Prologue

"Do you like Pokémon?"

An ancient voice drifted through the air. The boy lying on his bed heard the sound coming from nowhere and felt a touch of confusion, though his previously expressionless face now held a hint of surprise.

"...I do." Anyone who had learned about the world of Pokémon could hardly dislike those cute or cool creatures, right?

"If you could travel to a world where Pokémon exist, would you be willing?"

"...I would be more than willing."

Once the boy finished speaking, the ancient voice vanished. He seemed to feel a sense of disappointment; he climbed out of bed to search for the source of the sound, but before he could even open his bedroom door, a wave of dizziness washed over him.

Before his consciousness faded completely, the corners of his mouth curled upward, as if he knew exactly what was about to happen.

In the time he had left, he took a brief look back at his life.

The boy's name was Yan Yang, twenty years old this year. This should have been the age to step into society, spread his wings, and soar, yet there was not a shred of the expected vitality in him; instead, he was filled with dejection.

His life had been a series of misfortunes. His parents died when he was three, and he grew up in his uncle's house, spending his childhood under the weight of complaints and beatings.

He had no friends. A person who lived in gloom every day truly wouldn't have any, and silence and isolation had long since become his companions. After graduating from middle school, he dropped out to work, entering society far too early.

After enduring the betrayal of his only friend and the cruelty of social reality, he fell into depression. He locked himself in his rented room, living in a daze for several days. No one worried about whether something had happened to him, and of course, he no longer needed anyone's concern.

In this room, which was about the size of a school dormitory, a large, four-legged plush toy stood out. It was nearly as big as a person, but Yan Yang didn't mind it taking up space at all; to him, it held significant meaning.

Whenever he couldn't sleep, he would hold this big guy and finally drift off.

Whenever he felt he couldn't go on, he only had to look into its majestic yet gentle eyes to find the motivation to keep going. It was, in a sense, his spiritual pillar.

People who have lost hope in life will always find something to serve as a solace for their soul.

Pokémon was an IP he had loved since he was a child. When his cousin watched the anime, he would secretly watch along. He truly yearned for such a warm and happy world; it was hard not to be moved by the world described in the animation.

After learning about the general worldview of Pokémon, Yan Yang didn't like the cute ones like others did; he was most fond of the mysterious and unfathomable Legendary Pokémon.

This perhaps had to do with his state of mind and his situation. Because he felt weak, his heart perhaps yearned more for the strong.

Everything depends on a sense of connection. Among the many Pokémon, there will always be some that perfectly touch your heart and make you fall in love with them.

When he saw a certain Pokémon in a theatrical film, he knew that it was the one he loved most. The plot of that film made his impression of it reach an even deeper level.

Even though it wasn't real at the time, but rather a projection, it didn't matter.

After all, it was its image he was borrowing, and Yan Yang believed the real one was just the same.

So, he saved up money for a while. Since most of his wages from work had to be handed over, he didn't have much spare cash, but that didn't stop him from buying the simulated plush toy without hesitation.

No one knew how happy he was when he brought it back to his room; it felt like the happiest time of his life.

That friend had mocked him for being naive, buying a Pokémon toy at his age, and even chatting happily with the doll—it was truly childish.

Yan Yang naturally ignored him. There was nothing wrong with being a little childish; perhaps this doll was more reliable than a friend. He hadn't expected that his thought at the time would come true—he had lost his best friend.

It was a painful blow, but because of this special friend, he recovered quickly.

With his memories settled, Yan Yang took one last look at the plush friend that had accompanied him for years. He locked eyes with its majestic gaze, as if saying goodbye, or perhaps waiting for a response.

As their eyes met, Yan Yang seemed to understand something. He felt a great sense of relief, and then he lost consciousness completely.

His soul drifted toward an unknown destination.

Days later, the police discovered Yan Yang dead in his rented room. The cause of death remained under investigation.

However, none of that mattered anymore.

It was just that no one noticed that in the eyes of the toy, which looked brand new, something seemed to be flickering.

In a void, a Pokémon resembling an alpaca was in a deep slumber. It looked harmless, but anyone who knew Pokémon understood that this was the legendary and renowned Creator God—Arceus.

Its body was primarily white, its limbs ended in hoof-like structures, and a pair of sharp horns and a golden ring extending from the top of its head encircled its face. There was a crown-like design in the center of its forehead, symbolizing its status as the God of Pokémon.

Seeming to sense something, Arceus opened its eyes. Its gaze was piercing and bright, giving off a profound, mysterious, and majestic feeling.

"This is... hmm, interesting. Such a highly pure soul is truly rare. To harbor such fervor for My world—this is indeed exceptional." Arceus remained expressionless, though a slight ripple stirred in its heart.

As the God of the Pokémon world, this was not the first time Arceus had encountered souls from other worlds. On the contrary, it had encountered quite a few, and it had even permitted them to enter.

After all, it wanted to see what kind of behavior these foreign souls would exhibit in its world and what earth-shattering things they might accomplish. For the Creator God, who stayed in its temple every day and was so bored that mushrooms were almost growing on its head, this could be considered an interesting diversion.

However, most of them had disappointed it. The evil of human nature was truly too easy to catalyze a host of problems.

Oppression, exploitation, enslavement, abuse... although such problems existed in every world, the proportion of these issues among the outsiders was simply too high.

If it weren't for the existence of other souls that had perfectly integrated into this world, it might not have allowed those souls to enter anymore. Why invite trouble?

This soul was very interesting. Arceus decided to intervene a little more. Didn't he like that Pokémon? Then it would give him a chance and let him be born in that place.

Whether they would meet later was no longer its concern.

As the high and mighty Creator God, no matter how interesting a soul was, it wouldn't give him too much attention. Hmm, it would just give him a little more ability than the others.

He was incredibly generous to the outsiders, granting each of them special abilities, though many had no idea how to use them.

Arceus muttered under his breath, a string of obscure, incomprehensible incantations flowing forth. Once he finished, a white orb of light abruptly manifested in the air. As the final syllable fell, the orb plunged like a meteor deep into the outsider's soul.

Then the soul departed, seemingly in search of its spawn point.

Having finished his business, Arceus prepared to return to his slumber. Just before closing his eyes, he felt as though he had forgotten something.

After pondering for a moment, he realized: ah, it seemed this soul would have no memories of its past life before the age of five, and there was also a side effect to the ability he had bestowed.

Forget it, he couldn't be bothered; it wasn't a big deal. He needed his rest. Besides, if anything went wrong, Dialga and Palkia would be there to handle it, so he could just go back to doing his own thing in peace.

And so, the great Creator God—Arceus—went off to do what he considered a matter of great importance: continuing his nap.

Who knows what the world will have developed into by the time he wakes up again? Surely he won't even have met his own avatars by then, right?

But as for how a person's future turns out, it ultimately depends on themselves.

[Check-in Point]

(It is said that the handsome men and beautiful women who leave their mark on this book will have all their wishes granted and everything go their way in the new year.)

I really want to travel to the world of Pokémon, so I'm just writing this book to satisfy that urge. My writing is average and the plot is a bit slow, but it's quite stable for now. Those who enjoy slice-of-life stories are welcome to stay and take a look, though there will be fewer battles.

The author is quite active, so there's no need to worry about things being too stagnant. If you like this book, feel free to follow the author; as for urging updates, comments, or gifts, just let it be—I won't mention them often.

Corrections for the novel's shortcomings and typos are welcome, thank you all. I will make adjustments as I see fit. Let us embark together on a harmonious and wonderful Pokémon world.

If you find this book to your liking, please remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose track of it next time.