New start, new destination

"So, I'm dead?" 

"Yes, pretty much." 

"Hmm" 

Of course, hearing that you died without even being aware of it beforehand is not the most pleasant news to receive upon waking up. 

"Did you do it? Maybe one of those accidents where someone else was supposed to pass instead of me?" 

"No, I don't really have the ability to directly interfere with independent universes." 

"Haah" 

Normally one should be freaking out hearing that, Lukas tho felt nothing aside from some frustration, surprise and actual curiosity. Looking at the 7 feet (2.13 m) tall being that looks like what can only be described as divine light in the form of a person. 

"What happens next then?" 

"That depends on you." 

"Me? Could you please explain?" 

"Well, normally a soul drifts through the void between worlds while the ambient energy keeps purifying it of it´s memories returning it back to a blank slate..." 

"Wait, I can still remember who I am, what I experienced in my life very well." 

"I was getting there before I was interrupted." 

"Sorry, keep going." 

"Alright, souls that amassed an abundant amount of positive karma in their life will instinctively use this karmic energy to protect their soul from the purification of the void." 

"And what happens then?" 

"Either the karmic energy runs out and the soul gets purified anyway, or it reaches and enters a new universe, thereby getting a chance at true reincarnation." 

"Why did you stop me then?" 

"Your karmic energy is a rare and delicious supplement for someone like me, but being bound by certain rules, I can't just take it from you. For this reason, I want to propose a deal for you, a chance at reincarnation with additional benefits of equal value to your karmic energy." 

"Basically reincarnation with some wishes like those web novels?" 

"Basically yeah" 

Lukas was not really surprised by this relevation, in fact he already suspected something along those lines. So while this entity was still explaining, he was already brainstorming about ideas. 

"How many wishes do I get?" 

"First you get to decide the universe you get transported to, then you will get as many requests as your karmic energy is worth." 

"Alright, let me think for a sec." 

Silently in the void, seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours. Finally, 3 hours later Lukas finally came to a decision. 

"So just to confirm, the world you want to go to is a world of pokemon but bigger than just the existing regions and a bit more "real"? 

"Yes, that's right." 

"Next, you want a mental encyclopedia containing knowledge about the history and research on pokemon from the world you will enter." 

"Yep." 

"Then you also want a pokedex like ability that gives you some information about wild and pokemon caught by others, as well as a detailed description of your own pokemon showing things like their move masteries physical stats and the most efficient ways to train and improve them." 

Seeing Lukas soul bopping up and down seemingly nodding, the entity continued. 

"Finally, you want certain memories of your past life to be altered and the rest of your memories to be protected and slowly unlocked as you grow older, in order to seamlessly integrate into your new life. All remaining value is supposed to go into increasing your talent and luck. Do I have that right?" 

"That's all, yes." 

Mentally going over these requests again, the entity couldn't help but ask. 

"I'm curious, you are not the first person I made this deal with, but most others in your position requested things like systems that allow them to easily reach the peak of their world, "overpowered" abilities or other such things. Why is it that, in comparison, you want such rather "mild" things?" 

Hearing the question, Lukas was momentarily stunned, but quickly composed himself to think about his answer. 

"Challenge, I guess. I'm not arrogant enough to believe that I would definitely become one of the strongest trainers in a real pokemon world just because I have some meta knowledge, the requests I made are for that. Gaining some cheat like abilities on the other hand will probably rob me of much of the satisfaction and accomplishment I will feel if I ever reach the top." 

"Alright if that's what you want, I wish you well in your new life." 

Before Lukas could give a reply, he suddenly felt extremely drowsy. Finally, after losing consciousness his soul got sucked into a wormhole sending him to his destination, his new start. 

… 

Pokemon World(69420), Northern continent, Kanto region, Rowland town 

"Lukas, dear, are you ready yet? Your appointment to get your Trainer ID is in 20 minutes." 

Hearing his mother calling him from downstairs Lukas did one quick last check in the mirror before replying. 

"Yes mom, don't worry I'm ready no need to hurry we have plenty of time to spare, right Riolu?" 

"Riolu!" 

Lukas chuckled, hearing his partner's enthusiastic cry. Glancing back at the mirror, he saw his 16-year-old self with his black hair and gray eyes, standing at about 5´9" tall. Thanks to his basic training he did over the years he lean and fit body. Next to him, standing at about 2´5" was his first and currently only pokemon, Riolu. 

It's not that he didn't want to catch a second or even third pokemon during the last few months, unfortunately with him yet to reach the eligible age to get his official trainer license he is still of the most common Citizen-Rank which only allows the possession of a single pokemon. 

Making his way downstairs, Lukas was met by his mother who similarly to him spotted black hair just longer reaching just past her shoulders. She is holding a bag of Item holding that boasted of a gigantic space to store all kinds of things. 

"Here you go, I triple checked if anything necessary for your journey is there so that you're ready for anything you might face out there." 

"Thanks, mom, I appreciate it." 

"Riolu!" 

Giving her only child his bag and checking if he looks ready, Ms. Emerald saw him out the door, but not without giving final bits of advice. 

"If you ever have to camp out at night, make sure to properly secure your campsite." 

"Yes" 

"Make sure to always stock up on enough food and potions whenever you want to travel to a new settlement." 

"I understand." 

"And most importantly, always make sure that you and your pokemon are safe, also call or text me every day or two if circumstances allow. You got that?" 

"Mom we went through this for weeks already. Believe me, I know what I'm getting into." 

"*sigh* Alright then, good luck have fun and stay safe ok, love you." 

"Love you too mom, bye. Come on Riolu." 

"Rio!" 

So Lukas left his house, jogging straight in the direction of the local poke center. Speaking of which, while he knew the pokemon world he would be sent to would be bigger than the cannon regions, he was still surprised to find out that the regions themselves and not just the world around them significantly increased in size. 

Kanto for example consists of 1 capital city, 8 major cities, 16 cities and dozens of small and large towns and villages in between. Lukas hometown, Rowland Town is a medium-sized town in between Pallet City and Viridian City. 

Dispelling those thoughts, Lukas continued to make his way to the nearest poke center where his appointment for getting his Trainer ID is scheduled to be in a few minutes. 

*ding* 

Upon entering the poke center, Lukas and Riolu made their way directly to the nurse, who from the looks of it isn't a member of the Joy Clan, that is standing behind the counter awaiting customers.