The wind howled. His body felt weightless as it rose into the air—Lucas sensed something was dragging him upward.
After ascending to a certain height, he found himself suspended midair. Then, as the force that had been pulling him vanished, he suddenly plummeted downward!
"Ahhh!"
Lucas jolted upright, gasping for air.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he realized the dream had felt too real—it had scared him enough to soak his back in sweat.
He looked around, intending to call out to his Pokémon. A nightmare like that… it must mean his body was overworked. He figured he probably needed Gardevoir to give him a dose of Healing Wish to recover.
His vision was blurry at first but gradually became clearer.
Blue skies, white clouds, green grass, and fruit-bearing trees… the unfamiliar scene in front of him left him feeling disoriented.
"Where… is this?"
Lucas scanned his surroundings, quickly realizing that this wasn't his Pokémon breeding house.
Just then, a sudden sharp pain struck his head. His mind was flooded with a rush of foreign memories, pouring in all at once like a slideshow flashing by too fast.
Aven Ashwood, sixteen years old, orphaned at a young age and raised by his uncle and aunt.
His uncle was the village chief of Fruitvale Village, located in Aspiration City. The villagers here all made their living by growing berries.
The sudden influx of memories startled Lucas—because they belonged to someone named Aven. Yet everything around him seemed to suggest that he was now Aven!
Did I transmigrate?
Lucas wasn't unfamiliar with the concept. Many novels he'd read had similar transmigration tropes.
Wait a second… this seems like ancient times…
Suddenly, Lucas froze.
He looked down at the rough linen shirt and trousers he was wearing. A vivid memory of medieval European-style buildings in Aspiration City—drawn from Aven's memories—flashed through his mind.
"Hmm? What's that…"
His gaze landed on a tree branch.
There, perched on the not-so-thick branch, was a cherry-like creature with a short stem on top of its head. Two green leaves and a small fruit grew from that stem.
Most bizarrely, the cherry had a pair of sparkling eyes and a tiny mouth. It was currently staring right back at him.
"Cherubi, a Grass-type Pokémon," Lucas murmured softly.
He studied the Cherubi closely, then glanced at the short stem on its head—where the fruit had mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind a clean cut.
The memories flashed again. Cherubi could be eaten.
The sudden realization startled Lucas again. It turned out Cherubi was considered a delicacy favored by the nobles of this world. And they weren't talking about just eating the fruit on its head—they meant eating the whole Cherubi! It was said to have miraculous properties: healing injuries and prolonging life!
That made Lucas think of Farfetch'd—another Pokémon that had long been hunted as food, almost to the point of extinction.
Recalling these details left a sour taste in Lucas Ashwood's mouth. As a Pokémon breeder from the Indigo League of the Pokémon world, his job had always been to care for and nurture Pokémon. The idea of eating them… was something he found hard to accept.
"Big Brother Aven, so you were here!"
A young boy's voice called out from the distance. A ten-year-old ran toward him.
With short brown hair and wearing a linen top that looked like a skirt, the boy approached. Lucas quickly searched Aven's memories and identified him.
His name was Andy, his younger cousin, ten years old. The two had always been close.
But Lucas Ashwood's eyes didn't stay on the boy for long. His attention shifted to the impressive-looking Pokémon behind Andy—a lion-like creature covered in black fur.
"That's Luxray… Uncle Mike's Luxray…" The memory surfaced in Lucas's mind.
In the next instant, his pupils shrank, and his gaze locked onto the black metallic device strapped to Luxray's back.
He'd seen that device before—in the historical museum of Oreburgh City!
"A Beast Gear!"
He whispered the name in his heart.
A thousand years ago, Pokémon were referred to as "Magical Beasts" by humans. There were no Poké Balls back then. Beast Gears were special tools used to control and restrain Pokémon!
Beasts… Lucas frowned. He recalled what the history books had said—humans and Pokémon hadn't always coexisted peacefully.
"Big Brother Aven, what's wrong? Are you still not feeling well?" the boy asked, tugging gently on Lucas's sleeve with concern.
Snapping back to reality, Lucas instinctively patted the little guy's head and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. Just feeling a little tired."
At that moment, he looked up and saw a middle-aged couple walking toward them—it was his uncle and aunt.
"Oh, little Aven, thank goodness we found you!"
The strong, broad-shouldered, brown-haired woman hurried over and pulled Lucas into a warm embrace.
"Sorry to worry you, Auntie Erin," Lucas said, feeling a surge of warmth in his heart. Uncle and Aunt had always treated Aven well.
Andy's father came up as well—this tanned, serious-looking fruit farmer managed a rare smile. "Glad you're okay."
Seeing the worried expressions on their faces, Lucas felt a bit confused. Did something happen in the orchard?
Then, another memory suddenly flashed through his mind.
Aven's uncle had once been an adventurer. During his travels, he had encountered a Petilil.
The leaves on Petilil's head had healing powers, making it a highly valuable and rare Pokémon.
Just half a day ago, Baron Ruize of Aspiration City had suddenly fallen into a coma. Despite consulting every apothecary in town, no one could cure him.
Somehow, word got out that Uncle Mike owned a Petilil. So the Baron's men forced their way into the orchard and took it away.
And the reason? To concoct a mythical medicine said to cure any illness—a universal panacea.
Taking Petilil for that purpose made Lucas's brow tighten. He was starting to understand just how dark and brutal this world could be. This was a feudal society that placed nobles above all else!
"So that's it… it's because of Petilil."
Now that he knew the reason, Lucas's heart grew heavy. Petilil had been like family to them, a cherished companion. Plus, the healing leaves were also the orchard's main source of income.
Losing it would be a huge blow to both Aven and his family.
"From this moment on… I am Aven." Lucas took a deep breath and murmured,
"Which means… the first thing I must do is find a way to rescue Petilil."
(End of Chapter)