Centuries had passed since the Team Rocket crisis in Kanto, and the region had undergone extensive development, greatly improving the infrastructure of its towns. At the starting point of many legends—Pallet Town—the story of Red was still widely told.
But in this ordinary yet extraordinary small town, the most iconic building was no longer the once-glorious laboratory of Professor Oak. Instead, it was the Pokémon School built right beside it.
"Alright, that's all for today's lesson. Please review what you learned today and prepare for tomorrow's class test."
Standing at the podium of Fourth Grade Class A, the teacher closed the textbook in her hands and spoke gently.
"You've also reached the age when you can receive your first Pokémon. Please confirm with your parents whether you've paid the required ten years of Pokémon starter funds. If you have, you may go to Professor Oak's Laboratory to receive a Pokémon Egg. Our school's graduation task is to raise a powerful Pokémon of your own. I wish you all a smooth and speedy graduation."
---
"Who would've thought… I transmigrated into this world and still can't get a starter Pokémon because I can't afford the social security fee."
Next to the school's large artificial lake, a small boy sat alone on the grass with two bento boxes in front of him.
He ate while grumbling.
"I was just playing Pokémon Infinite Fusion at home. How did getting struck by lightning send me to another world? And the moment I arrived, I was floating in the ocean! My life is so miserable. If Grandma hadn't picked me up, I'd probably be the most pathetic transmigrator ever."
The boy's name was Adam.
Ten years ago, on a stormy night, Grandma Jiusan from Pallet Town found the infant Adam by the seaside. Aside from the small basket he was lying in, the only thing with him was a jade card engraved with a name.
Grandma raised him with great effort. But when Adam was five years old, she passed away.
From that point on, Adam survived using the small house she left behind and the occasional help from kind neighbors.
To cover his daily expenses, he often worked volunteer shifts at school or helped nearby shops with small tasks. Life was already difficult, and paying the so-called Pokémon starter fund was completely impossible for him.
"All the stories I remember are from centuries ago. But in this world, Silph Co. hasn't even researched the DNA Splicers yet. So the knowledge I brought with me from my previous life is only useful for Pokémon battles. And I can't even afford my first Pokémon. Sigh… this is depressing."
Adam sighed and continued devouring his beef bowl.
While eating and thinking, he finished the first bento box and reached for the second one.
Then he froze.
"…What the hell? Where's my rice?"
The bag beside him was open. The bento inside had completely disappeared.
Behind the chair was a narrow trail of water, as if something had dragged the box toward the lake.
Adam looked at the trail thoughtfully.
"Judging from the width, it doesn't look like a large Pokémon… but that's weird. The school doesn't keep Pokémon here. So how did one sneak in and steal my lunch?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"No way. I'm not letting this slide."
---
With a dark expression, Adam left the school and crouched near the road leading to Viridian City.
After waiting for a while, the person he was expecting finally appeared.
A cheerful Bug Catcher boy walked toward the forest with a bug net on his shoulder, happily humming as he prepared to catch insects for fun.
The moment he saw Adam squatting at the town entrance with a grim expression, his singing stopped instantly.
"Hiss—Dragon Field-kun! What are you doing here? Who made you angry this time? It wasn't me… right?"
Because of poverty, Adam's body in this life was rather thin. But in his previous life he had practiced some military boxing during freshman training. When he first entered elementary school, a few kids tried to bully him—and he beat them badly enough that no one dared try again.
Since then, he had earned the reputation of a "war god" among the local children.
"Little Worm Leaf," Adam said with a sinister smile, "lend me your bug traps and your biggest bug net. I need to catch something."
The Bug Catcher boy shivered when he saw that smile.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?! I'll give them to you right away. Come on, let's go to my house and get them. Just… stop smiling like that. It's creepy."
---
After following Worm Leaf home and collecting a full set of bug-catching equipment, Adam carried everything back to his house.
In his heart, he swore silently:
You little thief who stole my food today… I'm definitely catching you.
---
The next day, during lunch break, Adam set up the bug traps near the lake.
Then, during his work-study shift in the cafeteria, he managed to get two bento boxes again.
He placed one inside the trap as bait and stood up holding the other.
Walking away loudly, he shouted:
"Oh no! I accidentally took two bento boxes today! I'll come back later to eat this one!"
After walking a short distance, he quietly circled back and hid somewhere he could observe the bait.
Squatting down, he began eating his own lunch.
Just as he was enthusiastically shoveling rice into his mouth—
Click.
A flapping and struggling sound suddenly came from the trap.
Adam instantly jumped to his feet.
"Whoa! Judging by that noise, it's a big one! Can't let it escape—charge!"
Grabbing a wooden stick, he rushed toward the trap.
A cloud of dust rose where the trap had been placed.
Without hesitation, he swung the stick downward.
Crack!
The wooden stick snapped cleanly in half.
At the same moment, the struggling stopped.
Adam glanced at the broken stick in his hand, tossed it aside casually, and said,
"Let's see what kind of big guy I caught."
On the ground lay a grayish-white bug Pokémon about sixty centimeters long. It had purple whiskers, a purple tail, and two purple antennae drooping from its head. Its eyes spun in circles as if it had been knocked unconscious.
Adam frowned.
"Something's not right…"
He crouched down and studied it carefully.
"Judging from the color… this looks like a Wimpod from Alola. Since when did these appear in Kanto?"
He continued examining it.
"And the size is a little bigger than normal. According to the Pokédex, juveniles are about fifty centimeters. This one's larger… so its individual potential must be pretty good."
He nodded.
"Good thing I judged correctly from the water trail yesterday. Definitely a juvenile, not a large Pokémon."
After a moment, the Wimpod shook its head and slowly regained consciousness.
The moment it looked up and saw Adam staring down at it seriously, it panicked.
Its tiny legs began paddling frantically as it prepared to escape.
But Adam reacted quickly.
He lunged forward and tackled it.
With a roll, the Wimpod ended up flipped onto its back, legs waving helplessly in the air.
Realizing it couldn't escape, it cried out anxiously.
The sound it made strangely resembled the cry of a Grimer.
Adam stared blankly.
"…Something feels off. Why does this thing sound like a Grimer?"
Then he spoke again.
"Hey, Wimpod. Haven't you eaten properly in a while?"
"I know a place with an orchard. If you promise not to run away, I'll take you there."
The struggling Wimpod froze the moment it heard the word orchard.
Its little legs slowly stopped moving.
Understanding the reaction, Adam rolled it upright and set it back on the ground.
But the moment its feet touched the earth, the Wimpod tried to run again.
Adam immediately lifted the bait bento box and waved it.
"If you run away," he said calmly, "you won't even get this bento today, Wimpod."