"Swish..."
In the bathroom, Satoshi placed his head under the faucet, letting the cold tap water calm his racing mind.
"Is this real?"
Even after standing there for almost five minutes, Satoshi still couldn't believe what he had seen and felt.
"This…"
He placed his hand on the mirror, then glanced around at the bathtub and the showerhead, taking in everything in the bathroom.
"Is all of this real?"
Staring at his reflection, Satoshi examined the young man in the mirror. His face had paled from the prolonged exposure to cold water, but amidst the paleness, he smiled.
"It feels real, and the pain... it's too vivid to be fake."
Rolling down his sleeve to cover the red mark on his arm where he had twisted it to test his reality, Satoshi quickly returned to his room. There, he logged into a familiar website— Pokémon Generations official website.
> "The revolutionary holographic virtual game 'Pokémon Generations' will be launched at 12 noon on June 6th."
The iconic electric mouse poster confirmed it.
Satoshi had been reborn, and it was before the launch of the groundbreaking game: Pokémon Generations.
This epoch-making game had originated from a mysterious host device discovered in an ancient ruin. Scientists extracted data from the host and developed the world's first holographic virtual game. Its release sparked a global frenzy, captivating everyone who experienced it.
However, five years after the game's launch, the Pokémon world and the real world mysteriously overlapped. Several continents from the game manifested in the five oceans, disrupting the global landscape.
This event reshaped the world, and those who excelled in the game controlled their destinies.
Recalling this, Satoshi smiled.
"I don't know why I've returned to this time, but this time, I will become stronger!"
His mind was brimming with precious memories—locations of rare items, hidden tasks, habitats of powerful Pokémon, notable characters, and even the game's overarching plot. These were his most valuable assets.
Two hours later, the doorbell rang.
Satoshi's expression remained calm as he walked to the door and accepted the delivery containing his game helmet.
In this advanced era, the efficiency of deliveries was astonishing.
Satoshi unboxed the helmet and began configuring the parameters, relying on his memories.
Everything was ready. Now, all that remained was the server opening.
He glanced at the time. Only forty minutes left.
Thirty minutes left
---
Twenty minutes left
When the countdown reached ten minutes, players were allowed to enter the game to create their characters.
Without hesitation, Satoshi donned the helmet and initiated the game.
> "Connecting to the server..."
"Connection successful. Game helmet number: WIN007. Verifying player identity and binding..."
"Player identity verification successful! Helmet binding complete!"
As the prompts concluded, Satoshi's vision gradually shifted.
He found himself inside a laboratory, where a beautiful woman in a lab coat appeared to greet him.
"Welcome to the world of Pokémon Generations. Here, magical creatures known as Pokémon exist. They are also called pocket monsters. These creatures..."
The researcher proceeded to provide an overview of Pokémon, ensuring new players understood their significance.
"...So, what is your name?"
With this, character creation began.
"Satoshi," he replied.
> "ID login successful. Which region would you like to start in?"
The researcher's question was accompanied by a map displaying seven regions: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola.
"Kanto Region!" Satoshi answered without hesitation. It was the strongest region in the game and the starting point of its storyline.
> "What attribute would you like your starter Pokémon to have?"
The game offered eighteen Pokémon attributes:
Normal, Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Ground, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Steel, and Fairy.
However, only the first nine were available for selection at the start of the game. The remaining attributes, including Dragon, were kept hidden, likely to maintain a sense of mystery.
Fortunately, Satoshi knew the truth—knowledge no one else in this world possessed.
In his previous life, he had wanted to choose Dragon but had no such option. Now, he realized the developers had deliberately withheld certain attributes during the early stages.
After selecting an attribute, players were sent to the first town of their chosen region. From there, they would be guided to a lab to receive their starter Pokémon. Although the specific Pokémon was randomized, it always matched the selected attribute.
"Fire type!" Satoshi declared.
"I understand. You will now be transported to Pallet Town in the Kanto Region. Head to Professor Oak's Laboratory to receive your starter Pokémon. Have fun!"
As the researcher finished speaking, Satoshi's figure vanished from the laboratory.
When Satoshi entered the game, a system notification rang in his ears.
> "Ding! The system has detected that the player is carrying the blessing of a mythical Pokémon. You have received..."
End of Chapter