c2: Start the System
That night, Alex quietly stepped outside the house.
"Alright," he whispered to himself.
"Time to see the Pokémon that Grandpa Oak gave me."
With a quiet pop, a red figure emerged from the Poké Ball. Its flame-tipped tail burned steadily in the dim moonlight Charmander, the Fire-type starter from Kanto.
"Char…?"
Charmander tilted its head, its big eyes filled with curiosity as it studied the boy in front of it. Was this human its new Trainer?
"Charmander," Alex said warmly, kneeling down, "let's do our best from now on. We'll grow strong together."
"Char! Char!"
Charmander chirped with excitement, its tail flame flaring up a notch in response to Alex's enthusiasm.
---
Ding!
Host detected with a registered Pokémon. God-Level Lottery System is now officially activated.
"What?! A system?" Alex blinked. "This… this is classic transmigrator stuff!"
Initializing self-introduction.
"This system," Alex muttered, "is it going to explain itself or just drop surprises on me all day?"
This is the God-Level Lottery System. The host can receive lottery tickets by completing tasks. Tasks are issued with various difficulty levels Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Epic, and higher. Each level corresponds to a raffle ticket of the same tier.
"So I just do missions, and I get spins on this… lottery?" Alex muttered.
Correct. Rewards vary based on the host's current world and progression. All prize details are viewable through the system's interface.
As if responding to his thought, a pale blue holographic screen materialized in front of him, floating midair. It displayed a massive roulette wheel with glowing icons and a joystick to its side, like a high-end game interface.
Alex scanned the options: Poké Balls, Pokémon Eggs, Fire, Water, and Leaf Stones plus rarer items like the GA Evolutionary Stones from Pokémon Adventures, used for specific evolution enhancements. Scattered across the board were even silhouettes of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon.
"This is insane," Alex muttered in awe. "Just pulling one strong Pokémon from here, and a Rookie Trainer like me could potentially take on a Gym Leader or even an Elite Four, if I can command it right."
Some icons even resembled Second-Tier and First-Tier Legendaries—the Kantonian trio of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, and Johto's Beasts: Entei, Suicune, and Raikou. Higher up were true powerhouses like Lugia and Rayquaza gods among Pokémon.
---
New notification: Novice Gift Pack detected. Would you like to open it?
"Yes! Open it!" Alex said, eyes gleaming.
Congratulations! The host has received:
Garchomp (Dragon/Ground)
Garchompite (Mega Evolution Stone)
Ultimate Water Stone (Grants unique evolution access to certain Water-types).
"Garchomp?" Alex's voice was nearly a whisper. "That's a pseudo-legendary from the Sinnoh Region… Cynthia's Garchomp in the manga took on entire teams by itself!"
System Space unlocked. All Pokémon obtained via the system can now be stored and managed freely. Host may carry an unrestricted roster within system storage. However, only six Pokémon may be deployed at once for formal battles.
"So I can bypass the usual six-Pokémon limit for storage, but still respect the battle regulations…" Alex nodded. "That's incredibly useful."
"Alright then… Come out, Garchomp!"
With a flash of light, a hulking figure landed beside him with a low growl. Standing nearly 2.3 meters tall, Garchomp's fin-like blades gleamed under the moonlight. Its body radiated sheer dominance.
"Garrrr…"
Charmander, standing nearby, froze in place. The tiny lizard instinctively scurried behind Alex and latched onto his leg, eyes wide in terror.
Alex laughed gently. "It's okay, Charmander. Garchomp's one of us. You'll be teammates, so try to get along."
Garchomp tilted its head and gave a low grunt, nodding slightly.
"Char… char…" Charmander peeked out slowly, still wary but no longer shaking.
"Good," Alex said, resting a hand on each of their heads. "We're a team now."
Charmander gazed up at the towering figure before him. Garchomp's sharp fins and intimidating presence were overwhelming, but to Charmander, they symbolized strength. With such a powerful Pokémon at his side, Charmander felt a surge of pride in his Trainer.
In his small heart, a spark of fierce determination was lit. One day, he vowed silently, I'll be as powerful as Garchomp. The flame at the tip of his tail flared brighter, burning with ambition.
"Alright, Charmander," Alex said with a warm smile. "We're all teammates now. Let's work hard together and get to know each other."
He turned to the Dragon-type. "Garchomp, I'm counting on you, too."
