Chapter 002: "Mega Trainer System"
"Since I've taken over your body in this rebirth, from this moment on, there is no longer Xiao Zhi in this world only Ash Ketchum."
"I will fulfill the dream you never could in the original timeline becoming a true Pokémon Master. And I swear to treat her as if she were my own mother."
As he looked at the woman embracing him tightly—Delia Ketchum, with her warm eyes and strawberry-scented hair Ash (as Xiao Zhi now called himself) made a silent vow in his heart.
Oddly enough, after making that vow, Ash felt a strange sense of release.
It was as if this body—once home to a different soul—and this world, the Pokémon world he'd admired from afar, had now formally accepted him. Like the static from reality had smoothed out, and the world's "Will" had acknowledged his presence.
"Wait... Aside from calling Delia 'Mom' just now, didn't I also hear something else?" Ash frowned slightly, recalling a robotic voice that echoed faintly in his mind earlier.
"A system...?"
He whispered softly in his heart.
[Ding! "Mega Trainer System" activated. Initializing modules…]
[Quick Upgrade Module – Loading Complete]
[Skill Duplication Module – Loading Complete]
[Move Proficiency Module – Loading Complete]
...
...
[Warning: System integrity critical. "Mission System" module failed to load!]
[Warning: System severely damaged. "System Mall" module failed to load!]
[Warning: System severely damaged. "Roulette Lucky Draw" module failed to load!]
...
...
"So I wasn't imagining it—there is a system!" The voice confirmed what Ash had begun to suspect, and excitement surged in his chest.
In his past life, he had followed the Pokémon Adventures manga religiously—where the stakes were real, battles were intense, and characters like Red, Green (Gary Oak), Blue (Leaf), and Yellow fought for their lives. No plot armor. No perpetual resets. Just growth, risk, and evolution.
Ash chuckled wryly. "The Ash in the anime… was forever ten years old, emotionally dense, always starting over with only Pikachu, and even lost unfairly in the Kalos League despite everything."
But now, with his Mega Trainer System, he could avoid the endless resets, the frustrating losses, the forgotten companions.
This time—he would win.
Still, he knew there was a difference between theoretical knowledge and living, breathing Pokémon battles. The smell of burned soil after a Flamethrower, the heat of a Fire Blast, the strain in a Pokémon's cry—none of that existed in games or manga panels.
Now, it was real.
And while his understanding of types, moves, stats, and strategies gave him an edge, Ash knew full well this wasn't going to be easy.
"But with this system... I might just have a real shot."
He smiled, but the flicker of hope dimmed quickly.
"Wait... What's with the 'system severely damaged' error?"
Frowning, Ash quickly accessed the system's interface in his mind. As he explored, he discovered the full extent of the damage.
Apparently, during the interdimensional transfer of his soul into this world, the Will of the Pokémon World—perhaps a defense mechanism from Arceus or the natural balance of this universe—had lashed out at the foreign energy entering the realm. The system had expended nearly all its energy shielding Ash's soul, leaving it critically compromised.
As a result, all advanced modules like the [Mission System], [Mall], and [Roulette] had failed to load. Permanently.
Only three foundational features remained intact:
1. Quick Upgrade Module – After defeating rival trainers or wild Pokémon, Ash could absorb their experience as mist, speeding up his team's level progression.
2. Skill Duplication Module – Through physical contact, his Pokémon could copy specific moves used by others, akin to the move Sketch, but under his control.
3. Proficiency Module – Move mastery was now quantifiable, letting him track progress from basic use to expert-level execution, much like how Blue trained his Machamp to precisely control Seismic Toss in the manga.
These might have seemed basic to a bystander, but Ash could already imagine the possibilities.
No quests? No shopping for rare Mega Stones or evolution items? No lottery rewards? That sucked.
But he wasn't here to win through shortcuts.
Just these three functions, paired with his prior-world knowledge of Pokémon mechanics and the manga's hidden lore, were more than enough to change everything.
"With time and careful training... this system will let me bypass the bottlenecks every trainer hits. I might not have a system store or spin-the-wheel bonuses... but I have certainty."
He clenched his fists. "As long as I don't die again, I will become the strongest Pokémon Trainer in the world."
That dream, however, would have to wait.
In the Pokémon manga, ten was the legal minimum age for officially receiving a starter Pokémon and a Pokédex—Red received his when he was 10, setting off on his journey from Pallet Town after a showdown with Mew.
Ash's current body, however, was just six.
"Four more years..." he muttered in frustration, staring up at the pale ceiling of the Viridian City Pokémon Center.
He sighed.
Suddenly, Delia—his new mother—gently pulled back from the hug, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear and smiling warmly.
"Ash, you should rest for now. Mommy's just going to pay the hospital bill, alright?"
In his last life, Ash had been orphaned, never knowing parental warmth. That simple word—Mom—had caught in his throat earlier, but now it rolled out naturally.
The warmth in Delia's eyes... the way she tucked his blanket, the concern in her tone—it was all real.
He no longer felt awkward.
After all, the memories of the original Ash were inside him too. His bond with Delia, her cooking, her kindness, her tears when he was hurt—they were all part of him now.
"Mom... I'm fine now. I don't want to stay here. I want to go home," Ash said, his voice casual, childlike—perfectly in character.
Delia raised an eyebrow but smiled knowingly. "You naughty little Mankey… Falling into the river and scaring Mommy like that."
She poked his forehead gently.
"Even though Nurse Joy said you're out of danger, you still need to stay for two more days under observation."
"But," she added with a playful wink, holding up one finger, "if you behave and don't sneak off, I'll sign you up for Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp this weekend. It's for kids your age."
Ash's eyes lit up.
The Pokémon Summer Camp, he recalled, was the first time in the manga that Ash met both Gary and Serena. Though the timeline varied slightly between adaptations, it was a key moment that inspired many children to pursue the path of a Pokémon Trainer.
And now, he'd be there not just as a participant, but as someone with an edge.
With a second chance.
...…