[Ding! Opening character interface—]
With the system prompt,A large virtual screen immediately appeared in front of Ash.
[Name: Ash]
[Age: 18]
[Identity: Rookie Trainer, Recent Graduate of Pokémon School]
[Traits: True Rookie (Purple), Release Master (White), Reckless Typing Challenger (Green), Battle Legend (Red), Legendary Magnet (Unawakened)]
[Current Partner: Pikachu]
…
After scanning through the basic info on the panel, Ash tapped into each trait to check their specific effects.
Text quickly flooded the display.
[True Rookie (Purple): Possesses superhuman physical strength, can catch some Pokémon moves with bare hands, less prone to injury during daily adventures.]
(Hidden Effect: When blocking a fatal attack for a Pokémon, there's a chance another Pokémon in the party will enter a "boosted" state.)
This matched Ash's expectations perfectly.
After all, his anime feats were already borderline ridiculous.
He'd eaten countless Thunderbolt attacks from Pikachu without a scratch.
Fell off Mt. Tenjo and got up like nothing happened.
Outran a herd of Tauros on foot…
Calling him a rookie was a joke.
This was Superman.
Especially that iconic line: "Pikachu, get behind me!"
Only Ash—this overpowered "rookie"—would tell his Pokémon to hide behind him during battle.
Next up was the white-tier trait: [Release Master].
[Effect: Slightly increases the chance of encountering rare Pokémon after releasing one.]
White traits were weak, often seen as negative.
Ash had released plenty of Pokémon in the anime—Including quite a few rare ones.
But now?
Ash saw it differently.
He figured he could just repeatedly catch Caterpies and release them to farm shiny odds.
There was no way he'd ever release a rare Pokémon again.
Let alone hand over a top-tier one to someone else.
He was a Trainer, not a charity worker.
The next trait—[Reckless Typing Challenger] (Green).
As the name suggests, it allows him to sometimes ignore type disadvantages in battle.
Winning instead through willpower and bond with his Pokémon.
Currently, it was only a green-tier trait.
Slightly better than white, but not by much.
The last trait, though, was the real powerhouse:
[Battle Legend (Red): Legendary Aura]
[Base Effect: All partner Pokémon gain a large stat boost. Against higher-level opponents, level gaps are significantly reduced. Active Pokémon have a chance to survive any attack with 1 HP remaining.]
[In any battle, opponent's Pokémon may experience "legendary pressure," causing move accuracy to drop…]
…
The full effect list for this red-tier trait spanned an entire page, leaving Ash dazzled.
At a glance, it could be summarized in two words—
You win.
"Absolutely busted… no wonder it was Red's trait."
After a moment of awe,
Ash turned his attention to his partner Pikachu.
He wanted to know what traits Pikachu currently had.
[Name: Pikachu]
[Type: Electric]
[Level: Rookie]
[Ability: Static]
[Moves: Nuzzle, Agility, Quick Attack, Tail Whip, Thunderbolt, Electro Ball]
[Traits: No Evolution Pledge (Purple), Lightning Reflexes (Blue), Thunder God (Unawakened)]
Only three visible traits for now.
Naturally, this wasn't Pikachu's limit.
Currently, only one unawakened trait could be seen.
The rest would awaken gradually as Ash and Pikachu journeyed together.
Now that Ash had the Plunderer System, that process was going to accelerate fast.
…
"Hey, dumbass."
While Ash was still lying in the grass, exploring his system, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from the direction of the battlefield.
Leading them—A teen surrounded by admirers.
And the voice just now? Also his.
"Gary… huh?"
Ash instantly recognized the person.
His name was Gary Oak.
Grandson of the famous Kanto Pokémon Professor, Professor Samuel Oak.
And the most popular guy at their Pokémon School—especially with the girls.
Not only was Gary decently good-looking,He also had wealth and status behind him.
It was no surprise the girls loved him.
Even in this anime-based Pokémon world, some logic still applied.
There was no such thing as free food and lodging from Pokémon Centers, or Trainers mooching off society for free.
Money still mattered.
"I just saw you and Pikachu up on the rooftop. What, already made your way down here?"
Gary casually slung an arm over the shoulder of a well-developed girl, swaggering forward like a man who owed the world nothing.
The other girls around him looked a bit jealous.
"Oh, we got tired of playing, so we came here to rest."
Ash responded offhandedly.
No way was he telling them he fell off the roof.
The two, being neighbors, exchanged a few casual words before—
Gary smirked and began to show off.
"Graduation's tomorrow. Looks like no one's managed to break my win streak~"
"Another five straight wins today. Pretty sure the next Indigo League Champion's gonna be me…"
As if by accident, he gave a flashy wave with the Poké Ball in hand—Containing his starter, Squirtle.
This Squirtle was around the same level as Pikachu—just a rookie.
But its potential was insane.
Openly, it already had five traits.
One gold, and four purple.
Well, that's what happens when you're the professor's grandson.
This Squirtle was handpicked by Oak himself.
It had Elite Four-level potential, easily.
"By the way, Gary—"
Just as Gary was basking in his own glory, a crisp girl's voice called out:
"You've beaten a lot of people…
But you still haven't battled Ash, have you?"
[End of Chapter]