Is This the World of Pokémon?

"The highly anticipated Galar World Championships have finally come to an end. Contestant Red from the Kanto region defeated the previous champion, Leon, and claimed the title of strongest Champion. Let us..."

The dim room was lit and filled with sound only by the television.

On the screen, one Charizard knocked down another Charizard. Once the host announced the result, the audience's cheers nearly burst out of the television.

Xingye sat expressionlessly before the TV. He picked up the remote beside him, pressed it a few times at random, and switched to another news channel.

"Take a look. Miss Cynthia from Sinnoh spent several hours at an ice cream shop in Motostoke instead of watching the match, then simply bought the entire store..."

"What? Is it all stuff like this..."

Xingye grumbled boredly and continued changing channels, still somewhat doubtful about his life.

Half an hour earlier, he had suddenly awakened in this room. The completely unfamiliar surroundings, along with the faint pain in his body, made him feel deeply uncomfortable.

He only remembered having just gotten the game cartridge for "Pokémon Scarlet and Violet." On his way home to play it, he had been hit by a speeding car.

In the end, he never got to play the game. His body had even shrunk by around ten years, and he had appeared here.

At first, he thought it was someone's prank or perhaps a dream. But as he watched those familiar faces on the screen—Red, Leon, Cynthia...

There was no doubt about it. He had transmigrated. As a die-hard Pokémon fan who claimed to understand Pokémon better than even GF, being alone in the world and getting to transmigrate into a world he loved should have been a good thing, but...

Just as Xingye stared at the television and contemplated his life, the door some distance away suddenly opened.

Then a tall woman wearing a gray tank top and sporting healthy wheat-colored skin entered the room and switched on the lights.

When she saw Xingye sitting on the sofa watching TV, she smiled. After walking closer, she asked, "Alola~ I heard the TV and came upstairs. Sure enough, you're awake already. Does anything feel uncomfortable?"

"..."

Xingye looked at her and recognized her at a glance. She should be Professor Kukui's wife, Professor Burnet. And judging from the way she had greeted him, he was probably in the Alola region now?

He could understand the language perfectly, and he could read the words that had appeared on the TV earlier. At least normal communication would not be a problem.

After a brief silence, he deliberately put on a puzzled, thoughtful expression and replied softly, "I don't think so... but where is this?"

"You don't remember?"

"Mm..."

Xingye pretended to think for a moment, then slowly nodded. Since he did not understand the situation yet, he should play along a little.

Seeing this, Professor Burnet rubbed her forehead and shook her head. She seemed to think he had lost his memory, so she explained, "You fainted by the sea this morning and were nearly submerged by the rising tide. The young lady staying at my home found you while heading to school and brought you back."

"The young lady?"

Xingye froze slightly. Just as he wondered who this young lady might be, a flash of light suddenly passed before his eyes, snapping him back to his senses...

[This is Rotom Phone Plus, here to help everyone become good friends. I woke up a little late. Sumimasen, I'm truly very sorry, Rotom~]

As the voice sounded, a smartphone suddenly appeared before Xingye. The voice came from the smiling face on its red phone case.

"The legendary... transmigrator benefit?"

Xingye instantly realized what this was. So he had one too. He immediately grew excited and asked, "So what can you do? Can you stuff a Groudon into my hands and let me take off first?"

As he asked, Xingye also glanced at Professor Burnet. He discovered that she did not seem to see Rotom Phone Plus at all and did not even appear to notice him talking.

Just as he was wondering about that, Rotom Phone seemed to make a finger-wagging gesture before saying, [That can't be done. It's too difficult, Rotom~]

"...Then what use are you?"

[Rotom Phone comes with detailed maps of the entire region you are in. Once connected to the internet in that region, you can access them and confirm your location.]

"This... seems pointless. What else?"

[It also comes with many useful apps. You can order takeout, buy things, socialize, and even play games. Isn't that amazing, Rotom~]

"Alright, I get it. You're useless..."

After hearing all that, Xingye was speechless. This was his transmigrator benefit? Any ordinary phone could do that, right? Yet Rotom Phone's next words left him stunned again.

[Besides those, Rotom has one primary function: a friendship app that lets you make many friends in this world.]

"What? Make... make friends?"

Xingye was puzzled for a moment, then his gaze instantly sharpened. This so-called making friends could not be that kind of making friends, could it? The kind that could not be aired...

[It means making friends with Pokémon, not humans. Rotom wants you to gain more friendship from Pokémon, not indescribable friendship. Can't human thoughts be a little purer?~]

"Purity was thrown away long ago. What else?"

