Pokémon: The Wrong Way To Transmigrate

When Yuu Kisaragi arrived at Professor Oak's research lab, it was already nearly noon.

After all, the isekai-transmigration setting had conveniently included oversleeping, followed by smashing his head into a mirror and blacking out for a good half-hour. Then, on the way, the goddamn system decided to electrocute him for fun, wasting even more time. By the time Yuu showed up, both the rich kid Gary's cheerleading squad and the protagonist Ash's entourage had long since vanished. But Yuu, currently rock-bottom in the emotional department, couldn't care less. He trudged up to the lab's front door and began knocking listlessly.

"Coming, coming..." The door opened. Professor Oak in 3D was a square-jawed, stern-looking uncle, but his tone of voice was oddly... off. "Are you here to receive your starter Pokémon as well? You're awfully late—wait, are you okay?"

"I'm Yuu Kisaragi..." Yuu's voice sounded like his soul had already left his body. He twitched his lips into something vaguely resembling a smile. "Sorry I'm late... but please, just give me a Pokémon..."

"Uh, Yuu, was it? Anyway, come inside first." Professor Oak was visibly unnerved by Yuu's aura of despair. "Normally, I wouldn't hand out Pokémon to someone this late, but you seem genuinely remorseful, so I'll make an exception—WAH! Is that your SOUL leaking out of your mouth?! Swallow it back down, quick!"

After some chaotic flailing, Yuu followed the professor to a machine with four Poké Balls placed on top. Three were labeled "Charmander," "Bulbasaur," and "Squirtle."

"..." Yuu's memory wasn't that bad. He stepped forward calmly and opened all four balls one by one—all empty.

"Well, as you can see," Professor Oak shrugged at the empty balls, "you're too late. The three starter Pokémon suited for new trainers have already been taken. Picking a Pokémon is like catching a train—one second late and—"

"It's fine..." Yuu's smile was hollow. "Just give me anything... even a Magikarp..."

"Uh, a Magikarp is a bit much for a beginner..." A drop of sweat slid down Professor Oak's forehead. "It's just bad timing with so many new trainers showing up at once. Normally, we'd have—"

"Heh... hehehe..."

"...Alright, fine." Yuu's unsettling grin made the professor's heart race. Gritting his teeth, he rushed to an ATM-looking machine by the wall, fiddled with it, then returned with a Poké Ball marked with a purple symbol. "A friend sent this over recently. I've only gathered the most basic data on it... Just take this one!"

YES! SCORE! Yuu's heart was doing backflips.

Truth be told, Yuu had already snapped out of his depressive slump the moment he reached the lab's doorstep. The whole "on the verge of death" act was a spur-of-the-moment ploy to milk sympathy. And once he realized Professor Oak was completely defenseless against his pitiful act, Yuu doubled down on the performance. Now, judging by the results, his decision was clearly genius—this ball's packaging alone screamed "special loot inside!"

What kind of Pokémon could it be? Maybe Mewtwo? Yuu accepted the ball with a straight face while internally cackling like a maniac (as if they'd just hand you a Mewtwo...).

"Well, I'm not sure if this Pokémon is right for you... But go ahead and let it out first," Professor Oak suggested.

"Right..." Yuu pressed the button, and a blinding white light erupted from the ball—

Then nothing happened.

"...Huh?" Yuu's eyes widened as a chill ran down his spine. What the hell? Even if it's not Mewtwo, shouldn't something come out? Is there some new invisible Pokémon I don't know about? Some kind of "Stealth Ghost" species?!

"Uh..." Professor Oak hesitantly pointed behind him. "It's... behind you."

"Oh..." Yuu turned around.

Fog.

A thick, swirling mass of purple-gray mist, dense with an aura of ice and dread, filled his vision. At its center floated a grotesque, oversized black-and-purple skull—easily twice the size of a normal human head. Its jagged maw stretched wide, revealing rows of uneven, razor-sharp fangs. The skull hovered right in front of Yuu's face, its hollow eye sockets rotating with eerie, ghostly white pupils that locked directly onto his soul...

"..." Yuu stared.

"Kekekekeke..." The skull let out a bone-chilling laugh.

"..." Yuu's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed like a felled tree.

Girl— ahem, boy down.

"Ugh..." Yuu slowly opened his eyes. "How cliché... but I seriously don't recognize this ceiling..."

"Awake now, Yuu?" Professor Oak's voice came from nearby. "I figured you'd be startled, but I didn't expect you to faint from your own Pokémon."

"My Pokémon?" Yuu's memory rebooted, and he shot upright. "You mean that thing was my—"

Sitting up brought him face-to-face—or rather, nose-to-nostril—with the floating purple skull, now hovering right above him.

"This Pokémon is called Gastly. A rare Ghost-type," Professor Oak's voice sounded distant, as if echoing from another dimension. "Though it seems... really taken with you."

"Kekekeke..."

"Guh..."

"Kekeke..."

"Guh-uh..."

"Ke...?"

"GHOOOOOST!!!!!!" A familiar scream once again echoed through the skies of Pallet Town.

————————————————

The afternoon sky over Pallet Town darkened. Storm clouds gathered in the distance, flickering with occasional lightning. In front of the dimly lit lab, two figures stood—one tall, one short.

"Here's your Pokédex and Poké Balls..."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"The Pokédex also serves as your ID. Don't lose it..."

"Got it!"

"Are you... sure you're okay? You can keep your Pokémon inside the ball..."

"No problemo! All good!"

Despite the cheerful response, Professor Oak eyed the boy with concern. Yuu was smiling, yes—but it was the kind of smile that made people wonder, "Has this kid's sanity already shattered?"

"Kekekeke..." The sinister, mist-wreathed skull of Gastly floated just behind Yuu's shoulder like some kind of vengeful spirit (or just a really clingy ghost).

Watching Yuu's pale face, twitching lips, and dead-fish eyes, Professor Oak couldn't help but question—was giving him this Pokémon really the right call?

Noticing the professor's hesitation, Gastly promptly extended its pitch-black, forked tongue and "affectionately" licked Yuu's head.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—

Yuu visibly convulsed from head to toe before freezing in place—lick-induced paralysis had activated.

Professor Oak tilted his head. "Well, they seem to get along great. Should be fine..."

...

Side Quest: First Pokémon — Complete!

Reward: All stats +1, Immortality Lv.1 unlocked.

Undying Lv.1: You won't die from Pokémon attacks. A must-have for any trainer!

New Side Quest: Protagonist Aura

Raise your starter Pokémon's friendship to max!

Reward: +1 free stat point; choose the species of the next wild Pokémon you encounter!

System Remark: Go forth, young— ahem, boy! The system would never screw you over!

...Probably.