June 9th, 2016. Summer.
The wind blew gently and was warm. Not a single cloud dotted the blue sky.
Yet Minato, who had been sleeping soundly in bed, suddenly felt a chill wash over him.
"Feels like I forgot something..."
Opening his eyes, Minato stared at the ceiling and rubbed his temples.
That was it.
Today was the university entrance examination. The final day, in fact.
He reached for his phone and checked the time. Minato's eyes went wide. Noon?
"Did the alarm not ring..."
Panic set in as he set the phone down. Minato's heart skipped a beat. This was bad. Just yesterday, he had promised an upperclassman taking the entrance exams that he would cheer her on today. And now... he had overslept?
He had gone to bed early last night. Even without the alarm, he shouldn't have slept until noon.
Minato picked up his phone again, his mood souring as he considered how to apologize to the upperclassman.
But then...
Ding.
At that moment, a message box popped up on the screen.
Upperclassman: "The battle exam this morning went smoothly. The opponent's Pikachu was too weak."
"Ha, sounds like it went well."
Minato started to type congratulations and an apology, but then froze. Something felt off.
Battle exam?
Pikachu?
Aren't you taking university entrance exams? This isn't a Pokémon game.
"I must still be asleep."
Then... a flood of notifications burst onto the screen. News updates from the feed.
The headline of the first article defied belief. Minato scanned it and felt his skin crawl.
Four Professional Trainers Explore West Canyon Special Zone. Encounter Ferocious Ancient Pokémon Aerodactyl. Only One Survivor."
Minato frowned and opened the comments.
"Wait and See": A pterosaur? Dragon? Did they discover a new Dragon-type species?
"Priority Matters": Seems like the West Canyon area is going to get busy. Anyone who captures that Aerodactyl will definitely get famous. But if four Professional Trainers couldn't handle it, that Aerodactyl must be seriously strong.
"Scholarly Stress": What? Another new Pokémon discovered? Strongly oppose. Resist adding new Pokémon data to textbooks.
At that moment, Minato's headache intensified. When Psyduck gets headaches, it awakens psychic powers. When Minato got headaches, he awakened memories.
Minutes later, Minato, who had been writhing in pain, suddenly displayed a complicated expression.
He understood now.
"No wonder. I am still Minato, that hasn't changed..."
"But this world's history..."
Whether it was the Pikachu mentioned by the upperclassman or the Aerodactyl reported in the news, both were real.
A century ago, countless Special Zones appeared worldwide. Investigation teams from every nation discovered that each Special Zone was a new world independent from Earth. There lived various "Monsters." These creatures possessed terrifying power exceeding both cold weapons and firearms.
Years later, the Viridian Forest Special Zone merged with Earth for the first time. Monsters descended upon the planet. Among them were highly aggressive beasts, but also individuals who grew close to humanity.
As more Special Zones merged with Earth's space, the first war between humanity and Monsters erupted. Historians called it the Monster War. This conflict accelerated human technological development while deepening understanding of these creatures.
When the First Monster War ended, an organization called the Pokémon League formed, comprising member nations from across the world. The Pokémon League held leadership over the world. That same year, humanity officially rechristened the Monsters as "Pokémon."
Soon after, the modern Poké Ball used to capture Pokémon was invented by Dr. Roen at Iris University. To defend against the threats posed by Special Zones and to prevent individuals from monopolizing the immense profits these Zones could bring, each nation established Trainer Associations. The profession of Trainer debuted uponhe world stage.
By the twenty-first century, every nation wished to cultivate more Trainers. Their reasons remained top-secret state classified information. Thus, to ensure educational quality and the healthy development of prospective Trainers, the government reformed select high schools, redefining the concept of elite academies. They implemented the Trainer Registration Act at age sixteen, increased the weight of Pokémon-related subjects in examinations, and incorporated Pokémon battles into the university entrance exams.
"It really is Pokémon..."
Minato slapped his cheeks.
To wake up and find the world transformed. The creatures from the Pokémon series fused with reality. Could anything be more absurd?
Minato rushed to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face, trying to process the situation, though his heart continued to race.
Fortunately, he remained a prospective third-year student at Heiwa First Academy. His parents were the same. His address was unchanged. His relationships are intact. The difference was that in this world, Heiwa First Academy was an elite academy. The kind that trained Trainers. Unlike ordinary high schools, the third year at Heiwa focused primarily on Pokémon knowledge. During the summer break before third year, every elite student would obtain their own Pokémon and register as a Trainer.
The difference between ordinary and elite high schools extended beyond curriculum. The greatest distinction was tuition.
Elite academies aimed at cultivating Trainers invested substantial resources into students. The tuition for the third year alone cost 200.000 ₽. This did not even include the registration fee to become a Trainer. Thus, economics served as the barrier preventing most people from becoming Trainers.
Minato would also register as a Trainer this summer, preparing for the upcoming entrance exams.
Lightning, flame, water, and hurricane. The creatures, first called "Monsters" by humanity,y wielded tremendous power. As Trainers, humans captured Pokémon, trained them, battled alongside them, and raised them. An excellent Trainer could maximize a Pokémon's latent potential.
The supernatural power of Pokémon served as the Trainer's own limbs, capable of accomplishing tasks impossible for human strength alone.
This emerging profession had long since become mainstream worldwide. Every industry is connected to it.
However, Minato noticed something strange.
Because of the Special Zones' appearance, this world had never produced the Pokémon series of games. Humanity's catalog of discovered Pokémon species stopped at 702.
This fell far short of the 800-plus species he remembered.
Abilities, moves, tactics, types, and rare treasures. All remained in the exploration phase. Less than a century had proven insufficient for humanity to fully comprehend these creatures. No comprehensive documentation existed.
Smiling wryly, Minato picked up his phone again. He replied to the upperclassman with "Congratulations," and apologized for waking up late.
She truly deserved congratulations. If an elite high school student successfully entered university and worked hard for the next four years, they had excellent prospects of becoming a Professional Trainer. Unlike ordinary Trainers, which anyone with money could register as, a Professional Trainer was both a profession and a social class. With a Professional Trainer license, one could access 95% of public facilities in any nation for free. The benefits were top-tier. This had been Minato's dream as well.