Transformation

Three months later, in the forest of an unknown island.

A green bug lay quietly among the trees. If one looked closely, it was easy to recognize this green insect as the Pokémon known as Caterpie.

This was the first Pokémon Luo Sa had managed to transform into a month prior, after finally gathering enough Transformation Energy.

However, after completing the transformation, Luo Sa discovered that his Ditto ability wasn't available for use at any time!

To transform, he first needed to gather Transformation Energy, then visualize the Pokémon he wanted to become in his mind before the change could occur.

After transforming into Caterpie, the Transformation Energy within him vanished forever.

And part of Caterpie's genes had permanently fused into his body, allowing him to transform into Caterpie at will!

"Sigh, if I'd known it would be like this, I would've saved up more Transformation Energy to turn into a stronger Pokémon. Now, aside from spitting silk and a decent hidden ability, I'm pretty much useless!"

Thinking about the two months' worth of Transformation Energy he'd stored up disappearing completely, Luo Sa felt a lump of frustration stuck in his chest, unable to vent it.

Just as he was wallowing in regret, a rhinoceros ambled by. As it passed Luo Sa, it didn't seem to notice him at all and simply walked on.

No, perhaps it wasn't that it didn't notice—it was that a tiny bug posed no threat to it!

Just as the rhinoceros walked past Luo Sa, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. A burst of white light erupted from his body, and a pink, humanoid figure appeared on a tree branch.

"Ditto Half-Beast Form!"

"Gomu Gomu Pistol!"

"Gomu Gomu Bullet!"

"Gomu Gomu Gatling!"

A series of crashing sounds erupted from the forest. Countless trees toppled over, causing a chaotic uproar as ferocious birds and beasts fled in all directions.

At the very center of the commotion, a clearing had been carved out. The massive rhinoceros, caught completely off guard, had been ambushed and killed by Luo Sa. Its corpse lay sprawled on the ground, and Luo Sa sat casually on top of it, panting heavily.

"Hoo, the Ditto body really can mimic a rubber man's abilities."

"Even though I can't pull off Gear Second, Gear Third, or Gear Fourth like Luffy—those cheat-level moves—it's more than enough!"

Luo Sa let out a light breath, feeling quite satisfied. After all, his main ability was still transformation.

Once he'd caught his breath, Luo Sa began to tally his gains from this encounter.

He focused his consciousness inward, and immediately saw a mass of formless energy—Transformation Energy.

Compared to when he first started, this Transformation Energy had grown significantly.

"As expected, Devil Fruits are heavily dependent on the body. As long as my strength improves, the Devil Fruit's power will grow stronger too."

Luo Sa nodded in satisfaction. During this time, aside from developing the Ditto's rubber abilities, he hadn't let up on training his body for even a moment.

"I wonder if eating this rhinoceros will give me enough Transformation Energy to complete a second transformation!"

Luo Sa looked down at the rhinoceros beneath him, a fervent gleam in his eyes.

Besides training his body, he'd also discovered that consuming food rich in powerful energy could boost his Transformation Energy!

This rhinoceros was enormous—more than three times the size of a normal rhinoceros back on Earth.

But even so, given Luo Sa's terrifying appetite, this would probably only count as a decently satisfying meal!

Dragging the rhinoceros to the beach, Luo Sa skillfully set up a grill and started a fire by rubbing sticks together.

As smoke curled upward, Luo Sa stared at the horizon where the sea met the sky, waiting for the food to cook.

For three months, he'd done this every day. Aside from hunting, he never left the beach, afraid of missing any passing ship.

"Looks like this really is an uninhabited island with hardly any human traces. Even merchant ships never pass by here."

Shaking his head helplessly, Luo Sa grabbed some roasted rhinoceros meat and wolfed it down.

Without seasoning and with the tough quality of the meat, this meal was barely passable.

Of course, Luo Sa didn't care much about the food itself—he only cared about how much his Transformation Energy had increased.

"At this rate, it should be enough for a Pokémon like Caterpie!"

Luo Sa pondered for a moment, then decided to test out other Pokémon transformations.

Lately, a theory had been brewing in his mind, and now was the perfect time to see if he was right.

"First... Bellsprout."

Luo Sa concentrated, channeling his Transformation Energy and visualizing the image of Bellsprout in his mind.

Immediately, the Transformation Energy inside him began to surge, signaling that he now had enough energy to transform.

Luo Sa quickly stopped the process, letting the Transformation Energy settle down.

"Just as I thought... Next, Kakuna."

Luo Sa activated his Transformation Energy again, and once more, it responded.

"Let's try Butterfree."

Luo Sa attempted it again, but this time, the Transformation Energy gave no reaction.

"Then... Jigglypuff?"

Luo Sa experimented again, and this time, Transformation Energy reacted once more.

His eyes lit up, and he tried one last time—this time aiming to transform into a Winged Gull, a dual Flying- and Water-type Pokémon.

But this time, the Transformation Energy showed no response, meaning he hadn't met the standard yet.

"As expected, the transformation standard is entirely based on a Pokémon's base stat total!"

"Bellsprout has the lowest base stat total, at 180."

"Caterpie's base stat total is 195."

"Kakuna's base stat total is 205."

"Butterfree's base stat total is 395."

"Jigglypuff's base stat total is 210."

"Winged Gull's base stat total is 270."

Silently running through all the base stat totals in his mind, Luo Sa's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Still, he wasn't entirely at ease, so he tested every Pokémon with base stat totals between 180 and 270 one by one. As he expected, the standard for transformation was indeed the base stat total!

After confirming this, Luo Sa immediately correlated his current Transformation Energy amount with the base stat totals, dividing his present Transformation Energy value into 210 points—meaning he could only transform into Pokémon with base stat totals no higher than 210.

From now on, he could freely choose which Pokémon to transform into based on his energy value!

Taking advantage of the rare post-meal break, Luo Sa began envisioning the Pokémon he would transform into in the future in his mind.

I think everyone who has watched the Pokémon anime or played the Pokémon games must have imagined their own ideal lineup in their hearts!

Thinking this, Luo Sa's heart stirred with excitement, as if he had instantly returned to his childhood.

Back then, he had no money, and he would sneak peeks at Pokémon in the anime disc shop—thinking back, it was a bit nostalgic, one of the few joys in his hard life.

That was why, after growing up, he would often revisit those memories, to the point where he could recite the details by heart!