"Xia Yu! I want to battle you!"
A young boy holding a red-and-white Poké Ball shouted loudly toward Xia Yu, his eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.
"Are you sure?" Xia Yu looked at the boy coldly, lifting his chin and gazing up toward the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, his posture filled with disdain. "My dad is the Bug-type Gym Leader of Starlight City. My brother is the Fire-type Gym Leader of Cinnabar City. I started training Pokémon at three, mastered Pokémon strategy at five, defeated all my peers at seven, and retired from the Pokémon battle world at eleven. Are you certain you still want to challenge me? If you insist, then put all your pocket money on the line!"
"Wow…"
Hearing that he would have to wager all his pocket money, the young boy immediately burst into tears, turned around, and ran away from the square while sobbing uncontrollably.
"Xia Yu is lying again."
"He doesn't even have a single Pokémon, yet he comes here every day to show off."
"They've disgraced the Xia family; he even dares to deceive young children."
...
Xia Yu remained completely unmoved by the surrounding rumors and gossip. There was not the slightest trace of embarrassment on his face, as if nothing had happened at all. As a man whose mental age was already close to forty, his skin had long been tempered to the point of being thick enough to ignore ridicule entirely. As long as he could complete the system's tasks, he did not care how much others cursed him.
"Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the beginner quest 'Winning Without Fighting'!"
Victory Without a Fight: Powerful Trainers can defeat opponents through sheer force of will alone. Achieve ten victories without using Pokémon.
Progress: 10/10 — Completed.
Congratulations, host. You have received the Beginner Gift Pack.
Upon hearing the long-awaited system notification, Xia Yu burst into tears once more. He had tricked and deceived ten children across several nearby public squares, paid an unimaginable price in reputation, and endured endless ridicule before finally completing the novice mission.
"Finally completed the mission. Here, take this as my reward. Any Mewtwo or Arceus will do; I'm not greedy."
"Open the newbie gift pack."
"Congratulations, host. You have obtained the one-time-use item Elite Four Pokémon Detector and the one-time-use item Rare Treasure Detector."
"Huh? That's it?"
Xia Yu was completely dumbfounded. He stared silently at the items floating inside the system space, utterly unable to believe his eyes. After becoming infamous in multiple districts, swindling children for an entire month, and ruining his reputation beyond repair, this was all he received?
If you can't give me Mewtwo, then Tyranitar or Salamence would have been fine, right?
At the very least, give me something like a flashbang launcher!
You're really only giving me these two items?
...
Xia Yu was filled with resentment. This damn Master System had completely ruined him. In his previous life, he had been reborn into a favorable parallel world almost identical to Earth. With the support of the system, he should have had an excellent start, if not an outright perfect one.
His father was the Bug-type Gym Leader of Starlight City. Although he ranked last among all Gym Leaders in Xishu Province, he was still a legitimate Gym Leader. Later, his father successfully captured a Volcarona, drastically increasing his overall strength.
With the solid foundation laid by his father, his older brother Xia Luo had an even better starting point. In his early twenties, he became the Fire-type Gym Leader of Cinnabar City in Xishu Province. His ace Pokémon was also a Volcarona.
Compared to Bug-type Gym Leaders, Fire-type Gym Leaders were far more prestigious. Fire was a popular type, and the number of Fire-type Trainers exceeded Bug-type Trainers by more than tenfold. Xia Luo's ability to secure a Fire-type Gym clearly demonstrated his exceptional strength.
With the support of both his father and his brother, Xia Yu should have easily obtained a Larvesta as his starter Pokémon under normal circumstances. His future should have been brilliant and boundless.
But… this cursed system refused to let things go his way.
After binding with the system, Xia Yu awakened a passive ability.
"Master's Demeanor:"
A true Pokémon Master must possess a unique style of their own. The minimum potential of any Pokémon captured by the host must be Champion-level.
There were ten levels of potential:
Common, Rare, Elite, Lord, Overlord, Gym Leader, Elite Four, Champion, Master, and Legendary.
Champion-level potential.
A Pokémon with Champion-level potential meant that as long as it was trained properly, it would definitely grow into a Pokémon capable of rivaling a regional Champion. Even Xia Yu's father did not own a single Pokémon with true Champion-level potential, while his brother possessed only a Volcarona with near-Champion aptitude.
Xia Yu had absolutely no way to obtain such a Pokémon on his own. At best, he had encountered Pokémon with Gym Leader-level potential.
Because of the passive ability Master's Demeanor, Xia Yu had been unable to catch a single Pokémon so far. At eighteen years old, most students aspiring to become professional Trainers already owned two or three Pokémon. Meanwhile, he had none, placing him at an overwhelming disadvantage.
Suppressing his frustration, Xia Yu pulled down the brim of his hat, put on a mask, and quietly left the square while examining the two rewards in his possession.
