On a certain sunny afternoon.
A plane streaked across the sky, its long white contrail dividing the heavens in two.
The aircraft was entering the Sinnoh region.
Victor, who had been sleeping soundly, faintly heard someone calling his name.
"Mr. Victor, Mr. Victor, we've arrived."
Victor groggily opened his eyes. A figure appeared before him, leaning down to look at him. Her red hair flowed over her shoulders, and a few playful strands fell on Victor's face, tickling him.
Seeing that Victor was awake, Laura brushed her hair back and smiled. "We've arrived, Mr. Victor."
"We're here?" Victor rubbed his eyes and followed Laura off the plane.
Unlike the four distinct seasons of the Eastern Alliance, the moment Victor stepped off the plane, he felt the unique chill of the Sinnoh region.
"This way, Mr. Victor. We're heading straight to Twinleaf Town."
Laura walked to a car and waved at Victor.
Victor dragged his suitcase over. "Miss Laura, you don't have to call me Mr. Victor. Just Victor is fine."
Laura smiled and nodded. "Alright, Victor. You can just call me Laura, too."
Victor called her Laura, then stored his luggage and got into the car with her.
The car drove from Jubilife City all the way towards Twinleaf Town.
Victor gazed out the window, watching the buildings rapidly recede until they entered a forest road.
"Is that a Sinnoh Bidoof? Its teeth are so big! And that one, is it a Bibarel? And a Kricketune, a Pachirisu? So fluffy..."
Watching the various Pokémon flash past the window, Victor named them one by one, speaking his thoughts aloud.
"You know a lot about the Pokémon of the Sinnoh region, Victor."
Sitting in the passenger seat, Laura listened as Victor effortlessly listed the Pokémon. She glanced at him in the rearview mirror and said with a smile.
"It's nothing, really. I just happen to really like Pokémon."
Victor rested his head gently against the car window, watching the fleeting scenery and Pokémon as he spoke softly.
Three days ago, he had been lying in bed playing Scarlet and Violet, and the next thing he knew, he had inexplicably arrived in this Pokémon world.
At first, faced with this transmigration, he was filled with confusion and apprehension.
He spent a day coming to terms with it and was just about to find himself a starter Pokémon, planning to set off on a journey just like in the anime and games.
But then, Laura had shown up at his door. She introduced herself, explaining she was entrusted by his late great-aunt to have Victor accept the inheritance she had left for him.
From her, he learned that he was the only living blood relative of his great-aunt who had lived in the Sinnoh region. Therefore, the will fell to him.
The contents of the will included inheriting a piece of land she owned in the Sinnoh region and... only the land.
Laura explained that his great-aunt had tried to open a Pokémon Center, a Breeding House, and other service-based businesses, but they all went bankrupt for various special reasons. This left her with considerable debt. To pay it off, all the houses and shops under her name were mortgaged, leaving only a plot of land in Twinleaf Town.
His original plan was to wait until he got to Sinnoh, complete the paperwork, and then ask Laura to sell the inherited land for him. He would use the money to buy a powerful starter Pokémon, set off on a journey, challenge gyms, and conquer the league.
However, his current situation had dashed all those plans.
Victor's gaze remained on the window, his attention focused on the lines of illusory, transparent text floating before his eyes.
[Inherit the land left by your great-aunt, then choose another identity.]
[Selectable Identities: Trainer, Breeder, Coordinator, etc.]
[Successful inheritance will grant a "Rich Reward"]
Victor sighed inwardly, then dismissed the text and continued to watch the Pokémon outside.
The car traveled along the forest road, occasionally running over dry, decaying branches. The sound startled the Pokémon in the bushes, causing them to flee in panic.
In the sky, a few Starly and Staravia flew alongside the car before soaring high, immediately replaced by a few more that swooped down to fly ahead of the vehicle.
A few daring Bidoof even ran alongside the car until they couldn't keep up, stopping to watch it drive away.
As the car drove on smoothly, Victor closed his eyes again.
"Victor, we're here."
Laura woke him up.
Victor got out of the car, stretched, and looked at the dilapidated house in front of him.
Behind the house was a large, overgrown, and vacant lot that looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.
"This is the place... my great-aunt left for me?"
Victor looked at the worn-down house with complicated feelings, let out a breath, and asked.
"Yes."
Laura stood beside him and nodded.
