A world known for its peace, a world where humans and nature live in harmony—although it isn't free from the presence of evildoers, at its core it lacks the viciousness and cruelty seen in other worlds.
"The air here is even fresher than in the Dragon Ball world. It's completely untouched by modern technological pollution—not even the primeval forests of the Hunter x Hunter world can compare."
Walking slowly to a nearby stream, he knelt down and scooped a bit of water into his palm, bringing it to his lips and drinking it sip by sip.
"The water is sweet—truly, genuinely sweet."
Yamcha swore it was the best stream water he had ever tasted.
At that moment, a black head surfaced downstream. The creature resembled a tadpole, but was several times larger. It had a big round head and eyes, and half of its body was submerged in the stream as it curiously observed Yamcha.
Poliwag, the Tadpole Pokémon. A Water-type with slick, black skin that's thin and wet. Although its skin is so thin that you can see the swirl of its internal organs, it's elastic enough to bounce back even sharp fangs.
Yamcha slightly raised his hand, seemingly wanting to greet the Poliwag. However, startled by the movement, it panicked and quickly dove back into the water with a splash, disappearing from sight.
The world of Pokémon.
Yamcha was currently in the forest near Pallet Town.
"Pallet" represents the pure white of new beginnings—an untainted place, the starting point of everything, where dreams begin.
Closing his eyes slowly, he felt the essence of the forest. It was like a baby falling into a mother's embrace—an indescribable feeling that could only be experienced, not spoken. In that moment, Yamcha felt his heart calm completely.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but when he opened his eyes again, he couldn't help but feel—whether it was just his imagination or not—that his strength had increased considerably.
"What a wonderful place," Yamcha murmured softly, his head lowered in appreciation.
Soft rustling sounds echoed around him. From the stream, the grass, the bushes, and even between the tree branches, countless lives seemed to be hiding and observing.
They were Pokémon—curious yet cautious—peeking out to look at Yamcha with wide eyes.
"Is this… ki?"
Yamcha sensed the presence of those hidden little beings. He murmured uncertainly to himself, then suddenly lifted his head with newfound understanding.
Ki is an invisible, formless energy. It comes from life, from nature. The spiritual energy generated by living beings through breathing and movement—that is ki. Everything in existence has its own unique ki.
Though his sensing ability was still weak, Yamcha could now truly feel it.
Using ki to attack (like the Kamehameha or Spirit Ball) and sensing ki are two entirely different concepts. Ki sensing, though seemingly common, is actually rare in the Dragon Ball world. Most of those who can do it are main characters, which creates the illusion that it's widespread.
For instance, aside from Vegeta, most of Frieza's army and the majority of Saiyans can use ki to attack but can't sense it.
Take Videl during the Buu Saga as another example: Gohan taught her how to use ki to fly, but even after mastering that, she couldn't sense other people's ki. She couldn't gauge the power gap between herself, Goten, Trunks, or even Mr. Satan during the Junior Division of the World Martial Arts Tournament.
At the current point in Earth's timeline, only Kami at the Lookout and the sealed King Piccolo in the ocean depths can fully utilize ki. Master Roshi, Master Shen, and Korin are all slightly inferior in this aspect.
Names like Caterpie, Bellsprout, Rattata, Magikarp, Psyduck, and Poliwag flashed through Yamcha's mind—so familiar, so nostalgic.
There was a time when he wished he could come to this world.
And now that wish had come true—it felt amazing.
"Thank you, everyone. Until we meet again."
In high spirits, Yamcha waved to the Pokémon. Sensing his good intentions, they slowly emerged one by one, watching him leave with curious eyes.
Pallet Town wasn't a prosperous place—more like the countryside of the countryside, and few people would deliberately venture out here.
It was only due to Professor Oak, the renowned Pokémon researcher, living here that Pallet Town gained recognition.
The town was small, and the number of residents was few. Scattered houses stood along the roadside, creating a quiet, picturesque scene.
"If possible, I'd love to buy a house here."
With that thought, Yamcha left Pallet Town.
Even though this was partially a vacation, he still had business to attend to.
If this were a game, before Yamcha could enter the forest, an NPC would probably appear to stop him, warning that going into the wild without a Pokémon is dangerous.
But this was the real world—there were no NPCs—so Yamcha naturally walked into the dense forest.
Most Pokémon are born with a strong sixth sense, so Yamcha wasn't attacked even once as he crossed the woods.
He soon arrived at the nearest city—Viridian City.
Just as humans walk the path of men and ghosts walk the path of spirits, even in this peaceful world, underground black markets still existed. Gold is a universal currency in the Pokémon world (represented in-game as the Nugget item worth 5000 Pokédollars).
So Yamcha easily exchanged some gold for his first pot of money in this world.
The people here were generally simple and trustworthy—no underhanded dealings occurred.
Three days later, Yamcha arrived at Vermilion City's port and boarded the luxurious cruise ship S.S. Anne to travel to another region.
Yamcha was always a goal-oriented person. Even on vacation, he didn't waste time.
In those three days, he squeezed in a trip to Celadon City, where he stocked up on juice, battle items, and specialty perfumes at the department store. He also visited the famous Game Corner arcade.
After spending who knows how much money, Yamcha successfully walked away with the arcade's grand prize.
In the Pokémon world, that prize was naturally a Pokémon—now secured on Yamcha's belt.
In other words, Yamcha now officially had his first Pokémon. In a way, he was already a Pokémon Trainer.
He then took the express train to Goldenrod City, where he bought a large supply of Moomoo Milk, a recovery item second only to Senzu Beans—and delicious too. He also visited the legendary Burned Tower, where Ho-Oh once resided.
The items in this world held truly magical power.
(End of Chapter)