Reincarnated Into a Pokémon World and Can See Their Hidden Potential?!

Ray stepped through the front gate of his home, a layer of dirt on his clothes and a few small scratches along his arms—but he was smiling. Pidgeotto perched on his shoulder, wings neatly folded, eyes sharp and alive with pride. The battle had pushed them both to their limits, but it had also propelled them forward. Deep Blue aptitude. Level 42. They had overcome the wall together.

"Ray!" his mother cried, rushing toward him from the porch. Her apron still had traces of flour on it.

His father followed quickly, brows furrowed in concern. "What happened? You said you'd stay on the outskirts!"

Ray nodded, raising a hand to calm them. "I did. But... something happened. I ran into the same Mightyena from when I was a kid. The one Arcanine and Dad saved me from."

The air shifted. His father's face turned serious.

"We fought it," Ray continued, looking toward Pidgeotto, who puffed up his chest. "And we won."

His mother pulled him into a tight embrace. "You scared me to death, Ray. But I'm glad you're okay."

His father placed a hand on his shoulder, nodding with pride. "That's not an easy opponent to defeat. You've come far."

Later that night, after dinner and after Ray had told the full story—minus a few specific stat details his parents didn't need to worry about—he climbed to the rooftop of their home, as he often did. The stars were especially bright tonight, a river of light stretching across the sky.

Across the narrow rooftop gap, Kira sat on the roof of her own home, legs swinging lazily. She held a can of juice, sipping with a distant look in her eyes. Machoke was just behind her, sitting calmly, arms crossed. Ray waved, and she smiled.

"Couldn't sleep either?" she called.

Ray shook his head. "Too much on my mind."

She nodded knowingly. "Tomorrow we leave for Celadon."

The words hung in the air like the stars above them.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both staring upward.

"I'm nervous," Kira admitted at last. "Like, stomach-full-of-Rattata nervous."

Ray chuckled. "Same. But... we've trained for this."

"I know," she said, then turned toward him, her eyes more serious. "Still feels unreal. That we're actually doing it. Competing with trainers from all over the region."

Ray lay back on the tiles, arms behind his head. "Do you think we'll make it far?"

"I think you will," she said softly. "You always find a way."

Ray turned to look at her. "You too. You've come so far, Kira. I still remember when Machop was barely holding his own in sparring matches."

"Now he's one of the strongest around," she said with pride, then looked down. "But even so, I want to do more. Be more."

Ray sat up. "We both do."

Then he extended his pinky finger toward her across the rooftop gap. "Let's promise. No matter what happens, we'll meet in the finals."

Kira stared at the gesture for a second, then smiled wide and hooked her pinky with his. "Promise."

They sealed it with a light shake, fingers intertwined by moonlight.

There was a pause.

"Ray…" Kira's voice was softer now. "I'm really glad I met you."

He blinked, caught off guard. "Same here. I don't think I'd be half the trainer I am without you."

"We've pushed each other so much," she whispered. "And I don't want that to stop. Not ever."

Ray smiled. "Then let's keep going. Together."

They stared at each other across the rooftop, not as two children anymore, but as equals walking a shared path toward something far greater than themselves.

Beneath the stars of Glendale, their promise was made.

Tomorrow, the road to Celadon City and the Intermediate Trainer Tournament would begin.