He opened his eyes.
Silence—absolute and suffocating.
The room was square and cramped, barely a dozen square meters. Four metal bunk beds were arranged neatly inside, their frames cold and industrial.
It looked exactly like a high school dormitory.
What happened?
Armin's memory was frozen at the moment the taxi he had been riding in was sent flying by a speeding freight truck. The deafening crash. The violent impact.
And then—
Darkness.
Now, he was here.
Four bunk beds. Eight beds in total. Every single one occupied.
Armin quickly swept his gaze across the room. Men and women. Young and old. All lying there quietly, as if asleep.
Great. A co-ed dormitory.
As he silently observed them, the remaining seven people began to stir awake one after another.
Shock spread across some faces. Disbelief across others. A few remained eerily calm, exchanging knowing glances with the people across from them.
"Where is this?"
"What the hell happened?!"
"Who are you people?!"
A chubby man propped himself up on his bed and muttered, "More newcomers?"
He found a cigarette from somewhere, lit it, and inhaled deeply as if savoring the familiar burn.
Hearing him speak, all the confused newcomers turned toward him at once.
Under their collective stare, the chubby guy finally spoke lazily—
"You're all dead."
And then he said nothing more.
Another man—Skinny, younger—shot him a disapproving look before smiling gently and picking up the explanation.
"This is the Infinite World," he said. "Just like in novels. You'll travel through different instances, complete missions, earn points… and once you accumulate enough, you can resurrect."
He paused, eyes glinting with longing.
"Or begin a brand-new life in another world."
"Pfft." The chubby man scoffed.
He reached into the empty air before him—and pulled out a red-and-white spherical device.
A Poké Ball.
White light flashed.
In his arms appeared a small, round Pokémon with short limbs and cream-colored fur. Its pig-like nose twitched slightly.
Armin recognized it instantly.
Mankey. A Fighting-type Pokémon.
Pokémon—also known as Pocket Monsters—creatures once confined to anime, games, and childhood dreams.
But now… one stood alive before him.
Armin wasn't the only one who recognized it.
A black-haired boy gasped excitedly. "It's a Mankey!"
An elderly man with snow-white hair rubbed his eyes, nearly in tears. "Jesus… In my lifetime, I actually transmigrated into the Pokémon world!"
The Skinny young man smiled again. "As you can see, everyone chosen by the Infinite World is a Pokémon fan. Earn enough points, and you can exchange them for permanent residency in the Pokémon world."
"Good! Good!" the old man cried, practically ready to run a marathon out of sheer joy.
A short-haired woman who had remained silent until now asked calmly, "So how do we earn points? By completing missions?"
The Skinny guy chuckled. "Relax. The mission is coming."
The moment his words fell, footsteps echoed down the hallway outside.
The dorm door creaked open.
A man wearing a white uniform and a cap stepped inside.
"Damn…" the chubby man muttered under his breath, eyes fixed on the bold letter "R" emblazoned on the man's chest.
The newcomer swept his gaze across the room, expression indifferent.
"Congratulations. You've passed the assessment and are now official members of Team Rocket."
"Next, you will be assigned to different bases to serve the organization. Now get out of bed and claim your starter Pokémon."
His eyes paused briefly on the fat man and the thin youth.
"You two don't need to select a Pokémon. Head directly to the station outside. Someone will arrange your departure."
The two exchanged a glance before obediently leaving.
The only two veteran players in this instance were gone.
The rest were all newcomers.
At that moment, a blue interface panel popped up before Armin's eyes.
[Main Quest 1: Follow the Rocket Grunt and claim your starter Pokémon.]
The others stared at the air in front of them as well.
Clearly, they had received the same notification.
They followed the Rocket member—whose nametag conveniently read "Grunt A"—into another room. Six red-and-white Poké Balls were neatly arranged on a table.
Grunt A clasped his hands behind his back, tone flat.
"Take one."
No explanations.
No hints.
No introductions.
No one knew what Pokémon waited inside those seemingly identical Poké Balls.
Everything was random.
Even calm as he was, Armin felt a flicker of tension tighten his chest.
Team Rocket didn't do orderly lines.
The group surged forward in a scramble.
Within seconds, the Poké Balls were gone.
Armin had grabbed the one on the far left.
The moment it touched his palm, information materialized before his eyes.
…..
Mimikyu
Level: 1
Gender: Female
Type: Ghost / Fairy
Ability: Disguise
Egg Move: Destiny Bond
Known Moves: Scratch, Astonish, Copycat
Before he could process further, the system updated.
[Main Quest 2: You are an undercover agent sent by the Kanto League to gather criminal evidence on Team Rocket.]
Objective: Obtain one piece of Team Rocket's criminal intelligence and report it to the Kanto League.
Beginner Instance: No penalty for failure.
Time Limit: 30 days. Failure upon timeout.
Beginner Tip: Beware of other players. Not everyone is trustworthy. Train your Pokémon. Survive.
…..
Armin read everything without changing expression.
So.
Undercover.
Before he could think further, a friendly-looking man leaned over.
"Hey, bro! What'd you get? Mine's a Zubat!"
Armin smiled politely. "Mimikyu."
No point hiding it. Everyone would find out sooner or later.
The man looked envious. "Nice…"
Armin tilted his chin toward the opposite side. "There's a Squirtle over there."
"What?! A starter?!" The man's eyes widened, and he immediately rushed over to strike up conversation with the short-haired girl holding the Squirtle.
Armin tightened his grip on the Poké Ball.
He swallowed.
Then pressed the button.
White light burst forth.
A small figure appeared on the floor before him.
A ragged cloth draped over its body, crudely drawn Pikachu face stitched onto it. Its little wooden "tail" drooped slightly to one side.
Mimikyu.
Armin crouched down slowly and, somewhat nervously, extended his hand.
Pokémon.
To him, they were both deeply familiar… and utterly surreal.
As a child, he had countless times imagined himself entering the world he watched on television—becoming a Pokémon Trainer after episodes aired on TV.
But now—
He had his own Pokémon.
Right here.
Mimikyu hesitated when it saw the hand approaching.
When his fingers gently rested on the cloth covering its head, its entire body stiffened.
In the past, whether human or Pokémon, most reacted to it with fear.
Its true form was said to be too terrifying to behold.
To avoid being hated, it disguised itself beneath a makeshift Pikachu costume—imitating one of the most beloved Pokémon in the world.
Human touch.
Human warmth.
These were unfamiliar to it.
Then it heard the human in front of it speak, slightly awkwardly.
"Hi… You're Mimikyu, right? My name's Armin. If nothing unexpected happens, I guess I'll be your Trainer from now on. I hope you won't mind having me, okay?"
He scratched his cheek sheepishly.
"…Don't look down on me."
Silence lingered for a heartbeat.
Then—Mimikyu slowly lifted its head.
Under the crude Pikachu disguise, something softened.
Mimikyu: That's wonderful… I have a Trainer now.