"Ah!!! Hah… Hah… Hah!"
A sharp cry echoed through a quiet town. The shout, clearly coming from a young man, startled the nearby Pokémon, causing them to scatter in fear.
"Ash! What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Inside a nearby house, a mature woman in pajamas—figure graceful and voice filled with concern—called out toward a locked bedroom door.
"Mom, I'm okay. Just had a nightmare. Go back to sleep!"
Ash's voice came from within. He lay on the bed, drenched in sweat.
"If anything's wrong, come to me. I'll help you with anything," Delia responded with worry in her voice, then reluctantly returned to her room.
Ash lay motionless on the bed, staring at the ceiling. His expression was far too grim for a five-year-old. His eyes were dark, heavy with emotion far beyond his years.
That's because… Ash wasn't really Ash.
He was a transmigrator. A reborn soul.
His original name was Rey, an orphan from Earth. Though he had no family, Rey was remarkably intelligent. Using his sharp mind, he had built a modest fortune by the age of 22.
While not absurdly wealthy, he was well-off and lived comfortably. At 26, he found love—or so he thought. The woman he fell for changed everything.
She loved Rey, or so it seemed. In truth, it was his money she loved. Her performance was flawless. For three years, she fooled him completely. Then, when Rey was 29, she cleaned out his bank account and disappeared from his life.
Devastated, Rey sank into escapism. At 29, he spent his days immersed in anime and games. Though she took his wealth, she couldn't take the house—thankfully, it was secured in his name.
He made a living through online work, maintaining a stable if solitary lifestyle. Then one day, fate dealt him a cruel hand again—he ran into her. The woman who shattered his world.
She had returned to the country after losing most of the money she stole in a failed overseas investment. With her last funds, she was trying to open a clothing store.
Seeing her again ignited a storm of hatred in Rey's heart. He wasn't just angry—he was obsessed. As an orphan, he had always valued family, love, loyalty. Her betrayal had broken something sacred.
One night, unable to endure it any longer, Rey snapped. He confronted her. Under her horrified gaze, he drew a knife and stabbed her through the heart—ending her life in a single strike.
Rey had tasted revenge.
And it was intoxicating.
That moment marked the start of a dark path. His bitterness turned outward. He began targeting those who had escaped justice—corrupt officials, criminals who used power and influence to evade the law.
For the next ten years, Rey lived in shadows. He became a professional killer. Precise. Ruthless. Untouchable.
Mercenaries, human traffickers, drug lords—no target was too dangerous. Rey even wiped out an entire cartel once, leaving nothing but ashes and corpses.
But the world has a way of catching up to even the deadliest predator.
During an assassination mission targeting the largest drug syndicate, Rey was betrayed. The client had set him up. Government forces ambushed him, and a micro-missile tore through his body.
But Rey had anticipated this. He always carried a failsafe—an advanced explosive hidden in his backpack. If he was going down, he'd take the enemy with him.
As the missile hit, Rey triggered the bomb. Hundreds of lives vanished in a storm of flame. All of them criminals. No innocents.
What no one noticed, however, was the crimson wave of killing intent and soul energy that erupted at the moment of death. Rey's soul, infused with years of hatred and bloodshed, broke through the veil of space and left Earth entirely.
When he opened his eyes again…
He wasn't a man anymore.
He was an embryo—conscious, aware, and growing inside Delia Ketchum's womb.
After seven months in the womb, Rey's body was almost complete. He could already hear muffled voices from outside. And soon, he realized something that shook him more than anything else in his two lives:
This was the world of Pokémon.
The same world he once watched on TV, the world he escaped to after heartbreak. He never imagined that it truly existed—not just as an anime, but as a real universe.
A strange, wondrous world filled with more than just people and animals. It had Pokémon—mystical creatures with elemental powers, capable of growing, evolving, and forming bonds with humans.
Over the years, humans had built an entire profession around them: Pokémon Trainers.
Trainers battled, captured, and trained Pokémon to become stronger. In return, Pokémon formed deep, loyal partnerships with their Trainers.
But this world was not exactly the one Rey remembered.
The rules were different. The timeline uncertain. The plot he once knew from anime and games had long since faded from memory. After all, he hadn't watched Pokémon since he became a killer.
Now reborn as Ash Ketchum, with his memories intact but uncertain knowledge of the world, Rey—no, Ash—prepared to face a second life.
But this time, he wouldn't be fooled.
This time, he would take control.
This time… he would become the very best.
...
TN:
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