Chapter 54 Wait, is this Floragato even legal?

Initially, when Xia Chi saw that the prize pool for the [Lucky Lantern] was labeled as "Items from this world," he hadn't held very high expectations.

The first few items proved this true.

Whether it was the Miracle Seed or the Cursed Talisman, they might have been a bit pricey, but they were things obtainable through existing means.

Even the Almighty Capsule and the [Auxiliary Training Device], which made Pokémon battle training twice as effective with half the effort, were still reasonable—at least not completely game-breaking.

But what in the world was a [Technical Machine]?

Isn't that something straight out of the video games?

Even more absurdly, this one was universally compatible with all Pokémon!

System bro, you're even more overpowered than the game itself!

Wait, it seemed he really was.

Regardless, this Gear Shift TM had landed right on Xia Chi's heart's desires.

Gear Shift: A Steel-type status move that, when used, raises the user's Attack by 1 stage and Speed by 2 stages!

What kind of concept was that? It was essentially an enhanced version of Dragon Dance!

For speed-oriented Pokémon, a move like this was equivalent to Stones to Steven Stone, or Pikachu to Team Rocket—

An entirely irresistible temptation.

Garchomp had been drooling over Dragon Dance for years, and now, a strictly superior Gear Shift was handed to it on a silver platter?

Not to mention, this was a prestigious Steel-type move.

It might not be particularly useful on other Pokémon, but Xia Chi had a Meowscarada with the [Protean] Ability!

Imagine a Steel-type Meowscarada appearing on the battlefield... The sight of it was so glorious Xia Chi didn't even dare to imagine.

To put it mildly, Xia Chi felt this single TM alone was already worth half a Golden Orb.

Without a moment of hesitation, he declared, "Use the Gear Shift TM on Meowscarada right now!"

[Item used successfully!]

Unable to suppress his eagerness, Xia Chi opened Meowscarada's status panel and skipped straight to the moves section in the blink of an eye.

[Moves: Floral Healing, Bite, Shadow Claw, Magical Leaf, Hone Claws, Acrobatics, Trailblaze... Gear Shift...]

!!!

Daddy System, you really know how to deliver!

A Meowscarada that could use Gear Shift...

The next time he battled someone, he'd probably get yelled at with lines like, "Is that Meowscarada even legal?!"

So satisfying.

Feeling thoroughly gratified, Xia Chi glanced upward.

And discovered yet another pleasant surprise.

[Meowscarada]

[......]

[Bond: Dark Type (2) Defeating opponents accumulates Fear Points. Every one hundred layers of Fear Points grants an additional 10% damage boost, and unlocking Fear Points yields massive rewards! (Current Fear Points: 90.1)]

The Fear Points were finally getting close to one hundred.

Wait, wasn't it only sitting in the low seventies when he checked yesterday?

Xia Chi backed out and checked the battle log.

[Your Pokémon Sprigatito (Lv. 15) defeated Servine (Lv. 30), leveling up to Lv. 16 and evolving into Meowscarada! Gained 10.3 Fear Points!]

Holy crap, no wonder the battle had been so grueling.

Lin Lange's Servine was actually level 30!

A level 15 taking down a level 30...

Even with the bonuses from bond equipment and other stat buffs, Servine's base stats completely crushed Sprigatito's.

In a fantasy cultivation novel, this kind of cross-realm leap in combat would be considered ridiculously exaggerated, right?

High difficulty naturally came with equally lavish rewards, though.

A yield of 10.3 Fear Points was almost equivalent to a full week's worth of hard work from both Pokémon out in the field.

If it weren't for the rule that repeated targets couldn't provide more Fear Points, Xia Chi would have gladly asked Lin Lange for another match just to grant her the second defeat of her professional career.

After taking stock of the spoils from the first battle round, Xia Chi contentedly exited the system.

——————

Such an official tournament naturally required a grand award ceremony.

Once Meowscarada finished its recovery, Xia Chi returned to the contestants' lounge, picked up Misdreavus, and headed to the stage to receive the prize.

Misdreavus blinked in confusion: "Mismag?"

Eh?

Can I still be considered a champion when I didn't fight a single match?

