At that moment, Luna could hardly accept it.
In her own family, there had once been a determined young man who chose the trainer's path. The family had subsidized him with 20,000 Pokédollars, and he had worked hard on his own.
She clearly remembered how that stubborn boy borrowed whatever else he could and finally spent 30,000 Pokédollars at the Pokémon House to purchase a Little Rattata with high-tier Normal aptitude.
There was nothing wrong with that choice. As long as Little Rattata used energy crystals during evolution, it could be promoted to good low-tier aptitude, with hope of eventually reaching Elite.
With the remaining funds, he bought basic supplies and began training. After some preparation, he ventured into the wild to hunt.
At first, things went well.
He would encounter a single Caterpie or perhaps two Weedle at most. Little Rattata fought fiercely, suffered injuries, but always won. After deducting potion costs, he could still earn three to four thousand Pokédollars per day.
If he continued steadily, he might have broken through to Normal-tier within a few months.
At that time, he had been envied by those who gave up.
But the good times did not last.
Soon, wild Pokémon began appearing in groups. Later, the guard squad received intelligence that Flying-types had entered the outer zone early and dispatched two teams to sweep the area.
After that sweep, the outer wild Pokémon became heavily grouped.
The stubborn young man waited several days before venturing out again. Seeing only scattered Pokémon at first, he grew confident.
Then he challenged five Caterpie at once.
Little Rattata was crippled in the fight.
Although it was recalled into its Poké Ball in time and saved, its hind legs were permanently injured.
His path as a trainer ended there.
---
"Yes, my Bellsprout has advanced to Normal-tier. Please verify it and update my ID information."
Icarus ignored Luna's shock and slid the Poké Ball and ID card through the window.
"O-Okay. Please wait a moment."
Luna placed the Poké Ball on the detection device.
Beep.
"Energy level confirmed: Normal-tier."
The cold mechanical voice left no doubt.
It was real.
She quickly updated the information on his ID card and returned both the card and the Poké Ball.
Then she stood up, her expression softening. She bowed slightly.
"I'm sorry, Icarus. I lost my game earlier and was in a bad mood. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Please don't take it to heart. Advancing to Normal-tier in just two months as a civilian trainer… that's truly impressive."
She had quietly researched several potential candidates.
Icarus had been ranked near the bottom.
An orphan. No connections. No visible backing. In her judgment, he had seemed the least likely to break through quickly.
He was included only because Bellsprout's starting aptitude had been decent.
Reality had just proven her wrong.
For someone like her—born into a trainer family—she fully understood what this breakthrough meant.
Her attitude shifted instantly.
"It's fine," Icarus replied calmly. "But try not to play games during work hours next time, Miss Luna."
Hearing the formal address, she quickly responded.
"Don't call me Miss Luna like that. Are you still upset? How about this—I'll accompany you to accept your Alliance mission. Since you've just advanced, you'll need to complete newcomer tasks first. I can explain the process."
As she spoke, she stepped out from behind the counter.
They walked toward the mission area.
---
The Alliance mission wall was fully digital—rows of self-service terminals.
"So advanced…"
Icarus had expected something like the mercenary guilds from old novels, with a receptionist assigning missions.
Instead, everything was automated.
"Insert your ID card here and swipe," Luna explained, pointing at the card slot.
He followed her instructions.
Beep.
"Identity verified.
Name: Icarus
Sex: Male
Age: 15
Level: Newly promoted Normal-tier Trainer
Alliance Merit: 0
Available Missions: 99+"
Icarus frowned slightly.
"I thought newly promoted Normal-tier trainers could only accept low-level missions. Why are there so many?"
"That's correct," Luna explained patiently. "You must complete five Novice-level missions first before unlocking higher tiers. The reason you see so many is because Novice missions are standardized and repetitive Alliance postings."
"I see."
He tapped the screen.
Beep.
---
Mission No. 00001
Level: Novice
Description: Collect 10 fresh Caterpie silk glands rich in energy from the wild.
Time Limit: None
Reward: 1 Alliance Merit Point, 5,000 Pokédollars + 1,000 Pokédollars newcomer bonus
---
Beep.
Mission No. 00002
Level: Novice
Description: Collect 10 fresh Weedle stingers rich in energy from the wild.
Time Limit: None
Reward: 1 Alliance Merit Point, 5,000 Pokédollars + 1,000 Pokédollars newcomer bonus
---
Icarus scrolled through quickly.
All Novice-level missions required fresh biological materials.
No strict strength requirement.
No quality requirement.
Even low-tier Pokémon materials were acceptable.
The targets were all common, relatively weak species:
Caterpie.
Weedle.
Little Rattata.
Oddish.
Standard entry-level hunting missions.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
The Alliance clearly designed these tasks to test a new trainer's independent combat ability while minimizing large-scale risk.
Five missions.
That was the key to unlocking higher-tier opportunities.
(End of Chapter)
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