Chapter 1: I Choose You!
Terrace City, Southern Province.
Inside the visitor reception room of the Terrace City Pokémon Research Institute.
A young man stared blankly at his reflection in the window glass, his face betraying neither joy nor sorrow.
His name was Basalt. Originally, he was just an ordinary office worker on Earth, but he was also a veteran Pokémon player and a huge fan of sandstorm teams.
Two days ago, Basalt had the luck of a lifetime, digging up two top-tier "Smooth Rocks" in his Pokémon game. He was just about to equip them on his weather-setters, Tyranitar and Hippowdon, and go on a rampage.
But then, everything went black. When he woke up… he had freaking transmigrated!
As his new memories gradually merged with his own, Basalt realized he had likely been transported to a parallel world—one where the real world and the Pokémon world had fused together.
So it's true, he thought. If you love something deeply enough, you really do get a chance to transmigrate…
Basalt looked at his reflection in the glass. The body was tall and slim, with a handsome and refined face.
"I can't believe my name is the same, but I got way more handsome. And younger, too. I'm eighteen again. This is awesome!"
Basalt felt this whole transmigration service deserved nothing less than a five-star review.
Being young again was whatever, the main thing was that he was handsome now!
After all, being handsome is a lifelong affair! ︿(￣︶￣)︿
Squeak!
The door to the reception room opened and a middle-aged man in a white lab coat walked in. "You must be Basalt, right? I can't believe it's been a few years. You're already taller than me."
"Hello, Uncle Martin!" Basalt greeted him.
Dr. Martin was a senior Pokémon researcher and the head of the Terrace City Pokémon Research Institute. He was also a childhood friend of Basalt's father.
As the head of the institute, one of Dr. Martin's duties was to distribute starter Pokémon to a select few new trainers.
That's right, Basalt was here today to receive his starter Pokémon.
Receiving a starter from a research institute… Basalt knew this routine. It meant one of the classic starter trios!
He just wondered which region's trio he would get to choose from.
After all, this world didn't have regions like Kanto or Hoenn. Instead, it still had countries from his old world, like his own nation and America. The only difference was that military technology had been replaced by Pokémon technology, and Pokémon trainers had become the driving force of the world.
To get a starter trio right after transmigrating? How many other transmigrators could say the same?
Forget starting with a Bellsprout, Zubat, or Pidgey. Those were nothing compared to this!
Furthermore, as far as Basalt knew, even in this parallel world where Pokémon resources were abundant, only a very small number of people could receive a starter trio from an official institute. The vast majority of ordinary people still had to go to Pokémon Day Cares.
Fortunately, the prices for common Pokémon in this world were quite reasonable and hadn't been inflated to absurd levels. For a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, you could buy a starter with decent potential from a Day Care, which wasn't too much of a financial burden. A high-quality starter trio Pokémon would be more expensive, but not outrageously so, topping out at around a million.
If you were really broke, you could also go into the wild to catch Pokémon yourself, which was even cheaper—costing you only a single Poké Ball. However, wild Pokémon came with no guarantee of their potential, and some were incredibly difficult to tame. Because of this, very few parents would allow their children to choose a wild Pokémon as their first partner.
"I didn't expect this new dad of mine to have such strong connections…" Basalt thought to himself.
From what he had gathered, his new family's financial situation seemed average, at least on the surface. Yet here he was, able to receive a starter Pokémon from the institute. There had to be more to the story.
Could it be… that he was secretly the son of someone important?
After a few moments of catching up, Dr. Martin waved his hand expansively and said, "Basalt, you must be getting impatient, right? Come on, I'll take you to see the Pokémon. There are three options, so you'll need to think carefully."
Basalt nodded obediently, a wide grin on his face and a flutter of excitement in his heart.
To be honest, he really couldn't wait!
"I hope it's the Hoenn trio. A Mudkip that evolves into Swampert would be absolutely perfect. If not, Turtwig or Piplup from Sinnoh would be great too…" Basalt calculated silently as he followed closely behind Dr. Martin.
