"Meltan, it's my fault! Please don't be angry anymore!"
Jack was apologizing profusely to his Meltan, whose body size was far beyond that of a typical member of its species. Standing at half a meter tall, the Steel-type Pokémon was quite the unusual sight.
"Melo—" (Then what exactly was your mistake?)
Meltan turned its hexagonal nut-like head away, refusing to accept Jack's apology.
Jack was a teenager who loved Pokémon, but he knew absolutely nothing about Pokémon battles. He understood nothing about base stats, natures, type matchups, abilities, or individual values—the fundamental building blocks of competitive battling.
So, Jack had used a game modifier to create his favorite Pokémon, Meltan, giving it four high-damage and flashy moves: Double Iron Bash, Dynamax Cannon, Icicle Spear, and Dazzling Gleam. All other stats remained unchanged from the original.
Then, the overjoyed Jack had taken Meltan to battle a Blaziken. One Double Iron Bash not only got Jack reported for cheating but also didn't secure the win. In his frustration, an angry Jack had fallen out of bed and somehow transmigrated into the Pokémon world.
"I shouldn't have failed to memorize the type chart! I'll definitely memorize it next time!" Jack held up three fingers, making a solemn promise not to repeat such a critical mistake.
"Melo—" (And what else?)
This question made Jack hesitate. He only knew which Pokémon existed, but he hadn't memorized the types of most Pokémon species. Being able to mention the type chart at all was already extraordinary for him.
"Melo—" (Getting hit by Blaziken's Blaze Kick hurts a lot, Jack! Do you even know that?)
Meltan's hexagonal nut spun continuously as it wiggled its short little arms in frustration. With only one shiny eyeball visible through the liquid metal body, Meltan looked at Jack with what could only be described as deep disappointment.
"I'm sorry! I promise to study hard and become a Pokémon Master!" Jack declared with renewed determination.
Meltan was Jack's creation, so naturally, it knew Jack's capabilities all too well. Besides being decent at farming simulation games, what other characteristics did he possess when it came to Pokémon? Pokémon battles? Meltan scoffed internally at the thought.
"Hehe, as long as you're not angry!" Jack, seizing the opportunity, suddenly hugged Meltan. "Wow, you're so heavy, Meltan!"
A normal-sized Meltan weighs around 8 kilograms, but Jack's Meltan stood nearly 0.5 meters tall and weighed almost 20 kilograms. Jack's current body was only about thirteen years old, so holding Meltan was indeed quite challenging.
Species: Meltan
Type: Steel
Ability: Magnet Pull
Known Moves: Double Iron Bash (Steel-type), Dynamax Cannon (Dragon-type), Icicle Spear (Ice-type), Dazzling Gleam (Fairy-type)
(Affected by unknown factors, currently unable to learn or change moves)
Base Stats: 300 (HP: 46; Attack: 65; Defense: 65; Special Attack: 55; Special Defense: 35; Speed: 34)
Current Emotion: Frustration (at Jack's lack of progress)
Physical Condition: Perfect
Friendship: 100 (You gave it life; it will be your most loyal friend)
"Meltan, can you see this screen?" Jack pointed to the translucent panel displayed in front of him.
Meltan looked left and right but saw nothing unusual.
"Melo—" (Jack, what are you talking about? I don't see anything.)
Jack mentally dismissed the panel, and it instantly vanished. It turned out he was the only one who could access it—some kind of system interface that had accompanied his transmigration.
"I can see information about you! So your base stats are only 300... No wonder you couldn't beat Blaziken..."
Before Jack could finish his sentence, he was struck by Meltan's Tackle. Although it wasn't executed as an official move, getting hit by 20 kilograms of animated metal still hurt.
"Melo—" (That... 300 base stats is actually very high, okay? Many Mythical Pokémon don't even have stats as good as mine!)
"Really?" Jack was slightly suspicious of Meltan's claim, but he didn't know enough to contradict it. "Alright then, I'll believe you this once."
"Melo~" (Clearly, Jack, your theoretical knowledge isn't up to standard. Not being able to beat Blaziken has nothing to do with me and everything to do with type matchups!)
