Chapter 4: Preparation
Recap: Fang Yuan publicly revealed his White Boar Gu, humiliating Chi Cheng, and acquired a mysterious evolution stone from a girl seeking protection for her brother.
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The stone sat on Fang Yuan's palm, pulsing with a slow, rhythmic warmth. Its surface was smooth, unblemished, the color of dying embers. He had held evolution stones before—Fire, Water, Thunder—but this one was different. The system offered no description, no price tag. It existed outside the Shop's catalog.
Something rare. Something the system doesn't control.
He turned it over in his fingers, watching the light shift. If the system didn't create it, then it was born from this world. A natural evolution stone. Those are priceless.
He placed it carefully in his inventory, then returned his attention to the four Pokeballs laid out on his bed.
Three days until the clan exam. The clan leader will be watching. So will Chi Cheng. I need to be ready.
He picked up the Moonlight Gu's sphere first. Through the translucent top, the silver insect floated serenely, its glow steady.
Support. Light Screen will be crucial against direct attacks. But it needs more. If I can teach it to use Flash offensively—blind an opponent, create an opening—
He opened the Subjects interface and selected the Moonlight Gu. A list of moves appeared: Flash, Light Screen. Below them, a faint outline of another move, locked.
[New move available after 3 battles: Confuse Ray]
Confuse Ray. A status move. Disorient the enemy, make them hurt themselves. Perfect for disrupting formations.
He set the sphere aside and picked up the Vine Gu.
Control. Vine Whip and Bind are enough for now, but against a Rank 2 opponent, it will struggle. I need to either rank it up or give it a held item.
He scrolled through the Shop's Held Items section. Leftovers were too expensive. Berry Juice was cheap but weak. Then his eyes landed on something else.
[Black Sludge – 40 PS – Heals Poison-type Subjects; damages others.]
Poison-type. I don't have one. But if I give this to an enemy… no. Not yet.
He moved on. The Rock Skin Gu's moves were simple: Tackle and Harden. Its strength was defense, not offense. It could absorb hits while the White Boar Gu attacked.
But against a water or grass opponent, it will fall fast. I need type coverage.
He thought about the forest. There were other Gu nearby: Wind Bird Gu in the eastern cliffs, Fire Cricket Gu in the southern caves, even a rare Lightning Grass Gu near the old shrine. Each would fill a gap in his team.
But time is short. I can't capture them all before the exam. I need to prioritize.
He picked up the White Boar Gu's sphere. Its outline was larger, denser.
This is my hammer. Everything else is a tool to set up its blows. But the clan leader will know that. He'll target it first.
He opened the Fusion interface again. The description glowed faintly:
[Fusion: Merge temporarily with a captured Subject to gain its abilities. Duration: 10 minutes. Cooldown: 1 hour. Warning: Overuse may lead to assimilation.]
Ten minutes. Enough for a single battle. If I fuse with the White Boar Gu, I gain its strength, its durability, its horn attack. But I lose the ability to command other Subjects while fused. A trade-off.
He dismissed the screen and stood. The morning sun was already climbing; the village was stirring.
Time to train.
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He found a secluded spot behind the village's eastern wall, where old supply sheds blocked the view from the main road. The ground was packed earth, scarred from years of discarded equipment. Perfect.
He released his Subjects one by one.
The Moonlight Gu hovered near his shoulder, its light casting soft shadows. The Vine Gu coiled at his feet, its thorned body gleaming. The Rock Skin Gu sat motionless, blending into the dirt. And the White Boar Gu—massive, white, its breath misting in the cool air—stood in the center, waiting.
Fang Yuan studied them.
They don't know me. They don't trust me. The system forces obedience, but not loyalty. That's fine. I don't need loyalty. I need results.
He pointed at a wooden crate against the wall. "White Boar Gu. Tackle."
The beast charged. The crate exploded into splinters. The Moonlight Gu flinched, its glow flickering. The Vine Gu tightened its coils.
Good. Now, Moonlight Gu. Flash on my command.
He raised his hand, then dropped it. "Flash."
A blinding burst of silver light erupted from the Moonlight Gu. Fang Yuan had closed his eyes in time, but the Vine Gu thrashed, disoriented. The Rock Skin Gu didn't react—its rocky hide probably insulated it.
Blindness doesn't affect Rock Skin. Noted.
He ran through combinations for the next hour. Vine Whip to bind, then Tackle from White Boar. Light Screen to block, then Horn Attack. Harden to tank, then Flash to disorient.
By the end, sweat dripped down his face, and his Subjects were visibly tired. The Vine Gu's movements had slowed; the Moonlight Gu's glow was dim.
He returned them to their spheres, except for the White Boar Gu, which stood panting.
It needs food. They all need food.
He opened the Shop and purchased one pack of Moonlight Powder (3 PS), one pack of Vine Essence (3 PS), one pack of Mineral Chunks (4 PS), and one pack of Meat Paste (4 PS). His stone count dropped from 14 to 0.
Zero stones. But five days of food for all four. Acceptable.
The auto-feeding system hummed, distributing the food. The spheres grew warm in his pocket, then cooled.
He looked at the sun. Midday. He had spent the morning training. The clan exam was in three days.
I need more Subjects. Type coverage. I can't rely on White Boar alone.