[After gaining friendship from Pokémon, you will obtain Friendship Talents. Some are restricted to specific Pokémon, while some are restricted to specific Trainers. There are many functions. Please study and combine them yourself once you obtain Talents.]

"???"

[Go seek out Pokémon that need help. There is a high chance you will gain their friendship that way. This applies not only to wild Pokémon, but also to Pokémon that already have Trainers. Help them and make everyone your friend. Let your friends spread across the entire world.]

"...Pokémon that need help?"

Before Xingye could fully understand what was happening, an effect like receiving a reward in a game suddenly appeared on the phone screen.

[Friendship from Rotom Phone: The Help System and Friendship System have been added to the map app. (Please use them well. Rotom is logging off.)]

[Help System: Pokémon near the Trainer that may need help will be indicated. (Not every Pokémon will necessarily accept your help, and blindly helping only to make things worse is not advisable. If you really can't figure it out... if you're bad, practice more.)]

[Friendship System: After obtaining a Friendship Talent, you can scan the Pokémon to view its status. (A Pokémon's health is important too~)]

[Note: The boat of friendship can capsize as well. Once friendship is broken, Talents can no longer be used, though you can rebuild that friendship. (So don't casually be a scumbag who toys with feelings and runs away. The same goes for girls, of course.)]

After explaining all that, Rotom Phone automatically landed in Xingye's hand. Then its screen lit up again, displaying the final two descriptions.

[Phone Anti-Loss Mode: No matter where the phone is left, it will return to your hand with a single thought, effectively preventing you from misplacing it.]

[Panel Conversion Mode: When it is inconvenient to use the phone, you can set it to this mode. The phone will automatically become a panel visible only to you. Some functions may be unavailable in this mode.]

"Seems pretty convenient..."

Xingye immediately switched the phone into Panel Conversion Mode, planning to study it properly later.

But the moment he came back to himself, he found a hand waving before his eyes. Professor Burnet had noticed something strange...

"Are you really okay? Your expression keeps switching from excited to foolishly smiling. Should we go to the hospital?"

"...I'm fine. Thanks."

Xingye stood up. Though his body had somehow shrunk to that of a fifteen-year-old, he had mostly adapted to it by now.

He had not lost any memories, and everything he knew about Pokémon remained firmly in his mind.

Next, he needed to properly understand this world before deciding what to do.

Seeing that Xingye truly seemed fine, Professor Burnet relaxed slightly and asked, "By the way, where is your home? Do you need me to take you back? You don't have any Pokémon with you right now. It would be dangerous if you encountered some violent wild Pokémon."

"Well..."

Only then did Xingye realize that he had no Pokémon. That was the most crucial issue!

And as he remembered it, people in the Pokémon world usually received their starter Pokémon between the ages of ten and twelve, then began traveling.

Yet he was now fifteen and did not even have a Pokémon. Forget missing a hot meal—by the time he arrived, the pot had already been washed.

"Oh no, my beginner phase got skipped!"

Xingye immediately grew nervous. Professor Burnet probably thought he was an island resident, but in truth, his origins were unknown.

Alola was such a small place that everyone saw each other constantly. As an outsider with no identity, who knew what might happen?

"No! I have to leave first..."

In such an unfamiliar place, he had to ensure his safety first, then familiarize himself with the surrounding environment and information. If he kept talking with Professor Burnet, he would eventually expose himself.

It was not that she was a bad person. He simply did not know her well enough. She might send him to the police, only for them to find no record of him, making the situation even worse...

Thinking this through, he decisively made up his mind. He would run away, hide somewhere, and properly learn about this world first!

"Sorry..."

With that, Xingye immediately ran for the open door. Grabbing the stair railing, he slid all the way down to the first floor, leaving Professor Burnet dumbfounded.

"What's gotten into this child..."

Xingye ran outside. Suddenly, the scent of the sea drifted over on the gentle south wind and brushed across his face. Before him lay a breathtaking ocean sunset.

As waves crashed against the shore, Pyukumuku were swept onto the beach by the surf. Sandygast trudged along with their little shovels on their backs, struggling not to be washed away by the waves.

Cries rang out as several Wingull flapped their wings and skimmed over the sea. Then the water suddenly surged, and Wailmer and Wailord surfaced one after another, spraying water from their backs...

The sight made Xingye, who had been anxious moments earlier, suddenly stop. He stood rooted in place, gazing from afar at the sunset sea, utterly absorbed.

At that moment, he felt a peace unlike anything he had ever known. It was as if he had finally understood something. The fantasies of his past had become reality in this instant!

"So this is the world of Pokémon..."