Starting in the Pokemon World as Ash Ketchum
I scratched my head, staring at the glowing choices floating in front of me. Hmm… Since this is my first time, maybe I should pick a relatively safe world to start with?
I’d been debating between a few different anime worlds, but my top pick was the Pokemon universe. I’d loved Pokemon since I was a kid, and there were tons of beautiful female characters. The second candidate was One Piece—I’d watched plenty of parodies and the female cast there was just as stunning. The only downside was that I’d probably have to survive from the very beginning before I could get strong. The third option was Naruto, for pretty much the same reasons as One Piece.
“Hmmm… Yeah! I’ve decided! I’m going with the Pokemon world first!”
Playful World: Will you select the Pokemon universe?
“Yeah! I’m going with Pokemon!”
The moment I answered, a flood of information poured directly into my head.
Playful World: Pokemon universe has been selected.
Please choose the character you will possess.
Ash Ketchum: Protagonist of the Pokemon world. Begins in Pallet Town.
[Special Condition: Has a connection with Serena.]
Satori: Boy in shorts who lives near Pallet Town.
Kim: Unemployed young man living in Littleroot Town in the Hoenn region.
Beomseok: Undefined
[Special Condition: You may choose your own starting location.]
As soon as I picked the Pokemon world for my first trip, a system window popped up asking me to choose one of four characters. I narrowed my eyes.
“Hmm… Ash is the main character, so I already know all his moves…”
“Satori and that Kim guy are definitely out. No way I’m picking either of those two.”
“Beomseok… That’s basically me going in as myself. Looks pretty tough, though…”
I kept weighing my options, including going in as myself, when one name suddenly stood out. Serena. She was one of my favorite heroines among all the Pokemon girls. She already had a huge crush on Ash, right? And Ash himself had insane specs—he was basically a Pokemon wearing human skin. He’d lifted a 999-kilogram Pokemon with both hands in Alola and could walk around with a Pokemon heavier than 49 kilograms balanced on his head back in the Sinnoh saga.
“I’d love to go in as myself… but Ash is just too overpowered…”
If I went in as Beomseok, I’d have zero prior connection with Serena, which would make winning her over way harder. Guess I don’t have a choice.
“Hey. I’ll start as Ash Ketchum!”
Entering the Pokemon world as Ash Ketchum.
Special entry perks will now be granted. Will you accept them?
Perks? What kind of perks would make the system actually ask if I want them?
“Perks? What are they?”
1. You may partially alter the world setting in any way you desire.
2. You may set one woman’s affection toward you to MAX.
3. You may partially rewrite the chosen character’s past. Will you use this perk?
Caution! These perks can only be used in the Pokemon world. They cannot be used in any other Playful World. Please take note.
I mulled over the system’s words. So these perks are Pokemon-exclusive? Altering the setting however I want… What kind of change would benefit me the most?
“Oh! If I tweak it like this, collecting heroines will be a breeze!”
The second an idea hit me, I spoke to the system.
“Can you alter the world so that I have to battle every female trainer with Pokemon, and if I win, I gain the right to decide everything about her—including her rights and ownership?”
The system responded positively right away.
Yes, that is possible. Shall the world be altered with this setting?
“Yes! Make the change with that! And mix in the settings from both the anime and the games.”
Beep… Alteration complete…
For the second perk, please select the woman whose affection you wish to set to MAX.
“The woman I want… Since I have to battle female trainers and I’m starting as Ash… Oh, there’s one perfect candidate.”
The woman who came to mind was none other than Ash’s mom—Yeongja in Korean, Hanako in Japanese. She was the protagonist’s mother, but since she wasn’t my real mom, it should be safe, right?
I told the system the name and details.
“Set the affection of the protagonist Ash Ketchum’s mother, Yeongja, to MAX!”
Beep beep… Yeongja’s affection has been set to MAX.
For the third perk, will you modify the chosen character’s past?
“The past, huh…”
I thought back on Ash’s history. Come to think of it, the heroine from that Pokemon camp episode had been there too. Might as well set up a connection with her while I’m at it.
“Change Ash’s past so that he met Chae Haru at the Pokemon camp.”
Beep… Partial modification to Ash’s past has been applied.
The first meeting with Chae Haru after entry will be altered.
All perks have been used.
Will you now enter the world?
“Send me in.”
Beep… Entering now. We wish you an enjoyable journey in the Pokemon world.
My vision went completely black. The instant everything faded to darkness, someone suddenly started yelling at me.
“Jiwoo! Get up already! Professor Oak is waiting for you!”
A woman’s voice was shouting for me to wake up. When I opened my eyes, I saw Yeongja—Ash’s mom—standing over me, trying to get me out of bed.
“Jiwoo! Hurry up and wake up! I told you Professor Oak is waiting!”
Everything after that was the usual story, so I’ll skip the boring parts. Everyone already knows how it goes anyway.
The moment I got up, I threw on some clothes and dashed toward Professor Oak’s lab. That guy Gary Oak—or as the anime called him, O Baram—had already left the town in a fancy car surrounded by beautiful cheerleaders. He tried to mess with me when he saw me, but since I already knew his personality and the whole story, I just stayed calm. The bored-looking Gary eventually drove off with his squad of beautiful women and cute girls.
Professor Oak scolded me for being so late, then led me inside the lab. Once we were in, he told me to pick a starter Pokemon. I already knew that Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle had all been taken by other trainers.
Just to check, I asked the professor, “By any chance, did a girl named Blue and another girl named Boyeon take some of the starter Pokemon?”
Professor Oak gave me a strange look and replied, “Jiwoo, what are you talking about? Blue and Boyeon are your childhood friends. Just like Gary, they’re basically your older sister and younger sister from the village. Of course they already left town a while ago.”
The professor’s weird stare told me everything. The anime and game worlds had definitely been merged together.
Oh ho! That means the heroines who only appeared in the games will be here too!
I didn’t bother asking to see the three usual starters. Instead, I told Professor Oak I wanted to see whatever Pokemon were still left. He looked shocked and asked if I was really sure. When I nodded, he sighed and pulled out a Monster Ball with a lightning bolt symbol on it from among the ones that had already been claimed. He released the Pokemon inside.
“Pikachu~”