He turned toward the forest, then stopped.
A figure stood at the edge of the sheds, watching him.
It was a boy, maybe nine years old, thin and pale, with nervous eyes. He wore the same grey robes as Fang Yuan, but they were frayed at the edges, patched in places. His hands were empty.
Fang Yuan said nothing, waiting.
The boy shuffled forward. "You're Fang Yuan, right?"
"Yes."
"I'm Gu Yue Ming." He swallowed. "My sister—she came to you yesterday. With the stone."
The girl. The evolution stone. This is her brother.
"She said you'd protect me. During the exam."
Fang Yuan studied him. Weak. Timid. The kind of disciple who got picked on, who failed, who disappeared into the clan's lower ranks.
Exactly the kind of person no one watches.
"I will," Fang Yuan said. "But in return, you'll do something for me."
Ming's eyes widened. "What?"
"The clan exam. You'll be paired with someone for the first round. It's always a two-on-two battle. I want you to request me as your partner."
Ming blinked. "But—you're strong now. Everyone knows about the White Boar Gu. You could get anyone. Why me?"
Fang Yuan smiled. It was not a warm smile.
"Because everyone underestimates you. And when they underestimate you, they underestimate me."
Ming didn't understand. Fang Yuan could see the confusion on his face. But the boy nodded anyway, desperate for protection.
"I'll do it. I'll request you."
"Good. Now go. Tell no one about this conversation."
Ming scurried away, glancing back once before disappearing between the sheds.
Fang Yuan watched him go.
A weak partner means a weak bracket. The clan will pair me with him, thinking to give the "failure" a chance. But I'll be carrying the match. And when I win, no one will suspect I planned it.
He turned back toward the village.
Three days. Three days to build a team that can crush the clan leader's best.
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The next two days passed in a blur of training, capture, and calculated silence.
Fang Yuan rose before dawn, slipped into the forest, and returned after sunset. He avoided the other disciples, spoke to no one, and let the rumors grow. By the second day, the village was buzzing.
"He has four Gu now."
"Four? I heard six."
"He's been seen in the forest with a beast the size of a horse."
"Chi Cheng is furious."
Fang Yuan ignored it all. He captured two more Subjects: a Wind Bird Gu from the eastern cliffs (Flying type, Rank 1, move: Gust) and a Fire Cricket Gu from the southern caves (Fire type, Rank 1, move: Ember). His team now numbered six—the maximum his current badge count allowed.
Active Subjects:
1. Moonlight Gu (Light)
2. Vine Gu (Grass)
3. Rock Skin Gu (Rock)
4. White Boar Gu (Normal)
5. Wind Bird Gu (Flying)
6. Fire Cricket Gu (Fire)
His primeval stones had fluctuated—spent on food, earned from captures—and now sat at 12. Enough for a Great Ball if needed, but nothing more.
On the evening of the second day, he sat in his quarters, reviewing his team.
Six Subjects. Four types. One heavy hitter. One support. One control. Two new additions for coverage. It's enough. It has to be enough.
He picked up the Fire Cricket Gu's sphere. Through the top, he could see the tiny insect, its body glowing like a coal, embers trailing from its wings.
Fire. Weak to water, strong against grass and ice. The clan leader's Moonlight Gu is light type—no direct weakness. But light type resists nothing. It takes full damage from everything.
He put the sphere down and pulled out the mysterious evolution stone.
Its glow seemed brighter tonight. The orange light pulsed like a heartbeat, synchronized with nothing.
What are you?
He held it up to the moonlight filtering through his window. The stone's surface shimmered, and for a moment, he thought he saw something inside—a shape, a pattern, a creature waiting to be born.
Then it was gone.
He tucked the stone back into his inventory and lay down.
Tomorrow. The clan exam. And after that—
A knock at his door.
He sat up, his hand going to a Pokeball.
The knock came again, louder.
He opened the door.
Gu Yue Chi Cheng stood in the corridor, flanked by six disciples. His Moonlight Gu hovered at his shoulder, its light steady and cold. His smile was the smile of a predator who had cornered prey.
"Fang Yuan," he said, his voice dripping with false friendliness. "I came to wish you luck tomorrow."
Fang Yuan's expression didn't change. "Thank you."
"Of course." Chi Cheng stepped closer, lowering his voice. "I also came to warn you. Tomorrow, you'll be paired with Gu Yue Ming. A nobody. A failure." His eyes glittered. "And in the second round, you'll face me."
He leaned in, his breath warm against Fang Yuan's ear.
"I'm going to crush you. Slowly. Publicly. And when I'm done, that White Boar Gu will be mine."
He pulled back, smiling. "See you tomorrow."
He turned and walked away, his disciples falling into step behind him.
Fang Yuan stood in the doorway for a long moment, watching them go.
He wants me afraid. He wants me to panic, to make mistakes.
He closed the door.
He doesn't know what I am.
He looked at the Pokeballs lined up on his bed. Six spheres, each holding a creature that had no reason to trust him, no reason to fight for him. But they would. Because the system demanded it. Because he had captured them, bound them, made them his.
Tomorrow, I show them. Not just Chi Cheng. Not just the clan. Everyone.
He sat on his bed and began to plan.
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End of Chapter 4