Elite Four Pokémon Detector (One-Time Use): Detects the nearest uncaptured Pokémon with Elite Four-level potential.
Rare Treasure Detector (Disposable): Searches for undiscovered rare treasures within a 100-kilometer radius.
The moment Xia Yu read the descriptions, his face lit up with excitement, and all previous gloom vanished instantly.
"So the system still has a conscience after all," he muttered inwardly. "This Elite Four-level Pokémon Detector is ridiculously powerful, even if it's only usable once."
"My brother happens to be home this week. I'll have him come with me to subdue it."
Xia Yu knew very well that without a single Pokémon of his own, venturing into the wilderness alone was simply impossible.
He activated the Pokémon Detector, and the system immediately generated a map, marking the location of the nearest uncaptured Elite Four-level Pokémon.
"So far away?" Xia Yu stared at the map. The destination was at least two hundred miles from Starlight City. "Looks like I'll need my brother to take me there on his Charizard."
...
"Hey, bro, got a minute? Come out with me." Xia Yu said after returning home, looking at Xia Luo sprawled lazily on the sofa.
Xia Luo was twenty-eight years old, unmarried, tall, and handsome, making him extremely popular with young women. However, he had a childhood sweetheart girlfriend with whom he shared a deep bond, and they were already discussing marriage.
"No time." Xia Luo replied without looking up, scrolling through Douyin on his alternate account and liking videos of beautiful women.
Xia Yu glanced at the screen. It was dazzlingly soft… unbearably white.
"Bro, I remember your alternate account liked several thousand photos of pretty girls," Xia Yu muttered. "Never mind. I'll just tell your fiancée about it. Who would've guessed you liked blondes with blue eyes? No wonder you always complain she has small breasts."
"Where are you going?"
Xia Luo was already standing, having put on his coat and mask without Xia Yu noticing. "Didn't you want me to go with you? Hurry up."
"Okay, bro," Xia Yu said obediently.
"Just now…" Xia Luo spoke meaningfully.
"Brother, what just happened?" Xia Yu asked, confused.
"It's nothing. Xiaoyu, do you have enough pocket money lately?" Xia Luo casually tossed him a bank card. "There's ten thousand yuan on it. Take it and spend it. Boys should be generous when they're outside."
...
Chapter 2: Crobat
Riding atop Charizard, the Xia brothers passed through the bustling city and crossed the dense jungle west of Starlight City, eventually landing halfway up Thousand Mountains.
"What are you doing here?" Xia Luo asked, curiosity flashing across his face.
"I want to catch a Pokémon," Xia Yu replied honestly.
"Coming to a place like this?" Xia Luo chuckled. "This area's been cleared multiple times. Pokémon with high potential are extremely rare. If you just want a starter Pokémon, I can give you one of the Kanto starters. It's a bit late, but you still have a chance."
"No need, brother. I know what I'm doing." Xia Yu declined firmly and walked toward the cave entrance halfway up the mountain.
"Suit yourself." Xia Luo didn't insist. His younger brother had always been stubborn. Besides, with both him and their father supporting the family, even if Xia Yu achieved nothing, he could still live comfortably as a wealthy second-generation heir.
The cave was pitch-black inside. For safety, Xia Luo released Volcarona, whose blazing flames illuminated the entire cavern entrance.
Xia Yu stared at Volcarona with envy. Once, a Volcarona with Gym Leader-level potential had stood right in front of him, yet he hadn't cherished the opportunity. Only after losing it did regret set in.
If not for this damn system, he would already be commanding Volcarona and dominating the Pokémon world.
As they ventured deeper, Zubat hanging upside down from the ceiling were startled by the flames and swarmed toward them.
"Volcarona, deal with them."
Zubat are extremely common bat-type Pokémon. Their bodies are dark blue, with purple wing membranes and ear canals. They have no eyes, relying entirely on echolocation.
Zubat hate sunlight and spend most of their time sleeping upside down in caves. Once disturbed, they attack intruders relentlessly.
In caves like this, hundreds or even thousands of Zubat can reside. Xia Yu also spotted several Golbat among them, but not a single Crobat.
Despite their numbers, the Zubat swarm was chaotic. In the narrow cave, Volcarona stood like a blazing wall, holding back the entire horde alone.
"Three hundred meters left." Xia Yu checked the detector. Excitement surged through him, and he quickened his pace.
After crossing an underground river, they arrived at a vast cavern filled with Pokémon eggs.
"Arrived."
Xia Yu's eyes shone brightly. According to the detector, the target was among these eggs—one Pokémon with Champion-level potential.
"Brother, there are so many eggs here. I'll choose one."
"Do whatever you want." Xia Luo glanced at them indifferently. "They're mostly Zubat eggs. Not impressive, but if you raise one into a Crobat, it'll still be quite strong."
Preparing to challenge the Elite Four, Xia Luo had no interest in ordinary Pokémon. Only those capable of pushing him to greater heights could catch his attention.