As someone who traveled to a new world, Finn Ray had bad luck. He became a Rattata, a Pokémon near the bottom of the food chain. Even worse, he was born in Viridian Forest, a place often used by new trainers.
This might have been okay. The Pokémon world in cartoons seemed nice. But reality hit hard when his Rattata mother cried and told him the sad story of their Raticate family. Finn realized that happy stories were lies. His life was unsafe.
His father, who he never met, became dinner for an Ekans. His grandfather was eaten by a Fearow.
There were worse stories too, like family members being used by Ariados to feed their young. These stories were too sad to think about.
Survival was not just about hiding from predators. Dealing with humans was also bad. Could he get caught by a trainer? No chance. People saw Rattata as weak Pokémon. Most trainers ignored them.
People knew about Bug Catchers, but not Rat Catchers. Only a very weak trainer would catch a Rattata.
So, any Rattata lucky enough to be caught was seen as a winner in life. They got food and were safer. Finn often heard other Rattata feel this way. He once heard one sing sadly, * Squeak squeak… (I don't have that kind of luck, it would never happen to me…) *
This common feeling of no hope was very different from what Finn did each night. He often stared at the stars. Sometimes he raised his middle claw. The other Rattata thought he was thinking deep thoughts. They called him the Child of Hope, the Rattata with dreams.
But Finn was just trying hard not to cry. Who could understand the pain of a grown man stuck in a tiny Pokémon body? Everyday thoughts about eating or finding love felt very strange when he imagined being with a female Rattata or Raticate.
As a person from another world, fate gave Finn a special power: a system. But this system mostly just chatted and made jokes. It was not very helpful.
"System," Finn often asked, "where are the quests? The gift pack for new players? The shop?"
The system usually answered in a silly way: "Salty Pokémon host, isn't being a lazy Rattata good? When you turn me on, I have to work. Do you think I'll tell you how to turn me on?"
That was the first real talk between the system that called itself friendly and the host Finn who was not happy.
Even when not fully active, the system did a few small things. It showed basic info about Finn and other Pokémon. It also gave him a storage space, ten square meters big.
Finn thought that if he was not so weak, maybe being a happy little Rattata would be okay.
The system showed his current info:
Host Species: Rattata
Level: 4
Potential: Tier 1 Normal (Don't hope too much, you're just a normal little Pokémon.)
Ability: Run Away (You're a smart little Pokémon who knows when to run.)
Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack.
Life in the Pokémon world was not stable. Soon, his Rattata mother found a new mate. This gave Finn a stepfather. He was a strong male Raticate. He already had a family with two female Raticate partners and more than twelve children. Finn's mother became his third partner.
This change brought something new. The new family had a Shiny Rattata. Shiny Pokémon were sometimes not liked because of their strange colors. But this group did not strongly reject Pokémon that looked different. This green Rattata probably had no friends. Its color made the Raticate father think his mate had cheated whenever he saw the green Pokémon.
Other Rattata did not know, but Finn knew. Shiny Pokémon were special and could be strong. Finn saw a chance. It was easy to make this lonely, unloved little Pokémon loyal to him.
The system showed the Shiny Rattata's info:
[Shiny] Rattata
Level: 7
Potential: Tier 1 Elite (Host, he could beat many of you.)
Abilities: Guts, Hustle.
Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Hyper Fang, Focus Energy, Crunch, Dig, Grass Knot, Razor Leaf.
Finn felt a little jealous. * Comparing Pokémon really makes one angry. Hey, how can a Rattata know Grass Knot and Razor Leaf? No wonder your dad doesn't like you. *
Even though he felt jealous, Finn focused on keeping the family peaceful, and on his own goals. He needed Quip's loyalty to activate the system. He knew the green Rattata was lonely and likely felt unwanted because of his unusual color and the father's suspicion. Finn decided to use this. Making Quip loyal became his top priority for the next two days.
