1 Chapter 1: Narcissistic Tendencies
"It's getting pretty late, I need to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow! So I'll be signing off now!" I started to recite my outro to finish off my livestream.
"As always It's been fun, I lov-, -hate you all, but please make sure to tune in for tomorrow's stream. Trust me, it'll be like nothing you've ever seen." I finished while leaving an air of mystery with my final words.
Over the course of a few seconds I see dozens of comments zoom by in my chat, so quickly I can barely catch a few.
[Pokemon_Master12: Wait, what's tomorrow?]
[Long_OakWood: @Pokemon_Master12, dante starts his journey dipshit]
[Pokemon_Master12: It's jorney, not "journey", dumbass.]
[Long_OakWood:???]
[Future_Kalos_Queen: Why are you two always fighting?]
[PiplupSupremacy: wait, I thought he would stop streaming when he started his journey?]
[Definitely_Not_Champion_Cynthia: I'm excited for whatever you have in store. I'll be here tomorrow as always. :) ]
[PiplupSupremacy: is he going to be a trainer by day and streamer by night, that's pog, but it sounds exhausting.]
[TutuPrince: (pog emoji face)]
[Everyone's_Mom: Don't push yourself sweetie! It's fine if you take a break from streaming to focus on your passion!]
[FreeThePokemon: you're going on a pokemon journey? I see…, I thought you were different Dante.]
[Dragon_Queen666: @FreeThePokemon, fuck off hippie!]
[Dragon_Queen666 has received a 24-hour ban.]
[Not_Annoying: play Tekken tomorrow plz?]
[Did_you_know_Vaporeon…: you said you'd stream all day, Fraud Dante strikes again!]
I chuckle at the ridiculousness that is my audience before ending the live, saying one final goodbye.
"...aaand, stream over!" I let out a little yelp of victory at yet another successful stream. I collapse into my bed from exhaustion.
After a quick break I decided to freshen up and get ready for bed.
As I leave my designated room for streaming I happen to catch my reflection in one the mirrors hanging on the wall, and so I stop to gawk.
"God, what a handsome bastard." I stared intently at my reflection, and not for the first time wondered how someone so good looking could commit suicide.
I knew the reason of course, for someone like him who had lost his last living relative to a totally preventable illness. Directly after losing the rest of his family too…
It was an extreme 'solution' to be sure, but I can't fault Dante too much, he made a choice I don't agree with but I understand why he did so.
'Oh well, what's done is done.' I thought definitively though not dismissively.
In a way I should be grateful as morbid as it sounds, if he hadn't chosen to give up I might not be here. I wouldn't have been able to take over his body the way I did.
All I could do was move forward and live the life Dante couldn't.
That's right, the reason I've been speaking in such a roundabout third person manner, wasn't because I was undergoing psychosis.
It's because even after being here for a few days I still find it hard to associate with this new identity of mine.
It would be hard enough to believe on its own, that I died in a car accident and was transmigrated into the body of someone else. But factor in the fact that I was transmigrated into a world I thought to be nothing more than a fantasy, maybe I am going through psychosis?
How else would you explain me being reborn into the world of Pokemon of all places.
Personal feelings aside, I should probably get used to assuming the position.
From now on, who I was doesn't matter anymore. I am Dante Cross!
An almost 16 year-old resident of Littleroot Town about to start his very own journey. Although most importantly I am [Dante's_Inferno] a popular Twitch streamer who could even be said to be in the top 100 streamers on the platform.
It really wasn't that hard to rise to my current position, even the fact that I'd get so far in under a year was well within my expectations.
Back in my previous life I worked as editor for many influencers and knew the ins and outs of the profession.
Twitch being a thing even in Pokemon will never not be bizarre to me, but it works in my favor especially with the whole concept of live streaming, and streamers being relatively new.
I had a unique quality that couldn't be found anywhere else, or at least that used to be the case. Copycats and what not.
Though even if I hadn't had all of those advantages, I probably could've become a top streamer just by marketing my handsome appearance.
Thankfully I garnered enough success with my personality that by the time I grew the base of my following, they were there for me and my personality. Whether it be my sense of humor or my skills in whatever games I was playing, they were there for me. They'd stick around even if I stopped showing my face.
Unlike some, -and I hate to perpetuate this stereotype, -female streamers who literally go live and show off their bodies and market their conventional good looks rather than their personality.
My audience was the complete opposite, they tell me on the regular how 'ugly' they think I am.
Anytime a new viewer that happens to be introduced to my channel even attempts to compliment my appearance they immediately get bombarded by the rest of the chat and told they're objectively wrong.
In fact on my official Channel rules written by one of my more candid moderators, one of the rules is not mentioning my appearance.
[Rule IX: Please don't mention Dante's appearance in any capacity. He's really self conscious about how hideous he is.]
The rule of course isn't enforced, and it's very clearly a joke, but nevertheless it's always funny when a new viewer misses the sarcasm/channel humor, and reaches out to me via DM's or some other form of private interaction to reassure me I'm not ugly.
That "Not Cynthia" character in particular makes sure to send me a DM once a day with that same sentiment. Pretty funny honestly.
I guess something like that isn't much of a surprise though, considering my A-Rank face and my S-Rank Charisma anyone would be bewitched by my devilishly good-looks. Am I a complete narcissist… maybe, but those ranks aren't just my own self proclamation, but rather the quantification of some type of AI or higher power.
When I say my looks are A rank, I mean it in the most literal of senses.
'Status.'
