Chapter 1: My First Pokémon! The Gacha Fusion System!
Edgecliff City.
Inside the stadium of Edgecliff High, teenagers stood in a long, orderly line. At the very front, a teacher with a mega-horn amplified his voice.
"Alright, students, please choose your Pokémon for the Trainer Licensing Exam in an orderly fashion!"
Behind the teacher rested a large bin filled with dozens of small, apricot-sized Poké Balls.
Standing in the line was a young man in a black t-shirt. His messy, layered hair gave his handsome face a slightly world-weary look.
Please, Arceus, let me get a strong Pokémon! he prayed internally.
A Pidgey... a Spearow... even a Meowth or a Rattata would be fine... Heck, I'll take anything as long as it's not a Caterpie or a Weedle.
Kenji muttered under his breath.
Eighteen years ago, Kenji had just opened his laptop, ready to relive some of his favorite childhood memories with Pokémon. But before the theme song could even finish, the laptop exploded.
When he opened his eyes again, he had been reborn into this world.
This world was also a parallel Earth, but it was one where Pokémon were real. The existence of these creatures had completely altered the course of history. Legends told of how a great king had once united the entire continent with a mighty Rayquaza at his side, and how a heroic knight of old had charged into battle on a blazing, shiny Rapidash.
When Kenji first realized he was in a different world, he was ecstatic. With over a decade of Pokémon knowledge from his past life and the standard main-character bonus of being from another world, becoming a Pokémon Champion should have been a piece of cake.
Unfortunately, dreams were beautiful, but reality was harsh.
To become a Pokémon Trainer, one first had to pass the Licensing Exam and get into a certified Trainer Academy. Only official Trainers were legally allowed to own and raise Pokémon.
And today was the day they would receive their partner for that very exam.
One month before the test, the school would issue each student a young Pokémon. After a month of dedicated training, they would face each other in a practical battle exam.
"Class 3-A, Kenji."
After a short wait, it was finally his turn.
"Go ahead, pick one at random."
Kenji looked down at the bin of red-and-white Poké Balls. Sending up one last silent prayer, he reached in and grabbed one.
A small sticker on it read '101'.
With his Poké Ball in hand, Kenji squeezed his way out of the crowd. Near the stadium exit, students who had already gotten their Pokémon were eagerly releasing them.
"Hahahaha! I got a Pidgey! It's a sure thing! My future is set!"
"Damn it! Why'd I get a Slowpoke..."
"What are you complaining about? If you don't want it, let's trade."
"What did you get?"
"A Caterpie."
"Get lost..."
Kenji stared down at the Poké Ball clutched in his hand. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the nervous pounding in his heart. Following the instructions from his textbook, he pressed the button in the center. The ball instantly grew to the size of an apple.
"Go, Pokémon!" Kenji shouted, unable to resist the classic line as he tossed the ball into the air.
Click!—
The Poké Ball flew, popping open in mid-air. With a crisp sound, a beam of red light shot out and hit the ground.
Kenji watched the light intently, his fists clenched.
The red light faded, revealing the Pokémon that had emerged.
It had a segmented, brownish-yellow body, a pair of tiny black eyes, and a small horn on its head. Its round nose and seven pairs of prolegs were a distinct shade of pink.
"You've GOT to be kidding me!"
Kenji's face went slack. He stared in disbelief as the Weedle on the ground tilted its head, looking right back at him with its beady black eyes. It felt like he'd been struck by lightning.
Crack...
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but Kenji could have sworn he heard the sound of something shattering.
It was the sound of his heart breaking.
A Weedle! Why did it have to be a Weedle?!
If there weren't so many people around, Kenji would have already dropped to his knees, thrown his head back, and screamed at the heavens.
Weedle
Gender: Male
Level: 1
Type: Bug / Poison
Ability: Shield Dust (This Pokémon is not affected by the additional effects of moves.)
Moves: Poison Sting, String Shot
The Poké Balls in this world were much more advanced, capable of displaying a Pokémon's basic stats directly.
Weedle. A common Bug-type you could find anywhere in the wild, with a pitifully low base stat total of 195.
Maybe it was because of Giovanni's awesome Beedrill in the anime from his past life, but Kenji had always had a soft spot for the final evolution. Whenever he played the games, he made it a habit to catch one in the forest. In the games, a Weedle could reach its final form, Beedrill, by level 10, making it incredibly fast to train.
But the real world was different from the games.
In this world, a Weedle evolved into Kakuna at level 7.
From there, it took a full fifteen days for a Kakuna to evolve into a Beedrill.
This meant that if Kenji wanted to have a Beedrill in time for the exam, he would have to raise his Weedle to level 7 in just two weeks.
[Ding! Host has acquired his first Pokémon! Gacha Fusion System initializing!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received: Newbie Gift Pack x1! The pack has been sent to your inventory. Please check it at your convenience.]
Just as Kenji was wallowing in his despair, a series of mechanical prompts echoed in his mind.
He froze, his brain rebooting for a second as he tried to figure out if he was hallucinating.
The system interface that appeared before his eyes gave him the answer.
My System! It's finally here! Eighteen years! Do you have any idea what I've been through for eighteen years!?
Host: Kenji
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Pokémon: Weedle (Lv. 1)
Inventory: Newbie Gift Pack x1
[Ding! Does the Host wish to open the Newbie Gift Pack?]
Faced with the system's question, Kenji fell silent. He hesitated for a moment, forcing himself to suppress his excitement. He wouldn't open it just yet. It was better to wait until he was alone to see what mysteries it held.