The long-overdue system quests

Walking home, Cheng Tian was clearly in a good mood. Froakie had learned the new move in one go, and they had successfully developed a new way to use it.

"Mm, looks like I'm a pretty capable Trainer after all." Cheng Tian couldn't help feeling proud of himself.

"I'm home!" Cheng Tian changed into slippers as soon as he stepped inside. "You're back? Wash your hands and come eat," his mother called from the kitchen.

"How did training go today?" his father asked with a smile when he saw him. "Really well. Froakie learned a new move."

After a brief chat, the family ate together, and Froakie went back to watching Naruto. Without his phone, Cheng Tian lay on his bed, bored out of his mind.

"Hmm... I'm so bored." A thought struck Cheng Tian. "This lousy system hasn't given me a single notification all this time. All it can do is scan Pokémon."

He opened the system as he thought this, only to discover a lone quest on the quest panel: "First Partner. Quest details: obtain your first Pokémon. Reward: one personal word of praise from the system." Its status read completed, with a green claim reward button beneath it.

Cheng Tian was rather speechless. So the quests hadn't refreshed because he had never claimed the reward after completing the first one? He had thought some dumbass author had forgotten...

He tapped the button, and the system's notification sounded. "Congratulations to the host on successfully catching your first Pokémon. May you soon become a dumbass Pokémon Master!"

"Hey, hey, are you praising me or insulting me? How am I a dumbass? All I did was forget to claim a quest reward!" Cheng Tian protested indignantly.

But the system ignored him, and the quest interface began to refresh. Moments later, a whole string of quests popped up.

Greenhorn: defeat any Pokémon. (Completed)

Our Bond: train with your Pokémon for three hours. (Completed)

Small-Minded: develop an alternative way to use any move. (Completed)

So I've already completed this many quests, Cheng Tian thought happily. The rewards were rather shabby, though: nothing but praise from the system. And every single compliment was the same: "May you soon become a dumbass Pokémon Master!"

Dark lines slid down Cheng Tian's forehead. You're going too far! Say that again, and you'll get a taste of what's coming! After scrolling for ages, he finally found two unfinished quests whose rewards weren't verbal praise.

Light of Miracles: evolve your first Pokémon and witness the miracle brought by the light of evolution. Reward: random Type Gem ×1. (Incomplete)

Second Bloom: catch your second Pokémon. Reward: Sea Incense ×1. (Incomplete)

Cheng Tian's eyes lit up. Finally, some tangible rewards! A Water-type Pokémon holding Sea Incense would receive a small boost to the power of its Water-type moves. As for those random gems, although they were single-use items, he could resell them if he didn't use them. They seemed to fetch a pretty good price, too.

Looking at Froakie's level, he saw that it was only three levels away from its first evolution into Frogadier. That wasn't far off now. As for catching his second Pokémon...

Ideally, Cheng Tian wanted a Pokémon that could soak up damage and serve as the team's tank. A Special Attack specialist would be good too, of course. The trouble was that if he did catch a Pokémon suited to Special Attack, his current finances wouldn't let him buy TMs in bulk. That was a bit frustrating.

"Well, I'll take it one step at a time." With that thought, Cheng Tian told Froakie to get to bed early, then fell into a deep sleep.

The night passed without incident...

On Saturday, September 26, Cheng Tian treated himself to a rare lie-in. By the time he woke up, it was already 10:32.

Froakie was playing with Yamper in the living room. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Cheng Tian checked his phone. The 99+ messages on QQ left him blinking in surprise.

Opening them, he discovered that Bai Yun had been chatting and trading reaction images with Lin Lin in the Group Three chat, with Su Han occasionally chiming in. They had been talking since eight that morning. Bai Yun had also tagged Cheng Tian to get him to join in, but Cheng Tian hadn't seen any of it.

My Wife Miku: @Orange Peel, stop sleeping and get up so we can have some fun! How can you even sleep at your age!?

Still, Cheng Tian's phone had received some useful messages.

