**[Brain Storage Area]**
At 26, Alex Drake was already considered an older young man. He had an unremarkable appearance and nothing particularly standout about him.
As a corporate drone who'd long since entered the workforce and grown numb to the "blessings" of 996 and 007 work culture, having a rare leisurely weekend to do whatever he wanted felt like pure luxury.
Right now, Alex was sprawled listlessly on his incredibly soft living-room sofa. With nothing better to do, he decided to browse some videos. He opened the app and started scrolling when a Pokémon-related push notification popped up.
Before long, Alex drifted into a deep sleep.
Some time later, a burst of noisy sounds reached his ears.
When Alex opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a patch of grass. Suddenly, two large purple rats scurried out of the nearby bushes and dashed into the distance. They looked oddly familiar.
!!!∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ!!
Where the hell is this??? How did my huge sofa vanish in the blink of an eye? And are those *Rattata*?
Before Alex could fully process what was happening, two small birds flew overhead. Their back feathers were brown, their chests and wing tips a light cream color, with a black mark around their eyes and a tuft of brown crest feathers on their heads. *Pidgey*?
"Unbelievable. Is this dream really *this* realistic? The sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch... it's like I've actually arrived in the Pokémon world."
"No, this is way too realistic."
"Holy crap, did I actually transmigrate?"
"No way. I only thought about it. Who would've guessed? I wasn't hit by a truck, I wasn't struck by lightning, and I didn't click some shady option on my computer. Just by taking a nap, I've been isekai'd straight into the Pokémon world. Where's the justice? Where's the logic?"
"Sigh. Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of... like hell I will!"
"Wait!!! According to every trope ever, I should have a cheat by now. It's basically standard equipment for transmigrators."
"Hello, System."
"System, you there?"
"System, say something!"
"Hey, Siri."
"Xiao Ai classmate."
Unfortunately, there was no response in his mind...
"Domel-Kishar-Imol!"
"Burn, my Cosmo!"
"Excalibur!"
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Kamehameha!"
"Ti-ga!"
"Clow Card, I command you to return to your original form!"
Pid-gey~ Pid-gey~ Pid-gey~
A Pidgey's Growl rang out, accompanied by a sudden cool breeze, but no strange signs appeared.
Alex: "..."
It had to be said—the atmosphere was slightly awkward. Luckily, no one was around to witness it.
His face flushed red, Alex lowered his raised hand and sat on the grass, burying his face between his knees like an ostrich.
Scene transition... Slowly, Alex frowned deeply, constantly pondering his current situation. Since there was no cheat, he could only take things one step at a time. He had to look ahead and work hard to survive—maybe then he'd find a way home.
The rustling of leaves behind him made him tense. This dense forest was full of unknown dangers. No one knew which version of the Pokémon world this was. Even in the "harmless" anime version, Pokémon sometimes attacked people. He had to stay vigilant at all times.
Alex took a deep breath to calm himself, then continued thinking about his next move.
Judging by the Pidgey and Rattata, there was a high chance he was in the Kanto or Johto region.
Fortunately, the Pokémon he'd encountered so far were relatively mild-tempered. If he'd run into a flock of Spearow or stumbled near a Beedrill nest, he might already be singing his own "cold goodbye." Better to move carefully, find a nearby town, and secure food and water first.
While carefully planning, he began exploring the surrounding area, keeping his steps as light as possible along the path.
Not far away was a small pond. Alex used its surface as a mirror to roughly check his current appearance.
He still had a standard Asian face, looking about seventeen or eighteen years old. He was just as unremarkable as before—only younger, exactly like his old photos from back then.
"Sigh. I don't even have the handsome face that's basically mandatory for transmigrators to charm everyone. Looks like the 'rely on looks' route is out. I'd better find a safe road, or I'll die before I even get started."
An hour later, Alex finally emerged from the forest without incident.
A crossroads appeared ahead. He was just about to check the signpost when his ears twitched—he heard voices and looked in that direction.
