Ryuuske felt as though he was lying on something incredibly comfortable—soft, gentle, and carrying a faint, elusive fragrance. It made him think of his daily life not long ago, as if he had returned to his cramped forty-square-meter apartment, leaning against the headboard with a thin blanket, idly scrolling through his phone, occasionally worrying about mundane necessities but mostly just drifting through life.
However, this leisurely recollection soon vanished, replaced by the tense and thrilling days at the research institute. Every day, he worried about whether Team Rocket might suddenly decide he was useless and execute him.
He remembered the bone-deep, soul-rending pain when Mewtwo broke free—a pain so intense that even the memory of it filled him with terror.
At that moment, Ryuuske's consciousness jolted awake. He could no longer return to that safe but dull life. From now on, his existence would be defined by life-and-death struggles and grand, sweeping adventures.
His eyes snapped open, his entire body flooded with vigilance. Ryuuske swiftly sat up from his lying position, immediately scanning his surroundings with caution.
The first thing he saw was Professor Oak and Blaine sitting nearby, taking a rest. Both noticed that Ryuuske had woken from his unconscious state and smiled. Professor Oak even stood up, chiding him,
"...You pushed yourself too hard, Ryuuske. If you had been just a few dozen seconds later, your brain would have been completely eroded, and your entire genome would have collapsed."
Though his words were reproachful, Professor Oak's expression was more one of relief. His eyes held tenderness and affection, gazing at Ryuuske as if he were his own grandchild.
"Professor Oak, Blaine, I'm glad you're both alright... By the way, where's Mewtwo?"
[I am here.]
The moment Ryuuske spoke, Mewtwo's consciousness echoed in his mind. Following its guidance, Ryuuske's eyes landed on the Poké Ball in Blaine's hand. He knew Mewtwo was inside.
[I'm glad you're alright too, Mewtwo.]
[You should take care of yourself.]
Mewtwo's tone was filled with deep concern. After escaping from that hell-like containment vessel, its emotions and feelings had grown infinitely closer to those of a human. Perhaps among all Pokémon, Mewtwo was the one most akin to humanity—after all, its genes contained human DNA.
[Did you use 'Teleport' to bring us here?]
[No. We fell into the ocean. This human used a Pokémon called Lapras to bring us here. I didn't know which direction was northwest or how far five nautical miles was, so 'Teleport' couldn't be used accurately.]
[Ah... That was my oversight.]
Ryuuske felt a little embarrassed. He had forgotten that while Mewtwo possessed high intelligence, without systematic learning, it couldn't fully grasp human-invented terminology. He had envisioned a cool 'Teleport' straight to their destination, but reality had turned out differently.
[It's fine. This made me realize I need to learn essential things. It's quite interesting.]
Mewtwo's words carried a newfound anticipation for life, a stark contrast to its past confusion over the meaning of its existence.
"Hey, you've been lying on my lap for so long, and not even a word of thanks?"
Just then, a lively, slightly petulant girl's voice came from behind Ryuuske. Startled, he quickly turned his head and realized that a beautiful, youthful girl had been kneeling behind him. She had shoulder-length orange hair, with one side tied into a small ponytail-like braid.
Her emerald-green eyes, like exquisite jade, sparkled with mischief. She wore denim shorts and a snug orange tank top, her playful demeanor tinged with mild irritation.
Though she wasn't exactly Ryuuske's preferred type of girl, she undeniably exuded the charming, approachable aura of the girl next door.
Only then did Ryuuske confirm that the soft, fragrant pillow he had been resting on was actually the girl's smooth, snow-white thighs, and the delicate scent he had noticed was the fragrance of her hair.
"Sorry, sorry! I was too tense earlier and didn't even notice there was someone else here... Um, I'm Ryuuske. Thank you so much for taking care of me just now."
Ryuuske felt a bit awkward. Before his transmigration, he hadn't been completely inexperienced with girls—he'd even had a girlfriend—but the way they'd gotten together had been somewhat hazy to him. Now, suddenly being addressed by a girl who was undoubtedly the object of many boys' affections made him inwardly nervous. Still, his past social experience kept him from stammering like a complete mess.
"Fine, I'll forgive you. I've already heard about you from Professor Oak and Blaine, Ryuuske. Don't worry—this place is safe now. You can relax both mentally and physically."
The girl stood up from her kneeling position, brushing dust off her knees. Only then did Ryuuske notice that from kneeling on the hard rock, the skin on her knees had turned red, even bearing faint marks from small pebbles. This made him feel even more apologetic—she had sacrificed her own comfort to care for him, an injured person.
Her tone shifted from teasing to gentle. Once standing, Ryuuske saw that she was a little over 160 cm tall and appeared to be two or three years older than his current fifteen-year-old body.
"I don't have a surname like you do, Ryuuske. My name is Kasumi. You can call me Misty. I'm the Gym Leader of Cerulean City. The Lapras you rode earlier was mine."
Misty's smile was bright and radiant as she shook Ryuuske's hand. Her palm was delicate and soft, much like the Water-type Pokémon she specialized in. However, the faint blush on her cheeks and her slightly evasive gaze suggested that beneath her outwardly cheerful demeanor, she was actually a bit introverted.
She wasn't as gentle as flowing water but more like the lively, dynamic waves of the ocean.
This world was peculiar in that names held special significance. Most people here had no surnames—only given names. Those who did possess surnames carried ones with unique meanings.
For instance, Professor Oak's "Oak" was actually an honorific that had been adopted as a surname (though Ryuuske sometimes privately wondered if it was the same "Oak" as a certain Tony Oak...).
As for his own surname, "Ryū" (Dragon), it wasn't tied to any noble lineage but rather symbolized his abilities.
The societal structure of this world was fascinating. Because of Pokémon, nearly all human activities were intertwined with them. While social classes existed, they weren't defined by wealth but rather by the divide between ordinary people and powerful Trainers.
In a world where individual strength was exaggerated to the point of surpassing legal constraints, material wealth held little meaning for powerful Trainers.
No amount of money or resources—not even so-called rare Pokémon—could cultivate a truly strong Trainer. Every Trainer whose name was remembered had endured countless battles, succeeding through a combination of talent, effort, and luck. Resources and wealth meant nothing to Pokémon themselves.
Passing down powerful Pokémon to the next generation was also futile. The stronger a Pokémon, the deeper its bond with its Trainer—and the harder it was to command. While temporary borrowing was possible, true transfer required the new Trainer to possess strength matching the Pokémon's.
With legendary Pokémon like Mewtwo, if not for Ryuuske's unique relationship with it, handing Mewtwo over to someone else would likely result in it immediately turning on its new Trainer.
Thus, every outstanding Trainer had to raise their own Pokémon, nurturing them from weakness to strength.
As Ryuuske chatted with Misty, Blaine approached and handed him the Poké Ball. "...Mewtwo is inside. I hope you'll continue to get along well with it, Ryuuske."
The ball's upper half was translucent purple, while the lower half was pure white, emblazoned with a large white "M."
"This ball is...?"
Its appearance alone made it clear this was no ordinary Poké Ball. Ryuuske took it, puzzled.
"That is Silph Co.'s greatest masterpiece and secret—the Master Ball. There are only a handful of them in the entire world," Blaine replied.
To be continued…