Chapter 18: Rebirth II: I am a Quasi-God Cub
"Mew~ (Did I die? By the way, do I still have consciousness after dying?)"
Ryū didn't know what kind of state he was in right now. Anyway, a second ago his body was extremely weak and in pain, and even breathing was a problem, but a few seconds later, he couldn't feel anything anymore.
'No...'
Ryū frowned, sensing that something was wrong. It wasn't that he couldn't feel anything. He clearly felt that his whole body was cool, as if he was in water. He opened his eyes. What appeared before him was a somewhat dim space, with some fish swimming leisurely in front of him. Some small fish would even actively come up and rub against him. Next to him, he could also see some water plants swaying quietly in the water.
"...?"
Ryū blinked his eyes. He stared blankly as a huge Magikarp, at least 2 meters long, swam past him.
Ryū: "Mew? (Didn't I die?)"
Ryū clearly remembered that he had suffered a fatal injury. But why did he suddenly arrive at the bottom of a lake or the sea as soon as he opened his eyes, and he felt like he could breathe in the water?
"Right, the panel!"
Ryū suddenly remembered his panel and quickly called it out.
[Dratini]
[Potential]: Blue
[Level]: Lv. 1
[Attribute]: Dragon
[Ability]: Shed Skin
[Height]: 1m
[Weight]: 1.5kg
[Skills]: Hone Claws (Inherited), Wrap, Glare
...Dratini?! Me?! I'm a Pseudo-Legendary!
Ryū's expression suddenly changed from confused to excited, and a lot of surprise appeared in his confused mood. The final stage of the Pokémon Dratini is the Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon of the Kanto Region—Dragonite. The Dragon Tamer Clan has worshipped the Dragonite Family for generations. Dratini's appearance looks like a blue snake baby with a white pacifier in its mouth, but in reality, that is not its pacifier, but its nose. Its two big eyes and the two white fins on its head also make Dratini look very cute.
However, he quickly calmed down and realized the problem.
"Could it be that I can reincarnate infinitely?! It seems to be the case for now, but no matter what, this life is simply a golden start!"
Ryū probably understood what his cheat was now. It might be 'Infinite Reincarnation'. The reason he used the word 'might' is because he has only actually reincarnated twice so far. He needs to reincarnate at least 3 more times to be sure of this ability. But no matter what, the start of this life as a Pseudo-Legendary is truly wonderful. He still couldn't forget the despair he felt in his previous life when he learned that he was a Weedle.
"No, no, if I'm still in the Monster Era, then even a Weedle is better."
Suddenly, Ryū's eyes rolled, and he thought of the key issue. Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon are all 'late bloomers', without exception. Even the Dragonite Family, as long as they evolve to the second stage, Dragonair, they will have extremely strong life-saving abilities, but that requires reaching around level 30 to evolve. And Ryū's Beedrill in his previous life lived its whole life and was only level 30, although that life was only less than 2 months. But to evolve into Beedrill, it only needs to reach around level 10. For a Weedle, it can evolve into the third stage Beedrill in 10 days, and by then, with flying ability, it will no longer fear the threat of some Pokémon on the ground, so even if the level is lower, it doesn't matter much.
But before Dratini evolves into Dragonair, it can basically only stay in the water. Although it can survive on land, its movement is extremely inconvenient, not much better than a Weedle. According to the Pokédex description, creatures like Dratini are so pitiful that they have to lurk at the bottom of the water and live quietly, surviving by eating things that sink into the water.
"By the way, who did this Hone Claws skill inherit from? Can the Dragonite Family learn this skill?"
Ryū fell into deep thought as he looked at the inherited Hone Claws skill. He clearly remembered that Dragonite could not master the skill Hone Claws, but this skill did appear in his skill slot.
'Could it be... inherited from my previous life?!'
Ryū was startled by his own thought. If that were the case, then it would mean that the more he reincarnated, the stronger he would become? But even so, he still didn't want to court death frequently. The feeling of being hit by those arrows at the end of his last life was truly painful. He hoped that he could die of old age in this life, and it would be best if he didn't die at all. He had to be cautious.
'Let me see...'
Ryū carefully lay on the bottom of the water, looking up at the swimming Pokémon above. They were basically all Magikarp, with an occasional Goldeen swimming by. After seeing these Pokémon, Ryū probably understood what the current situation was. One good situation, one bad situation. The bad situation was that he should still be in the Monster Era. Because the physiques of these Pokémon were all far beyond the average level recorded in the Pokédex.
The good situation was that he should be in a small lake. Because the types of water-type Pokémon around were very monotonous, and they were all friendly Pokémon like Magikarp and Goldeen that had no sense of territory and were not aggressive. There were not a few small fish, shrimp, water plants, and plankton in this small lake, so there was no lack of food sources. So his living environment was still acceptable.
"That's great. It would be troublesome if there were any dangerous Pokémon. There's nowhere to run in this place."
Ryū breathed a sigh of relief. He tried to move forward but found it difficult. Although both had elongated bodies, Dratini's way of moving forward was completely different from Weedle's. Weedle moved forward by moving its waist up and down on land, while Dratini moved forward by swinging its whole body left and right in the water. This way of moving made Ryū feel a little uncomfortable, but this was only a minor issue.
He struggled to swim for about 5 minutes to reach the edge of the lake and quickly approached the surface of the lake along the wall. He needed to see where this lake was located. If it was located on a plain, it would be more dangerous, but if it was located in a forest, it would be much safer.
Swish~
Ryū poked his head out of the water and looked around. What came into view was a large, seemingly silly face. At this moment, Ryū's breathing stopped. He turned around without a word and was about to dive, but his speed was not as fast as the other party's, and he was scooped up by a hand. That's right, it was a hand. What scooped him up was a rather large Poliwhirl.
"Wow~ (Hello~)"
Just when Ryū thought he was about to be eaten, he suddenly froze. This voice... He looked at the Poliwhirl in front of him. He couldn't figure out anything because he was face blind in the Pokémon world. When Kikō and Suzume appeared in front of him at the same time, he could only distinguish the two by their voices and physiques.
At this time, Ryū heard that the Poliwhirl's voice was a little familiar.
'That Poliwag?! It has already evolved into Poliwhirl.'
Ryū looked left and right but didn't see anything else. Unfortunately, he couldn't determine how long it had been since his death through the Poliwhirl. Because Poliwhirl needs a King's Rock or a Water Stone to evolve. These two conditions are too harsh for wild Pokémon, and they wouldn't know that they need such things to evolve and actively search for them. This Poliwag might have just evolved yesterday, or it might have evolved 70 or 80 years ago.
But no matter what, Ryū could be sure that the timeline he was currently in was not too far from the time of his Beedrill life's death. At least not more than a hundred years. Because beyond this time, he might not be able to see the Poliwhirl anymore. The lifespan of Pokémon is related to their attributes, strength, and species. At least looking at the current individual Poliwhirl, it seems that it cannot live too long.