— — — — —
[Dante Cross]
[Title: None]
— — — — —
[Regional Trainer Rank: None]
[Worldwide Trainer Rank: None]
[Trainer Class: Bronze]
[Win Rate: 0%]
— — — — —
Strength: D+
Durability: F
Agility: D+
Stamina: F+
Charisma: S
Appearance: A+
Strategy: D
Command: D+
— — — — —
Free Points: 1
— — — — —
I still remember how ecstatic I was when I first learned of this cheat ability of mine. My excitement very quickly simmered upon noticing the extreme limitations on what I initially considered to be a godlike ability.
Sure, at the end of the day it's still a system, it's still a completely broken ability that with enough time should have me leaving any peers of mine in the dust.
But it's not as overpowered as I thought, my system has one very simple purpose, increasing my stats through what are known as free points. I don't level up like a game character, nor am I granted quests.
The only way I obtain free points is when the 'system' decides I've accomplished something of worth.
Easier said than done. Whether the system is some type of AI or a conscious being, either way they certainly have a high criteria for what qualifies as 'worthy'. In my year and a half I've been in this world, I have only been awarded a measly 6 free points.
Though given that all I need is a maximum of 3 points to bump any stats a whole letter grade higher, maybe I shouldn't be complaining.
The way I currently gauge my stats is the following:
F Rank is below average.
D Rank is average.
C Rank is above average.
B Rank is Professional level.
A Rank is World Class.
S Rank is Superhuman.
Believe it or not I haven't even touched my Appearance stat, most of my stat points have all gone into increasing my charisma. I'd use the last remaining point in Charisma as well if it didn't seem to cap at S class.
I don't think it's a waste to spend so much on Charisma, rather I view it as an investment. Higher Charisma means more viewers, more viewers means more channel milestones, which as of now is the only way I've been able to consistently gain free points.
Getting a certain number of concurrent viewers, getting a certain figure of total money donated. That sort of thing.
The reason I brought up my stat screen isn't to simply stare dumbly at my progress like a complete narcissist…, okay, sometimes I do that. But that's besides the point!
I've finally decided where to put my last stat point.
'System, use 1 point on Command.'
[Command: D+ —> C-]
[Stat Points: 1 —> 0]
I've thought long and hard on where to add this final point and I whittled my options down to Stamina and Command.
Command is how well individuals listen to you, how well they follow directions and how well you can lead.
Stamina is self explanatory.
Given my Command is already decent I figured I'd use my last Stat point on Stamina. After all, traveling on foot for miles and miles across an entire country region is a physically taxing endeavor.
But I figured there's no rush, I'm not completing my journey on a time crunch. I'd rather have my Pokemon not only listen to me, but respect me as well. In fact It's probably better if I milk it!
That's right, it's pretty obvious given everything I've laid out. I'm going to be streaming my Pokemon Journey, my gym circuit challenge and finally my rise to Champion of Hoenn!
I still remember how shocked I was that this wasn't already a huge sub-genre of streaming. When I first learned Twitch was a thing I immediately decided I'd binge trainer streams to one day become one myself.
Only to not find anything of the sort. Despite how quickly livestreaming has risen in popularity the only types of livestreams people do are gaming streams, just chatting or story times.
They're mostly done by civilians too, rarely is there a Trainer streamer and if there miraculously is one, it's one that has retired. Most of the time their content isn't even Pokemon related, it's as infuriating as it is exciting.
On one hand it's a bit scary, if there's no content of the sort perhaps it's because it wouldn't do well rather than because no one has thought about it.
But on the other hand, I'm confident my idea can work, there's no way it doesn't. Back home, the Pokemon anime was as successful as it was, following Ash Ketchum's journey, because of personal investment.
We got attached not only to him, but to his bonds, his experiences. We lived his life vicariously through a screen knowing we unfortunately could never do the same.
It's not too different here in Hoenn and I assume the Pokemon world as a whole. Becoming a Pokemon Trainer is far more difficult than either the anime or the game portrayed it out to be.
It's expensive, it's challenging, it's not for everyone. Less than ten percent of the population even have the opportunity to become a pokemon trainer. They first must pass a trainer assessment exam about as hard as the SAT's. Of those that do more than ninety percent quit within their first years as trainers.
Whether it be due to financial strain, lack of motivation. One way or another most trainers end up disillusioned with their one promising adventure.
However, even forced to give up as they were, they still dream, they wish they could've done more, experienced more.
My stream will help them experience more. I'll reach all those hidden areas they never could, I'll defeat the Gym Leaders that so viciously cut them down. They'll picture themselves in my shoes, picturing what could've been.
They'll live vicariously through me the way others did for Ash.
Capitalizing on that fact alongside my already well established channel as a foundation, I refuse to believe this concept wouldn't be a massive hit, day one!
Best of all, It's a completely free market, with as of now, no competitors!
It's quite literally, free f*cking real estate!
With my status updated and my heart alight with nerves of anticipation. I finally lay to rest knowing I had possibly the biggest day of my life tomorrow.
Nothing's going to ruin it, not even May and her stupid bandana or Brandon with his ugly face.
That does beg the question, I can't believe I haven't given this any though, I honestly should've questioned this sooner.
'Which starter should I choose?' That was my final thought before succumbing to my slumber and the sweet relief of silence.
— — — — —
[A/N: Well there's the first chapter, hope you enjoyed it, if you did please comment. I live for validation.
Anyways, sorry for the amount of exposition, I wanted to get it out of the way and I hate long winded prologues. Or worse I hate the meeting god and gaining X wishes, to explain the premise of the fic.
I'd rather already start with a preestablished setting and explain it away, like I did here. That being said, I was gonna hold off on the system until Chapter 2, but I figured I'd put it out there for those that don't like System/Gamer elements in their fanfiction(even though I tagged everything). I tried not to make his cheat too overpowered but if it still is, oh well. It's wish fulfillment for a reason.]
