Pokemon: This Time, Not a Trainer

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He opened his eyes.

The surroundings were eerily quiet.

The pendulum of the old wall clock swung silently.

Naoki sat up abruptly from the bed, his chest heaving as he panted heavily.

What is this place? Naoki instinctively observed his surroundings, his heart filled with confusion and bewilderment.

It was a small wooden cabin.

Against the wall was a single bed, and opposite it was a desk made of natural wood, with a bulky hiking backpack casually placed on it.

On the adjacent wall hung a yellowed calendar, looking quite old. On the other side of the room stood a wooden cabinet, and next to it was a coal stove, along with kitchen utensils like a soup pot and an iron pot.

Staring at this unfamiliar scene, Naoki became even more bewildered.

What's going on?

Shouldn't he be working overtime at the company? Why was he here?

"Ouch... my head hurts!"

His mind suddenly filled with new information, making his head throb.

A flood of memories surged in, and after processing them, Naoki's face showed a look of disbelief.

Did I really transmigrate?

After a brief moment of shock, Naoki slowly began to understand the situation.

He had indeed transmigrated.

Due to five consecutive days of overtime work, he had died from overwork and transmigrated to this world.

This was a world vastly different from Earth.

In addition to humans, there lived another species called "Pokémon." Whether in the sky, sea, or land, Pokémon could be seen in every corner of this world.

"So this is the Pokémon world!" Naoki was somewhat delighted.

While he couldn't claim to be an expert, he had played the games and watched the anime.

In his youth, he had once yearned for the life in this world.

As everyone knew, this place was famous for its relaxed and leisurely lifestyle. Humans could receive their starter Pokémon at the age of ten and travel the world with them.

Since he had transmigrated, could he also travel freely like Ash in the anime?

The thought of escaping the 996 work schedule, mortgage, and car loans, and no longer being a corporate slave, made Naoki feel a surge of excitement.

But he quickly calmed down.

While his ideals were grand, reality was harsh.

The person he had transmigrated into was also named Naoki, from the Paldea region. He had moved to the Hoenn region with his parents in his childhood.

Not long after, his parents passed away due to illness—they had moved to Hoenn to seek treatment.

After their death, the original Naoki sold the property and lived a carefree, unattached life for many years.

Finally, at the age of twenty, he returned to his hometown in the Paldea region, to the ranch left by his grandfather, and ended his life there.

Although this was the Pokémon world, the original Naoki had never captured a Pokémon, as he did not want any attachments.

Recalling these memories, Naoki felt a sense of melancholy and sighed.

"Rumble..."

His empty stomach protested with a growl. Naoki glanced at the time.

2:00 AM

It was two in the morning, and from the current situation, it seemed the original Naoki had not eaten dinner.

Naoki sighed, feeling apologetic, and got out of bed. He opened the original Naoki's backpack according to his memory, found a packet of instant noodles, and started boiling water on the coal stove.

While waiting for the water to boil, Naoki looked around the room. Apart from some basic seasonings, there was nothing else edible. Although this was a ranch, it had been abandoned for years, and the fields were now overgrown with weeds and rocks, leaving no vegetables, fruits, or even eggs.

His mind still held memories of the ranch's prosperous days.

Back then, the ranch was bustling and thriving, with neatly arranged fields growing various crops, and fruit trees heavy with ripe fruits.

The Pokémon house was home to a group of Miltank imported from the Johto region and Wooloo from the Galar region, and rows of beehives were placed on the grass outside the house.

Bewear would gather nectar from outside and bring it to the beehives to make honey, which could be harvested every few days, producing clear, sweet, and golden honey.

Just then, the water boiled.

As Naoki opened the packet of instant noodles and was about to put them in the water, a piece of information suddenly appeared in his mind.

[Instant noodles: Low-quality, basic food with little nutritional value, but popular among field workers and travelers for its convenience. Effects unknown.]

Hmm? This is...

Naoki felt a strange sense of familiarity.

As the noodles softened in the boiling water, Naoki added the seasonings.

He wasn't an expert in cooking, just a bit knowledgeable.

Living alone, he usually prepared his own meals to save money, and over time, he had learned how to cook.

Soon, the noodles were ready.

Without much thought, Naoki ladled them into a bowl and sat down at the desk, ready to eat.

But then, the familiar information reappeared in his mind.

[Over-salted clear broth noodles (D-): Low-grade dish, overly salty, causing it to lose its beneficial effects. It can only fill the stomach, and eating too much can cause thirst. Pokémon who like salty flavors might enjoy it. Rating: Though poor, it won't cause Pokémon to faint.]

Naoki's eyebrows twitched.

Well, well!

He finally remembered where this familiar feeling came from!

Wasn't this the cooking interface from the game [Master Chef] that his company had developed?

It was a trashy game that claimed to be about gourmet food but was actually a pay-to-win scam.

The game was a simulation where the player had a magical ability to create dishes that provided various attributes and buffs to the characters, as well as other strange and wonderful abilities.

The effectiveness of these buffs depended on the quality of the dishes, which were rated from F- to SSS, similar to most trashy games.

The quality of the dishes was influenced by the rarity and quality of the ingredients, as well as the player's cooking skills.

A D- dish was just average, and a worse F- dish could even give debuffs, reducing the characters' stats and causing them to die in battle...

"What's going on?" Naoki was a bit dazed, recalling a web novel he had once read, "Could this be my golden finger (special ability)?"

Naoki looked at the word "Pokémon" in the description, picked up the bowl, and started eating.

As the noodles entered his mouth, a salty taste immediately filled his mouth.

Naoki: "..."

Sure enough, he had added too much salt.

Although he wasn't used to it, it was the only food left in the house.

Naoki forced himself to eat while continuing to study his golden finger (special ability).

In other words, the dishes he cooked could give Pokémon various magical abilities and buffs.

Probably?

(End of Chapter)