Tokiwa Forest

Kanto Region, Tokiwa Forest.

It was already late autumn. Yellowing leaves blanketed the forest, carpeting the ground in gold.

"Rustle, rustle!"

A majestic, powerful figure raced through the woods, trampling the fallen leaves beneath its paws.

It was a beast with fiery orange-red fur. Iron rings encircled its powerful legs, red, six-pointed-star markings adorned its cheeks, and a golden crest shaped like a clover sat on its forehead. As it ran, the vast plume of white smoke trailing behind it drifted like flowing clouds.

It was Fire Emperor, one of the Ho-Oh Guard and one of the Legendary Beasts known throughout the world.

Faster. It had to go faster.

Fire Emperor's imposing gaze fixed on the path ahead.

Not long ago, it had discovered signs that Pokémon hunters had been trapping Pokémon throughout this forest.

To protect and rescue them, Fire Emperor had begun tracking the hunters.

It couldn't afford to dawdle. Fire Emperor knew that if it arrived too late, the hunters might harm the Pokémon or sell them elsewhere.

A faint scent of blood drifted on the wind. Fire Emperor's paws slowed for an instant, and its stern face turned sharply toward the source.

For a moment, it thought it heard a cry on the wind. The sound was clear and piercing, and seemed to come from a young child.

What had happened?

Fire Emperor furrowed its brow. It hesitated briefly, then made up its mind and sprinted toward the sound.

Beyond a dense, shadowy stretch of forest, a country road stretched into the distance.

An overturned car lay beside the road. The closer Fire Emperor got, the stronger the smell of blood became.

Its brow furrowed as it approached on its sturdy legs.

A human body lay at the roadside. It was a man, covered in wounds, and seemed to have been attacked by a Pokémon.

Fire Emperor glanced at him, then passed by and went straight to the overturned car.

The doors and windows had been crushed out of shape by the impact. A human woman was trapped in the driver's seat. She was dead, with no trace of life left in her.

On the back seat, a crib had been secured with restraints. A human baby, apparently less than a year old, lay inside, crying helplessly.

What... had happened here?

Fire Emperor furrowed its brow.

Its gaze fell on a group of trembling Pokémon hiding behind a roadside tree.

They were Oddish, common sights along the forest paths.

Fire Emperor called them over and asked through telepathy, "What happened here?"

The Oddish still looked terrified, but they forced themselves to answer. "Oddish... Oddish!"

From their account, Fire Emperor soon learned what had happened.

Not long before, two Pokémon hunters had passed through and started trapping wild Pokémon throughout the forest.

The father of the family of three that had been traveling through had tried to protect the Pokémon. The hunters had cruelly killed him, and the woman had fled in a panic, only to get into a car crash.

Pokémon hunters. Pokémon hunters again!

A surge of indescribable rage welled up in Fire Emperor.

Flames of fury blazed in its eyes. It was about to resume tracking the hunters and burn them to ashes with the Sacred Fire bestowed upon it by Lord Ho-Oh!

But the baby's cries from inside the car suddenly snapped it out of its rage.

They were deep in Tokiwa Forest, far from any human settlement. If it took the baby to town first, the hunters would have a chance to escape.

But if it left the child here, he would probably die.

His parents had died protecting Pokémon. As a member of the Ho-Oh Guard, Fire Emperor couldn't simply abandon him.

"..."

After a moment's silence, Fire Emperor gritted its teeth and made a decision.

It swung a powerful paw, smashing a hole in the car, then reached inside and pulled the human infant from the back seat.

Then Fire Emperor picked up the child in its mouth and carried him to the hollow of a huge nearby tree. It would come back for him after dealing with the Pokémon hunters.

In its haste to leave, Fire Emperor failed to notice that the infant it had carried had stopped crying. The baby's large, dark eyes followed it as it disappeared into the forest.

That Pokémon was... Fire Emperor?!

Dongshu stared after it, stunned, his feelings a tangled mess.

A few months ago, he'd been an overworked wage slave on Earth, constantly running around just to make a living. He'd worked for a game company that specialized in making small games based on online novels.

Back then, the company had bought the rights to adapt an online novel called "Reborn in Another World, Getting Stronger by Shocking Others."

As a wage slave hoping to earn a little extra, Dongshu had stayed late to write code. He never expected his computer to explode on the spot, sending him to another world. The code for his cheat ability had come with him, and he'd been reincarnated as an unborn child in a family living in Viridian City, Kanto Region.

Dongshu had thought he'd live a peaceful life like Ash.

Instead, both of his parents had died.

Because something had gone wrong with his reincarnation, Dongshu could only watch it all happen. He'd escaped the two Pokémon hunters by playing dead.

After they left, all sorts of emotions overwhelmed him. His infant body gave way to despair, and he'd started wailing. He mourned his parents, and raged against the unfairness of fate.

Then Fire Emperor had appeared right in front of him.

Dongshu had been delighted. He'd assumed Fire Emperor would take him to a human town. After all, this world had a very well-developed foster care system.

Once he got there, he might not live in luxury, but at least he'd have enough to eat and could grow up in safety.

When he turned ten, maybe he could get a Starter Pokémon from the Kanto League, just like Ash.

Maybe Charmander, or Squirtle. And if not, Bulbasaur would do just fine. Then he could use the code that had come with him—the one called the [Shock Value System]—to rise to the top.

But Fire Emperor had simply dumped him in this tree hollow and left?

Dongshu began to question his life.

The bleak autumn wind swept through Tokiwa Forest, pouring into the tree hollow with a low, mournful whistle.

Chilly...

Even though humans in the Pokémon world had unusually resilient bodies, Dongshu was still less than a year old.

The wind blew over him, and he immediately felt a chill.

So cold... It would be dark soon. Once night fell, the temperature in Tokiwa Forest would drop sharply. Worse, many dangerous wild Pokémon became active after dark.

Dongshu was filled with despair. Helpless, he cried out inwardly.

New account, don't do this to me!