When I came to, the sky felt… way too close.

No—more precisely, the ceiling looked enormous. Everything familiar seemed off, like I was staring up at the world from an impossibly low angle.

“Mm…?”

I tried to speak, but nothing came out. Or maybe it did, but not in any recognizable way.

I moved my arm to test things out, and was met with an odd, squishy sensation. Actually, it wasn’t just my arms—my whole body felt wrong. My limbs were tiny, my hands barely hands.

…A baby. I was a baby.

The realization hit me just as something flitted across my vision. Fluffy, white—ears like a rabbit’s… or maybe they looked more like wings.

“Kyu!”

That voice—I knew that voice.

I’d seen that shape for hundreds of hours in-game. I’d trained it through every evolution, poured my heart into powering it up until it reached peak strength. My faithful companion.

Rabbichu.

Those ears, those wings, that round little body—pure cuteness, at least on the surface. But I knew better. I knew the truth: among all the one-star monsters, this one was the absolute strongest.

“…No way. Did I…?”

Reincarnated?

As the thought crossed my mind, a woman's overly cheerful voice rang out nearby.

“Oh wow! Look, honey! His eyes are open!”

“Whoa…! He’s already reacting!”

A face leaned in close—red hair, golden eyes. Her ears were a bit long… not quite human? Elf-like? Some kind of fantasy race?

Questions started piling up, but before I could think further, Rabbichu did a happy little spin right in front of me.

That sealed it.

This was the world of Monster Pockets.

And I…

“Kyu!”

Rabbichu launched itself toward me.

Yep. Some things never change.

“…kyuu…”

The sound I managed to squeak out—barely audible, almost like I was mimicking him—still filled me with joy.

Even as a baby, if Rabbichu’s by my side…
I think I can make it in this world again.