Unova Region, Aspertia City.
“All right, everyone.
With the end of today’s lesson, your three years of Pokémon classes officially come to an end.”
“As the homeroom teacher of Class A, Trainer Course Class 102, I couldn’t be prouder of you.
Every single one of you has passed the Trainer qualification exam.”
“Starting today, you’re eligible to receive your first Pokémon and officially become Pokémon Trainers.”
At the front of the classroom, Cheren adjusted his black-framed glasses as he looked over the students from behind the lectern.
He wore a simple white shirt, and although this was supposed to be an ordinary graduation announcement, the excitement throughout the room was impossible to miss.
A girl with her hair tied into twin buns practically radiated anticipation.
Nearby, a young man with an enormous afro looked half-dead from exhaustion, probably after staying up all night gaming again.
Another student, dressed in what looked suspiciously like a dinosaur costume and sporting his beloved green cap, tugged his loose overalls into place with renewed enthusiasm.
Everyone seemed ready to begin their lives as Pokémon Trainers.
Everyone except the young man sitting in the most stereotypical protagonist seat imaginable: the back row, beside the window.
With his chin propped against one hand, Shiryu stared outside as though lost in thought.
By the time class ended, Cheren finally called out to him.
“Shiryu, come see me in my office.”
“Sure.”
The lazy response came from the back of the classroom.
Shiryu stretched, rose from his seat, and was about to head for Cheren’s office when something suddenly blocked his path.
Or rather, someone.
“Shiryu!
We’re finally allowed to become Trainers!
Have you decided which starter you want?”
It was Rosa, the energetic girl with the twin buns.
Dressed in sporty clothes, she planted her hands on her hips and stared up at him expectantly.
Shiryu scratched his head before answering in a slightly subdued voice.
“Rosa, I’m actually not planning to become a Pokémon Trainer.”
“Huh?”
Rosa stared at him as though he’d just started speaking another language.
Shiryu slipped his hands into his pockets and continued toward the door.
When he reached it, however, he stopped and turned toward Rosa, who had followed him the entire way.
“I’m going back to Galar,” he said seriously.
“I’m taking over my family’s ranch.”
For once, a faint smile appeared on Shiryu’s face.
…
The truth was, Shiryu was a transmigrator.
A week earlier, he’d been lying in bed watching one of AG’s videos when a question suddenly appeared on his phone screen.
[Do you like Pokémon?]
[Yes] [No]
As a longtime Pokémon fanatic, Shiryu hadn’t needed even a second to think about it.
He tapped [Yes].
The world around him changed instantly.
When Shiryu opened his eyes again, he had somehow arrived in the Pokémon world.
It was almost as though some unseen creator had forcibly written a place for him into this reality.
He had parents, a childhood, an entire personal history—and apparently even a childhood friend.
From the memories now in his head, Shiryu learned that he had originally been born in Postwick, a small town in the Galar region.
His parents had later moved the family to Aspertia City in Unova because of their work.
Shiryu had enrolled at Aspertia City’s Pokémon School, where he had spent the last three years studying to become a Trainer.
Now that graduation had arrived, he was eligible to receive a starter Pokémon and officially begin his journey.
It had taken Shiryu nearly a week to process the absurdity of his new life and finally begin accepting reality.
Then, last night, something else happened.
His system awakened.
[Pokémon Ranch System]
[Main Quest: Build the world’s greatest Pokémon ranch.]
[Initial Quest: Travel to the ranch and inherit it.]
[Quest Reward: Receive one random Shiny pseudo-legendary Pokémon with god-tier potential.]
…
As Shiryu walked through the halls of Aspertia City’s Pokémon School, his gaze seemed slightly unfocused.
Anyone watching him would probably assume his mind was wandering.
In reality, a translucent interface hovered directly in front of him.
The initial quest was still displayed there.
[Travel to the ranch and inherit it.]
According to Shiryu’s inherited memories, before his parents moved to Aspertia City, they had worked on a ranch near Postwick in Galar.
The ranch had been passed down through Shiryu’s family for generations.
Unfortunately, it barely earned enough money to sustain itself, which had eventually forced his parents to shut the place down and move to Unova in search of better work.
Three years later, Shiryu was now preparing to return to Galar and reopen the very ranch his parents had abandoned.
The irony wasn’t lost on him.
Before he knew it, Shiryu had reached the door to Cheren’s office.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Shiryu opened the door and stepped inside.
The office wasn’t particularly large, but Cheren had the room to himself.
He was sitting behind his desk, apparently reviewing some paperwork, and smiled when Shiryu entered.
“Have a seat.”
Shiryu nodded and sat across from him.
“What did you want to see me about, Mr.
Cheren?”
“I read your email.
You’re going back to Galar?”
“Yeah.”
Shiryu had sent Cheren an email the previous night explaining his situation.
Given Shiryu’s grades, staying in Unova would have given him a strong chance of receiving one of the region’s traditional starter Pokémon through Professor Juniper.
Instead, Shiryu had voluntarily given up the opportunity.
Cheren couldn’t understand why.
“Shiryu, make sure you’ve really thought this through.
Not everyone gets the chance to receive one of the regional starters.”
“I know, Mr.
Cheren.
But becoming a Trainer here in Unova isn’t the most important thing to me anymore.
There’s something else I need to do.”
As Shiryu spoke, the system interface flashed once again.
His eyes settled on the reward description.
A pseudo-legendary.
And not merely an ordinary one, either.
A Shiny pseudo-legendary with god-tier potential.
For most aspiring Trainers, receiving one of the traditional starter Pokémon would be an incredible opportunity.
For someone who was about to receive a Shiny pseudo-legendary with absurd potential, however, the comparison wasn’t exactly fair.
There was no contest.
Seeing that Shiryu had already made up his mind, Cheren remained silent for a couple of seconds before finally giving up on trying to persuade him.
“All right.
You’ve graduated from my class now, and whatever path you choose from here is ultimately yours.
It wouldn’t be right for me to interfere.”
He paused before reaching into his pocket and taking out a standard red-and-white Poké Ball.
“But this little guy has been with you for more than half a year.
The two of you have already formed a pretty strong bond, so you should take him with you.”
Cheren held the Poké Ball out to him.
Shiryu needed only a glance to know which Pokémon was inside.
Drilbur.
At the Trainer School, students who had completed at least two and a half years of study were assigned a Pokémon partner to assist with their practical lessons.
After all, Pokémon battling was one of the core subjects in the Trainer Course.
Once a student’s full three-year program ended, they could choose to keep their partner Pokémon as their first Pokémon and take them along on their journey.
Shiryu’s assigned partner was this Drilbur, whose potential was considered sufficient to reach Gym Leader level.
“Thank you.”
Shiryu nodded and accepted the Poké Ball from Cheren’s hand.