Looking at their expressions, Su Mo from the Pokémon World turned black-faced and roared in frustration.
"What the hell are you all disappointed about?! If you want to touch a Pikachu so badly, just turn into one yourselves!"
While memory wasn't shared across the versions of Su Mo, factual knowledge was. That meant if he could use Take Over Magic to transform into a Pikachu, then so could the others.
At this, Su Mo from the DanMachi World gave him a look like he was a complete idiot.
"If I turn into one myself, then I'm the one being petted!"
"Exactly!" Su Mo from Index World nodded seriously.
Unlike the more straightforward and naive Su Mo who had lived in the Pokémon World, these two were seasoned veterans—grizzled old players of reality itself. Of course they wouldn't foolishly transform just to be treated like a pet.
"You two...!"
Hearing that, the Pokémon World Su Mo was dumbfounded. The city is too cunning. I want to go back to the countryside. In the Pokémon World, people were so sincere—there were no games within games.
"Haha!"
Laughing at his reaction, the Su Mo from DanMachi closed his eyes and activated his magic. A magic circle lit up, and his figure vanished—replaced by a Growlithe wagging its tail.
But this time, no one lunged forward to pet it.
Instead, the Su Mos seemed to have discovered a new joy altogether.
One after another, they began experimenting with Take Over Magic transformations: Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Growlithe, Pidgeotto, Eevee…
The sheer variety was staggering.
Su Mo from the Pokémon World had an incredible breadth of knowledge on these creatures. He had studied almost every species in the Kanto region in depth, and had at least moderate understanding of species from other regions. Thanks to this, the range of Pokémon they could transform into was practically limitless.
"The only shame is that we don't have data on any Legendary Pokémon," muttered Su Mo from the Fairy Tail World, currently in a Meowth form.
"Well, of course not," scoffed the Pokémon World Su Mo, rolling his eyes.
"Information about Legendaries isn't just lying around for anyone to grab. Even the Pokémon League keeps those files classified at the highest level. I might be a researcher at Professor Oak's lab, but that doesn't give me clearance to touch those archives."
"Transforming into a Legendary Pokémon is just not an option for now."
Sure, in the anime, Ash seemed to bump into Legendary Pokémon left and right for all kinds of reasons. But in reality, those Pokémon were elusive—rarely seen and never easily found. Getting a photo was hard enough, let alone detailed data.
"I get that you can't access data on the Tier-1 Legendaries," said Fairy Tail Su Mo in his Meowth form, scratching his chin. "But what about Tier-2 ones? Like the Legendary Birds—Zapdos, Moltres, Articuno—they shouldn't be that mysterious, right?"
True, Legendary Pokémon were shrouded in mystery for the general public. But for top-tier Trainers—like those at the Elite Four or Champion level—Tier-2 Legendaries weren't unbeatable. Theoretically, they could even be caught, and that had indeed happened in the manga.
So logically, the higher-ups in the Pokémon League must have detailed data on them.
"Maybe," Su Mo from the Pokémon World admitted, "but even if they do, I don't have access."
Sure, his research papers had weight, but credibility didn't automatically translate into trust. He had only recently earned his official Pokémon Researcher certification. His previous history was vague at best.
If he wanted access to confidential data, he'd probably have to work at it for another ten years.
At that moment, Su Mo from the Campione World, currently in an Alakazam form, joined the conversation using telepathy.
"Why try to go through the League at all? Why not just go straight to the source?"
"I remember in the games: Zapdos appears at the Power Plant, Articuno at the Seafoam Islands, and Moltres at Mt. Silver. Maybe we could check those places out."
He wasn't sure if the real world matched the game locations—after all, these were living beings. They could migrate. But it was a starting point.
Su Mo from the Pokémon World nodded thoughtfully.
"I've already scouted those places. Maybe my timing was off, or maybe something else was at play, but only one of them turned up anything."
"Last year, I did detect Articuno's presence near the Seafoam Islands."
"But I wasn't strong enough at the time, so I didn't take action."
Now, things were different.
His Ralts still wasn't powerful enough to defeat the Legendary Birds—but that didn't matter.
Because he, the Trainer, had grown strong enough to beat them into submission himself.
And if Articuno was open to being captured through strength, then he might be able to collect all three birds and unlock their transformation forms through Take Over Magic.
"If that happens, then we're counting on you to lead the way," said the Su Mo from the Campione World, thumping his chest with confidence. "Whatever authority you need, just say the word!"
"Oh—and while you're at it, make sure to catch Rayquaza too. That guy looks seriously cool."
"And if not him, at least get us a Groudon. We're not picky."
At this, the Pokémon World Su Mo simply gave him a look of disbelief.
"...Stop bullying Groudon!"
Su Mo from the Fairy Tail world chimed in with a playful laugh. "Careful now—watch out for that Precipice Blades warning!"
The boys continued enthusiastically with their game of transformations. "Men remain boys at heart until the day they die"—whether or not the saying was true, right now, it definitely applied to them. The Su Mos were having the time of their lives.
So, when Su Mo from the Genshin world woke up early and entered the Misty Space, what he walked into was an entire field of Pokémon.
"...When did the Mist Space become a zoo?" he muttered, frozen on the spot for a good few seconds before he finally figured out what was going on.