"Hiss... shit, that hurts, hurts, hurts." Cheng Tian clutched his aching head and slowly opened his eyes. A familiar bed and a familiar room came into view.
For a moment, Cheng Tian couldn't process it. "This is my room???"
Cheng Tian, male, twenty-four, a veteran corporate slave and an utterly fanatical Pokémon enthusiast. He had loved watching Pokémon since childhood. After he entered college, the six guys in his dorm all talked about their favorite racing teams, sports teams, or girl groups-or focused on preparing for graduate school entrance exams.
Only this idiot plastered the walls with Pokémon posters and excitedly told his roommates all about Pokémon.
Most of the time, the result was that Cheng Tian would babble on and on, and his roommates would nod thoughtfully. "Ohhh, that Pikachu thing. I watched it as a kid. That really fat mouse, right?"
Cheng Tian: "..."
Despite sticking out like a sore thumb, Cheng Tian stayed true to his hobby. He got a girlfriend in his sophomore year and broke up with her in his junior year.
Tears streamed down Cheng Tian's face. "Please don't do this."
The girl said, "Then delete all that garbage on your phone, computer, and game consoles."
Cheng Tian declared with righteous conviction, "I'm sorry. I've wasted your time. Your next boyfriend will be better."
Smack! A handprint appeared on Cheng Tian's face.
After graduating from college, Cheng Tian chose not to pursue graduate studies and went straight into the workforce-as a programmer, the mightiest of men.
Even though he was dog-tired every day, Cheng Tian still watched an episode or two of the Pokémon anime. He also went to see every new Pokémon movie released each year.
It was worth mentioning that nearly all his Pokémon knowledge and love came from the anime. He hadn't actually delved very deeply into the games. He was basically the sort who bought every new release but was utterly terrible at battling. His theoretical knowledge outweighed his practical experience-a player who sucked but loved playing anyway, with rotten luck to boot.
When playing collection games like these, the last thing you wanted was to get stuck chasing one thing down a dead-end alley.
Then, during one vacation, Cheng Tian spent ten straight days hunting for a Shiny Gastly without finding a single one. Rage surged to his heart, his vision went black, and he passed out.
When he woke again, this beast of burden discovered that he had been reincarnated. He picked up his phone and checked the date on the calendar.
September 10, 2055, League Calendar.
Cheng Tian had returned to when he was sixteen!
Opening his browser, Cheng Tian instinctively reached for his bookmarks, then suddenly realized something was off. "Ahem... what am I doing? I should figure out what's happened first."
Without blushing or missing a beat, he backed out and immediately spotted the top news item: "2055 college entrance exam reforms: Pokémon studies added to the agenda."
"This... my lifelong dream has come true!" Cheng Tian wept copious tears.
"Ding-system binding successful. Congratulations, host, on arriving in a brand-new world." A somewhat feminine electronic voice rang out in his head, and Cheng Tian's face lit up.
Sure enough, through a thousand transmigrations and ten thousand reincarnations, a cheat was indispensable.
"Congratulations, host, on activating the beginner quest: Your first partner. Quest details: Obtain your first Pokémon. Reward: One personal verbal commendation from the system."
Cheng Tian was speechless. "Why, thank you for going to the trouble of personally praising me."
Cheng Tian began fiddling around to see what functions the system had, but after quite a while, nothing appeared except a beginner quest screen.
"Whatever. There's no rush right now. I'll take my time finding out what it can do."
Then Cheng Tian looked at his phone. "Ahem, ahem. Since I've been reincarnated, those files I had back then..." Cheng Tian gulped and slowly opened his browser bookmarks.
A pounding heart and trembling hands!
With a bang, the door flew open. "You little brat, how much longer are you going to sleep? Hurry up, get dressed, eat, and go to school!"
Startled, Cheng Tian hurriedly closed the browser and hid his phone behind his back. He chuckled. "Sure thing, Mom. I'll go eat right away."
Cheng Tian's Mother eyed him suspiciously. "What were you looking at just now?" Cold sweat instantly poured down Cheng Tian's back. "N-n-n-nothing. I was just checking the announcements in the group chat."
"Then hurry up." With that, Cheng Tian's Mother left. "Phew..." Cheng Tian let out a long breath.
