelligence: 10
Spirit: 10
Note: Average adult stats in this world are 10 across all categories.
Ryan felt like he was looking at a character creation screen from an RPG. The system chimed in helpfully: "Host, you have a Starter Package available to claim."
Grateful for the system's thoughtfulness, Ryan immediately claimed the package. Several items materialized before him: three identical sets of dark trainer clothing (similar to those worn by elite trainers in the games), a high-quality backpack, and an official Trainer ID card. He quickly changed into one of the outfits and examined the backpack's contents. It was fully equipped for a Pokémon journey: a compact tent, sleeping bag, three sets of pajamas, a digital PokéNav (similar to the navigation devices from the Hoenn games), five empty Poké Balls, a complete camping cookware set, and a modest amount of Pokédollars.
Looking at his ID card, he noticed it was still blank. The system prompted: "The host may freely select their region of origin. The system will automatically generate appropriate documentation and background. However, choose carefully—once you select a region, you can only choose one of that region's three starter Pokémon as your partner. This decision cannot be reversed."
Ryan immediately felt conflicted. Which starter should he choose? Hearing he could obtain one of the traditional regional starters, his mind immediately went to two possibilities: Charizard and Greninja. Both were incredibly powerful Pokémon, and their special forms—Mega Charizard and Ash-Greninja—were legendary in their own right.
After careful consideration, Ryan asked, "System, which region am I currently in?"
"The host is currently located in Viridian Forest, near Viridian City in the Kanto region."
Ryan nodded decisively. "I'll choose Kanto as my home region, and I want Charmander as my starter Pokémon."
Ding. "Registration complete. Trainer data: Ryan, born in Pallet Town. Parents deceased, raised independently with occasional support from Professor Oak. Received starter Pokémon Charmander from Professor Oak's research lab. Background integration successful."
The system's voice faded as new memories began flowing into Ryan's mind—not overwhelming, but enough to give him a believable history in this world. His ID card now displayed all the relevant information, and both a Pokédex and a Premier Ball appeared in his backpack.
Ding! "Pokédex now active. Side Quest unlocked: Gotta Catch 'Em All! Successfully register 146 different Pokémon species in your Pokédex (excluding Legendary Pokémon from the Kanto region). Rewards: 10,000 Premium Points, Random Evolution Stone Set (10 stones), and two Special Ability slots unlocked. Additional rewards available for registering Legendary Pokémon data."
This was an unexpected bonus! Ryan opened the Premier Ball, and in a flash of light, a robust Charmander materialized before him. Upon seeing Ryan, the Fire-type narrowed its eyes in a friendly expression and gave a cheerful "Char!" He noticed immediately that this Charmander was significantly larger than usual—standing nearly 2'7" tall compared to the typical 2'0" height of most Charmander.
Ryan knelt down and gently patted Charmander's head. "Hey there, partner. I'm Ryan, and I'll be your trainer from now on. How about we take on the world together?"
Charmander nodded enthusiastically, raising both paws and letting out a small burst of flame—a clear display of excitement and determination. Ryan opened Charmander's status screen to get a better look at his new partner:
Pokémon: Charmander
Level: 5
Gender: MaleHeight: 2'7"
Weight: 22 lbs
Ability: Blaze
Nature: Adamant
Moves: Dragon Rush (Egg Move), Scratch, Growl, Ember
Ryan was impressed—those were excellent stats for a starter, and having Dragon Rush as an inherited move was incredibly rare. This Charmander was definitely special.
He then opened the Item Shop, which displayed an extensive catalog of everything a trainer could need: Evolution Stones, held items, berries, vitamins, TMs and TRs, and even some trainer skills like Advanced Cooking, Pokémon Grooming, and stat enhancement items. Everything was priced in either Pokédollars (earned through battles and missions) or Premium Points (which required real-world currency to obtain).
Checking the Premium Store, Ryan winced at the prices. The minimum purchase was 10,000 Pokédollars for just 10 Premium Points. Looking at his starting funds of 2,000 Pokédollars, he decided to save his money for now.
Finally, he opened the Lottery System, which offered both single draws and ten-draw packages. Rubbing his hands together nervously, Ryan decided to test his luck despite his historically poor fortune with random draws.
Ding. "Congratulations! You received: Pokémon Food (High Quality)."
Ding. "Ten-draw complete! You received: Pokémon Food (High Quality) x5, Fire Stone x1, Super Potion x2, Antidote x1, and... Pokémon: Eevee!"
Ryan sighed—his luck was as terrible as ever. The ten-draw guarantee had given him an Eevee (the minimum guaranteed Pokémon), and aside from the Fire Stone, everything else was fairly basic. Still, Eevee was an incredibly versatile Pokémon with multiple evolution possibilities, so it wasn't a complete loss.
A second Premier Ball appeared in his hand. Ryan looked at Charmander, who seemed curious about his new teammate. "Ready to meet your partner?"
To be continued...
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