After calming down, Luke immediately went online to search for more information.
First, I need to figure out what kind of world this has become.
According to the information he found, his world had merged with the Pokémon world due to the convergence of parallel timelines.
Oddly enough, everyone else seemed to accept it as completely normal.
Even the history textbooks had changed.
Pokémon history was broadly divided into four eras: Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and Contemporary.
During the Ancient Era, the Mew population gradually declined, while the oldest prehistoric Pokémon first appeared.
In the Medieval Era, a massive meteorite struck the Hoenn region, awakening the ancient Pokémon. The catastrophe was ultimately brought to an end by Rayquaza.
In the Modern Era, Dr. Nishinomori of Celadon University invented the Poké Ball in 1925, marking the beginning of modern Pokémon studies.
"…These are actually mandatory history lessons?"
Luke wore a strange expression.
Even Pokémon history was packed with dates worth memorizing.
Parfum Palace had been completed in 1700, while the first Pokémon League Conference was held in 1896…
Just imagining having to memorize all of it gave him a headache.
"So even in the Pokémon world, being a top student isn't easy."
With a sigh, Luke opened the online version of High School Politics – Required Course 3.
The appearance of Pokémon had gradually led to the rise of powerful governing organizations, with the regional Leagues becoming the dominant authorities.
Luke currently lived in Metro City, which belonged to the Orient League.
Other regions included the Kalos League, Unova League, and many others—exactly as he remembered from the games.
"So the Pokémon world really did merge with reality…"
Luke sat in silence for a long while before letting out a slow breath.
"Does that mean…"
"…I might actually have a chance to become a Trainer?"
Becoming a Pokémon Trainer had always been one of Luke's biggest dreams.
However, after researching the profession online, his enthusiasm cooled almost instantly.
"The mortality rate is that high?!"
In this world, becoming a Trainer was anything but easy.
Being fluent in multiple languages was merely the minimum requirement. Trainers were expected to know Chinese, Japanese, English, French, and even a specialized language used specifically for Trainer certification.
Money, education, resources, and connections were all essential.
On top of that, the profession's alarmingly high fatality rate had officially classified Trainers as working in a high-risk occupation, while Pokémon battles themselves were recognized as an extreme sport.
The combination of enormous costs, strict qualifications, and constant danger meant that professional Trainers were surprisingly rare.
Fortunately, Poké Balls were widely available.
Ordinary people could still own Pokémon, and countless families kept them as beloved companions.
Luke suddenly paused.
"…Wait."
"Why would I become a Trainer?"
"Wouldn't it be much easier to become a plagiarist?"
The existence of Pokémon had dramatically lowered the cost of producing special effects in movies and video games.
Ironically, however, the quality of entertainment had become rather disappointing.
Take the blockbuster Brycen Hero, for example.
Produced by Pokémon Hollywood and starring Brycen, the Icirrus City Gym Leader from the Unova League, it featured an incredibly predictable plot and painfully cliché heroic storytelling.
Yet somehow…
It had still made its way into IMDb's Top 250.
Luke genuinely couldn't understand why it was so popular.
The gaming industry was much the same.
Because of the parallel timeline, many of the legendary games from Luke's previous life had never existed.
The biggest title on the market was Pokémon: Battle, developed by the Devon Corporation—the very game Luke streamed every day.
Inspired by real Pokémon battles, it recreated combat using cutting-edge virtual simulation technology, making it accessible even for people without Pokémon of their own.
Several prestigious Trainer academies even used the game to teach battlefield awareness and command techniques.
Many famous Trainers—including Fighter, the World Champion Red—were dedicated players.
Since competitive battling in this world was still relatively underdeveloped, many advanced strategies that Luke considered common knowledge had yet to become mainstream.
That explained why a simple Substitute + Protect + Toxic guide had earned over a million views overnight.
"Looks like all I have to do is upload a few more strategy videos…"
"I'll probably become one of YouTube's top creators before long."
With Luke's understanding of competitive Pokémon, making several more million-view videos would be effortless.
Before that, though, he wanted to learn more about how YouTube worked in this world.
While eating slices of roast duck wrapped in scallions, Luke continued browsing the site.
Unlike the world he remembered, nearly all of the biggest creators across YouTube, Twitch, Reddit, and other platforms were actual Pokémon Trainers and Gym Leaders.
The hottest creator at the moment was—
Nessa.
The Water-type Gym Leader of the Galar League.
Known as the Black Pearl, she was one of YouTube's biggest stars.
In her latest video, Nessa rode gracefully across the ocean atop a Milotic before leaping elegantly into the sea, sending glittering water droplets sparkling through the air.
Her long legs and healthy bronze complexion made for an undeniably breathtaking scene.
Luke couldn't help staring.
"It really is Nessa…"
"I guess if Red exists, it only makes sense that the Gym Leaders do too."
The video was currently ranked number one in YouTube's Fashion category.
The comments were just as entertaining as ever.
Nessa's collaborating with LV now! My youth is complete!
Nessa, my precious angel! Mommy loves you!
You don't love her—you just want her body! You're shameless!
Curious, Luke switched over to the Dance category.
Instead of expecting ordinary dance influencers, he found another familiar face.
Raihan.
The Dragon-type Gym Leader of the Galar League.
Dark-skinned and athletic, Raihan wore his signature orange-red headscarf and flashed his trademark confident grin.
Although Luke privately believed he was more handsome, Raihan's dancing skills and popularity as a Gym Leader had earned him an enormous social media following.
The Film section featured a promotional poster for actress Diantha's latest Hollywood blockbuster.
"It looks like being a content creator has a pretty bright future."
Luke leaned back in his chair.
"I'll stream tonight as usual, observe things for a while…"
"…Then I'll decide what to do next."
He already had a rough plan for his future.
Becoming a Trainer?
Absolutely impossible.
Not in this lifetime.
Making videos and writing novels sounded far safer—and far more profitable.
Even so, Luke still wanted to keep a few Pokémon as companions.
"What Pokémon should I raise…?"
"If I'm not aiming for competitive battles, then cuteness is definitely the top priority."
"Eevee?"
"Pikachu?"
"How amazing would it be if I could have both Eevee and Pikachu?"
A standard Poké Ball sold for around $69.99.
After checking his account balance—including the revenue from his viral video—Luke found he still had about $2,800 in savings.
He decided that tomorrow he would visit a specialty Pokémon store in Metro City and buy a few Poké Balls.
That evening, Luke started his livestream as usual.
Thanks to his overnight success, the moment the stream went live…
His viewer count instantly surpassed 200,000.