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Deep in the heart of the Kanto region lies Viridian Forest, a place steeped in history.
Thanks to the Pokémon League's conservation efforts, ranger patrols now actively protect the area. Illegal poaching and deforestation have been largely curbed, allowing the forest's vast ecosystem to flourish.
It's become a haven for wild Pokémon and a popular destination for thousands of trainers each year hoping to catch something special.
At the forest's core, ancient trees tower above the undergrowth. Hidden among the branches of one such tree was a dark, dry hollow.
Inside, a white Pokémon egg dotted with faint green circles trembled ever so slightly.
Crack… crack…
A jagged split formed near the top of the shell, glowing white light seeping from the fissure and lighting up the hollow. It was daytime, so the light didn't attract much attention from outside.
Crackle…
The egg began shaking more violently, the cracks spreading as the light intensified soon engulfing the entire shell in a luminous cocoon.
It twisted and warped like soft clay in unseen hands.
The egg's oval shape stretched and reshaped until it resembled a small, segmented creature.
Bzzz…
A soft hum echoed through the hollow as the light condensed. Bit by bit, the silhouette became clearer.
Ding!
A final burst of radiance exploded outward, scattering into tiny specks of light.
Where the egg had been, a tiny Pokémon now lay, its body green, belly pale yellow, two yellow circles on each side, and a red Y-shaped antenna on its head, glowing faintly. Round black eyes blinked, adjusting to the light.
A Caterpie is one of the most common Pokémon in all of Viridian Forest.
Bzzzz~
Bzzzz~
Kael blinked slowly.
His vision was low to the ground. Everything felt… strange. His thoughts were sluggish, hazy.
"What... what just happened?"
He remembered relaxing at home on the couch, finally about to dive into the new Pokémon game he'd been waiting months to play.
Then darkness. Now this?
He wriggled instinctively. Something was wrong with his body. Looking down confirmed it.
"What the hell?!"
"Is this… my body?"
"Did I just stop being human?!"
Oddly enough, Kael didn't panic as much as one might expect.
'Maybe I've read too many isekai novels…' he thought.
Just then, something caught his eye hovering faintly in the bottom-right of his vision was a small, translucent blue icon shaped like a Poké Ball.
He focused on it.
In a flash, the icon expanded into a sleek, semi-transparent display that filled half his vision.
[ Species: Caterpie
Level: 1 (0/100 XP)
Moves: Tackle, String Shot
Evaluation: "A newly hatched Caterpie at the bottom of the food chain. No, you are not secretly Rayquaza, just a soon-to-be dead normal Caterpie(lol) ]
The interface looked like a cheap mobile game minimalistic and clearly low-effort.
'Such a bad taste in the design, whoever created this is not a creative person,' Kael thought.
The left side showed his stats, while the right seemed like a message feed. No visible way to type or interact.
Kael narrowed his eyes at the "evaluation."
"Oh, very funny."
Still, he couldn't help but grin.
"This has to be my cheat skill. Every isekai has one, right?"
Excited, Kael began exploring the system, but quickly realized it was just a glorified stat screen. No skill trees. No mission tabs.
"Seriously? Not even a basic tutorial?"
Still, there were two moves listed. Might as well try them.
"Tackle!" he shouted mentally.
A faint white light gathered around his tiny red antenna, and in an instant, he was launched forward.
THUD!
He slammed into a nearby tree trunk. The bark barely flaked.
"AAAAHHHHHHHH"
Kael hit the ground, twitching in pain.
"Okay. That was... not ideal and pretty dumb"
After catching his breath, he tried again.
"String Shot!"
Pfft...
Several white threads shot out of his mouth and flopped onto the dirt like soggy noodles. (˵ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°˵)
"…"
"So this is my life now. I'm literally a useless worm."
"Actually not so different in terms of being a useless worm like my past life"
"Self-burn hits hard sometimes"
But then his stomach growled.
He needed food.
Before he becomes someone else's food.
Kael inched toward the edge of the hollow, dragging his soft green body across the bark. As he emerged, fresh air and sunlight washed over him.
It was beautiful.
Sunlight streamed through the canopy in golden beams. A breeze rustled the leaves. Birds chirped in the distance. It was peaceful… and dangerous.
Kael knew that, as a Caterpie, even a Pidgey could end his life.
Survival came first.
He scanned the area for something edible.
Tree bark? Maybe, Leaves? Probably.
He eyed the branch he was on.
"In most transformation stories, taste usually changes with the body… so this should be fine, right?"
Chomp.
"BLEGH!"
A horrible, bitter dryness coated his tongue.
"Okay. Never mind. Tree bark is still disgusting."
He turned toward a fresh patch of leaves nearby.
Clinging tightly with his tiny legs, Kael crawled forward, stopping every few inches to check for danger. Any movement could be a predator.
But luck was on his side. He reached the leaves safely.
He took a big bite.
Sweet. Crisp. Juicy.
"Mmm… now this is food."
Kael gave a tiny nod of satisfaction. Compared to the bark, the leaves were a five-star meal.
Just as he was about to dig in—
DING!
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Thank you so much for reading!