The driver took Victor's luggage out of the car and handed it to him.
"Are you planning to stay in a hotel tonight, or will you spend the night here?" Laura glanced at him and asked.
"Are the facilities inside still functional?"
Victor frowned. The house looked so run-down; it must have been a long time since anyone lived here. He wasn't sure if it was even habitable.
"Well... as you know, no one has lived in this house for a long time, so many things are broken. But we checked it out a while ago, and the living quarters are still okay."
Victor nodded. It was natural for a house to fall into disrepair if left unoccupied for too long. As they would say in the Eastern Alliance, it lacked a human presence.
"Then I'll stay here tonight. It should be livable after a bit of cleaning, right?" Victor asked. After all, this was a house under his name, so it was best to get familiar with it early.
"Yes, you can. I'll go buy you some bedding and help you clean up a bit, then you can move in. But the rest of it will probably take some time to repair." Laura said.
"I'll also bring the agreement over. After you sign it, this place will officially be yours."
"Okay, thank you for your trouble."
Victor nodded and thanked Laura.
"It's my duty. This is my job," Laura replied politely.
"By the way, didn't you say all the houses under her name were repossessed? Why is this one..." Victor suddenly remembered this and asked.
"Your great-aunt used to run a Breeding House here. The back of the house still has a lot of the Breeding House's equipment and facilities. Therefore, this building is considered part of the land, so they had no right to take it."
Laura pushed up the glasses on her nose as she answered.
"A Breeding House? I see."
Victor nodded in understanding.
"Well then, Victor, I'll go buy you some bedding and daily necessities first, and then I'll bring the agreement for you."
After speaking, Laura handed the keys to Victor, got back in the car, and drove off.
Just as Victor was talking with Laura, a pair of crimson eyes lit up in one of the house's windows.
"Kekeke~"
Unaware of this, Victor dragged his luggage forward. He cleared the vines off the front gate, opened it, walked to the front door, and unlocked it with the key.
Creeak~
A heavy, ear-piercing sound echoed as the main door swung open.
The dilapidated floor was covered in dust, which billowed up the moment the door was opened.
"Ahem, ahem~"
Victor waved his hand a couple of times and then surveyed the area.
A few footprints were visible in the thick dust, likely left by Laura and her team not long ago.
The first thing that entered Victor's sight was the counter directly opposite the door, along with numerous cabinets nearby, some of which had broken and fallen over.
Behind the counter was a doorway that had once been covered by a curtain, but the curtain was now lying on the floor.
To the right was an originally magnificent staircase, which had now become equally dilapidated.
Overhead hung a once-gorgeous, colorful chandelier. Half of it had already detached from the ceiling, and the other half looked like it was about to fall as well, giving the impression that a single gust of wind could bring it crashing down.
"Such lavish decorations, but barely any tools needed for a Breeding House. No wonder it went out of business."
Victor commented after a quick glance.
Looking at the place, even though it was a bit run-down, it might become his home in the future. It was a house under his own name, and the thought made him feel a little delighted.
It was also fortunate that his original self was an orphan, so he didn't have to worry about leaving any parents behind.
Victor patted his cheeks, looked at what might be his future home, and said with a smile, "I'm home!"
With that, he dragged his luggage inside, stirring up another cloud of dust.
Avoiding the precarious chandelier, Victor started up the stairs, preparing to check out the second floor.
Just then, he felt the surrounding temperature drop by several degrees. Goosebumps instantly appeared on his arms. The chandelier behind him creaked eerily, accompanied by gusts of chilling wind.
"Don't tell me it's haunted on my very first day here?"
Victor's legs began to tremble slightly.
Then, the lines of text appeared before his eyes once more.
[Gengar]
[Type: Ghost, Poison]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Cursed Body]
[Known Moves: Mean Look, Shadow Punch, Shadow Ball, Confuse Ray, Psychic, Lick, Will-O-Wisp, Hypnosis, Hex, Destiny Bond, Phantom Force.]
[Mood: Anxious, Excited]
[Status: Lonely, Mischievous]
[Friendship: 0 (You are strangers)]
[Introduction: A Gengar that arrived here at an unknown time. Having been alone for a long time, it couldn't bear the loneliness and started playing pranks on every person and Pokémon that came here. This caused other people and Pokémon to become even more afraid, fleeing the area.]