Chapter 1: A Green Caterpillar?

Chapter 1

Viridian Forest lies at the heart of the Kanto region, steeped in history. Thanks to the League’s thorough management and the many rangers patrolling and protecting its expanse, the malicious poaching of Pokémon and reckless felling of trees by criminal groups has largely been curbed. Thus, its vast ecosystem has survived to this day, becoming a haven for countless Pokémon.

Naturally, its abundance of wild Pokémon draws tens of thousands of trainers every year, eager to test their luck and skill.

Deep within the forest, towering ancient trees stretch skyward. In the shadow of one such giant, a dark and dry hollow hides away from the sun.

Inside, a white Pokémon egg adorned with faint green oval spots gently rocks back and forth.

“Crack… crack…”

Suddenly, a fracture splits down from the top of the shell. Dazzling white light spills from the crack, illuminating the hollow. Yet, since it’s daylight outside, the event stirs little commotion.

“Crrrack…”

More and more splits weave across the shell. The egg wobbles violently, and the radiance gradually envelops it completely.

At last, the egg is fully swathed in light, like a figure sculpted from pure brilliance, shaped by an unseen hand into something new.

The original oval outline dissolves, replaced by a peculiar, elongated creature.

A soft, buzzing hum echoes within the hollow as the transformation continues. The once-scattered glow condenses and grows firmer, and the long creature’s form becomes clear.

A final, crystalline chime rings out as the concentrated light flares and scatters into countless motes, fading away to reveal the small being within.

Its long body is cloaked in green, with a pale yellow underside, a yellow spindle-shaped tail, and yellow spots dotting its sides. Two large, jet-black eyes gleam from its round head, topped by a Y-shaped red antenna that shines with an uncanny luster.

Clearly, this is a common Caterpie, native to Viridian Forest.

Lu Yun stared into the dim hollow, feeling a wave of dizziness. He struggled to comprehend what had just transpired.

“What… happened?”

He distinctly remembered lying comfortably on his sofa at home, about to play the latest Pokémon release he’d been longing for. The moment he picked up his console, his vision went black—and the next instant, he found himself here.

Lu Yun twisted his body, feeling a strange unfamiliarity. He looked down at himself.

“Huh?”

“My… my body…”

“I’m not human anymore?”

He was bewildered.

Though he had no idea what he had become, surprisingly, a lifetime of reading transmigration novels left him far less panicked than he might have expected.

As he pondered, Lu Yun noticed a faint, translucent blue icon at the lower right of his vision, shaped like a Poké Ball.

When he focused on it, the icon abruptly enlarged into a data panel, occupying half his field of view.

Species: Caterpie
Level: 1 (0/100)
Moves: Tackle, String Shot
Appraisal: An utterly ordinary newborn Caterpie at the bottom of Viridian Forest’s food chain. You shouldn’t actually believe you’re a Rayquaza (lol).

The interface looked as though a game developer had run out of budget halfway and slapped together the simplest design. The translucent blue window was split in two: his attributes on the left, and a message box on the right—though Lu Yun found no place to input anything.

Reading the appraisal, he could almost imagine a tic-tac-toe grid appearing above his head.

“What a twisted sense of humor…”

“But… this must be my cheat ability… surely it is!”

He was quietly delighted, already imagining the day he’d wrestle legendary Pokémon into the dust.

Feeling a surge of excitement, he buried himself in studying the system.

That excitement faded quickly. No matter how he tapped or poked at the interface, nothing was interactive. There was nothing to do but sigh.

“Sigh… So it only shows my stats? Couldn’t it at least give me some quests or a way to allocate points?”

“But these moves seem interesting. How do I use them?”

He focused and silently thought, “Tackle!”

At once, the antenna atop his head glowed a pale white, and an unseen force propelled him straight ahead.

Bang!

He slammed into the tree trunk with a jarring thud. The bark was barely scratched.

“Ow, ow, ow!” he wailed, rolling frantically on the ground, resolving to shelve this move for practice another time.

“That’s pitifully weak. Let’s try String Shot.”

After a brief rest, he repositioned himself toward an open space in the hollow and focused: “String Shot!”

A few sticky threads sputtered from his mouth, landing limply on the ground.

“…”

“I really am a useless bug, aren’t I…”

He could only sigh. He wanted to rest a bit longer, but after burning through his two “powerful” moves, hunger quickly gnawed at his belly, leaving him no choice but to inch his soft body toward the entrance of the hollow.

Emerging outside, he was hit by a rush of pure, natural air that sent a shiver down his back and sharpened his senses.

Unlike the hollow’s darkness and silence, the outside world was bright and lively. Sunbeams filtered through the thick canopy, dappling the dense undergrowth with shifting patches of light. Birds chirped melodiously nearby, and a gentle breeze rustled past, filling him with a sense of tranquil joy.

But Lu Yun did not dare relax.

He knew that, as the weakest Caterpie in this forest, a single careless moment could spell his end.

Right now, his most urgent task was to fill his empty stomach.

He looked around and saw that only bark and leaves seemed fit for his consumption.

He hesitated, eyeing the branch beneath him.

“In those transmigration stories, the protagonist’s sense of taste usually changes too. This bark should be edible… I hope.”

He bent down and took a big bite.

Bleh!

A dry, bitter taste filled his mouth.

“I’d better try the leaves instead.”

Clinging tightly with his four abdominal legs, he cautiously crawled toward a cluster of lush green leaves nearby, stopping frequently to raise his round head and scan for danger.

Perhaps fortune took pity on him, for he reached the leaves without incident.

He breathed a sigh of relief, sprawled out atop a leaf, lifted his head, and bit down.

Cool, refreshing juice burst into his mouth.

“Mmm! It’s even a little sweet.”

“Not bad at all!” he nodded. Compared to the bark, he was quite pleased with the leaves.

Just as he was about to dig in in earnest—

A clear chime sounded.