Choosing a Pokémon

"Here we are, kid," the middle-aged driver said.

"Thanks, sir." As he spoke, Zhang Cheng opened the door and stepped out.

A luxurious building came into view. Above a storefront on the ground floor, a large sign read "Pokémon Day Care."

This was the largest Pokémon Day Care in Jiangcheng City, officially operated by the League.

"Welcome to the Pokémon Day Care."

As soon as he entered, two receptionists bowed in greeting.

Walking past the greeters and into the Pokémon Day Care, Zhang Cheng found himself surrounded by a dazzling array of merchandise.

Aside from the various Pokémon raised there, they also sold plenty of Pokémon Eggs, Pokémon supplies, foods Pokémon loved, assorted medicines, Evolution Stones, and more.

It really lives up to its reputation as Jiangcheng's largest Pokémon Day Care. You can buy practically everything a Pokémon needs here, Zhang Cheng thought.

"Are you here to buy a Pokémon?" A young saleswoman approached Zhang Cheng.

Zhang Cheng looked up at her. Her thick blonde hair, professional outfit, and black stockings made his blood race at first glance.

Lowering his head shyly, Zhang Cheng said, "Yes, I'm here to buy my first Pokémon. My budget is around a hundred and fifty thousand."

"All right, please come this way," the saleswoman said happily.

Although he was not spending a particularly large amount, any sale was welcome. Besides, she had taken a liking to the young man.

He followed her to a section of Pokémon, where she explained, "All the Pokémon here cost less than two hundred thousand. Feel free to take a look. If any catch your eye, let me know, and I'll tell you more about them."

"Okay, thanks." Zhang Cheng began choosing a Pokémon.

After looking around, Zhang Cheng felt a little disappointed. The Pokémon in this price range were all very common, with limited potential. None were particularly suitable to raise as his first Pokémon.

I only have two hundred thousand Pokémon Coins. How can I get a good Pokémon with that?

Doesn't everyone get some cheat system after transmigrating? Why haven't I gotten one? Even a tiny advantage would do. Come on, system, show yourself!

Just as Zhang Cheng was grumbling, a notification suddenly appeared in his mind: the system had successfully linked with its host, granting him the ability to scan Pokémon.

Zhang Cheng was delighted. His cheat had apparently arrived late, but it was not too late yet.

After exploring it briefly, Zhang Cheng discovered that the system allowed him to view a Pokémon's basic information.

With that, he looked at a Rattata ahead of him, and its information appeared in his mind:

Name: Rattata (Level 5)

Gender: Male

Potential: E-

Type: Normal

Held item: None

Basic moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack

Egg moves: Screech

Ability: Guts (When afflicted with a status condition, this Pokémon musters its guts, increasing its Attack. Any status condition other than fainting raises its Attack by 50% and negates the effect of a burn reducing its Attack to 50% of its original value. While frozen, its Attack is not increased when using a move that thaws it out.)

Notes: Rattata, the Mouse Pokémon. A forest-dwelling Pokémon that enjoys hard foods such as Berries, as well as cheese. Sometimes, it takes food from careless travelers and runs off into the wild.

In the real Pokémon world, every Pokémon had its own Potential. Those with better Potential learned moves faster, had greater comprehension, and possessed more potential.

The Potential Level rankings had been established based on the Pokémon League's testing data.

From highest to lowest, they were: S-A-B-C-D-E-F.

There were also distinctions within each rank. Every rank had upper, middle, and lower grades, with + indicating the upper grade and - indicating the lower grade.

Only legendary Pokémon could potentially possess S-rank Potential. An ordinary Pokémon with Potential above C rank was already considered outstanding.

This Rattata fell into the lower end of E rank, placing it among Pokémon with relatively poor Potential.

Of course, that did not mean Pokémon with poor Potential had no potential at all. They were simply harder to raise and had less potential than Pokémon with better Potential.

Besides assigning aptitude ranks to Pokémon, the Pokémon League also ranked Trainers.

Trainer Levels were as follows: Novice (0–10), Beginner (11–20), Ordinary (21–35), Elite (36–50), Gym Leader level (51–60), Pseudo-Elite Four (61–70), Elite Four (71–80), and Champion (80–100).

Once a Trainer's highest-Level Pokémon reached the corresponding requirement and its combat strength met the standard, the Trainer could receive that Level's title.

If a Trainer could obtain a starter Pokémon with B-rank Potential as their first Pokémon, their future achievements would certainly be respectable. With enough effort, they could become an Elite Trainer at the very least.

My cheat lets me see a Pokémon's information directly, but the Pokémon at the Pokémon Day Care must all have been tested by the League before being put up for sale. Finding an overlooked bargain is practically impossible.

But if my cheat can show me the information of Pokémon inside eggs, I'll have a much better chance of getting one with good Potential.

Although the League's testing equipment could detect some information about a Pokémon inside an egg, it could not determine its Potential, Ability, or Egg Moves before it hatched.

At that thought, Zhang Cheng immediately asked the saleswoman, "Could I take a look at the Pokémon Eggs?"

"Of course. Please follow me." The saleswoman had noticed Zhang Cheng's predicament and responded sympathetically.

They arrived at the section selling Pokémon Eggs, which was somewhat more crowded than the Pokémon section.

Some of the customers were Trainers like Zhang Cheng, short on money but hoping to obtain a good Pokémon.

Others were gamblers hoping to hatch a high-quality Pokémon through sheer luck, dreaming of an overnight rise to success.

Standing before the Pokémon Eggs, Zhang Cheng activated his cheat. Sure enough, it worked.

The information of the Pokémon inside an egg appeared before Zhang Cheng's eyes:

Name: Nidoran♂ (Level 0)

Gender: Male

Potential: D

Type: Poison

Held item: None

Basic moves: Leer, Peck

Egg moves: Counter

Ability: Poison Point (Pokémon attacking this Pokémon with contact moves have a 30% chance of being poisoned.)

Notes: Nidoran♂, the male Poison Pin Pokémon. His horn is larger than a female Nidoran's, and his specialty is Horn Attack.

This Nidoran was quite good. He had an Egg Move, and his Potential was much better than that of the Pokémon Zhang Cheng had seen earlier.

Keeping this Nidoran as an option, Zhang Cheng decided to look at the other Pokémon Eggs.