"Huff… huff…"
The biting cold wind howled outside, slipping through the cracks in the carriage window and stabbing into the cabin like icy needles.
"It's so cold…"
Lucien, still half-dazed, was jolted fully awake by the chill.
He found himself inside a carriage decorated in lavish, old-fashioned style. The wheels creaked in protest as the coach rolled slowly across the snow-covered plains.
For a moment, Lucien just sat there, staring blankly at the unfamiliar surroundings.
'Had I… transmigrated into another world?'
A flood of foreign memories surged into his mind, and he quickly pieced together the truth.
The good news: he had transmigrated into the wondrous world of Pokémon.
The bad news: it was the Pokémon world thousands of years in the past, still trapped in the Middle Ages.
In this era, humans had yet to coexist with Pokémon as partners. Instead, they feared them, whispering of "monsters" that lurked beyond their control.
The boy whose life he now inhabited was also named Lucien, a sixteen-year-old prince. The third prince of the Kingdom of Eindook.
The old king's health had been failing for years, and Lucien's two elder brothers had already begun a brutal struggle for the throne.
Since time immemorial, such battles were merciless, brother against brother, the victor a king, the defeated nothing more than a corpse or a fugitive. Patricide and fratricide were common currency on the path to power.
The old king, desperate to protect his youngest son who lacked political talent, granted Lucien a wealthy fief and ordered him to leave the royal city, to live out his days in peace far from the bloody succession war.
Yet fate was cruel.
While traveling to his new territory, Lucien's party was attacked by wild Pokémon. They never reached their destination. Winter set in, and under the blinding blizzard, they lost their way in the endless snowfields.
The original Lucien succumbed to the cold and perished.
Now, as the new Lucien sorted through these inherited memories, his feelings twisted with disbelief and unease.
'Eindook…' That name struck him like lightning.
'Wasn't this the kingdom featured in the movie Pokémon the Movie: Black-Victini and Reshiram and Pokémon the Movie: White-Victini and Zekrom?'
If so, then his two foster brothers would one day become the chosen heroes of Reshiram and Zekrom.
Lucien didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But he forced himself to calm down.
"At least I know I'm in ancient Unova thousands of years ago," he thought, "and not some even more dangerous world."
He sank into thought, trying to process his situation.
That was when something stirred beneath the richly patterned royal carpet beside him.
Blinking, Lucien hesitantly reached out and lifted the edge.
Beneath it lay a slender, serpentine creature covered in pale blue scales with a gleaming white underside. Its gem-like purple eyes shimmered, a small white horn budding on its forehead, with delicate fins extending from the sides of its head and a round white snout.
The Pokémon gazed up at him pitifully, its watery eyes full of helplessness.
Snow fell heavily outside, and the cabin was hardly warmer. The little creature trembled violently from the cold.
Lucien's breath caught in his throat.
That was… a Dratini!
The juvenile form of the pseudo-legendary Dragonite!
'How could such a rare Pokémon be here?!'
Lucien rifled through the memories in his mind, searching for answers.
And he found them.
It was a gift. The old king had presented it to Lucien as a parting token before sending him away.
Dratini did not exist naturally in Unova. This one had come from a distant land, making it priceless.
Because of its gentle nature and weak constitution, it lacked the aggressive instincts that terrified most humans. That made it an ideal companion to be kept as a companion.
This fragile little dragon was meant to ease Lucien's loneliness.
"Wooo…"
The moment its blanket was lifted, Dratini whimpered, curling in on itself as it shivered miserably.
Lucien fell silent, staring at it with a complicated expression.
Of course.
As a Dragon-type Pokémon, Dratini was especially vulnerable to ice and cold.
Lucien gently tucked the blanket back over the little Dratini.
At that moment, the carriage that had been trudging slowly forward jolted to a halt.
Rustling footsteps crunched over the snow, and the curtain was pulled aside. A young man of about twenty-five, clad in medieval armor and helmet, appeared outside.
The icy wind rushed in with the opened curtain. Lucien glanced past him and saw the snow-covered plain, where a cluster of weary figures stood waiting.
From the original prince's memories, he knew these were the retainers his father, the old king, had arranged to accompany him to his territory.
The armored knight spoke urgently. "Your Highness Lucien, many of us have taken ill with high fevers. If they don't receive treatment and rest soon, I fear they won't survive the journey!"
Lucien looked past him at the ragged group.
The entourage had originally numbered more than five hundred. To protect his youngest son from mistreatment, the old king had entrusted him with a retinue fit for nobility: butlers, guards, knights, maids, carpenters, blacksmiths, gardeners, barbers, cooks, an entire household to establish his fief.
But now fewer than a hundred remained.
Wild Pokémon attacks and a merciless blizzard had scattered the company. Many had perished, others separated from the main force. In this era, where humans saw Pokémon as terrifying monsters and lacked the strength to face them, those who strayed from a settlement rarely returned alive.
Lucien's face darkened.
He studied them one by one: a woman clutching her child, a girl with cheeks red from the cold, a guard with frostbite gnawing at his ears.
Faces pale, eyes hollow with despair. Many had lost family and friends in the storm. Their hope was fading.
But when they saw Lucien emerge, their gazes lifted with the faintest spark of expectation. In this wasteland, they looked to him, the prince, as their last hope.
Lucien: "…"
Without food or shelter, not even he could imagine survival. The blizzard raged, and reaching their destination felt impossible.
Then, before his eyes, a panel flickered into existence:
[Lord's Name: Lucien]
[Territory: None]
[People (Humans): 78] (click to view details)
[Minions (Pokémon): 3] (click to view details)
[Public Sentiment: 2 (Precarious)]
[Satisfaction: 0]
[Technology: None] (spend satisfaction points to unlock new technology)
Lucien froze in place.
'This… this was my cheat?!
"Your Highness Lucien…" The young knight's voice broke through his thoughts. He looked desperate. Though exhausted, he could still draw on duty and loyalty, but only barely. He had no path forward other than trusting the prince he had sworn to protect.
Lucien pulled his gaze away from the glowing panel, forcing himself to assess their reality.
They were lost. Continuing blindly through the storm would only lead to death. The top priority was finding shelter.
His eyes swept the horizon. Beyond the plain, snow-draped mountains and forests rose faintly in the distance.
Clean water. Game for food. Timber for fires and building. Everything they needed to endure the winter might be there.
Fortunately, the caravan still carried the old king's provisions: food, fresh water, daily necessities, tools, even crop seeds. Supplies enough, if carefully rationed, to last until spring.
'December. At least two months until the thaw.'
Lucien did the math.
Yes… if they were careful, food would hold.
Decision made, he raised his head.
"Ryan," Lucien said firmly to the knight before him. "Halt the caravan. I want you to scout the mountains ahead. Search for caves or any natural shelter."
Ryan blinked in surprise, then straightened and saluted. "Yes, Your Highness Lucien!"