He was a die-hard fan of sandstorm teams. A lifelong veteran. He had to build a sandstorm team; otherwise, this whole transmigration would be a waste.
Basalt's goal was to become… the strongest sandstorm trainer on the planet!
"At the very least, I hope it's the Kanto trio. I could pick Charmander and raise it into a Charizard as a mascot. It's a classic, after all…" Basalt muttered to himself. Please, dear Arceus, don't let it be from any other region!
Led by Dr. Martin, Basalt finally arrived in a courtyard.
The yard was large, at least four or five hundred square meters. Many trees and shrubs were planted around the edges, but most of the ground was bare, covered in a layer of sand where numerous Sandshrew and Diglett were playing happily.
"Well, Basalt, we're here."
"Huh? We're here?" (⊙_⊙)?
Basalt was completely bewildered.
Weren't you supposed to choose a starter in a clean room, with three red-and-white Poké Balls sitting on a table?
Why was this so different from what he imagined?
Oh, I get it!
The starter Pokémon must live out here in this yard with the other Pokémon.
Yes… that explanation… seems reasonable!
However, as Basalt looked left and right, besides the Sandshrew and Diglett, he couldn't see any other Pokémon.
"Uncle Martin, are all the Pokémon here yet?" Basalt asked, scratching his head.
"There are three more that haven't come out yet. Let me call them over!"
Basalt nodded. Okay, three more Pokémon. Phew, that was a relief!
Dr. Martin took out a small bell and shook it gently, producing a clear, pleasant chime.
Hmm… this feels a bit like a pet owner calling their dog over for dinner.
Basalt: (·).??
Suddenly, he had a very bad feeling.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Three holes abruptly opened in the ground, and three mole-like Pokémon with black bodies and dark blue diagonal stripes appeared, poking their heads out.
"Drilbur?"
Basalt froze for a second. Weren't these supposed to be from a starter trio?
Dr. Martin clearly didn't hear Basalt's mumbling and began his introduction. "Basalt, Sandshrew and Diglett are common all over our nation, so I probably don't need to introduce them, right? This is Drilbur. It's a Pokémon that primarily lives in the Europe and America regions, and it's also a Ground-type."
"Alright, now all three types of Pokémon are here. You can choose one as your starter based on your preference."
Basalt: ∑(O_O;)
What was happening?
The starter trio had become a… starter trio of moles?
Uncle Martin, are you sure you're not joking?
Basalt opened his mouth, but no words came out. It took him a long time before he finally understood.
It seemed he had gotten it all wrong from the start.
Thinking about it carefully, his family's ordinary background meant he truly didn't have the qualifications to receive one of the official starter trios. He had just assumed that coming to the institute automatically meant he'd get one…
Turns out… I was the clown all along. (_)
Seeing Basalt just standing there, Dr. Martin clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't just stand there in a daze, Basalt. Go on, take a closer look and see if any of them catch your eye."
"Our institute's main research topic is agricultural soil quality. The Ground-type Pokémon we raise here are definitely much higher quality than what you'd find at a Day Care. It's only because your father and I are such good friends that you have this opportunity. Most people aren't allowed to come here and pick from our research Pokémon."
Hearing this, Basalt had no f**king clue what to say.
Although the gap between his expectations and reality was huge, Basalt forced himself to cheer up and carefully surveyed his three options: Diglett, Drilbur, and Sandshrew.
Even though he wasn't getting a traditional starter, at least these three were a perfect match for a sandstorm team. He wouldn't have to worry about them just being mascots.
Things weren't completely unacceptable.
"Besides," Basalt reassured himself, "in the world of Pokémon, there are only weak trainers, not weak Pokémon. Who's to say this trio of moles can't be just as good as the official starters?"
He frantically tried to comfort himself and quickly adjusted his mindset. But… he soon had another headache.
In the games, you just had to look at a Pokémon's ability, nature, and EVs to make a choice. But in the real world, how the heck was he supposed to tell?
To Basalt, every single Pokémon of the same species looked almost identical. How was he supposed to tell which was which?
They were all cut from the same mold. How am I supposed to choose?
