Help! I Was Just a Normal Guy Until Arceus Yeeted Me Into a Pokémon World, Gave Me No Skills, and Now I Have to Survive Using Only My Gamer Instincts as a Level 1 Charmander Accidentally on the Path to Becoming the Most OP Pokémon in the Multiverse (Also, Why Do So Many Pokémon Like Me?)

Chapter 2

Bro. Bro. BRO.

I literally just got back from punching one (1) feral Paras and suddenly the entire Clover Guild is treating me like I just solo’d a raid boss on legendary difficulty with a level 1 starter. I’m still Gropt, the same orange lizard who woke up screaming yesterday, tail flame flickering like a dying lighter, and yet here I am—back at the guild treehouse with a shiny necklace in my claws and three Pokémon girls orbiting me like I’m the final boss of their personal gacha banner.

Vulpix (who I’ve mentally nicknamed “Vulpi-chan” because my brain is 90% weeb now) keeps batting her lashes at me. Roselia is dramatically flipping her petals every time I breathe. And Gardevoir? She’s hovering two inches off the ground, psychic aura sparkling, whispering stuff like “Your soul resonates with destiny… and also my heart rate is doing that thing again.”

I’m just trying to hand the necklace to the merchant NPC (who is apparently a very tired-looking Kecleon) and peace out for some Pinap berry pizza, but no. The guild lobby explodes.

Lliam—the same Meowstic who looks like he’s one bad mission away from writing a LinkedIn post about “quiet quitting the multiverse”—stares at the quest log, then at me, then at the growing crowd of fangirls. “You… cleared Dappled Woods in under ten minutes. Solo. With zero moves learned. And somehow acquired a harem.”

I shrug, tiny Charmander shoulders doing the absolute most. “Gamer instincts, bro. I just mashed the attack button and hoped for the best. YOLO.”

The Togetic in the corner (still sorting berries like it’s his life’s purpose) freezes mid-stack. “Hyper-focused on this new meta,” he mutters. “OP protagonist detected. Must… RANT…”

Cyndaquil pops up from behind a crate, eyes wide and way too enthusiastic. “Dude. The way those girls are looking at you? That’s coomer energy times infinity. Teach me your ways.”

The Ribombee zips past my face, tiny and terrifying. “Efficiency rating: 1000%. I’m stealing your loadout for the next expedition.”

Even the Chespin who hates Ice-types is glaring… but this time it’s at the Gardevoir. “Damn psychics,” he grumbles. “Always stealing the spotlight with their sparkle BS.”

Lliam sighs the sigh of a man who has explained isekai rules to 67 different humans this week. “Fine. Since you’re clearly broken, here’s your next mission. Arceus is… glitching again. Reports of a ‘Mystery Dungeon anomaly’ in the Whispering Ruins. Ancient artifact, possible legendary sighting, the usual. Take your… entourage. Or don’t. I don’t care. Just don’t break the timeline.”
He hands me a parchment that literally sparkles. Like, actual sparkles. I swear I hear a ding and a little “Quest Accepted!” chime in my head.

Before I can even say “wait, I’m still level 2,” the harem activates.
Vulpix: “We’ll protect you, chosen one~”
Roselia: “My petals will bloom only for your victory!”
Gardevoir: “Our hearts are linked by fate… and also this convenient psychic bond I just cast.”
I’m already regretting every life choice that led me to this point, but also low-key living for it.

Smash cut to the Whispering Ruins.

This place is every isekai dungeon trope dialed to eleven. Fog everywhere. Floating crystals that play ominous music. Traps that scream “you’re not supposed to be here, normie.” And right in the middle? A giant stone door with a puzzle that’s basically “press the glowing runes in the order of your favorite anime openings.”

My gamer brain solves it in six seconds flat. Door slides open like it owes me money.

Inside: chaos. A massive boss room. Shadowy tendrils. And the big bad—a corrupted Darkrai that looks like it binge-watched too much edge-lord fanfiction. It’s monologuing about “eternal night” and “devouring the light of hope” when I stroll in, tail flame doing the dramatic flicker thing.
Darkrai turns. “Foolish mortal-turned-Pokémon! You dare challenge—”

I don’t even let it finish. I just feel it. That isekai protagonist power spike. Arceus must’ve hit me with the secret buff while I was napping. My claws glow. I leap. One Scratch later—Scratch, bro, the move literally called Scratch—and the Darkrai staggers like I just hit it with a nuke.

Ding. Ding. DING. Level 15. Moves unlocked: Ember, Flame Charge, and some random “Plot Armor Blast” that I’m pretty sure isn’t even in the dex.

The harem loses it.
Vulpix: “So powerful…!”
Roselia: “My vines quiver with admiration!”
Gardevoir: “I knew our souls were destined to sync like this…”

Even the random wild Pokémon watching from the sidelines start cheering. A passing group of Pikachu form a heart with their cheeks. A Lucario in the back nods respectfully like “this man gets it.”

I one-shot the Darkrai. It explodes into sparkles and drops the artifact—a shiny orb thing that immediately bonds to my chest like a magical girl transformation item. Suddenly I can feel every timeline or whatever. Arceus voice in my head: “You’re doing great, kid. Keep it up. Also, sorry about the Charmander thing—budget cuts.”

I walk out of the ruins like I just beat the final boss of the game on my first playthrough. The ruins? Cleared. The anomaly? Fixed. My harem? Now officially four deep because a shiny Umbreon appeared out of nowhere, tail swishing, purring something about “shadows and light uniting in one fiery soul.”

Back at the Clover Guild, it’s pandemonium.

Lliam is pinching the bridge of his nose so hard I worry he’ll evolve into Meowstic Prime. “You were gone for forty-three minutes. The ruins are supposed to take a week. The artifact is… glowing in your chest. And you have four girls now.”

The Zangoose and Seviper stop making out to mutter “new meta broken, speedrun strats incoming.”

The Linoone mailman zooms past yelling “Urgent delivery: one (1) extremely confused Charmander is now the guild’s S-tier carry!”

I just stand there, orange, tiny, and somehow the most OP thing in Capim Town. “So… next mission?” I ask, trying not to sound too excited.

Lliam hands me another parchment. This one has Arceus’s literal signature on it. “Yeah. Something about a tournament arc next week. Whole multiverse is watching. Try not to collect the entire female cast before then.”

I grin, tail flame flaring bright enough to light up the whole guildhall. “No promises, bro.”

The definitely female Sylveon from yesterday winks at me from across the room. “Room for one more in that harem, cutie?”

This is gonna be a long, long, ridiculously overpowered adventure.

Send help. Or more harem members. Either works.