Pallet Town. Today was the annual day when rookie trainers set off on their journeys.
Early in the morning, Yozora made his way to Professor Oak's Laboratory.
Yozora was a traveler from another world, yet also a native of this one.
After all—
He had grown up here in Pallet Town, in this Pokémon world. The only difference was that he carried memories of a previous life, along with a special system.
"Yozora, don't you already have a really strong Beedrill? And yet you still want a starter Pokémon?"
As soon as Yozora entered the courtyard, he spotted a brown-haired boy.
The boy was about fifteen or sixteen, handsome and self-assured. Like Yozora, he was also one of the rookie trainers preparing to set off today.
His name was Gary Oak.
Right now, Gary was leaning casually against the wall, a smirk tugging at his lips as his tone brimmed with mockery.
Yozora didn't mind. He smiled and replied, "That's my basic right, isn't it? Besides, didn't you also have your first Pokémon long before today?"
At that, Gary shrugged, not bothering to deny it.
In Pallet Town, Yozora had grown up together with Red, Gary, and Ash.
Because he carried the mindset of two lifetimes, Yozora was far more mature than the average boy. Naturally, he hadn't waited until the age of fifteen to raise his first Pokémon.
As a child, he had raised a Weedle—and in doing so, activated his system.
Red, that same year, had picked up a Poliwag.
And Gary, being Professor Oak's grandson, was even more outrageous—he had directly asked his grandfather for a Dratini…
Of course, in this world, there were strict rules forbidding anyone but licensed trainers from capturing Pokémon.
But when a Pokémon chose to follow someone on its own, that was another matter entirely.
Both Yozora's Weedle and Red's Poliwag had followed them willingly. As for Gary, his Dratini was a family Pokémon rather than one he had caught, so it was also reasonable.
When Yozora stepped inside, he noticed that of the three starter Pokémon Professor Oak had prepared, only one remained.
Gary strolled over, hands behind his head, looking proud. "Red already left last night with Bulbasaur, and I picked Squirtle. So, you don't really have a choice anymore. The only one left is Charmander."
Then, as if remembering something, Gary sneered. "And Ash? That idiot doesn't even have a single Pokémon yet. Among us, he's at the bottom of the barrel. And on such an important day, he still dares to show up late. I say he'll have no choice but to head off empty-handed."
Yozora only smiled faintly.
Gary clearly didn't know—Ash had his own destiny, with a Pokémon that awaited him alone.
"In that case, Professor, I'll choose Charmander," Yozora said, taking the Poké Ball from the machine.
He pressed the button, releasing the Pokémon inside.
"Chyaaah!"
With a flash of white light, a half-meter-tall Charmander appeared.
It stood upright on two legs, with orange skin and a cream-colored belly.
The little one's large, bright blue eyes radiated liveliness and cuteness, and even its cry carried a soft, endearing tone.
"Hello, Charmander. I'm your trainer, Yozora. I'll be counting on you from now on."
Yozora crouched down, gently patting Charmander's head as he spoke warmly. At the same time, he secretly pulled up its stat panel through his system.
[Pokémon]: Charmander
[Type]: Fire
[First Ability]: Blaze (When HP is low, unleashes hidden potential, greatly boosting Fire-type moves)[Second Ability]: None
[Level]: Rookie
[Potential]: Gym Leader Level
[Moves]: Tackle, Scratch, Growl, Ember
…
Yozora's system was called the "Pokémon Ability Master System."
Back when he had caught his Weedle as a child, the system had first activated.
From then on, every Pokémon under his command would automatically unlock a slot for a second Ability!
Everyone knew—
Every Pokémon was born with one Ability, no more, no less. That Ability was innate and could not be changed.
For example, Charmander could be born with either Blaze or the rarer hidden Ability, Solar Power. But it could never have both at once, nor could it possess anything else.
But Yozora's system allowed his Pokémon to gain a second Ability!
…
Through the system, every time Yozora won a battle, he could acquire his opponent's Ability.
Over the years, he had raised his Weedle into a Beedrill and fought countless battles, gathering many Abilities in his system's storage.
He had already given Beedrill a second Ability—and had plenty more "in stock" to bestow when needed.
Now, whenever he wished, he could grant Charmander a second Ability as well.
"Hey, Yozora. Now that we've both got our starters, how about a battle before we leave? Your Charmander versus my Squirtle." Gary suddenly challenged.
"Squirtle, huh?"
Yozora smiled knowingly. He understood Gary's plan.
Dragon-type Pokémon like Dratini grew far too slowly.
Though Gary had one early on, it had hardly progressed at all. Meanwhile, Yozora and Red had thrashed him in battles countless times.
As Professor Oak's grandson, Gary's pride had always burned, and he had long been itching for a chance to get back at them.
Now that chance had come.
Squirtle against Charmander—type advantage was overwhelming.
Both were rookies, so their levels weren't far apart.
With type advantage, Squirtle was all but guaranteed to win.
"Sure. Why not?"
Yozora's voice was calm.
He wasn't blind to Gary's scheme, but he still accepted without hesitation.
As expected, the moment he agreed, Gary's lips curled into a sly grin.
At the same time, Yozora quietly used his system to assign Charmander a second Ability—Water Absorb!
[Water Absorb]: Immune to Water-type moves. Instead, restores a small amount of HP. (Fully effective against opponents of equal or lower level. The stronger the opponent, the weaker the effect.)
…
(End of Chapter)