Beast Summoner World: The Poké-System Awakens

Sweat beaded on Kenji's forehead, even though the air conditioning was blasting in the small studio. For Kenji, the temperature was irrelevant. The tension of the final battle had him on the verge of a nervous breakdown. His fingers drummed across the keyboard with a surgeon's precision, while his eyes, fueled by caffeine and adrenaline, remained glued to the screen.

"Come on, Pikachu, Thunderbolt with all you've got!" Kenji yelled, his voice echoing in the microphone. On the screen, his faithful digital companion, a Level 100 Pikachu, unleashed a torrent of electricity at the opposing Charizard, whose HP was dropping at an alarming rate.

Kenji was your average YouTuber, known in the gaming community as "K-Master." He wasn't famous or a millionaire, but his Pokémon livestreams were followed by a loyal audience who appreciated his charisma and his ability to get the most out of every creature. Fortnite and Minecraft also got him views, but Pokémon was his passion, his first love.

"No way! I've got it, I've got it!" Kenji exclaimed as the Charizard fell in defeat. The screen lit up with victory, and the chat exploded with congratulations. "Yes! We've conquered the Kanto Pokémon League, once again!"

With a triumphant grin, Kenji leaned back in his chair, stretching his stiff muscles. The stream had lasted four hours, but the adrenaline kept him wired. He cracked open a soda and took a long swig, feeling the sweet liquid bubble in his throat.

"Thanks, everyone, for joining me, you're the best! See you in the next stream!" Kenji said, hitting the button to end the broadcast. The screen went dark, plunging the studio into sudden dimness.

Just as he was relaxing, he noticed a strange buzzing in the air. At first, he thought it was a glitch in the sound system, but the noise grew louder, more insistent. He looked around, searching for the source of the sound, until he found it: a small, bluish spark dancing on the power cord of his computer.

"What the hell...?" Kenji muttered, frowning. Before he could react, the spark grew, expanded, and an electrical surge coursed through the entire studio. Kenji screamed, feeling a sharp pain that paralyzed his body. His muscles tensed, his vision blurred, and the last thing he saw was his computer screen, now distorted by static.

Then, darkness.

Kenji opened his eyes, feeling a throbbing pain in his head. He blinked several times, trying to focus his vision. He was lying in a crib, surrounded by padded walls and colorful toys.

"Where am I?" he thought, his mind confused. He tried to sit up, but his limbs were weak, clumsy. He discovered, with horror, that his body was that of a baby.

"What's going on?!" he shouted, but only managed to emit an infantile babble.

A kind-looking woman, her hair pulled back in a bun and a warm smile on her face, approached the crib. "Oh, look, you're awake!" she said in a sweet voice. She lifted him into her arms and cradled him against her chest. "You're the most beautiful baby in the world, Kenji."

Kenji... That was his name. But how was it possible that he was in a baby's body? Had it all been a dream? A hallucination caused by the electrical shock?

The days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months. Kenji, or rather, the baby Kenji, grew and learned to crawl, to talk, to interact with the world around him. His parents, kind and loving people, adored him. Their house, though modest, was cozy and familiar. Everything seemed normal, too normal.

However, there was something that didn't fit. Something that made this world feel different.

One day, while playing in the garden, he overheard a conversation between his parents. They were talking about the "invocation" that all children had to perform when they turned ten.

"Do you think Kenji will have good potential?" his mother asked, with a concerned tone.

"I hope so," his father replied. "It would be a huge disappointment if he couldn't summon a decent beast. You know how this world is, without a strong invocation, you're nobody."

Kenji frowned. Invocation? Beasts? What were they talking about?

Over time, Kenji discovered the truth. This world wasn't the Earth he knew. It was a place where humans coexisted with fantastical creatures, powerful beings that could be summoned and used in battles. A place where social status depended on the strength of your invocation.

And it all went back to the End War.

According to the stories he heard, many years ago, a portal had opened between this world and another, one inhabited by wild beasts and monsters. The war was devastating, but in the end, the humans managed to seal the portal, but not before acquiring the ability to summon the beasts from the other world.

Since then, every person was born with the potential to summon one or more beasts, and the quality of these determined their future. The strongest became Beast Warriors, elite fighters who protected the cities and competed in tournaments. The weak settled for humble jobs and a life without glory.

Kenji then understood the magnitude of his situation. He had reincarnated into a world where strength was everything, a world where magic and fantasy were real. And worst of all, he, a simple YouTuber with a passion for Pokémon, had no idea how to survive.

On the day of his tenth birthday, Kenji woke up with a knot in his stomach. Today was the day of the invocation test. The day his fate would be determined.

His parents accompanied him to the invocation center, an imposing building with laboratories and testing rooms. Kenji felt intimidated by the seriousness of the place, by the expectant looks of the scientists and government officials.

They put him through a series of tests, measuring his magical energy, analyzing his DNA, scanning his brain. Kenji felt like a guinea pig, a scientific experiment.

Finally, the moment of truth arrived. They took him to a room with an altar in the center. They told him to close his eyes, to concentrate on his inner self, and to visualize the beast he wanted to invoke.

Kenji obeyed, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. He tried to concentrate, but his mind was blank. He felt nothing, saw nothing.

Minutes passed, and the tension in the room increased. The scientists exchanged worried glances. Kenji's parents bit their nails, nervous.

Suddenly, one of the scientists exclaimed, "No response! No traces of invocation energy!"

Silence fell over the room. Kenji opened his eyes, confused.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

The scientist sighed. "I'm sorry, kid. It seems you don't have the ability to summon beasts. Your potential is... nonexistent."

The news landed like a bucket of ice water. Kenji felt the world collapsing around him. He was useless, a failure. He had no future in this world.

His parents approached him, their faces distraught. They tried to comfort him, but their words sounded empty, meaningless.

"I'm sorry, son," his father said, his voice trembling. "We did everything we could."

Kenji said nothing. He simply followed his parents out of the invocation center, his gaze fixed on the ground.

That night, as he lay in his bed, feeling miserable and desperate, a bright light illuminated his room. Kenji was startled and sat up, looking around.

In front of him, floating in the air, appeared a bluish screen, filled with strange icons and symbols.

[Pokémon System Activated]

Kenji blinked, in disbelief. What was that thing? A hallucination? A dream?

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind.

"Hello, Trainer! Welcome to the world of Pokémon! Get ready for an unforgettable adventure!"