This world was amazing!

Hoenn Region, Verdanturf Town.

A travel-worn boy stood before the gates of a farm, looking as though he had been on the road for a long time.

"Whew, a whole year. I'm finally back. I wonder how Grandpa and Grandma are doing, and what they're up to now."

"Dree~ Dree-dree~"

On Chen Shi's head, a little dragon colored dark green and yellow opened its sleepy eyes. At the sight of the familiar surroundings, it cried out happily.

It promptly flew down from Chen Shi's head and darted straight into the farm.

Chen Shi smiled helplessly, then pushed open the farm gates.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I'm home!"

When no one answered, Chen Shi scratched his head but thought nothing of it.

It was almost evening. Grandpa and Grandma were probably feeding the Pokémon on the farm, so it was only natural that they hadn't answered.

Following the route he remembered, Chen Shi walked toward his family's villa at an unhurried pace.

The familiar sights before him stirred memories. Chen Shi couldn't help but fall into reminiscence.

He hadn't originally belonged to this world. In his previous life, Chen Shi had been an ordinary office worker.

Once, after working overtime too late, he was going to be late for work the next day. In his hurry, Chen Shi was sent by a dump truck straight into this world of Pokémon.

Sixteen years had passed since Chen Shi came to this world. Unlike the anime from his previous life, people here couldn't set out on journeys at ten; they had to wait until fifteen.

When Chen Shi turned fifteen a year ago, his system-the standard accessory for transmigrators-had awakened right on schedule.

But after giving him a Pokémon Egg, the system had promptly bailed, leaving him with nothing but a system panel.

The Pokémon Egg it gave him had hatched successfully seven days later, producing the little green-and-yellow dragon that had just flown off.

That was right: Dreepy, a shiny!

Chen Shi had been beside himself with excitement.

What was this?

A pseudo-legendary!

And a shiny one at that.

It was easy to imagine how happy Chen Shi had been.

In his previous life, he had adored Dragapult, nicknamed the little Giratina. He never expected the system to give him such a huge surprise right off the bat.

With all the premium nutritional supplements Chen Shi fed it, Dreepy soon grew out of its infant stage.

Brimming with confidence, Chen Shi immediately took Dreepy out on a journey, ready to punch out Doduo and kick that diamond-loving bachelor's ass.

But dreams were beautiful, and reality was cruel. In his excitement, Chen Shi had completely forgotten how weak Dreepy was before evolving.

After losing to a Caterpie, Chen Shi heaved a long sigh at the sky, then slunk back home to pick up the starter Pokémon Grandpa had prepared for him: Mudkip, one of Hoenn's starter Pokémon.

Even now, Chen Shi still remembered Grandpa's barely suppressed smile when he came running home. Even the thick skin he had built up over two lifetimes had struggled to withstand it.

With Mudkip joining them, though, Chen Shi's journey had gone much more smoothly.

He had experienced plenty over the past year, faced danger, and seen bustling cities. In the end, after discussing it with his partners, Chen Shi had decided to return to his farm.

Chen Shi had already been exhausted enough in his previous life. After traveling in this life, he still felt that life on the farm was the happiest.

Just as Chen Shi was about to step through the villa's front door, a big purple fatty suddenly emerged from the ground. He froze at the sight of Chen Shi, then lunged toward him with a delighted cry.

"Gengar~"

"Hahaha! Gengar, long time no see! You've gotten even fatter."

Gengar knocked Chen Shi to the ground, and Chen Shi wrapped his arms around the big purple fatty.

This was Grandma's Pokémon. He had watched Chen Shi grow up, often making all sorts of funny gestures to cheer him up. The boy and the ghost shared a deep bond.

After all, who could resist a big purple fatty who spent all day laughing and joking with you?

"Gengar, Gengar!"

At Chen Shi's words, Gengar hopped off him and flexed his little chubby arms in a bodybuilding pose, insisting that he wasn't fat-he was muscular.

Chen Shi smiled, and with a thought, Gengar's stats appeared before his eyes.

Pokémon: Gengar

Level: 70 (early Elite Four level)

Potential: Elite King

Gender: Male

Ability: Cursed Body

Moves: Mean Look, Shadow Ball, Dream Eater, Hypnosis, Will-O-Wisp, Destiny Bond, Thunderbolt, Protect, Substitute, Sludge Bomb, Shadow Claw, Sleep Talk, Confuse Ray, Lick, Hex, Night Shade...

"You've gotten stronger again! You've broken through to Elite Four level now, haven't you?"

"Gengar~"

Gengar planted his hands on his hips, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

Chen Shi smiled and patted him. "All right, all right, I know you're the best. Where are Grandpa and Grandma? Why haven't I seen them?"

This was a real world, and Pokémon strength was divided into distinct tiers.

With his Elite Four Level strength, Gengar already stood close to the pinnacle of this world.

As for the champion level above that, Gengar would probably never reach it in his lifetime.

After all, reaching champion level was no easy feat. The gap between Elite Four level and champion level was immense.

Even a dozen or more Pokémon as strong as Gengar combined couldn't defeat a single Champion Level Pokémon.

And Gengar had almost reached the limits of his potential. His chances of advancing further were minuscule.

Unless he encountered some extraordinary opportunity, Gengar would likely remain at Elite Four level for the rest of his life.

"Gengar~"

Gengar pointed deeper into the farm, and Chen Shi understood. Just as he had guessed, Grandpa and Grandma were feeding the farm's Pokémon.

He handed Gengar the Space Backpack from his back. "Could you please take my backpack upstairs for me? I'm going to find Grandpa and Grandma."

"Gengar."

Gengar nodded happily and patted his belly with a chubby hand, looking as though he was saying, "Leave it to me." He took the backpack and flew upstairs.

Chen Shi smiled, took four Luxury Balls from his belt, and opened them. "Come on out. This is going to be our home from now on."

"Swamp~"

"Florges~"

"Toge-togepree~"

"Vee!"

The Mudkip Grandpa had prepared for him had long since evolved into a three-meter-tall Swampert. Florges, Togepi, and Leafeon had all been caught during his journey.

The moment she came out, a little egg angrily rushed up to Chen Shi's feet, waving her tiny hands and smacking his leg.

"To~ Togepree!!!"

Chen Shi smiled helplessly, picked Togepi up, and gently soothed her.

"Weren't you the one who said traveling was boring and tiring, then went into your ball on your own? How is this my fault now?"

"Togepree!"

(Not listening, not listening! Keep blabbing, you old fool!)

Togepi clearly wasn't buying it. She folded her stubby arms and closed her eyes, making a show of how angry she was.

Swampert, Florges, and Leafeon all laughed at the sight.

There was nothing Chen Shi could do. Togepi needed friendship to evolve, so he had always kept her outside her ball before. That had left the little one with a strong dislike of Poké Balls, and now she was angry.

Helpless, Chen Shi held up one finger and waggled it in front of Togepi.

"Togepree~"

The little one's eyes immediately curved into happy crescents. She nodded eagerly and nuzzled her trainer affectionately.

She knew perfectly well that one finger meant she could have one extra ice cream today.

Seeing the little one's blissful expression, Chen Shi couldn't help chuckling.

He turned to look at the slightly dopey Swampert, the gentle, mature Florges with her blue flower, and the innocent, carefree Leafeon.

"This world was amazing!"

P.S. There's been a lot going on at home lately, and I still have to keep up at least four updates a day, so sometimes I haven't been able to check carefully after writing, which has led to a few typos. If you spot any, please tag me and I'll fix them right away. Sorry, everyone.

Shiny Dragapult and normally colored Dreepy