"Garchaaa!" Garchomp roared joyfully in acknowledgment, its voice echoing faintly into the night.
Alex recalled both Pokémon into their Poké Balls. Holding them gently in his hands, he whispered, "Let's aim together—step by step—towards becoming a true Pokémon Master."
Both Poké Balls gave a subtle shake, as if answering him in agreement.
With a deep breath, Alex returned to his bed and lay down. That night, he slept soundly. For the first time in this world, his dreams were still.
---
The next morning, sunlight spilled into the attic room.
"Morning, Alex," Gary greeted as they bumped into each other in the hallway.
"Morning, Gary," Alex replied, stretching. "Where's everyone else?"
"They already headed out to assemble. Today's the official start of the summer camp. Come on, we're late."
The two boys hurried to the summer camp's activity center near the edge of Pallet Town.
Professor Elm, who had arrived as the special guest and lead for this year's camp, was already waiting.
"Alright, campers," Elm announced with a commanding yet friendly tone. "Today's activity is observation-based. You'll be watching Pokémon behavior in a natural environment. You'll remain in the teams assigned yesterday—no wandering off alone, and under no circumstances should anyone enter the deeper sections of the forest. Powerful wild Pokémon live there, and some are extremely territorial."
"Understood!" the group responded in unison.
Alex, however, looked momentarily spaced out. Dangerous wild Pokémon? He glanced at the system interface in his mind and smirked. With Garchomp and Charmander on my team, I'm probably the dangerous one around here.
"Let's go explore already!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.
The western edge of Pallet Town, where the summer camp was held, bordered part of Professor Oak's famous Pokémon Preserve—a vast breeding and study zone featured in both the anime and manga. It was here that many Trainers, including Ash and Gary, had stored their Pokémon in the future.
Seeing it with his own eyes, Alex was amazed by its size and scale. So this is the real Oak Preserve… no wonder Professor Oak has so much data. He's built a paradise for Pokémon research.
As their team reached the outskirts of the forest, they began to spot wild Pokémon—flocks of Pidgey fluttering between trees, a Caterpie inching along a leaf, and even a skittish Nidoran♀ peeking out from a bush.
"Most of the Pokémon here are docile," Gary noted. "Low-level, too. Probably kept that way by Professor Oak to avoid accidents."
Then he turned to Alex, a grin forming on his face.
"Hey, Alex, want to battle?"
"Pokémon battle?" Ash repeated, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "For real? I've only seen them on TV!"
"Keep your voice down," Gary scolded. "Grandpa gave us our starters in secret. If we attract attention, we'll get grounded and lose them."
"Right… Still, man, your grandpa's the best," Ash said with a pout.
"Don't worry, Ash," Alex smiled. "You'll get your Pokémon soon enough."
And not just any Pokémon, Alex thought, eyeing him with a knowing smirk. You'll end up with Pikachu—the one that'll beat Legendaries like Regice and even take on Latios head-on.
"Let's do this!" Gary declared, stepping back to prepare.
"The battle begins," Alex nodded.
"Go, Squirtle!" Gary tossed his Poké Ball.
"Charmander, let's go!"
Squirtle landed with a confident bounce, its shell gleaming. "Squirt!"
"Use Bubble Beam!" Gary ordered.
"Charmander, dodge it and follow up with Scratch!"
"Char!" Charmander swiftly ducked the bubble blast and darted in, claws glowing faintly as they connected with Squirtle's shell, sending it skidding back.
"Now, use Flame Charge!"
Flames flared around Charmander as it surged forward like a comet, striking Squirtle hard. The Water-type flopped backward with spirals in its eyes.
Squirtle was down.
"Victory goes to Alex," Gary said with a sigh.
Alex walked over and gave Gary a pat on the shoulder. "Don't let it get you down. Losing's part of the journey. We both have a long way to go."
Gary nodded, determination returning to his eyes. "Yeah. Next time, I'll win. You'll see."
Ash and Serena approached with wide smiles.
"You were amazing, Alex!" Ash said. "That Flame Charge was epic!"
"Nice one," Serena added. "Your Charmander is super strong."
"Thanks," Alex said modestly. "Let's keep moving. We've got Pokémon to observe."
And with that, the team continued deeper into the preserve, eyes open, hearts racing, and one step closer to the adventure that would change their lives forever.
---