On the first day, Finn started by simply approaching Quip when the others ignored him. He found a small, sweet berry, a rare treat. Instead of eating it himself, Finn rolled it carefully over to Quip. The green Rattata flinched, surprised, then sniffed it and quickly ate it, glancing back at Finn with cautious eyes.
Finn didn't push further, just settled down a little distance away, grooming his own fur. He spent most of the day staying relatively close to Quip, offering quiet company.
Later, when a few other young Rattata were playing rough and seemed about to target Quip, Finn purposefully ran between them, squeaking loudly, distracting them just long enough for Quip to slip away unnoticed. Finn earned a nip from one of the others for his trouble, but he saw Quip watching from a safer spot.
* A small price to pay, * Finn thought. * Step one: Show I'm on his side. *
The second day, Finn continued his strategy. He shared the best part of a root he dug up. He tried mimicking some simple grooming gestures towards Quip, who, after some hesitation, allowed Finn to briefly smooth the fur on his back. This was a big step in Rattata social language.
Finn also made a point of admiring Quip's strength. When Quip easily cracked a tough nut with his teeth, possibly using Hyper Fang without thinking, Finn made encouraging squeaks. He tried his best to convey through posture and sounds: * Wow, you are strong! Your teeth are amazing! * This was likely the opposite of the negative attention Quip usually received.
The key moment came when the stepfather Raticate gave Quip a suspicious glare. Other Rattata shuffled away nervously, but Finn moved closer to Quip, standing beside him and looking back at the Raticate without flinching (though his heart pounded). He was showing solidarity. He was choosing to be associated with the green outcast.
For Quip, who had likely known mostly suspicion and loneliness, these actions, small as they were, meant the world. Finn shared food, offered companionship, provided protection (even if minor), and openly admired his strength and unique appearance.
By the end of the second day, Quip clearly saw Finn as different, as an ally, perhaps his first real friend. He started following Finn around closely, looking to him for cues. Finn had successfully gained the lonely Shiny Rattata's complete loyalty. This action caused immediate results with the system.
"Congratulations host for getting a follower! You finished one step to activate the system!" the system said happily. "The Pokémon Training System is now active. Congratulations on getting the newbie gift pack. System Shop II is now open. The newbie gift pack is in your storage space. Open it now?"
"Open, open, yes, open it! My time has finally come..." Finn felt very excited in his small body.
"Congratulations on getting: Everlasting Grindstone, Sharp Claw Covers, Template Lottery Chances x2, Move Lottery Chance x1."
He looked at the items.
Everlasting Grindstone: Special item for the Raticate family. Use it daily to make teeth sharper and increase power of Hyper Fang and Super Fang.
* Brother, I haven't learned those two moves yet! * Finn mumbled internally.
Sharp Claw Covers: Put them on and scratch, scratch, scratch your enemies.
* Scratch your ghost! * Finn thought. * With my small body, running close to fight is asking to die, right? *
Seeing these rewards, Finn wanted to curse the system because they seemed useless. But the lottery chances gave him some hope. "System, start the template lottery." A screen appeared that looked like a capsule machine. It started, and pictures of Pokémon flashed quickly. When pictures of Legendary Pokémon appeared, Finn felt his blood boil with excitement.
The machine kept spinning as Finn continued to watch…
"Are you stupid? Tell me to stop. How long do you want me to spin this?" the system finally complained.
"Stop," Finn ordered.
The machine slowed down. "Ding! Congratulations host for getting the Giratina template..."
Finn's heart jumped. * No way, first try? Is this the start of me becoming a rich and cool Pokémon? * He smiled wide.
"...fragment x1."
The smile disappeared. "...System, you have no friends, right? People must beat you up often, right?" Finn saw the progress bar on the system screen said 1/1500. He wanted to scream.
"Ahem! Host, this teaches a lesson. Be patient. Don't get excited too fast," the system said. It sounded pleased, like it got payback for spinning so long.
"Continue the lottery," Finn growled. If he could bite the system, he would bite it one hundred times.