Mommy: Work's a bit busy today, so I won't be home at noon. Go buy yourself something to eat.

Well, he would just have to make do with eating out today. Cheng Tian's mouth twitched. It was almost noon anyway, so he might as well get dressed and head downstairs.

After preparing Yamper's lunch in advance, Cheng Tian put on a white T-shirt, black shorts, and a black face mask, recalled Froakie into its ball, and went out.

Because of the heat, people on the streets weren't wearing much, and Cheng Tian enjoyed quite a feast for the eyes along the way. The young women wore less fabric than the last, their snow-white thighs exposed to the air, forming summer's most beautiful white vista.

"Mm, summer really is the best season." Cheng Tian nodded appreciatively.

Quite a few girls were drawn to Cheng Tian as well. His outfit looked fresh and crisp today. With a black mask covering his nicely shaped face and his short black hair, he looked every bit a clean-cut young man.

While he waited beneath the bus stop sign, a few female students worked up the courage to ask for his QQ contact. Cheng Tian smiled at them. Although his black mask concealed his face, the way his eyebrows curved when he smiled made the girls feel shy.

"Sorry, I don't have QQ," Cheng Tian said with a smile. Unwilling to give up, the girls asked for his phone number. Without a moment's hesitation, he said, "Sorry, I don't have a phone."

Then Cheng Tian boarded the bus and left, leaving the girls standing there, utterly bewildered.

On the bus, Cheng Tian looked at their slightly angry expressions and gave a disdainful smile. "Heh, trying to play me? Go put on a thicker layer of foundation first."

These women had suddenly come asking for his contact information. Clearly, they wanted to lure him out somewhere, then harvest his kidneys when he let his guard down.

That's right. That has to be it! Cheng Tian nodded confidently. With his rotten luck, how could a perfectly good romantic opportunity possibly fall into his lap? Besides, although he was a "gentleman," he usually did no more than browse some educational material or admire the flashes of spring scenery on summer streets. A glimpse of black stockings wasn't enough to stop him in his tracks.

As he entertained these thoughts, the bus carried Cheng Tian away toward the shopping street.

After getting off, Cheng Tian headed straight for the shopping street's specialty food district. It was still bustling at noon, with vendors' cries ringing out everywhere.

An older man with a Sizzlipede was selling barbecue along one side of the street. Oil dripped and sizzled from all kinds of meat skewers and wheat gluten onto the charcoal, making its tongues of flame leap higher.

People kept gathering in front of the barbecue stall to wait. Even sweating buckets in the heat, they didn't want to miss such delicious food. "Is it ready yet, boss?" The man fanned the barbecue and brushed on sauce. "Don't rush, don't rush. There are still plenty of orders ahead of yours."

Beside a middle-aged man sat a large wok full of chestnuts. A Hariyama kept stirring and roasting them with its hands, drawing admiring clicks of the tongue from Cheng Tian.

Others pushed freezer carts bearing the words "Wholesale ice pops," attracting crowds of children who pestered the adults to buy them some. A Vanillish stood on top of one freezer, constantly releasing cold air to cool the surroundings.

Cheng Tian found it fascinating. In his previous life, he had never seen Pokémon and humans working together.

As he continued down the street, one shop's sign caught his attention.

"Battle Noodle Shop grand opening... Win a battle for a chance to eat free. All drinks free..." Cheng Tian's eyes lit up. "This is the place!"

He entered the shop, and the cool breeze from the air conditioner made him feel refreshed from head to toe. Sitting down, Cheng Tian noticed a QR code stuck to the table. A very cute Psyduck avatar accompanied the message: "Please scan to order. A dedicated server will bring your food over∽"

"Pretty smart setup." Cheng Tian took out his phone and scanned the code. A webpage opened with a long menu. After browsing for a while, he finally ordered a bowl of pork-bone broth noodles with egg ribbons for fifteen yuan.

