Roy's Pokémon

The memories ended.

The first thing he did after getting up.

Wash his face and brush his teeth, then feed his Pokémon.

"Time to eat, Litwick."

"Lit!"

A cluster of ghostly blue Will-O-Wisp suddenly flared up on Roy's shoulder.

Then came its candle-like body, made mainly of white wax. Melted, layered wax covered its right eye, leaving only its left eye visible.

Litwick could be considered Roy's first Pokémon.

Why only "could be considered"?

Because Roy had never caught it with a Poké Ball. Yes, you heard that right—Roy didn't have a Poké Ball, but that didn't stop Litwick from being his Pokémon.

Litwick had latched onto Roy on his very first day at Mt. Pyre.

Back then, captivated by its adorable appearance, versatile abilities, and future growth potential, Roy had allowed it to follow him. Over time, it had become his Pokémon.

As for why it could emerge from Roy's head, it was similar to how Gengar could hide inside human shadows.

Litwick had entered a spirit state. Nearly all Ghost-type Pokémon could enter this state, much like ghosts on television, passing freely through walls.

Litwick was not the only Pokémon that heard the words "time to eat."

A Pokémon with a human-skull mask, three teeth, and two large eye sockets emerged from the darkness.

A Will-O-Wisp-like flame connected to the top of its head. Two white, femur-shaped markings rested on its back, its short, broad hands were always pressed behind it, and cloud-like feet floated beneath its body.

This was Roy's second Pokémon.

Duskull.

The type that was useless at everything except eating.

"Duskull, you'll be working after breakfast!"

The one-eyed Duskull floated over to Roy as well, looking foolishly adorable.

Unlike ordinary Duskull, Roy's was especially chubby—half again as large as a normal one.

Unlike Litwick, Duskull did not enjoy staying inside Roy's body. It preferred lying in cool, dark places, spacing out and sleeping.

Under the expectant gazes of the two little ones.

A mass of dark violet energy appeared in Roy's hand. This was his Ghost Power, completely different from the dense Ghost-type energy in Mt. Pyre's air.

Compared to the Ghost-type energy on Mt. Pyre, Ghost Power better suited Ghost-type Pokémon's tastes and was easier to absorb.

Of course, the two elders had taught him this ability.

At first, Litwick had resisted absorbing Roy's Ghost Power, believing it to be Roy's life force.

But after Roy demonstrated that his Ghost Power could recover, Litwick's worries instantly vanished.

The two little ones clung to Roy's hand and began absorbing it.

The Ghost Power was sucked into their bellies like jelly.

The Ghost Power in Roy's hand was more like refined energy, with impurities such as Grudge and Astonish removed.

Before long, the two little ones had absorbed every last bit of Ghost Power in Roy's hand, leaving him nothing.

After finishing his own breakfast, Roy handed the bowl to Pheobe.

"I'm heading out. I still need to wipe down all the gravestones on the eighth floor today."

"Remember to buy me snacks when you come back! Extra spicy!"

"Got it."

Roy changed into sportswear, then took an iron pickaxe and a bucket of work tools from the corner of the room.

He waved to Pheobe and pushed open the little house's door. Just as one foot was about to step outside, a voice came from behind him.

"Wait!"

"What now?"

Roy turned back to look at the jumpy Pheobe.

Thanks to spending so much time with the uncouth Roy, Pheobe's personality had become far livelier and brighter than in the games.

"Grandpa told me to give you this."

As she spoke, Pheobe handed Roy an ID Card resembling an identification card from his previous life. Its functions were similar as well—it could prove Roy's identity and also function as a bank card.

Do not underestimate this tiny card.

From ordering Poké Balls through the Pokémon League, restoring Pokémon at the Pokémon Center, to registering for the Pokémon League's various competitions, nearly everything required an ID Card. Without one, you were practically an undocumented person and could barely get anywhere.

Staring at his photo on the little card, Roy sighed inwardly. It was finally approved!

He was now an official resident of the Pokémon World.

The real Pokémon World was not some era where ten-year-olds could simply set off on a journey. Even a Raticate could easily take a person's life.

Moreover, catching Pokémon was completely different from the games. Wild Pokémon were independent individuals with thoughts of their own.

It was not as though a wild Pokémon would obediently obey you just because you casually caught it with a Poké Ball.

You needed to tame them. If they were not fully tamed, captured Pokémon could actively attack you and might even escape from poorly made Poké Balls.

Such things happened often.

Roy's Duskull and Litwick had not been caught in Poké Balls, but they had already acknowledged Roy as their Trainer.

Even without Poké Balls, they would still listen to Roy.

This was the real Pokémon World, not like the Journeys arc, where "some idiot mutt" threw Poké Balls at every Pokémon he saw.

He even dared throw Poké Balls at Legendary Pokémon.

The worst part was that the planners actually let him catch them.

From then on, Suicune could only sit at the same table as dogs in Roy's eyes.

Just like when Roy had first crossed over—if Gengar had not saved him, he might have died directly in the forest at the foot of Mt. Pyre, becoming the shortest-lived transmigrator ever.

To prevent more people from dying needlessly, the Hoenn League prohibited inexperienced newcomers without Trainer Qualification Certificates from traveling freely.

Of course, the ban was only lightly enforced. If they found you, they would remind you a couple of times and send you back to the address on your ID Card. If they caught you again later, nobody would bother managing you.

In reality, the Pokémon League strictly monitored Poké Balls sold in shops and those sold by major companies.

Every Poké Ball had its own serial number when produced and was registered with the Pokémon League's Pokémon Centers.

It was also mandatory that only those over ten years old could purchase Poké Balls.

Of course, rules were dead, while people were alive. Some families chose Pokémon for their children from a young age and had them grow up together.

Once they turned ten, they could simply buy Poké Balls and catch them.

The Pokémon League turned a blind eye to this. As long as it was not too excessive, they acted as though they had seen nothing.

After all, the Pokémon League was not the only one capable of making Poké Balls.

A standard Poké Ball produced by the Pokémon League cost 500 Poké Dollars and could restrain Pokémon below level 40 at most. Stronger Pokémon could break free on their own.

A Great Ball could restrain Pokémon below level 50, but it cost five times as much as a standard Poké Ball.

However, Poké Balls made by private workshops that had mastered the crafting methods cost only 50 Poké Dollars, though their quality varied wildly...

Sometimes, a Poké Ball might suddenly burst open while you were walking.

However, if you wanted to participate in official competitions held by the Pokémon League, you had to use Poké Balls with serial numbers registered by the Pokémon League.

This resulted in some Trainers only obtaining their first Pokémon right before a competition began.

Roy was different. He had been unable to purchase Poké Balls through normal channels because he had lacked an ID Card.

But now that his ID Card had finally been issued, he had to get two Poké Balls for Litwick and Duskull.