I almost died of embarrassment!
He quickly put on his black-and-white school uniform and left his room. When he reached the living room, Cheng Tian's Mother had already brought out breakfast, while Cheng Tian's Father was cheerfully scrolling through his phone.
Suddenly, a yellow figure appeared, trailing tiny sparks as it leaped into Cheng Tian's arms. "Woof, woof!"
Cheng Tian instinctively caught him. Looking closer, he found a puppy-like Pokémon in his arms. "Yamper?"
Yamper wriggled his little bottom. A ring of yellow fluff circled his neck, his slightly baby-fat face was chubby, and his four little canine teeth were brilliantly white. He stuck out his tongue and licked Cheng Tian.
"Hahahaha, that tickles! Stop, Yamper." The licking made Cheng Tian squirm. Suddenly, a glint flashed through his eyes, and a panel appeared in his mind.
Pokémon: Yamper Gender: Male Nature: Naughty Ability: Pickup Level: 12 Egg Moves: Baby-Doll Eyes (lv3), Round (lv2), Charge (lv3) Natural moves: Tackle (lv4), Tail Whip (lv6), Bite (lv1), Nuzzle (lv8), Quick Attack (lv4) Tutor moves: None
"Huh? What's this?" Cheng Tian asked in surprise. "When the system scans a Pokémon, it automatically displays its level, Ability, move status, and so on," the system explained.
Cheng Tian's eyes lit up. This was good stuff. He had to put it to use.
But why do the moves have levels after them? Can moves level up too?
Without dwelling on it, Cheng Tian reached out and petted Yamper, finding him wonderfully soft. "So this is what touching a Pokémon feels like," he said in wonder.
"Woof, woof!" Yamper enjoyed it too and happily rubbed his little cheek against Cheng Tian's face. With a crackle, electricity flashed, and Cheng Tian went numb all over.
Nuzzle! A move with a chance of paralyzing its target. Cheng Tian felt a current pass through his body, leaving him unable to move a muscle.
Cheng Tian wanted to cry but had no tears. Is this why Yamper's Nuzzle level is so high???
Cheng Tian's Mother shot Cheng Tian an exasperated look and took a Cheri Berry from the table. While stuffing it into his mouth, she lifted Yamper out of his arms and scolded him. "Little Yamper, how many times have I told you not to use moves?"
"Wooof..." Yamper looked rather wronged.
Cheng Tian's Father chuckled. "He can't help it. Yamper has an organ inside him that generates electricity as he runs around. But unlike Pikachu, he can't store the electricity he produces in his body, so it's perfectly normal for him to discharge it uncontrollably."
Cheng Tian's Mother glared at his father, frightening Cheng Tian's Father into hastily changing the subject. "Cheng Tian, come eat. You've still got school in a bit."
By then, Cheng Tian had chewed the Cheri Berry in his mouth and recovered from the paralysis. He sat down at the table and began eating breakfast.
Egg soup, steamed twisted rolls, and two boiled eggs. Cheng Tian felt a little wistful. In his previous life, he had rarely eaten his mother's cooking after starting college.
Watching Cheng Tian wolf down his food, Cheng Tian's Father asked with a smile, "Well? Have you decided whether to take Pokémon studies?" Cheng Tian nodded furiously. "Yes, yes, yes! Pokémon have been my favorite since I was little."
Cheng Tian's Father nodded. "All right, I support you. Go for it without worrying. Your dad still has some money set aside to help you raise Pokémon."
Cheng Tian's Mother was a little worried. "If Cheng Tian becomes a Trainer and runs around outside every day, won't that be dangerous? I've heard wild Pokémon attack people." Cheng Tian reassured her. "It's fine, Mom. I can take care of myself."
Cheng Tian's Father nodded. "All right, pack your things and get ready for school. Study hard once you're there." Cheng Tian immediately replied, "Sure thing!"
New author, new book. Please bookmark and recommend it.
To all you prophets out there, please don't use your so-called experience to paint everything with the same brush. Making so-called predictions about a new book is the greatest disrespect you can show someone's hard work.
Read the synopsis before reading, read the synopsis before reading, read the synopsis before reading. Important things bear repeating three times. Otherwise, don't blame me if I pin your comment at the top of the page (smile).
Before you continue