Rockruff
"My name is Max, nineteen years old. Today should be… the third day since I transmigrated to another world."
Max was slumped against the counter, slowly writing today's diary entry with a pen.
He looked toward the entrance with a trace of melancholy. Today was no better than the previous two days—still no sign of improvement.
The only thing he could count as good fortune was the building he was currently staying in.
Max glanced around at the red-and-white interior décor. It looked exactly like a Pokémon Center straight out of the games. Thanks to this place, at least he hadn't been exposed to the wind and rain.
From what he had observed over the past two days, he seemed to have transmigrated to a world extremely similar to his original one—but this world was currently suffering from an invasion of demonic beasts.
They were called "demonic beasts" here, but Max recognized them at a glance. They were Pokémon—the wondrous creatures that had once existed only as fictional creations in games. Yet for some unknown reason, they had suddenly appeared across the world and were now locked in fierce conflict with humanity.
The situation within the country—if this place could still be called domestic—was relatively better. The higher-ups weren't extreme warmongers. Still, public opinion online was full of fear and hostility. Almost everyone turned pale at the mere mention of demonic beasts, and vast wilderness areas were under strict martial law.
Every time Max turned on the computer, he was greeted by endless news reports of demonic beast attacks across the nation. He had briefly considered trying to ease the conflict between the two sides, but…
The prerequisite was surviving first.
Although the computer in the Pokémon Center was usable, it could only retrieve information. He couldn't post anything online, nor could he dismantle it and take it with him.
Max had been thrilled when he first transmigrated and encountered Pokémon, but reality had quickly crushed that excitement. With no food or proper clothing, he would have starved to death already if not for the system he carried—one that allowed him to exchange points for supplies.
That's right, he had a system, and this Pokémon Center was part of it. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as omnipotent as he had imagined. Aside from a Pokémon appraisal function, it only had a System Shop, similar to the Poké Mart in the games. It sold basic items and everyday necessities—there wasn't even a lottery feature.
The initial 3,000 shop points provided by the system had been nearly exhausted over the past three days. If he couldn't figure out where he was or find a way out soon, he'd be facing a full-blown resource crisis.
Putting away his diary, Max sat back down at the computer and continued searching, trying to pinpoint his location so he could check a map and leave.
…Time slipped by, and night fell.
Bang!
A flash of fire burst out from the dark forest, followed by a gunshot mixed with sharp barking sounds. A small, dark figure let out a pained howl and bolted into the bushes like lightning, vanishing from sight.
It ran without daring to stop, ignoring the searing pain tearing through its body.
Gunshots were chasing it. Firelight was chasing it.
It couldn't understand why the world had suddenly become so dangerous. Just a few nights ago, humans had been friendly. But in the blink of an eye, it had been teleported to a strange place, and the humans it encountered here were filled with hostility!
Its breathing grew ragged, each gasp heavy and labored, as if its lungs were about to burst. Still, it didn't dare slow down.
Faster. Faster.
The humans with hunting rifles were still pursuing it, but its vision began to darken, consciousness slipping away.
Then it started to rain.
Perhaps luck had finally turned in its favor. The drizzle washed away its scent and masked the sounds of its movement, causing the pursuers to completely lose its trail.
In a haze, it kept running—until it no longer knew where it was, until even its thoughts became muddled.
Pushing through a thicket, a red-and-white glowing building appeared before its eyes.
It had almost forgotten what it was fleeing from. A distant memory surfaced—an elder once said that the people in red-and-white buildings were good, that they would heal injuries, and that if it was ever in trouble, it could go to them.
Staggering forward, just before its consciousness faded completely, it slammed headfirst into the glowing glass door.
…Thump!
Max was already preparing to go to sleep when the sudden noise outside startled him.
Oh no… did a Pokémon try to force its way in?
Although he believed Pokémon were naturally kind, being alone in the wilderness made him uneasy. His thoughts ran wild.
What was outside?
A Ursaring? A starving Ursaring could be extremely dangerous—but there shouldn't be anything here to attract one, right?
Thinking this, Max casually picked up a wooden stick he had found earlier, pushed open his bedroom door, and walked out.
The Pokémon Center's main door was made of transparent glass, allowing him to see outside clearly.
It was pitch-black beyond the door. Rainwater slid slowly down the glass, and everything looked normal.
Then he noticed a small figure curled up at the entrance.
Its entire body was soaked through. The normally light-brown, fluffy fur hung limply, matted with mud and scattered leaves. It looked utterly miserable.
"Rockruff?" Max exclaimed in surprise, immediately dropping the wooden stick and rushing over.
From a distance it didn't look too bad, but up close, his expression darkened instantly.
Bright red blood stained the beautiful fur.
This Rockruff was injured—and badly.
"Who did this…?" Max frowned. He opened the door and, without hesitation, picked up the Rockruff, placing it gently on the counter. He carefully examined its right hind leg.
It looked like a gunshot wound. The bullet was already gone, likely expelled by the Rockruff itself.
Were there people nearby?
Marveling at the Pokémon's incredible vitality, Max grabbed a blanket and gently covered it. He glanced toward the door again but saw no sign of pursuit.
Now that he thought about it, before the rain started, he had vaguely heard a gunshot.
Frowning deeply, Max spent 200 shop points to exchange for a bottle of medicine and carefully sprayed it over the wound. The Rockruff let out a soft whine and twitched slightly, then quickly settled down again.
As his hand touched the Rockruff, the system's appraisal panel appeared.
[Species: Rockruff
Type: Rock
Ability: Keen Eye
Move Set: Tackle, Leer, Sand Attack, Double Team, Rock Throw, Treasure (Egg Move)
Physical Condition: Exhausted (gunshot wound to right hind leg)]
Max didn't know who had injured the Rockruff.
If it was a government operation, that would actually be fine. As unfair as it sounded for the Rockruff, it would mean he could locate human authorities and potentially return to the city—solving his survival problem.
But if it was someone who had illegally entered the mountains…
Someone who sneaked into a fully locked-down area with a hunting rifle was not the kind of person you wanted to meet. If they found him, he might be in danger too.
While he was thinking, the medicine gradually took effect. The wound began to heal—not instantly like in the games, but clearly improving. It looked like the Rockruff would need time to rest.
Such a strong little one, Max thought.
After bandaging the wound, he gently stroked the Rockruff's fur, dried it with the blanket, tidied it up, turned off the lights, and carried it into the bedroom.
Holding the injured Rockruff close, Max slowly fell asleep.