Arceus, the Noob Crusher

After Chen Yang left, Cynthia finished her match and returned to the waiting area.

"You won?"

Xu Mu could tell from her delighted smile, but he still put on a curious look and went over to ask.

Cynthia tilted her head back proudly, hands on her hips.

"Of course! Who do you think I am?"

Xu Mu couldn't help smiling at her goofy pose. She was too cute.

"Right, right. You're Cynthia. Winning a little preliminary match was a given."

After playing along, Xu Mu heard his name called over the speakers.

"You're up! Hurry, and good luck!"

Cynthia seemed even more anxious than he was. The moment she heard the announcement, she urged him on.

Xu Mu nodded calmly and strode toward the arena with the steady air of an expert.

"I'll use Greninja this time. Let's finish it quickly."

As he spoke, Xu Mu reached for Arceus's Poké Ball to return him to it.

But the little guy wasn't having that!

"Arceus!"

Let me do it! I can battle too, Dad!

Eager to prove himself, Arceus got so excited that he forgot to use Telepathy and bounced all over the place.

Xu Mu scratched his head helplessly.

"All right, you can go. But be careful, and don't hit too hard!"

"I know, Dad. Don't worry!"

Delighted that Xu Mu had agreed, Arceus nipped at his pant leg.

"In the red corner, Rookie Trainer Xu Mu! His Pokémon is..."

"Arceus!" Xu Mu called out at once.

The referee gave him a puzzled glance, then continued. "His Pokémon is Arceus!"

"In the blue corner, Rookie Trainer Zhao Xu! His Pokémon is Aggron!"

"Each trainer may use one Pokémon. Begin!"

The moment the referee finished speaking, Arceus shot forward like lightning and slammed headfirst into Aggron.

Seeing this, Zhao Xu simply ordered Aggron to use Harden. As a Steel- and Rock-type Pokémon, it could take one Tackle without much trouble.

The referee and the spectators all thought the same.

What difference was there between that small, soft-looking Pokémon tackling Aggron and giving it a Tickle?

Xu Mu paid them no mind. Instead, he found himself comparing the Little War God Cup contestants with those from the national league he had competed in before.

Sure enough, this is a higher-level beginner zone. Every one of them has a fully evolved Pokémon.

They must have started raising their Pokémon when they were little. Otherwise, their Pokémon wouldn't be so obedient, and they wouldn't be so close.

If Dad hadn't sent me Greninja, I might not be a match for these rich kids with just that damn system.

But if they've got well-connected fathers, so do I!

Who here isn't riding on their dad's coattails?

Who are they looking down on?

Bang!

A deafening crash rang out!

Arceus's headfirst charge cracked the armor of Aggron, which was still using Harden!

With a scream, Aggron flew backward, hit the ground, and passed out.

"The trainer in the red corner wins!"

The referee was professional. Despite his shock, he announced the result immediately.

Under the stunned gaze of everyone present, Xu Mu made a stylish exit.

As he'd thought, even if these rich kids were fairly strong, this was still just a slightly higher-level beginner zone.

In Xu Mu's eyes, they were all easy pickings. Some were just greener than others.

He could crush them all the same!

The preliminaries moved quickly, with one round every three hours on average. Three rounds were held that afternoon.

They didn't finish until nine that night. The sixteen strongest trainers remained to compete in the main event the next day.

The organizers had arranged things this way mainly because all the contestants were the children of important people.

Some parents had even come to accompany their children personally. Naturally, the preliminaries had to move quickly so they wouldn't take up too much of those people's time.

As for injured Pokémon, there was no need to worry. The Little War God Cup's organizers had brought in the Pokémon League's finest medical team to keep every rich kid's Pokémon safe.

Xu Mu sent Arceus out for all three of his preliminary matches.

At first, the little guy couldn't control his strength and nearly killed Aggron with that charge.

But over the next two matches, he grew noticeably better at controlling his body, using just enough force to defeat each opponent in a single hit.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing Arceus's check-in task (1): bring or use Arceus in a battle in Green City. Reward: one random Plate!]

[Please keep up the good work and collect all the Plates for Arceus as soon as possible!]

Xu Mu accepted the system's encouragement with a broad smile.

He was gradually building up an immunity to that damn system.

You can taunt me all you want. I'll do things my way.

If Arceus wants to battle, I'll let him have his fun. As for your stupid task...

Heh. Whatever!

I still have seventeen chances!

Seventeen Plates mean seventeen tasks. Scheme all you want, damn system. I don't believe you can get me seventeen times in a row!

[Ding! Reward: Arceus has fused with the Insect Plate. His resistance to Bug-type moves has increased, and the power of his Bug-type moves has doubled!]

Xu Mu fell silent on the spot.

The best way to deal with someone mouthing off was to ignore them and prove them wrong with your actions.

Xu Mu had muttered curses at the system for ages, but it hadn't paid him any attention. It had simply awarded the Plate—and gone so far as to fuse it with Arceus!

You don't want to be a trainer?

You don't want to get stronger?

Fine. You do what you want, and I'll do what I want!

Xu Mu felt the full force of the damn system's malice. He gritted his teeth and gave an angry snort.

"Arceus, how do you feel? Any discomfort?"

Arceus was still young. Xu Mu needed to guide him toward the same laid-back outlook he had.

"No, Dad. I feel like I'm bursting with energy! Is this what Greninja meant when he talked about the benefits of battling?"

Arceus answered him through Telepathy.

"Dad, I want to keep battling! Feeling this powerful is great!"

Xu Mu opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"It's too late. He's already gone astray. He's headed down the road of crushing weak opponents and getting stronger, and there's no turning back."

Xu Mu sighed, exhausted.

Why are all three of my Pokémon like this? You're all trying so hard that I can't even be a proper slacker!

I really don't want to be a trainer. Would anyone believe me?

Damn it, system! I, Xu Mu, am your sworn enemy for life!