Outside Pallet Town, there stretched a lush forest, home to countless wild Pokémon. If luck was on your side, you might even run into a powerful Pidgeot.
The sun shone brightly, the air filled with the songs of birds and the scent of flowers. Hayato strolled leisurely among the trees, searching for a Pokémon worth capturing.
"Caterpie, huh? Feels too weak. There's gotta be something better out here!"
Suddenly, a rustle came from his right. Hayato instantly turned toward the sound—there, a Pidgey was pecking at the ground, looking for crawling bugs.
His Pokédex lit up in response, the blue indicator blinking rapidly.
[Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. It is gentle and easy to capture—an ideal target for beginner Trainers! Evolves into Pidgeotto, then Pidgeot.]
Compared to a Caterpie, a Pidgey was clearly the better choice—both in appearance and in ability.
"If only I had a Bulbasaur, I could just use Vine Whip to tie it down, then rush in and knock it out with a punch!"
Hayato sighed bitterly. Pidgey was fast and could fly—trying to catch one bare-handed would be a nightmare.
"Wait a second, I think I brought some rope with me. Heheh…"
Within minutes, he'd crafted a simple snare. Then, catching a small worm from a nearby branch, he set it as bait and crouched down to wait.
Hidden in the bushes, Hayato held his breath, waiting for his moment.
Pidgey spotted the "delicious" meal from afar—its sharp eyes locked onto what it thought was a rare treat. "That's it! My lucky day!" Half flying, half running, it darted toward the worm.
"Now! Pull!"
The snare tightened around Pidgey's right foot, and with one sharp tug, Hayato reeled it in.
"You silly bird! You're facing a human-shaped Pokémon now—prepare for judgment!"
Wild Pokémon needed to be weakened before capture, or the success rate would plummet. Of course, that didn't necessarily mean only Pokémon could do the fighting. Humans worked just fine.
Like a man possessed by Tyson, Hayato launched into a flurry of punches."Submit yet? Or do I have to beat you unconscious?"
But Pidgey was furious. After recovering, it flapped its wings and unleashed a powerful Hurricane. A violent gust swept through the forest, blasting Hayato backward and slamming him into a tree. Pidgey seized the chance and fled.
"I think… my bones are broken! What the hell, that thing was way tougher than it looked! Don't tell me I'll have to catch a Caterpie after all…"
Professor Oak, the Pokémon expert, had said beginner Trainers should start small. Hayato grudgingly admitted that maybe, just maybe, the old man was right.
Just as he was about to leave, Pidgey returned—apparently still holding a grudge. It swooped down with a fierce Sand Attack, kicking up a blinding dust storm.
"Cough—what the hell is this?!"
When the dust cleared, Pidgey circled once overhead, then dropped a load of droppings right onto Hayato's pants before flying off triumphantly.
Hayato roared toward the sky, "You bird-brained menace! If I ever catch you, I'll make you sing 'Conquer' on your knees!"
A gentle breeze drifted through the forest, rustling the leaves and flowers. Nature was vibrant—but to Hayato, the whole forest seemed to be laughing at him.
After a long moment of brooding, he sighed. "Fine… I guess I'll just settle for being a Bug Catcher for now."
"The Caterpie area should be over that way! Sometimes if you kick a tree, a few'll drop right down. Just gotta avoid Weedle, though—if I run into a Beedrill, I'm doomed."
Deeper in the woods, he finally spotted one—a Caterpie munching happily on a leaf.
The Pokédex chimed again:
[Caterpie, the Worm Pokémon. Gentle in nature and weak in battle. Its green body grows as it molts. Eventually, it wraps itself in silk and evolves into a cocoon.]
Hayato grinned, walked up to the tree, and gave it a solid kick. The startled Caterpie tumbled down. Then the "education" began.
"Sorry, little guy. It's not that I want to do this. But hey, compared to getting burned alive by a Charmander, this is actually pretty gentle!"
Tears welled up in Caterpie's eyes. Are you even human?! it thought miserably.
"Poké Ball, go!"
He threw the Poké Ball, which burst open with red light and sucked Caterpie inside. Weak Pokémon like this were usually easy to catch—but nobody, ever, had done it quite like this.
The Poké Ball shook violently, the button flashing red—Caterpie was struggling.
Hayato swallowed hard and flexed his shoulders, ready for the worst.
"Listen up, little bug! Don't make me mad. My mood's already rotten—Charmander got away, and you should be honored I chose you! Don't push me; when I go crazy, even I'm scared of myself!"
Perhaps Caterpie understood the threat, because with a soft click, the Poké Ball stopped moving.
"Ha! Success! Sure, it's a useless little Caterpie, but hey, I'm officially a Pokémon Trainer now!"
Then—something stirred inside his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have successfully bound the Pokémon Fusion System. The journey of divine fusion begins now!]
[Ding! Fusion Quest unlocked. Please collect a male and a female Caterpie and Magikarp for fusion. The resulting Pokémon Egg will hatch into a random Pokémon. Good luck!]
Hayato looked at the glowing text before him:
Caterpie + Magikarp = ?
The system quickly followed up with an explanation:
[When two Pokémon of opposite genders are fused, a random Pokémon Egg will be produced. The result is truly random—even two pseudo-legendaries might produce a Magikarp, while two Magikarps might create a Tier-2 Legendary! (Note: Tier-1 Legendaries and Mythicals cannot be obtained through fusion.)]
[A fusion opportunity is granted once every seven days and can stack up to three times. Completing a fusion refreshes your quest, but cooldown applies. You can preview the next required Pokémon in advance, or manually refresh a quest to skip it—though doing so consumes one fusion chance.]
[Lucky Encounter: Also known as the "Overgod's Dream." Guarantees a Shiny Pokémon result. The species remains random, and you will be notified if a Lucky Encounter occurs.]
[Legendary Exclusive Quests: One-time-only fusions that may produce Tier-1 Legendaries or Mythicals. Example—Legendary Beasts Quest: Raikou + Entei + Suicune = ?; Swords of Justice Quest: Cobalion + Terrakion + Virizion = ?]
That was the entirety of the Pokémon Fusion System. Whether it had more hidden features was anyone's guess.
Hayato threw back his head and laughed. "Hahaha! The aura of a transmigrator's protagonist never fades! Mewtwo, Groudon, Rayquaza, Kyogre, Arceus—I'm coming for you!"
His first fusion quest was Caterpie + Magikarp. Hayato was already fantasizing about hatching a pseudo-legendary or even a Tier-2 Legendary.
"With a start like that, I could sweep the region! Magikarp's easy—I'll just head back to town and buy a fishing rod!"
Whistling cheerfully, his earlier frustration gone, Hayato strutted back toward Pallet Town, walking like a man with destiny on his side.
(End of Chapter)