"Poliwag, finish it off! Use Water Gun!"
Two Trainers were battling by the roadside, with their friends cheering from the side. This was the first time Alex had seen a real Pokémon battle, and he couldn't help feeling a surge of excitement. The virtual had become reality; everything felt like a dream.
Being cautious, Alex stopped under a large tree some distance away, planning to approach and ask for information once the battle ended.
As for why he could understand the language, read the script, or why his age had decreased... Come on, transmigration had already happened. Why be surprised by a few minor extras?
What he saw was a Charmander, already covered in wounds, struggling to climb back to its feet. Traces of foam clung to its body. It barely managed to gather a few sparks in its mouth to resist the incoming Water Gun, but the sparks only flickered before turning into black smoke.
"Useless! What are you dawdling for? Use Ember!"
The result was predictable. The Charmander took the Water Gun head-on and was quickly defeated.
Seeing he'd lost, the Trainer in sunglasses looked at his Charmander with zero concern—instead showing clear disdain.
After the winning Trainer left and a short time passed, the Charmander slowly recovered. It opened its eyes, staggered toward its master.
"Char!"
"Char!"
"Char!"
The Charmander whimpered, gazing at its master with eyes full of guilt, and hugged his leg with its small hands.
But the Trainer disdainfully brushed the hands away.
Even so, the Charmander still tried to get closer.
"Char char char char!"
It kept whispering, as if asking what was wrong.
The young man looked down at the Charmander, a flash of disgust in his eyes, though he didn't show it fully.
"Fine. Just stay here quietly for a bit. I'll come back to pick you up later!"
Hearing this, the Charmander hesitated. Tears seemed to well in its eyes; it didn't know what to do.
At that moment, the young man's companion behind him smirked and whispered.
"Heh, I told you Dylan's Charmander is such a pain. You tell it to go, and it just won't leave!"
"Even though this Charmander seems super loyal, a Pokémon's instinct is to battle. Since its combat power is trash, it's only natural it'd get abandoned!"
"Haha, Dylan, I'm telling you—don't try shaking it off by force. Just trick the thing!"
"Right, find a way to make this Charmander stop following us. It's found its way back every single time before!"
...Hearing his friends, the young man named Dylan nodded.
Dylan gradually changed his attitude, slowly squatting down with a warm smile.
"Charmander, here's the deal. We're heading deep into the forest later to find some really strong Pokémon. Your combat power is a bit weak right now, so you won't be able to help much. You'd just become a burden. And if you're a burden, it'll mess up our plan to catch those super-strong Pokémon. You understand, right?"
Hearing Dylan's words, the Charmander's grip suddenly loosened, and a mist clouded its eyes.
In the end, it lowered its head in shame.
Its master, Dylan, was right. The Charmander's combat power really wasn't strong. If it faced those super-strong Pokémon head-on, it would indeed become a burden to Dylan and the others.
If because of it, Dylan and the group failed to catch strong Pokémon, the Charmander would feel incredibly guilty.
At that moment, the Charmander's heart was torn and full of regret.
Seeing that the Charmander seemed finally convinced, Dylan pressed his advantage.
He pointed to a stone pillar on the right and said solemnly.
"Charmander, how about this? Wait right here by this rock. After we successfully catch the Pokémon, I'll come right back here to pick you up. Sound good?"
Seeing that Dylan had even specified a landmark, it meant he would definitely remember.
This was a hope the Charmander both longed for and didn't dare dwell on too much.
Seeing its Trainer speak so resolutely, the Charmander finally smiled, nodded, and climbed onto the large rock.
Meanwhile, Dylan led his companions away, laughing as they disappeared into the jungle.
Even after they vanished, the Charmander's eyes stayed fixed longingly on Dylan's back, unblinking.
Only the lonely Charmander remained, sitting on the rock—its sensible, heartbreaking loyalty plain to see.
(End of Chapter 1)