Chapter 1: So I Got Reincarnated as a Weedle
"NO! Sceptile! Get up! Don't you lose to this hacker!"
Will shot up from the sofa, anxiously stomping his feet.
The Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl series was playing on the TV. On screen, Ash's Sceptile had just managed to defeat a Darkrai, only to be instantly knocked out by a Latios that had just entered the battle.
That legendary-spamming trainer, Tobias, had only revealed his second Pokémon, while Ash had already lost four.
"Alright, is he sending out Swellow? Yes! Take down that blue jet plane! Unleash that broken power from your Hoenn days and—WHAT THE?!"
Before Will could even finish his sentence, Ash's Swellow was one-shotted and taken out.
He felt the blood rush to his head. He staggered backward, collapsed onto the sofa, and everything went dark.
...
When Will opened his eyes again, the world seemed to have gotten much, much bigger.
Bzz... (Wait, I think I'm the one who got smaller.)
Will tried to speak, but no human sounds came out. To his own senses, however, it sounded no different from his normal voice.
He looked around and realized he was in some kind of forest. Not far away, he could hear the sound of flowing water.
He tried to move toward the sound, but no matter how hard he strained, he couldn't seem to go anywhere. His body felt strangely disconnected.
Will finally realized something was seriously wrong with his body and quickly looked down.
But instead of his hands and feet, his face was practically pressed against the grass.
What in the world have I become...?
Anxiously, Will tried moving in every way he could think of.
He finally figured out how to move forward: wriggling.
He could advance by wriggling his body, just like a worm.
Will pushed through a bush and cautiously poked his head out to scan the area. He didn't spot any strange creatures, but up ahead, he saw what looked like a gigantic ocean.
His eyes lit up. He quickly wriggled his way over to the edge and peered down at the water's surface.
He finally saw his own reflection.
"A Weedle?!"
Will's mind went completely blank.
He couldn't believe it. He had become a Pokémon—and a Weedle, no less, a creature at the absolute bottom of the food chain.
Weedle is a Bug/Poison-type caterpillar Pokémon, commonly found in forests and grasslands. Its body is yellow-brown and segmented, with seven pairs of pink, fleshy feet and a pink, nose-like feature on its face. It has a sharp, two-inch stinger on its head and another barb on its tail. Its two small eyes were dark and glossy.
A typical Weedle is about 0.3 meters tall and weighs around 3.2 kilograms.
But the Weedle that was Will looked to be about half that size, as if he had just hatched from an egg.
Weedle were already weak to begin with; in his current state, it was a hundred times worse. It felt like any random Pokémon could show up and completely wreck him.
"Pidgey~"
Just then, a strange cry came from above.
He strained to look up and saw a Pidgey flying overhead.
Without a second thought, Will scrambled back into the bushes. Luckily, the Pidgey didn't seem to have seen him.
This is bad, this is really bad! I have to evolve, fast! I won't have any way to protect myself until I become a Beedrill.
Will hid in the bush, cautiously watching his surroundings.
Right now, he was just an infant, a newborn Weedle. He couldn't even take on a normal Caterpie, let alone defend himself. Even after outgrowing the infant stage, he would only have a slight chance against other weak Pokémon.
I wonder what my ability is. It would be great if I had a status screen or something.
Feeling weak and powerless, Will lay limp in the bush. The short distance he had just wriggled seemed to have drained all his energy. He was now starving and exhausted.
Just as he thought that, an interface panel materialized before his eyes.
[Weedle]
Potential: White
Level: 1
Type: Bug / Poison
Ability: Run Away
Height: 0.15m
Weight: 1.6kg
Moves: Poison Sting, String Shot
A real status screen! This is awesome! At least now I can get a handle on my situation.
Will felt a small burst of energy as he studied his stats. As expected, he was pathetically weak.
The only silver lining was having an excellent ability like 'Run Away'. With this, no matter what enemy he faced, he would have a high chance of successfully escaping.
I remember Weedle eat leaves. They're supposed to eat their own body weight in leaves every day.
Will pondered for a moment, then sniffed the bush he was hiding in. It didn't have any strange smell, and his body's instincts were screaming with a desire to eat it.
Well, if that's the case...
Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp!
Will devoured every leaf on the branch he was hiding behind, then moved to a neighboring bush. He was so full he could barely even wriggle. He had definitely eaten more than his own body weight.
I need to grow up quickly. Evolve quickly.
With that thought repeating in his mind, his eyelids grew heavy. A moment later, he collapsed and fell fast asleep.
Rustle, rustle.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but the sound of rustling bushes startled Will awake.
He opened his eyes and looked toward the sound.
