[Chapter Size: 1720 Words]
The two stared at each other for a while, barely moving, simply locking eyes, until a lightning bolt struck in the distance with a loud crash, startling Eevee. She jumped high, hitting her head on the top of the tent.
Falling to the ground, she whimpered and placed her paws on her head, which had started to ache a little.
"Are you okay?" Arthur asked, concerned, as he reached out his hand to Eevee.
"Eevee!"
Noticing Arthur's movement, Eevee scratched his hand with a quick swipe, not to cause serious harm, but as a warning. After all, if Eevee truly wanted to hurt him, she would have used a move.
"Ouch! Why did you do that?"
Arthur pulled his hand back, upset, as he looked at the small scratch.
"Eeevve."
Eevee growled at Arthur, keeping a defensive posture before bolting toward the forest, dashing through the rain despite clearly disliking it.
"Fooooo…"
"And she's gone," Arthur said with a sigh as he watched Eevee disappear into the forest.
Shaking his head, he looked at his injured hand and frowned at the scratch.
Opening and closing his scratched hand, he tore a piece from the worn sleeve of his cloak, soaked it in the rain to clean the wound, then tied it around his hand, covering the injury.
Looking at his improvised bandage, he let out an ironic smile, if he had known he'd end up in a situation like this, he would've studied medicine like a madman.
Sitting once more facing the sea, he watched the churning waves, his thoughts drifting back to Art's memories before he blacked out.
In the memories, he saw a large chest sinking into the ocean. As he swam toward it in desperation, the chest opened, and Art saw that it was full of various evolutionary stones, Fire Stones, Leaf Stones, Thunder Stones, there were even Sun and Moon Stones.
Thinking about that, Arthur couldn't help but drool, imagining such treasure. He daydreamed for a while before shaking his head and giving a sad smile. He didn't even have a single Pokémon yet, and here he was thinking about evolutionary stones. He needed to worry about surviving the next few days first, because once the barrel of Oran Berries ran out, he'd be screwed.
BEEP... BEEP...
"What the hell is that?"
Suddenly, Arthur heard a strange noise for a place like this, something mechanical.
BEEP... BEEP... BEEP...
Then he heard it again. But this time, he realized it wasn't coming from anywhere around him. There was only the sound of rain. No... the sound was coming from inside his head.
And then a cold, mechanical voice began to speak:
FIRST CONTACT WITH POKÉMON ESTABLISHED...
INITIALIZING SYSTEM...
RANDOMIZING SYSTEM TYPE...
TYPE SELECTED...
DEFINED AS...
ANCESTRAL BREEDER SYSTEM...
UNLOCKING...
SYSTEM ACTIVATED.
Arthur froze as he heard this. Then, he shouted excitedly:
"A system! Awesome! I knew I deserved something special!"
Quickly calming down, he took a deep breath and said:
"A system?"
Suddenly, a glowing screen appeared in front of him.
STATUS
ANALYSIS
LIBRARY
QUESTS
ACHIEVEMENTS
The screen displayed five options: Status, Analysis, Library, Quests, and Achievements. Arthur looked at them, trying to guess what each one did, before asking directly how they worked.
"System, what is Status?"
The same cold, mechanical voice responded:
Status shows all your attributes such as Health Points, Physical Strength, Endurance, Speed, and Energy, as well as your level within the system. As you level up, you'll unlock relevant knowledge. The attributes shown in Status can also be interpreted like a Pokémon's stat categories, such as Health Points, Physical and Special Attack, both Physical and Special Defense, and Speed. Speed is unique in that it also includes a variant for reflex and reaction time.
"And Analysis?"
Arthur asked after hearing the system's response.
Analysis allows you to examine both Pokémon and items or materials, providing relevant data and tips based on your current system level and the knowledge you've unlocked and assimilated.
"Hmm... just as I expected, not far from what I imagined it would be," Arthur said, scratching his chin with his right hand, then frowning as he felt the scratch from Eevee sting as his fingers brushed it.
Opening and closing his right hand, he ignored the stinging pain and asked, already guessing the system's answer.
"So, the Library contains the knowledge about the Breeder profession that the system can offer me based on my level, right?"
Exactly. The knowledge available in the system can be acquired from the Library by purchasing it with Breeder Points, which are earned by completing missions. Some knowledge can also be obtained as rewards from specific missions or achievements, all to guide you toward becoming the Ancestral Breeder.
The system responded, contradicting Arthur's expectations, he had hoped the knowledge would be free, even if it had to be unlocked gradually. Now that he knew it had a price, he'd have to carefully plan which knowledge to prioritize, which left him feeling awkward and disappointed.
"I really have to buy it? But why?"
Arthur asked, staring at the illusionary screen with a trembling eyebrow, unable to believe it.
Certainly. The user must purchase knowledge, although it can also be earned through missions and achievements. As for the reason, ever since the system was created, it was decided that its users must follow a purchasing structure to preserve what the creator calls balance.
"What the hell?!"
Arthur shouted in outrage upon hearing the explanation. If it was all about maintaining balance, then maybe the creator shouldn't have built the system at all.
Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down. He was now connected to the system, and from this point on, he would have to rely on it to survive in this world.
Looking away from the illusionary screen, he noticed that the heavy rain was starting to let up, now only a steady drizzle remained.
Stepping closer to the edge of the tent, Arthur looked up and saw the sky beginning to clear, the storm clouds drifting toward the depths of the forest.
"Missions are how I'll earn points, and Achievements are unlocked when I accomplish something specific, right?" Arthur asked, watching the sea gradually calm as the rain moved away into the woods.
Correct. Points are earned by completing missions, which will appear periodically for you. Missions are categorized into different types:
• Daily Missions, which appear every day and can be repeated;
• Special Missions, which are triggered when you encounter certain situations;
• Unique Missions, which require mission fragments to unlock;
• and Legendary Missions, which involve Legendary Pokémon.
As for Achievements, they will appear once you've fulfilled specific, hidden conditions, which will only be revealed upon completion.
The system finished explaining its main functions.
After listening, Arthur took a moment to settle his emotions, something he'd done since he was a kid, whether during exams or while playing card games. He simply breathed, sitting for a while as he watched the clouds float across the sky.
When the rain finally stopped, he stepped out of the tent and stretched, only to spot the barrel knocked over and opened by Eevee.
"Damn it, my berries!"
He rushed over to the barrel, quickly lifting it back up and kneeling to gather the spilled berries, placing them back inside.
Once he had stored all the berries, he retrieved the lid and sealed the barrel again. Wiping the sweat from his face with his forearm, he sat on top of the barrel and decided to check his Status.
"Status."
Almost instantly after the word left Arthur's mouth, the illusionary light screen appeared before him.
Accessing Status…
Name: Arthur Lewyn (Art)
Profession: Apprentice Breeder
Knowledge: None (!) (Two pieces of knowledge available for assimilation)
HP: 41/50
Strength: 23
Endurance: 17
Speed: 31
Energy: 27
Breeder Points: 0
"Hm?"
Looking over his stats, Arthur noticed he had knowledge available to claim. That made him curious, what exactly had he done to earn those two pieces of knowledge?
Using his mind, he accessed the Achievements tab.
Accessing Achievements…
The Transmigrator (Legendary Achievement): Successfully transmigrate into the Pokémon world. Success rate: 0.0000000001%.
Unlocked Knowledge: Basic Herbal Medicine
Reward Received: 1000 Breeder Points
First Contact with a Pokémon (Unique Achievement): Make your first contact with a Pokémon after transmigration.
Unlocked Knowledge: Basic Type Energy Knowledge
"Hm… Herbal medicine will definitely come in handy, especially in a forested area like this. As for this energy knowledge… I'll need to figure out what it actually does," Arthur murmured, scratching his chin as he analyzed the newly obtained knowledge, making guesses based on the titles.
"First contact with a Pokémon, huh," Arthur said with a wry smile, glancing at the scratch Eevee had left on his right hand.
"Library…" he whispered, intending to assimilate the new knowledge.
Accessing Library…
Breeder Points: 1000
Knowledge available for assimilation:
– Basic Herbal Medicine
– Basic Type Energy Knowledge
Knowledge available for purchase:
– Basic Pokémon Habitat and Ecology (250 Breeder Points)
– Minerals and Stones for Pokémon Item Crafting (1000 Breeder Points)
– Berries and Medicinal Herbs (300 Breeder Points)
– Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and How to Care for Them (600 Breeder Points)
– ...
Arthur reviewed the knowledge available for purchase. Since he already had Basic Herbal Medicine, buying Berries and Medicinal Herbs seemed like a good next step. That knowledge would help him identify plants in the wild once he started exploring the forest.
"Purchase Berries and Medicinal Herbs," Arthur said, determined.
Breeder Points: 700
Knowledge available for assimilation:
– Basic Herbal Medicine
– Basic Type Energy Knowledge
– Berries and Medicinal Herbs
Knowledge available for purchase:
– Basic Pokémon Habitat and Ecology (250 Breeder Points)
– Minerals and Stones for Pokémon Item Crafting (1000 Breeder Points)
– Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and How to Care for Them (600 Breeder Points)
– Fire Control Techniques for Forging (150 Breeder Points)
– ...
Looking at the three pieces of knowledge he could now assimilate, he smiled and said:
"Assimilate Basic Herbal Medicine, Basic Type Energy Knowledge, Berries and Medicinal Herbs."
Assimilating Knowledge…
The same cold, mechanical voice replied indifferently.
Suddenly, Arthur felt a flood of information pouring into his brain. At first, it was manageable, but as more and more knowledge entered, a sharp pain began to build in his head.
'Damn it! I should've assimilated them one at a time…' was the last coherent thought he had before collapsing backward into the sand, arms spread out, unconscious.
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Hey everyone, sorry about the delay. I've been really busy with work and college lately, since I'm taking a lot of courses this term. But on the bright side, my college break is coming up soon, and I'll finally have some time to write. Sending a big hug — DarkThorn.
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