Chapter 1: The Boy of Viridian Forest
Kanto Region, Viridian City.
The vast Viridian Forest, teeming with Pokémon, is known as a trainer's paradise. For ordinary people, however, it is a forbidden and terrifying place.
Here, in the real world of Pokémon, the fairytale filter is shattered. These creatures can kill. They can hunt. They can eat people. At night, Ghost-type Pokémon can even devour souls. A single misstep could lead to death, your very soul becoming their next meal.
No one is blessed with invincibility here. There is no plot armor to save you.
On this day, at the outermost edge of the forest, a desperate chase was underway.
"Huff... Huff...!"
A scrawny teenager fled for his life. He was drenched in sweat, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and a deep, sunken bruise marred his chest. Despite his grievous injuries, he clutched a single Oran Berry, a common fruit found throughout the woods.
Such a berry might be insignificant to a trainer, but to someone like him, it was a treasure that could be traded for a month's worth of food.
In this world, the Pokémon League was still in its infancy. The middle and upper classes lived in comfort, while the poor struggled, risking their lives for the barest necessities. The dream of becoming a trainer at ten, of receiving a high-quality starter Pokémon—that was a privilege reserved for the children of the League elite.
For an ordinary person, owning a Pokémon was an impossible fantasy. A starter was out of the question; even a common Caterpie cost quite the pretty penny.
And Poké Balls? Those could only be purchased by trainers officially registered with the League. The registration fee alone was a staggering thirty thousand Pokédollars.
For most, even becoming a simple Bug Catcher was a dream they would never achieve. Besides, raising a Pokémon demanded immense resources, and there was always the risk of the creature turning on its master.
As a result, most people took jobs far removed from the world of Pokémon, earning meager wages in return. In these conditions, the lowest rungs of society couldn't guarantee their next meal. For an orphan in the slums, starvation was a constant, lurking threat.
Those with enough courage—or desperation—took extreme risks. They would venture into places like Viridian Forest, where a lucky find could mean survival.
This teenager's name was Giovanni. He was not originally from this world; he was a transmigrator. The body's original owner had died from a simple fall, tripping over a rock on his way out of the slums. Now, by some twist of fate, Giovanni was its new occupant.
Initially, he had been ecstatic. He thought he could become a trainer, challenge Gyms, enter tournaments, and rise to the rank of Elite Four or even Champion.
Given the name Giovanni, he had daydreamed about what to catch first. Should I aim for a powerful Nidoking, or go straight for a Rayquaza?
But reality had slapped him with a harsh truth. He was just an orphan in the slums. Forget legendary Pokémon; in his current state, a single Caterpie could kill him with a fair chance of success— an ordinary human was simply no match for a Pokémon.
Kicked out of the orphanage, Giovanni had nothing. No Pokémon, no money, and no idea where his next meal would come from. So, he took the risk.
This wasn't his first time scavenging in the forest. His previous two trips had been lucky; he'd found berries without venturing too deep.
This time, he'd pushed his luck. Near the Oran Berry, there was a hungry Rattata. As one of the most ill-tempered species in Kanto, its small eyes had turned red with fury the moment it saw him. To make matters worse, Giovanni had just stolen its food.
A single Tackle had nearly ended his life. Which led to the current chase.
Giovanni was running for his life, while a Rattata roughly the size of a house cat was hot on his heels.
Rattata were pack creatures. If he didn't escape soon, he wouldn't be facing one, but an entire swarm. The likely outcome would be his flesh being gnawed down to a pile of white bones.
It wasn't even an exaggeration. Even trained professionals, if defeated, could become prey for wild Pokémon.
According to the League's Biological Research Institute, Ursaring accounted for the most human fatalities, followed closely by Ghost-types.
So, when Giovanni heard the chittering cry of "Rat-ta-ta!" behind him, he didn't find it cute at all. He felt his scalp tingle as the sound pierced his ears like a demonic melody.
The Oran Berry in his hand felt like a burning coal, but he couldn't bear to throw it away. His survival for the next month depended on it. Without it, he'd starve. Dropping it now would only mean dying later.
"Cough, cough!" The frantic run shredded his lungs. Already damaged by the Rattata's attack, they felt like broken bellows, each breath a rasping, burning agony.
A violent cough wracked his body, and he spat a mouthful of blood onto the forest floor, speckled with darker flecks that spoke of deep internal damage.
His head was spinning, his vision blurring. His already sallow face was now ashen, drained of all color. This was his body screaming its protest; he couldn't hold on any longer. He was still a good distance from the forest's edge, and the Rattata was closing in.
Life and death hung in the balance.
With bloodshot eyes, Giovanni raised the Oran Berry to his lips and took a fierce bite. "Damn it all!" he snarled through a mouthful of pulp. "I'm not dying here!"
This berry, meant to restore a Pokémon's stamina, was now his only hope.
It hasn't used Tail Whip or Quick Attack yet, he realized. Its level must be low, maybe one or two. If so, then he had a chance. A desperate, slim chance.
Let this little monster see what a cornered human can do.
After a few bites, the sweet juice of the Oran Berry transformed into a wave of energy that flowed through him. The pain in his chest began to subside, replaced by a surge of warmth and strength flooding his exhausted limbs. Amidst the rush, one thought broke through: This is the sweetest thing I've ever tasted.
The Rattata behind him went mad, seeing its prize devoured. It let out a shriek of pure rage, ready to rip out the human's throat.
But Giovanni suddenly stopped. He turned, scooped up a thick, dry branch from the ground, and glared at the Pokémon with raw, murderous intent.
"Come on!" he roared. "Let's see whose life is tougher!"
The Rattata was startled by Giovanni's sudden ferocity, its body freezing for a split second. The hesitation was brief. It quickly recovered, its eyes burning with even greater fury as it stared down the scrawny boy and his makeshift club.
"Raaat-ta-ta!" the Pokémon shrieked, pawing at the ground, ready to charge.
The best defense was a good offense. Waiting to die wasn't an option.
Gripping the branch tightly, Giovanni charged. "COME ON!