"Congratulations."
The pink, hippo-like Pokémon with a massive spiral shell on its head clapped its hands.
"Congratulations~"
The adorably cute blue sea lion raised both flippers and clapped enthusiastically as well.
Standing between the pink hippo and the blue sea lion, the Pokémon with green hair lowered her head shyly, her pale face tinged with a faint blush.
"…I'll go get a Poké Ball."
Whether she could not handle the praise from her friends and mentor, or simply could not wait to begin a brand-new life, the Pokémon left behind those words and vanished in a flash of purple light.
Watching Kirlia disappear, Luke could not help but let out a quiet sigh.
In the end, he had agreed to Kirlia's request.
Putting aside for the moment whether wanting someone's body was shameless or not, becoming Kirlia's human at least allowed Luke to learn some basic information about this world.
To put it simply, this was a world where civilization had been built by Pokémon, and it consisted of only one region.
Kanto.
"Clown~"
A small hand wearing a white glove entered Luke's field of view. Following the arm upward, he saw a smiling girl with clown makeup on her face gently waving at him.
"Clown."
The clown girl standing in front of Luke closed her hand, and a small purple flower appeared at her fingertips. Seeing Luke remain still, she smiled and pushed the flower toward him again.
"…Thank you?"
Luke could not understand her words, but her intent was clear enough. He reached out and accepted the familiar-looking flower, gently pinching the petals to confirm that it was not a real plant.
"Oh my, today's clown seems especially happy."
From over ten meters away, Slowking watched the interaction between its human and Luke with its hands clasped behind its back, wearing a kindly smile.
"Hm, could it be because this human is also a rare human?"
Primarina tilted her head as she stared at the chrysanthemum in Luke's hand, trying hard to figure out why the clown, who usually showed little interest in other humans, was so cheerful today.
Because neither Pokémon bothered to lower their voices, Luke heard every word while holding the purple flower. Shifting his attention back to the girl silently performing mime in front of him, he once again felt the unsettling role reversal between humans and Pokémon in this world.
Just as Pokémon in their own world were defined by base stats, humans here were also divided into two categories: common-type and rare-type.
Common-type humans were no different from ordinary humans, except that their intelligence was slightly lacking. At best, they were comparable to cats or dogs in Luke's original world.
"Some Pokémon believe strength is the only criterion that separates common-type humans from rare-type ones. But in my opinion, the true difference lies in intelligence."
Recalling Slowking pointing at the Shellder-mutated crown on her head while explaining this earlier, Luke looked at the mime girl before him. Aside from being unable to speak, she really was no different from a normal human.
Just as the two Pokémon smiled at the interaction between the two humans, Kirlia reappeared in a flash of light. This time, she was holding a red-and-white ball.
Ah… a Poké Ball.
Staring at the sphere in Kirlia's hands, Luke could not help but sigh inwardly. He had fantasized about throwing Poké Balls and catching Pokémon since childhood, but no amount of imagination could have prepared him for this.
The first real Poké Ball he ever saw was meant to capture him.
Sensing everyone's attention, Kirlia tightened her grip on the Poké Ball. Her gaze drifted nervously around the room until she met the encouraging looks of her friend and mentor.
Slowking and Primarina said nothing. Having already returned the mime girl to her own ball, they offered silent support in their own ways, giving Kirlia the strength to take the next step.
"…Um! I'm throwing it now!"
Kirlia's voice was far louder than when they first met, like a fresh graduate attending her first interview. Seeing how tense she was, Luke nodded at her in response.
If he could, Luke would have liked to give a polite workplace smile to reassure a nervous newcomer. Unfortunately, as a human about to be stuffed into a Poké Ball, not shaking was already the last shred of dignity he could muster.
Completely unaware of Luke's internal panic, Kirlia gathered her courage and threw the Poké Ball toward him. At the same time, Luke closed his eyes, lacking the courage to watch himself get captured.
For a moment, everything seemed to slow down.
In that instant, Luke thought of many things. The internal structure of a Poké Ball. Whether he would be compressed into a tiny space like in the manga, or given a personal room like in the anime. And then…
Thonk!!
The sound of an object colliding with a forehead echoed through the white room.
Pain snapped Luke's eyes open before he could even raise a hand to his head. He saw a ball bounce off his forehead and roll across the floor.
...
...
"P-Professor Slowking?!"
Staring at the Poké Ball on the ground, Kirlia whipped her head around. Though she tried to keep her voice steady, it still trembled with tears.
"Calm down! I checked. This human has definitely never been captured by any Pokémon!"
Faced with the heartbroken Kirlia, Slowking felt two heads were not enough for the mess at hand. Still, as a reliable elder, she quickly thought of a solution.
"Don't panic. This human is even rarer than a normal rare-type. A standard Poké Ball might not be able to trigger the capture protocol!"
As she spoke, Slowking pulled open a nearby drawer and took out a blue-and-white ball.
"A Great Ball will definitely work!"
Thunk!
"Then an Ultra Ball!"
Thunk!
"Could it be a Moon Ball?"
Thunk!
"…It's not a Luxury Ball, is it?"
Thunk!
"Timer Ball!"
"Professor Slowking!!!"
Just as Luke was on the verge of being knocked unconscious by the barrage of Poké Balls, Kirlia finally snapped and put an end to the one-sided assault.
A slightly damp, cool sensation touched Luke's swollen forehead. The world was already spinning violently as he forced his eyes open and saw a blue figure holding a large drop of water against his head.
Having taken far too many hits, Luke was surrounded by dizziness and ringing ears. He could no longer speak. Managing only a weak nod toward the blue figure, he closed his eyes again to keep himself from vomiting as the world spun.
A gentle chill spread from his forehead through his body, easing the swelling and pain. Perhaps he had gone too long without proper sleep. As the pain and piercing ringing gradually faded, the drowsiness he had chased away earlier returned.
Not long after, Luke lost consciousness.
The last thing he heard was Kirlia's furious voice, loudly demanding answers.