When Zhou Yao opened his eyes, glaring sunlight streamed through the leaves and fell across his face. He instinctively raised a hand to shield himself, only to find a device he had never seen before strapped to his wrist: a red-and-white band with a small screen in the middle.
“Is this... a Pokédex?” he murmured. His voice sounded unusually clear in the silent forest.
Memories came rushing back like a tide. Yesterday had been his twenty-fifth birthday. The mysterious package had contained nothing but an unmarked game cartridge. When he inserted it into the game console he hadn’t used in years, blinding white light swallowed everything...
Zhou Yao sprang upright and looked around. Towering ancient trees rose all around him, their trunks wrapped in vines. Rustling came from the bushes, and in the distance he could faintly hear clear birdsong, though it wasn’t like that of any bird he knew. It sounded more like... Pidgey?
“Did I transmigrate?” He pinched his cheek. The pain was real enough to leave no doubt.
Zhou Yao felt around for his belongings. His jeans pocket held a phone with no signal, a wallet whose banknotes would probably be no more than souvenirs in this world, and half a pack of leftover mints. He gave a wry smile and shook his head. At least he wasn’t empty-handed.
The Pokédex suddenly beeped, and a line of text appeared on the screen: “Trainer vital signs detected. System activated. Welcome to the Kanto region. Please proceed to the nearest Pokemon research lab in Pallet Town to register your identity.”
“Pallet Town? The Kanto region?” Zhou Yao’s heart raced as scenes from the cartoons of his childhood flashed through his mind
Looking confused