In a bush not far from him, a Caterpie was munching on leaves. That Caterpie was enormous, easily twice the size of the stats Will remembered from the Pokédex. He had no idea how a Caterpie could grow to be so massive.
Regardless, Will didn't make a single sound. He just watched quietly as the Caterpie finished its meal and crawled up a nearby tree.
...I see.
His human mind was completely clueless about the habits of Pokémon. But after observing the Caterpie's actions tonight, he had learned two things.
First, moving around at night greatly increased the odds of survival.
Second, it was best to sleep up in a tree. That would reduce the chances of being attacked by other Pokémon on the ground. Although there were more Flying-types in the trees, there were far more predators on the ground, making it much more dangerous for a weak creature like him.
He glanced around, then turned and opened his mouth towards the leaves of his hiding spot.
Chomp, chomp, chomp!
He woke up again, and the sun was already bright.
Will opened his eyes, feeling a bit thirsty. He needed a drink.
He sleepily wriggled to the riverbank, lowered his head, and began drinking greedily. He was so focused that he didn't notice a Poliwag standing right next to him.
The Poliwag was clearly also a newborn, and it stared curiously at the sleepy-looking Weedle.
Mustering its courage, it hopped closer.
"Poli? (Hello?)"
"!"
The sudden sound from the Poliwag startled Will so badly that he almost face-planted into the water.
Whose kid is this? Shoo, shoo!
Will turned his head, shooing the other Pokémon away. He found that he could somehow instinctively tell the Poliwag's age. This one was probably a newborn, just like him. The Caterpie he saw last night, however, was already an adolescent.
"Poli..."
The Poliwag left, looking heartbroken. It was very sad and decided to go find its mommy to cry.
Will watched it leave, took a few more gulps of water, and then immediately turned to leave as well. He felt much safer hidden away in the bushes. It was time to get back to eating leaves.
Different Pokémon species matured out of their infant stages at different rates. Dragon-types, for example, took a very long time, while Bug-types matured incredibly fast.
Will only remembered falling asleep about five or six times before he was finally past the newborn phase. His status screen had changed as well.
[Weedle]
Potential: Green
Level: 5
Type: Bug / Poison
Ability: Run Away
Height: 0.3m
Weight: 3.2kg
Moves: Poison Sting, String Shot
Technically, his stats now matched those of a standard wild Weedle. In reality, however, he quickly discovered that wasn't the case at all. The Pokémon in this forest were all built like tanks. Every Caterpie that passed by was at least twice his size and weight.
He had no idea what kind of demonic forest he'd been born into.
If he had the choice, Will would much rather be a normal trainer's Pokémon. At least then he wouldn't have to face this brutal survival-of-the-fittest environment every day. But what trainer would ever want a Weedle as small and scrawny as him?
I think it's been three days, and I haven't seen a single human.
Will sighed from his hiding spot in the bush.
He felt that the bush leaves weren't enough for him anymore. He needed something more nutritious to grow stronger. A normal wild Pokémon might be content with just having a full stomach, but very few would actively seek out specific nutrients to enhance their strength and physique.
But Will, at his core, was human.
I have to get up that tree.
Will looked up.
On the tree right in front of him hung several large, plump, red fruits that looked like apples. He remembered seeing them in the Pokédex before. They were called 'Tangleberries,' a fruit that concentrated four flavors—sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy—into one rich taste.
To be honest, back when he was human, he wouldn't have given such a bizarre fruit a second glance. But times were different. After days of eating bland, bitter leaves, Will was desperate for something with a more complex flavor.
No sooner said than done.
Will wriggled to the base of the tree and tried to climb it using his seven pairs of small feet. Surprisingly, it was pretty easy. With all fourteen feet working in unison, he actually managed to climb the tree.
If I evolve into a Beedrill, I won't have to work this hard. I'll just be able to fly up.
Will grumbled to himself as he wriggled upwards.
Before long, he was already panting. He looked up and saw he still had a long way to go.
Maybe I should've waited a few more days before trying this?
Will was already thinking about giving up. He could clearly feel that he didn't have enough stamina to make it to the top. His feet were getting weaker and weaker, and he felt his grip loosening.
Snap.
One of his feet slipped, and Will tumbled backward.
He wasn't too panicked, though. A fall from this height wouldn't kill him; it would just hurt a bit.
Splat.
"Hmm?"
Will squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the impact, but instead, he landed on something cool and soft.
"Poli?"
He opened his eyes and was met with the large, innocent eyes of the Poliwag.
"You again, kid? Still, you saved me this time. Thanks a lot."
Will climbed off the Poliwag and looked it over. After two or three days, the Poliwag was still in its infant stage. It was only 0.3 meters tall, making it just a tiny bit shorter than he was now.