The Douluo Continent, on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
An enormous blue-gray eagle soared through the sky, beating its wings over the vast forest as it patrolled its territory.
Suddenly, the Chasing Wind Eagle spotted a dark green, triangular-headed snake Soul Beast climbing a jagged cliff. Its target was a fiery red egg perched on the cliff face.
Crack!
The enormous fiery red egg trembled, and an orange claw pierced its shell.
A moment later, an orange, lizard-like creature with stubby limbs and a flame burning at the tip of his tail broke out of the shell. He was none other than Charmander, one of the original starter Pokémon.
Then Charmander opened his eyes. His blue pupils were filled with bewilderment and confusion.
What happened to me...
I've reincarnated as Charmander from Pokémon?
Zeng Tian stared at his chubby little claws and burning tail, lost in thought.
Floating before him was a panel only he could see.
[Name: Zeng Tian Species: Charmander Ability: Blaze Level: 2 Status: infant stage Moves learned: Growl lv1, Scratch lv1]
Grrr...
Just then, a rumble came from Zeng Tian's white belly, and hunger welled up inside him.
I'm hungry.
Zeng Tian looked around and discovered that he had spawned in a rather lousy spot: a cliff face with nothing but rocks and a few small trees.
With no other choice, he turned his gaze toward the broken eggshell beside him.
In his previous life, he had read novels about reincarnating as a dragon. Eating one's own eggshell was practically a mandatory part of the experience.
Charmander isn't a Dragon-type, but I should still be able to eat it, right?
With that thought, Zeng Tian picked up a small piece of eggshell in his little claws and tentatively put it in his mouth.
Crunch!
Oh! It tastes like potato chips.
Zeng Tian's eyes immediately lit up, and he ate the eggshell piece by piece.
The eggshell he swallowed turned into a kind of energy that steadily nourished his body. In just a short while, Zeng Tian actually grew a size larger.
As Zeng Tian ate the eggshell, the level displayed on the panel before him quietly changed as well.
Burp!
After finishing every last piece of eggshell, Zeng Tian let out a satisfied burp and patted his belly.
"Huh! My level went from 2 to 4."
Only then did Zeng Tian notice, to his surprise, that his level on the panel had risen from 2 to 4.
And the moment he reached level four, new knowledge naturally appeared in his mind: how to use the move Ember.
"Inherited memories!"
Zeng Tian's eyes lit up. No wonder Pokémon automatically learned certain moves when they reached the right level. It was all thanks to inherited memories.
Following the method in those inherited memories, Zeng Tian mobilized the energy within his body.
Then he blew hard, sending several small flames shooting from his mouth like arrows. They struck the nearby cliff face, scorching black marks into the rock.
At the sight, Zeng Tian planted his hands on his hips, bared his two little fangs, and said happily, "Hahaha! I succeeded on my first try. I really am a genius.
"Hmph! So what if I've reincarnated as a Pokémon? If I can't be the strongest trainer, I'll be the strongest Pokémon.
"One day, I'll punch Kyogre and kick Groudon, climbing to the summit one step, one step, one step at a time, until I'm the strongest Pokémon in this world!"
While Zeng Tian was savoring his glorious future, a rustling sound suddenly came from nearby. He sniffed, faintly catching a rank odor mixed with hints of tea and sweetness.
"Hiss, hiss..."
A dark green venomous snake with a vicious triangular head climbed up the cliff from below and to his left.
Its body rested on a pine tree, coiled to strike. Its tongue flickered, and its ruby-like eyes fixed on Zeng Tian, gleaming with hunger.
Before Zeng Tian could react, the Mandala Snake opened its gaping maw and lunged to bite him.
Crash!
At that critical moment, Zeng Tian leaped upward with all his strength, dodging the attack. The platform beneath his feet shattered under the impact and tumbled down the cliff.
In midair, Zeng Tian thrust his right claw toward the cliff face. White light shone around his stubby claws as they plunged straight into the rock, anchoring his body firmly in place.
"What kind of Pokémon is that?"
Zeng Tian looked at his attacker, his face still pale with lingering fright.
Charmander had no resistance to poison. If that bite had landed and injected venom into his body, he would probably have become the fastest transmigrator in history to land straight in a coffin.
"Hiss?"
After missing its strike, the Mandala Snake froze for a moment, seemingly unable to believe that a freshly hatched fire lizard could dodge its attack.
But it did not hesitate for long. Soon, it maneuvered its body along the footholds on the cliff face and pursued Zeng Tian again.
Flames of anger flared in Zeng Tian's eyes at the sight, and he sneered inwardly. You really think I'm prey you can butcher as you please?
Though he had no idea what kind of Pokémon this dark green venomous snake was, Zeng Tian was never going to sit helplessly and wait for death.
He mobilized the energy inside him again. A moment later, several orange flames shot from his mouth, hurtling toward the Mandala Snake like arrows.
With its movements restricted on the cliff face, the Mandala Snake had no way to dodge and took the flames head-on.
The flames pierced its scales with the sizzling sound of roasting meat, adding a trace of burnt odor to the air.
"Hiss!!!"
The Mandala Snake slowly raised its head. Zeng Tian's attack had thoroughly enraged it.
With its potent venom and powerful body, the Mandala Snake had few natural enemies among Soul Beasts. Normally, it was the one hunting others down; being injured like this was all but unheard of.
Worse still, the one that had injured it was a freshly hatched fire-lizard Soul Beast that looked easy to bully.
But before the Mandala Snake could climb to Zeng Tian's side, another volley of Ember followed hot on the heels of the first.
This time, the Ember attack targeted the Mandala Snake's head.
The Mandala Snake's scales could withstand slashes from ordinary blades, but they could not stop Ember. Once again, the flames easily burned through them.
Although its hard skull stopped the attack, the Mandala Snake still let out an agonized cry.
On the ground, even if it could not block such an attack, its speed would have allowed it to dodge with ease. Unfortunately, the terrain here restricted its speed.
Braving Zeng Tian's Ember attacks, the Mandala Snake finally drew close to him again. Its body tensed like a bow ready to loose an arrow.
"Want to bite me? Dream on!"
At the sight, Zeng Tian's eyes flashed. He immediately released the right claw anchoring him to the cliff and slid downward.
After falling several meters, Zeng Tian used Scratch again, sinking his claws into the cliff face and halting his descent.
At the same time, he raised his head and fired another volley of Ember from his mouth, striking the Mandala Snake.
Only then did the Mandala Snake realize that things had gone wrong. It stopped pursuing Zeng Tian, turned its head, and began to flee.
"Trying to escape? Not a chance!"
There was no way Zeng Tian would give the Mandala Snake that opportunity. White light shone around the claws on all four limbs, and he sank them into the cliff face, moving as though on level ground while attacking the snake with Ember.
A short while later, another volley of Ember struck home. Even with its powerful body, the Mandala Snake finally reached its limit. Unable to hold on any longer, it fell from the cliff and slammed heavily into the ground.
Hmph! You don't have a single ranged move, and you still dared to fight me? Zeng Tian curled his lip in disdain.
Just then, faint yellow motes drifted out of the Mandala Snake's corpse on the ground, eventually gathering into a pale yellow ring of light.
Watching the strange change below, Zeng Tian grew puzzled. "A ring of light? Is that a thing in Pokémon?"
"Wait, a yellow ring of light. Could it be..."
Suddenly, Zeng Tian's pupils contracted. He remembered one-no! It should be five-novels whose fame resounded like thunder.
"Don't tell me I've transmigrated to the Douluo Continent?"