This time, the result was a Caterpie Tier 2 Leader template. (In this world, Pokémon potential is divided into Normal, Elite, Leader, Pseudo Legendary, Legendary, Creator God. From Normal to Legendary, there are also Tiers 3, 2, and 1. For example, the legendary birds are Tier 3 Legendary templates. Giratina and Mew are Tier 1.)
Finn sighed. The Caterpie template was clearly better than Rattata's. Its final evolution Butterfree was stronger than Raticate.
But there were real problems. His Rattata group lived at the edge of Viridian Forest. As a Caterpie or a Rattata, going alone into the forest was dangerous unless he found other Caterpie. This was the hard truth for Pokémon at the bottom of the food chain.
This world needed many normal insects and animals with short lives to feed the ecosystem. Even strong predators did not usually attack weak Pokémon unless they were alone or in small groups. For example, one Ekans might not attack several grown Raticate working together.
Maybe being reborn as a Rattata made Finn think simpler thoughts. He quickly put aside his sadness and worry. He felt more carefree and used his last move lottery chance.
"Congratulations! Host has drawn the move scroll: Iron Tail."
His mood got bad again when he checked the new System Shop II. It showed five items:
* Special Attack Fruit (Limited to follower use)
* Physical Attack Fruit (Limited to follower use)
* Defense Fruit (Limited to follower use)
* Speed Fruit (Limited to follower use)
* HP Fruit (Limited to follower use)
Also, the shop money, called energy, showed 0. Finn was confused.
Finally, Finn realized something frustrating: the system did not seem made to make him stronger directly. Feeling cheated, he started running around under the sunset. He was chasing the system's lost honesty.
It was not clear if Finn was very smart. But as a human soul reborn as a Rattata, he could think carefully, which made him special.
Since the system could not help him improve himself yet, he decided to improve his follower, Quip.
He located Quip resting near one of the less busy tunnels within their den area. The Shiny Rattata looked up as Finn approached. Finn pushed the smooth, grey Everlasting Grindstone with his nose until it rested directly in front of Quip.
Quip tilted his head, looking at the unfamiliar object. Finn focused, directly explaining its purpose to Quip. He made it clear that the stone was special and that Quip should rub his teeth on it daily. Doing so, Finn explained, would make Quip's teeth significantly sharper and stronger, which would directly boost the power of moves like his Hyper Fang.
Quip listened intently, his green ears twitching. He looked from Finn to the stone and back, then nudged the Grindstone with his nose. He clearly understood Finn's explanation, that this was a tool specifically for his teeth, given to enhance his strength. He picked up the stone carefully, chittering a soft sound of acknowledgement back at Finn before examining his new gift.
* Good, he understood. Hopefully, using this daily will boost that Hyper Fang and make him even more of a threat. *
He gave the Everlasting Grindstone to Quip because Quip knew moves using teeth, like Hyper Fang. Finn put on the Sharp Claw Covers himself and used the Iron Tail move scroll. He first thought about giving Iron Tail to Quip, because Finn liked fighting from far away. Iron Tail was a good close combat move, not what he wanted. But he learned that followers could not learn moves from system scrolls.
So, getting stronger needed personal effort. Finn became harder, well, his tail did. Learning the move made another small story in the Rattata group. That stiff, straight, iron like tail seemed like a sign that the Rattata group might become stronger.
That night, Finn saw some young female Rattata looking at him. They were surely interested. He ignored them. Instead, he saw his stepfather staring hard at him.
"Hey, hey, new Rat-dad," Finn said carefully, "I'm not interested in those female Pokémon. Why are you staring at me tonight?"
Finn realized his stepfather was not looking at him nicely. He was watching him with caution. That night, Finn got special treatment. Even when he went to the waste corner, he had two bodyguards: his loyal follower Quip, and his watchful step Rat-dad.
Finn's strong Iron Tail and his loyal, strange colored friend Quip made the Raticate leader of their small group feel nervous all the time.
Tonight, no Pokémon slept well.