The last thing he saw was the blinding headlights of a truck, accompanied by the screeching sound of brakes. After a dizzying, excruciating pain, Minato gasped and opened his eyes.
There were no white hospital walls. No smell of disinfectant.
Instead, towering trees filled with lush foliage surrounded him. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, and the air was incredibly fresh, carrying the scent of soil and grass.
He slowly pushed himself up, staring blankly at his noticeably smaller hands and the unfamiliar casual clothes he was wearing.
"Where… am I?"
At that moment, a fluttering sound came from above.
Instinctively, Minato looked up.
A round, brown Pidgey flapped its wings and landed on a branch not far from him. It had a creamy chest and belly, with black markings resembling a tie. Tilting its head slightly, it observed him with a pair of dark, curious eyes.
Pidgey!
Minato's heart immediately began pounding.
As a veteran Pokémon fan, there was no way he could mistake it. Had he transmigrated? Had he really arrived in the world he had always dreamed of?
A surge of excitement instantly flooded his mind.
Looking around again, Minato noticed Caterpie crawling on tree trunks and Raticate moving through the grass, along with other very recognizable Pokémon.
However, after the initial shock faded, Minato gradually calmed down and began thinking about his situation.
If he had truly transmigrated to an unknown time and place, the most important things were his identity and survival.
Judging from his appearance, it seemed he had arrived in this world using his current body.
And right now, he was stuck in a forest.
Survival was the top priority.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, heavy rain suddenly began pouring down from the sky.
Standing in the forest, Minato quickly began searching for somewhere to take shelter.
"Chirp, chirp!"
Pidgey's cry rang out beside him.
Looking up, Minato saw the Pidgey taking off from the tree. Without hesitation, he ran after it.
After sprinting through the forest for quite a while, he finally discovered an abandoned wooden shack.
Taking refuge inside while the rain continued pouring outside, Minato sat quietly and watched the Pidgey, lost in thought.
"So… this should be the Kanto region, right?"
"After all, Pidgey—a classic early-route bird—is most commonly found in Kanto."
"In that case, my next step is obvious. I'll use my advantage as a transmigrator to find Professor Oak and become an outstanding Pokémon Professor."
"But honestly… my favorite region is Alola. My Lillie…"
He paused for a moment before grinning.
"Well, that works too. Once I become famous, I can go to the Alola region and meet Lillie then!"
Thinking of this, Minato's lips curled upward as he let out a strange, villain-like chuckle.
The Pidgey perched on the tree tilted its head slightly, staring at the human below who was crying one moment and laughing the next.
Was this human getting sick after standing in the rain for too long?
"Congratulations, Host, for successfully determining your location and setting your goal: becoming a Professor and traveling to the Alola region."
At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed inside Minato's mind.
"What?! I actually have a system?"
"That's amazing!"
"Wait… now that I think about it, I never even wondered whether I had a system after transmigrating."
He paused for a moment before quickly comforting himself.
"Well, you can't blame me. Transmigration is a huge deal. Who could calm down that quickly and think about whether they have a system?"
After a brief moment of self-consolation, Minato decisively concluded that the fault clearly lay with the system for not appearing earlier.
"System, system—what exactly do you do?" Minato asked curiously in his mind.
"This system is called the Pokémon Master Cultivation System. Its purpose is to train the Host to become the world's greatest Pokémon Trainer, while also fulfilling some of the Host's smaller wishes—such as traveling to the Alola region and developing a relationship with Lillie."
"Holy cow! Your system sounds amazing!"
"But that's not what I asked—I asked about your functions!"
"…"
After a brief moment of silence, the system responded again.
"I can detect the aptitude, abilities, skills, and other attributes of every Pokémon, similar to the 'all-seeing eye' often mentioned in novels. I can also provide corresponding methods to help them grow stronger."
"In addition, the system includes Daily Quests, Main Quests, Side Quests, and other functions. The rest must be explored by the Host personally."
"You may also use the system to examine your own status and check for quest updates. Simply call 'System' in your mind."
As soon as the system finished speaking, Minato immediately began experimenting.
A light-blue interface appeared in front of him.
---
Host: Minato
Age: 12
Skills: None
(Possibly capable of making a decent bowl of instant noodles?)
Daily Quest:
1. Capture your first Pokémon
Reward: Novice Gift Pack
Side Quest:
Become a Pokémon Researcher and travel to the Alola region
Reward: Depends on performance
Main Quest:
Become the World's Number One Pokémon Master
Reward: Depends on performance
---
Looking at the quests, Minato felt a headache coming on.
He was only twelve years old now.
How was he supposed to survive alone in an uninhabited forest, let alone obtain his first Pokémon?
"Host has just transmigrated. A comfort gift pack will now be issued."
"Congratulations, Host, for unlocking a new system function: Inventory."
Looking at the system that only remembered to give him a reward after he complained, Minato suddenly felt a faint sense of unease about his future.
Still, that didn't stop him from opening the gift pack.
"Congratulations, Host. You have received:
Sleeping Bag ×1
Tent ×1
Bread ×30
Leppa Berry ×15
Poké Ball ×3"
After closing the system interface, Minato realized that night had already fallen outside.
"Forget it… Pokémon stuff can wait until tomorrow."
"First, I need to figure out where I'm sleeping tonight."
Just as he was about to take out some bread, a fruit suddenly dropped in front of him.
Startled, Minato looked up.
The Pidgey was staring down at him from the tree branch.
He couldn't help feeling surprised.
This Pidgey was surprisingly intelligent. Not only had it guided him to shelter earlier, it was even bringing him food now.
Thinking of this, Minato activated his Eye of Insight.
What appeared next immediately shocked him.
---
Name: Pidgey
Species: Tiny Bird Pokémon
(You already know the rest, so there's no need to pad the word count.)
Moves:
Peck
Scratch
Air Slash
Hurricane
Extreme Speed
Aptitude: Azure
(Ranking from lowest to highest: White → Red → Orange → Yellow → Green → Azure → Blue → Purple → Gold → Black. Pokémon above Gold are usually Legendary Pokémon with divine responsibilities.)
Level: 9
Affection: 90
(It feels that you may become a powerful Trainer and hopes to become the world's strongest Pidgeot.)
---
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
"I knew this Pidgey was extraordinary," Minato muttered to himself.
Its aptitude was excellent, and its inherited moves were incredible.
Thinking about this made him instantly excited.
"Pidgey! I've decided!"
"Become my Pokémon, and let's climb to the top of the world together!"
The Pidgey stared at him strangely.
After Minato held his dramatic pose for a while and realized the Pidgey wasn't paying attention at all, he awkwardly scratched his head.
With an embarrassed smile, he walked into the dilapidated wooden shack, set up the tent, and prepared to sleep.
Tomorrow would be another day.