Xia Chi smiled and ruffled its marshmallow-textured head. "Of course, we're partners after all!"

Winning a championship for the first time—even if it was just a beginner's cup—

Xia Chi felt that having Misdreavus in the commemorative photo made it much more meaningful.

"Mismag~"

Misdreavus narrowed its eyes happily and spun around in circles.

Xia Chi figured that if the system had such a function, little prompts like "Affection +1+1+1..." would probably be popping up frantically above the little guy's head right now.

Walking up to the stage with his two Pokémon, he unsurprisingly crossed paths with the cold-faced Lin Lange and the listless Servine.

This time, the two of them didn't exchange any words, though subtle, complex expressions were still unavoidable on their faces.

Receive the award, step down.

As they brushed past each other, Lin Lange softly murmured, "Thank you."

Xia Chi: "?"

Thank you for what? Thank you for beating me?

Watching the young girl hurry away with a faint blush dusting her cheeks, Xia Chi fell into deep thought.

Wait, am I some kind of magnet for emotionally complex individuals? Why do all the females I interact with seem to have traits leaning in that direction...

…………

"Cheers!"

"Meow-tia!"

"Mismag!"

"Pi-pi!"

Inside the living room of the student apartment, Xia Chi and his roommate Chen Zhenze were holding a celebration banquet for their victory in the Shanghai Baby Cup.

Though it was supposedly thrown to celebrate his championship, Xia Chi suspected that guy was mostly just looking for an excuse to freeload off Misdreavus's cooking.

Ever since Misdreavus unlocked the secondary profession of "Culinary God," the daily meals for Xia Chi and Meowscarada had grown increasingly lavish.

Living under the same roof, Chen Zhenze grew envious every single day, finding any excuse he could to drop by for a free meal.

"You were too cool, Ah Chi! I knew you could do it!"

Chen Zhenze stuffed his mouth full of meat while enthusiastically singing praises with a mouthful of food.

Xia Chi rolled his eyes and chuckled dryly, "Who was the one saying earlier that a tournament isn't a game? I remember that crystal clear."

Chen Zhenze shamelessly tried to take credit for himself. "Reverse psychology, do you understand reverse psychology?"

After exchanging banter, he asked with a serious expression, "By the way, did the tournament organizers issue the championship prize to you yet?"

Xia Chi bit down on a piece of braised beef brisket that Meowscarada had lovingly fed him with its vine, and replied, "The 300,000 prize money has arrived. As for the training supplies and stuff, I'll have them shipped over once I rent a place outside. As for the new Pokémon, I won't go pick one out until next week."

"Huh?"

Chen Zhenze asked in astonishment, "Ah Chi, you're moving out to rent an apartment? Why?"

Xia Chi shrugged. "My current place is getting a bit cramped, and besides, I need to go catch another Pokémon next week."

"Fine..."

Chen Zhenze let out a sigh and put down his chopsticks, suddenly looking as though he had lost his appetite.

With a hesitant expression, he muttered, "Chi bro..."

Xia Chi looked at him quizzically. "Hm? What is it?"

"I feel like a thick, lamentable barrier is about to form between us..."

Xia Chi gave him a look reminiscent of a Quagsire seeing right through everything and said speechlessly, "If you want a free meal in the future, just drop me a message on PokeMessage and come right over."

Chen Zhenze flipped his expression faster than a Kecleon, beaming ingratiatingly. "Foster father, seriously?"

Xia Chi waved a hand dismissively. "Just bring some energy cubes for your Misdreavus sis to reward her."

Chen Zhenze smiled obsequiously. "Only right, only right..."

He turned his head toward Misdreavus and fawned, "Sis Misdreavus, please take good care of me from now on!"

Xia Chi: "......"

Is he really willing to call a Pokémon "older sister" just for the sake of good food?

With that kind of thick skin, he'd probably succeed at whatever he set his mind to in the future, right?

Misdreavus, who had been completely absorbed in devouring her meal, tilted her head in puzzlement upon hearing someone call her: "Mismag?"

Why did she need to take good care of him?

Was he a newly joined partner?

So, her Trainer had managed to tame this human as well?

Xia Chi was truly amazing!