"Ah~ ahem~ Let's go tour this ranch then~"
Jack brushed off his backside and stood up, desperately trying to change the subject. There was nothing he could do about it—Jack didn't know if Meltan was truly strong in this world, but his theoretical knowledge was genuinely lacking. He was currently located at what appeared to be some kind of Pokémon ranch.
"Is this where we'll be living from now on?"
The ranch was somewhat rundown, but the scenery was excellent. Mountains, streams, and forests surrounded the area, and every now and then, a few adorable wild Pokémon would appear among the vegetation.
"Melo—" (We just fell down here; that doesn't mean this is our home.)
"Oh, right. I thought transmigrators automatically got a home included." Jack rubbed his head and chuckled awkwardly.
"Meltan, do you have your own Poké Ball?"
Holding Meltan was still quite strenuous for Jack's young body. It was manageable here at the ranch, but if they went to a city or any place where Pokémon couldn't be released freely, it would be a disaster. Most importantly, Jack currently had no money to buy Poké Balls.
"Melo—" (I have a Poké Ball.)
Meltan walked into a patch of tall grass. Since he and Jack had suddenly fallen from the sky earlier, there should be something around here. Meltan explored through the grass for several minutes before finally pushing out a distinctive purple Poké Ball with an "M" symbol emblazoned on it.
"Wow, a Master Ball! That's incredible!"
Jack picked up the Master Ball that Meltan had retrieved, pressed the button on the front, and a red beam of light shot out, recalling Meltan into the ball with a satisfying click.
"I choose you, Meltan!" Jack threw the Master Ball forward, and it hit the ground. Red light emerged as Meltan materialized from the ball with a cheerful cry.
"Melo—"
"That's great!" Jack ran over to pick up the Master Ball from where it had landed. He still didn't quite know the proper technique for throwing Poké Balls.
"Let's go explore this ranch!"
Jack's previous life had ended at only sixteen or seventeen years old, right at the peak of youthful curiosity. The ranch was enormous, and it would take considerable effort to explore it all. What if this was actually a wild, abandoned ranch with rare Pokémon?
"Help! Someone help!" A desperate cry rang out across the field.
A dark-skinned boy burst out of the tall grass, running at full speed with a massive swarm of Beedrill chasing close behind him!
"Don't come this way!" Jack shouted in warning.
But the dark-skinned boy charged straight toward Jack, completely disregarding the person directly in front of him. The pursuing Beedrill's sharp stingers gleamed menacingly as they closed the distance.
"Meltan! Use Double Iron Bash!" Jack shouted the command and then squeezed his eyes shut, not daring to watch what would happen.
Meltan's hexagonal head trembled continuously as it fired countless silver light projectiles at the Beedrill swarm. The number of energy bullets was extraordinary—far more than what a normal Double Iron Bash should produce.
Several Beedrill that took direct hits lost their ability to battle instantly and fainted, dropping to the ground. The remaining Beedrill, having gotten the worst of the encounter and not willing to risk further injuries, could only retreat in frustration.
"That scared me to death! I thought I was going to die!" The dark-skinned boy collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily with lingering fear etched across his face.
Meltan wiggled its short little legs and walked toward the boy with purpose.
"What kind of Pokémon is this? I've never seen one like it before!"
The boy had completely forgotten about being chased by Beedrill moments ago. His eyes held only fascination as he stared at Meltan's unique metallic form.
Just as the boy's hand was about to make contact with Meltan, the Steel-type's small fist moved faster.
"Melo—Melo—" (Little brat, why did you provoke those Beedrill for no reason!)
Meltan's fist connected with the boy's face with a metallic thunk.
Although the force was relatively small, the metal body made the impact quite memorable.
"My Meltan isn't familiar with you—don't touch it casually!"
Jack saw the greedy light in the boy's eyes, and his favorability instantly plummeted. He delivered another punch to the boy's face for good measure.
This stranger had led a swarm of Beedrill straight to them and still had the audacity to covet his Meltan. How detestable!
Now the dark-skinned boy sported a symmetrical pair of bumps on both sides of his face.
"You actually hit me!"
"I hit you because you provoked the Beedrill and then dared to reach for Meltan without permission. If you try it again, believe me, I'll hit you again," Jack stated firmly.
He picked up Meltan and deliberately maintained distance from the troublesome stranger.
Just then, another shout echoed across the ranch.
"Goh! Where are you?! Goh!"