"So the newbie's from the Pokémon world, huh?" Su Mo from the Campione world mused thoughtfully. "That's a fascinating setting. No wonder he complained about getting his golden finger so late."
The Pokémon world—or as some called it, the Pocket Monster world—was one where Pokémon were the center of everything. Humans mostly existed as Trainers, guiding Pokémon in battles and participating in competitive leagues.
In that world, becoming a Pokémon Trainer was the ultimate dream, and most kids set off on their own journeys at the age of ten. Considering that, the fact that this Su Mo had only joined the Misty Space at seventeen or eighteen did seem a little late.
"Still, it's never too late to catch up!" Su Mo from the Index world grinned. "With our power now, wouldn't capturing Legendary Pokémon be easy as pie? Even without a Master Ball, we could just knock them out and take them with us!"
That got the DanMachi world Su Mo excited as well. "Exactly! We could form an all-Legendary team and steamroll the entire league! Just brute-force our way to the championship!"
Before any of them had crossed into other worlds, they had all once sat in front of a screen, watching Ash Ketchum fail to win league after league, only to eventually face absurd opponents like Tobias—the guy who literally steamrolled everyone with a team full of Legendaries. Back then, they had been full of righteous indignation.
An entire team of Legendaries? That's just bullying!
But now, standing in a world where they could actually become that guy...
Weather-based strategy? Please. Who needs tactics when you can simply overwhelm?
Seeing their enthusiasm, Su Mo from the Fairy Tail world didn't join the cheer but instead looked curiously at the newcomer. "So you're already seventeen? That means you must've started your Pokémon journey when you were younger, right? Did you ever win a championship?"
He was genuinely curious. Without cheats or powers, what kind of result could a version of himself have achieved in a world like that?
Sure, he'd studied Pokémon lore deeply, but that was all theoretical. This version of Su Mo had lived it.
To put it simply, the academic institutions in the Pokémon world are similar to those in the Pokémon anime universe—though perhaps a bit more advanced. However, when it comes to actual training, how far one can go remains uncertain.
"At the very least, I should've made it into the top eight, even if I didn't win the championship, right?" Su Mo muttered to himself. "Surely, I didn't lose to Ash, did I?!"
Su Mo never denied Ash's love for Pokémon, but truth be told, Ash's command skills were... well, terrible. If even after transmigrating into this world, he still couldn't beat Ash, he might as well go bang his head against a wall.
The Pokémon world Su Mo sighed. "Forget about championships—I didn't even qualify to become a Pokémon Trainer. Traveling across regions like Ash? That was out of the question."
"Huh?" Fairy Tail Su Mo frowned. He sensed something deeper. He couldn't help but ask the Su Mo from the Pokémon world, "Wait, are you saying there's some hidden agenda behind all this?"
"You're not wrong," Pokémon Su Mo nodded grimly. "In this world, only children from families who can afford to pay the necessary fees are allowed to officially become Pokémon Trainers at age ten and begin their journeys."
"Why do you think Ash and the others were able to get one of the starter Pokémon as their first companion?" he continued. "Why do they get free healthcare and lodging at Pokémon Centers?"
"Pallet Town isn't even that small, yet every year, only three or four kids qualify to become official Trainers. Why not more?"
He paused, then let out another sigh. "Because everything is paid for in advance. Don't be fooled by Ash's single-parent background—his family's actually quite wealthy."
"Normal kids? They don't even get to choose a starter Pokémon. At best, they grow up catching bugs in the woods, like those Bug Catchers who always have a Metapod that only knows 'Harden.'"
As he shook his head, a trace of regret appeared in his eyes. Every child dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Trainer, of becoming a Pokémon Master. Everyone believed they could do better than Ash. But reality? Kids from ordinary families were destined to be nothing more than nameless Bug Catchers, never even qualifying for something like the Indigo League.
This kind of invisible wall... unless you lived in this world, you wouldn't really understand just how suffocating it could be.
"Damn... this world's that dark?" Su Mo from the Danmachi world gasped. His childhood dreams were being shattered right before his eyes.
Pokémon Su Mo shook his head. "It's not exactly a dark conspiracy. It's just... no money, no service. That's all. You can't really say it's unjust. Still, the reality is that most of the profitable industries in this world are Pokémon-related. If you're born poor and can't become a Trainer, you're pretty much destined to stay poor."
He paused, brushing the white coat he wore out of habit. "Thankfully, I've got knowledge from the future that no one else here knows. After I published my research on Eeveelution patterns, I became something of a rising star. Later, Professor Oak invited me to work at his lab, and I agreed."
"Now, I'm officially a Pokémon professor."