Unable to make a decision, Basalt shrewdly focused his attention on the three Drilbur.
Since it was basically a blind pick anyway, he might as well go for the one with the highest base stat potential. Drilbur's evolved form, Excadrill, was not only a Ground/Steel dual-type but also had a massive base stat total of 508, far surpassing Sandslash and Dugtrio. It was a no-brainer.
"Director, the three trainers scheduled to receive the starter Pokémon today have arrived. Should we head over to preside over the selection?"
Just as Basalt was sizing up the Drilbur, a young researcher in a lab coat ran up to the courtyard and whispered to Dr. Martin.
Dr. Martin nodded. It was clear that Basalt wasn't going to make a choice anytime soon. He might as well give him some more time and take care of other business in the meantime.
After explaining the situation, Dr. Martin and the researcher left, leaving Basalt alone with the trio of moles. They all stared at each other, creating a slightly awkward scene.
Staring intently for a long while, Basalt finally noticed the differences between the three Drilbur.
One was quite curious and bold, fearlessly approaching him. It startled Basalt, who thought for a second the little guy was going to jump up and hit him in the knee.
One was rather timid, keeping half of its body hidden in its hole, peeking out nervously.
The last one was incredibly energetic… it was just digging a hole nonstop!
Although he had narrowed his options down to the three Drilbur and could roughly tell their personalities apart, Basalt still didn't know which one to choose. A Pokémon's personality didn't seem to have much to do with its potential.
"This question is too hard, I can't solve it…" Basalt cried out, grabbing his hair.
"Maybe… I can use the Smooth Rocks?"
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit Basalt. He had found a solution.
Although he had "soul-transmigrated," he had woken up with a top-tier "Smooth Rock" in each hand. Because their energy purity was so high, the rocks had crystallized, earning them the name "Smooth Rock Crystals."
In the games, Smooth Rock Crystals were top-tier items containing pure Rock-type energy, which was a huge benefit to sandstorm-loving Pokémon.
"If I take out a Smooth Rock Crystal, whichever Pokémon senses its presence first… wouldn't that mean it has the best perception of Rock-type energy? The strongest Rock-type affinity?"
Even though his three options were all Ground-types, they were also Pokémon that thrived in sandstorms. A talent for the Rock-type was also very important. After all, Sandstorm itself was a Rock-type move!
It was a spur-of-the-moment idea, but Basalt felt it had a good chance of working. It was worth a try!
"I don't lose anything if it fails, and if it succeeds… then I'm a genius!"
Putting his plan into action, Basalt slowly backed away to the courtyard gate. He opened his backpack and took out a sand-yellow crystal about the size of a baby's fist. It was the Smooth Rock Crystal.
Spatial technology was widespread in this world, so Basalt's backpack was a dimensional bag that could isolate its contents from the outside world.
But as the Smooth Rock Crystal was taken out, a rich and pure Rock-type energy began to slowly emanate from it, quickly attracting the attention of the three types of Pokémon.
Basalt observed that the energetic, hole-digging Drilbur was the very first one to sense the Smooth Rock Crystal's existence. It reacted a full second faster than the other Pokémon, standing out like a crane among chickens.
"Chari~"
While the other Pokémon were still trying to locate the source of the energy, that one Drilbur had already locked its gaze onto Basalt, its eyes shining brightly.
"If that's the case… then I choose you!"
With his plan a success, Basalt placed the Smooth Rock Crystal back into his dimensional bag, a slight smirk playing on his lips.
No matter how difficult the problem, he had solved it in the end.
So clever! ( ´ ▽ ` )
But before Basalt could even begin to celebrate, the courtyard wall was suddenly shattered by a massive force.
"RAWRRR~"
With a deafening roar, a tyrannosaurus-like Pokémon with rocky skin and a sharp horn on its forehead appeared. It scanned the courtyard before finally fixing its eyes on Basalt. Bellowing, it charged forward, shaking the very ground with each step.
"Rhydon?"
Basalt's body tensed, and his face turned pale.
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Author's Note: New book! Please add it to your library and leave a review!