Morning had come again, like it had thousands of other times. Kenka stood at the village gates, wearing a small grey backpack that sagged slightly on his back with the weight of supplies. His eyes, still hazy from sleep, narrowed at the horizon. Stretching his arms above his head and puffing out his chest, he inhaled deeply, the crisp air filling his lungs. A long exhale followed, misting briefly in the cool dawn breeze.
Two Leaf shinobi flanked the entrance, standing with straight backs and arms folded, their expressions unreadable. Further down the path, a few other shinobi gathered, adjusting their weapons and murmuring quietly among themselves. Like Kenka, they were heading for the Land of Waves—reinforcements sent to a brewing conflict that had already claimed lives.
There were no proper teams for this mission. Just scattered individuals—disposable pawns in the eyes of the Hokage. Whether one or two died en route was inconsequential. Reinforcement, not survival, was the goal.
Kenka bent over, planting his hands on his shins as he stretched his hamstrings. The muscles in his legs protested with a dull pull. He grunted. 'It's gonna be a long day of running.' But halfway through the motion, he paused and let out a small chuckle. He straightened up, a smirk creeping across his face. He had the air scooter now. Whether people saw him use it or not didn't matter—he'd just tell them it was a jutsu he created.
That thought reminded him of what had happened the day before. 'I got two uncommon spins yesterday. I should probably use one to see what happens, I'll be able to stock back up on spins when I get to the battlefield, so it won't really matter.'
In a sudden flicker, he disappeared from the path and reappeared deep in the forest nearby. The trees were tall and thick here, the canopy blotting out much of the morning light. Kenka stood still for a moment, then whispered, "I'd like to summon."
Instantly, the familiar blue screen materialized in front of him, floating at eye level like a ghostly tablet of light.
[You have 2 Uncommon Summons Available. Would you like to use one?] the system displayed in white lettering against the soft blue background.
Kenka didn't hesitate. He gave a slight nod and said aloud, "Yes, I'd like to Summon."
The screen flickered, disappearing briefly before returning—this time with a spinning wheel, populated with vague silhouettes. The wheel spun rapidly, clicking with each pass, until it finally slowed… then stopped.
[Summoning Pikachu]
Kenka stared at the words, then slowly dragged a hand down his face, eyes wide with disbelief. "Pikachu.. Are you serious? A rat?! You're giving me a fucking rat?!!" he roared, voice echoing through the forest.
As if on cue, a shape began to form on the ground. A small creature, no more than two feet tall, emerged from the shadows. Its yellow fur glistened under the morning light that managed to filter through the trees. Its long ears perked up as it took in its new surroundings.
"Pika?" Pikachu said, tilting its head, looking around in confusion.
The system screen returned briefly, displaying new information: [Summoning Successful]
[Summoned: Pikachu]
[Drop Rate: 50%]
[Passive Unlocked: +5% Lightning resistance]
The squeaky voice of the yellow rat grated on Kenka's nerves. His face twisted in disgust. Without hesitation, he stormed forward, drew back his leg, and slammed his foot into Pikachu's stomach, punting the creature into the air. Pikachu's body flew backward and collided with a tree, the impact echoing with a thud.
A pained groan escaped Pikachu's mouth. Kenka stood with his hands on his hips, grinning smugly. "Fuck off, Pikachu!" he spat.
"Pika pi.." the creature wheezed, its body trembling, the light slowly fading from its eyes.
Kenka scoffed. 'What could you even drop me that's useful? A pokemon skill? Get real, I don't need this pal.'
The screen popped up again, almost pleading. [Pikachu is dying.. Heal him or he will be sent back to his world.]
Kenka laughed out loud, slapping a hand against his thigh. "Are you sentient or not? I don't need the yellow rat. Fuck him!" he said between bursts of laughter.
Against the tree, Pikachu took one last breath—and then no more.
[Pikachu has died. Returning him to his world…]
Kenka crossed his arms and let out a sigh. "Good riddance. I never needed that thing anyway."
Pikachu's body darkened into a shadowy silhouette before slowly sinking into the earth like it had never been there. As the last of it vanished, the system flashed again.
[Pikachu has successfully returned.]
[New Drop: Electro Ball!]
Kenka raised an eyebrow. Though still irritated, curiosity got the better of him. "Electro ball? That's not too shabby.. I don't have a tail though, so how would that work?"
Suddenly, a flood of information surged into his mind. It wasn't overwhelming, like Aang's Airbending knowledge had been. But it was enough to make him sit up straighter.
"Hold on.. If I'm understanding things correctly, I can shoot an electro ball from any part of my body?!" Kenka shouted, wide-eyed—then quickly lowered his voice, remembering he wasn't far from the village.
A slow smirk spread across his lips. He raised his hand and pointed it toward a nearby tree. "Electro Ball," he muttered.
Sparks crackled from his palm. A ball of yellow lightning formed a few centimeters in front of his hand, growing rapidly until it was the size of a basketball. Its energy buzzed violently in the air, vibrating with power.
Kenka pushed his arm forward, and the ball launched like a bullet, screeching through the air before slamming into the tree. The impact was immediate and devastating. The tree cracked and splintered, bits of bark and wood exploding outward.
Instinctively, Kenka shielded his eyes with his arm. When the dust cleared and he looked again, he blinked in disbelief.
The tree was scorched, a massive crater blown into its trunk. The bark around the point of impact had been peeled away, blackened and smoking.
Looking down at his palm, Kenka slowly clenched his hand into a fist. A quiet, satisfied grin crept across his face. "Maybe Pikachu wasn't that useless. Oh well, at least I have a new move in my arsenal. Time to kill some hidden mist ninja!"