"Aaron… you're absolutely insane!!"
"You've got to be blessed by luck itself, right?"
"You actually pulled two top-tier Pokémon—this is hitting the jackpot! Mudkip can even evolve into Swampert!"
"Those base stats are insanely high!!"
On the way back, Yuri hugged her Mudkip tightly, her face flushed with excitement as she rattled on to Aaron.
In this world, because a Pokémon's Potential can't be directly measured, people can only roughly infer it from base stats. Generally speaking, the higher a Pokémon's base stats, the lower its chances of having poor Potential.
Aaron cradled the adorable Froakie in his arms. The little fellow was clearly curious about this world, constantly looking around at everything nearby.
With a smile, Aaron said aloud, "Handsome guys usually don't have bad luck…"
But inwardly, he thought, "Bro, I've got cheats now. This is nothing."
Before long, the two of them headed back to their respective homes.
...
When Aaron got home, his mother, Celia, had already finished cooking dinner.
His father, Victor, was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper.
Even though he owned a phone, he wasn't very good with it and preferred reading the paper.
The moment Victor saw Aaron come in, his eyes immediately locked onto the Froakie in his arms. Startled, he put down the newspaper and asked, "Aaron… isn't that a Froakie!?"
"Is the Pokémon market having a massive clearance sale now!?"
"You can buy a Pokémon this rare for just 100,000!?"
Victor fired off three questions in a row, making it obvious just how shaken he was.
"What Froakie!? Oh my—wait, it really is! Aaron, you… how did you get this!?"
Hearing the commotion, Celia rushed out of the kitchen. The moment she saw the Froakie in Aaron's arms, she let out a shocked cry.
They both knew very well that Froakie wasn't cheap.
A Pokémon like this, whose base stats would exceed 500 after evolution, would cost at least a million on the market.
Their son only had 100,000—there was no way he could have bought a Froakie.
That was exactly why the couple was so stunned.
"Mom, Dad, I got it from egg gambling!"
"My luck was just too good, haha…"
Aaron said with a grin.
"Egg gambling!?" Both parents blurted it out in shock.
"You little brat, you've got some nerve! Gambling on eggs—have you forgotten about Old John next door? He ruined his family because of egg gambling…"
Victor's face darkened as he scolded him.
"Oh, come on, that's enough. Didn't he hit the jackpot this time?"
Celia cut in, smiling brightly.
"With this Froakie, our son might even become an Elite Trainer someday…"
"That would make everyone so proud!"
Hearing his wife's words, Victor stopped talking. Still, Aaron could see a hint of joy in his father's eyes.
Who wouldn't want their child to become someone outstanding, a true standout among people, a remarkable Pokémon Trainer?
"Alright, alright. Go call your sister down for dinner," Celia said cheerfully. "Today's a special day!"
"Dear, I'll make an exception today—you can have a little drink."
Her smile was practically overflowing.
"Ahem… really? Honey…" Victor's eyes lit up as he asked hurriedly.
"Really, really. Go get the wine!"
...
Aaron shook his head with a laugh. His dad might look strict, but he was actually completely henpecked, always a little afraid of his mom.
And don't be fooled by his mother's cheerful, easygoing smile—thinking she was gentle would be a huge mistake.
Celia's Pokémon was a Primape. When she got physical, it was no joke.
Aaron went upstairs to his room and took out a Poké Ball. Turning to Froakie, he asked, "Froakie, are you willing to become my Pokémon?"
"Ribbit~"
Froakie nodded firmly, then bumped its head against the Poké Ball's switch. It turned into a streak of light and entered Aaron's Poké Ball.
"Ding~ Congratulations, host, on capturing your first Pokémon."
"Mission complete!! Congratulations on obtaining Pokémon Candy ×1, Energy Cube ×1 can, and Exp. Share ×1."
The system's voice rang out in Aaron's ears. A faint smile appeared on his face.
He immediately released Froakie again and used the system to scan its status panel once more:
[Name: Froakie (Shiny)]
(Shiny Effect: Increases both Attack and Special Attack by 10%)
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Relaxed]
[Type: Water]
[Ability: Protean]
[Base Stats Total: 314]
[Level: Newbie (Early Stage)]
[Pokémon Potential: Champion-Class level]
[Known Moves: Power-Up Punch (Basic), Bubble (Basic), Growl (Basic)…]
[Description: Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. It can attack enemies with bubbles from its back and also reduce damage taken.]
In this world, Shiny Pokémon also came with special bonuses. Because of that, Shiny Pokémon were the dream of every Trainer.
Seeing that the Shiny effect boosted both Attack and Special Attack, Aaron was overjoyed.
From now on, his Greninja would go the mixed-attacker route.
A boost to both offensive stats was perfect.
Thinking of Greninja, Aaron felt a bit puzzled.
There were actually many things in this world that had yet to be discovered—Greninja, Mega Evolution, Dynamax…
Even Legendary Pokémon were rarely recorded here.
Mythical Pokémon and Legendary Pokémon had only been discovered in very small numbers, and Ultra Beasts were completely unheard of.
All of this made Aaron feel that the world was strangely mysterious.
Unable to figure it out, he decided not to dwell on it and shifted his attention to the items in his backpack:
[Name: Pokémon Candy (Newbie)]
[Effect: When consumed by a Pokémon, increases its level by one (effective at the Newbie stage)…]
...
[Name: Energy Cube]
[Effect: When consumed, effectively increases all attributes and allows the Pokémon to slowly level up…]
...
[Name: Exp. Share]
[Effect: Activates when placed in the system backpack, greatly increasing the experience gained by the host's Pokémon after battle…]
These three items were all rewards from completing the task. Every single one of them was good stuff.
Aaron immediately fed the Pokémon Candy to Froakie, raising its level from early-stage to mid-stage.
He then gave Froakie several Energy Cubes.
The little guy ate happily, its big eyes squinting shut in pure enjoyment…
Those Energy Cubes must be pretty delicious.