About five minutes later, his noodles arrived. Golden noodles lay in a tangled heap in the bowl, with large pools of fat floating on the broth. The egg ribbons, white tinged with yellow, mingled with the noodles, while a sprinkling of green scallions garnished the bowl. Rising steam carried an enticing aroma.

Cheng Tian's appetite stirred immediately. "That looks pretty good!" He picked up the vinegar container beside the table and poured some into the bowl, then lifted the noodles with his chopsticks to mix them before taking a huge slurp.

The noodles entered his mouth, filling it with fragrance. He chewed them together with the scallions, releasing bursts of scallion aroma. The flavor won Cheng Tian over instantly. "This is delicious!"

He finished the bowl in ten minutes and let out a satisfied burp. That had been a good meal. Then, just as he picked up his phone to pay, he suddenly remembered the sign by the entrance.

"Win a battle and eat free..." At that thought, Cheng Tian went to the counter. "Excuse me, is it true that we can battle to get our meal for free?" The server answered with a smile, "Of course. You can go to the battle area over there. Beat a staff member, and you can earn a free meal."

Following the server's directions, Cheng Tian arrived at a battle area inside the restaurant. A staff member came up to greet him. "Hello, sir. Would you like to battle for a free meal?"

"Yes." The staff member smiled at his reply. "Then please get your Pokémon ready. It's a one-on-one battle. Defeat me, and you'll earn a free meal."

Both sides took their places on the field. The staff member threw his Poké Ball first, and a Beedrill appeared, brandishing its poisonous stingers. "Come out, Froakie."

The surrounding diners turned to watch. What could be better than enjoying a battle while they ate?

"Then I hope you don't mind! Beedrill, Double Team! Attack with Twineedle!" The staff member seized the initiative. Five Beedrill immediately appeared on the field and charged, swinging their arms. "We'll use Double Team too!"

In an instant, five Froakie appeared on the field as well, darting around to evade Twineedle.

"Use Bubble to knock it down!" The Froakie pulled foam from their necks and hurled it at Beedrill. "Dodge with Agility, then use Pin Missile!"

Beedrill immediately dodged the bubbles at incredible speed, releasing Pin Missile to attack Froakie at the same time.

A stream of missiles shot out, shattering one duplicate after another. "Now! Water Pulse!" Suddenly, the real Froakie sprang upward and slammed the Water Pulse in its hand into Beedrill.

Beedrill let out a pained cry, but raised one arm at the same time, its stinger coated in purple. It thrust Poison Sting at Froakie. "Use Lick to wrap up its arm!" Froakie whipped out its tongue and coiled it around Beedrill's arm, hanging suspended in midair.

"Use Pursuit!" Beedrill raised its other arm, dense Dark-type energy gathering around it as it thrust Pursuit at Froakie.

Froakie sharply contracted its tongue, pulling its body up level with Beedrill's arm. It swung Cut from its hand and blocked the stinger.

"Froakie, stir up a Whirlpool!" At the command, a vortex quickly formed around Froakie. Beedrill was caught in the damage as well, and finally let out a mournful cry before falling to the ground, unable to battle. "Nice!" The onlookers broke into applause.

Froakie's data changed in Cheng Tian's mind, its level rising by one to fourteen. Great, another level! Cheng Tian rejoiced inwardly. Now level sixteen was even closer.

The staff member had only been going through the motions anyway. Seeing Beedrill defeated, he recalled it and walked over with a smile. "Congratulations on earning your free meal. We look forward to seeing you again!"

Cheng Tian wasn't in any hurry to leave. He returned to his seat and prepared Froakie's food, watching it eat while he enjoyed the shop's air conditioning.

He wasn't an idiot. It was so hot outside. If he could stay inside, why go out?

So Cheng Tian took out his phone and watched Naruto with Froakie until it finished eating. He patted Froakie's head. "Full now?" "Froa, froa!" Froakie nodded to show that it was.

Seeing that, Cheng Tian recalled it and left the noodle shop. A wave of heat immediately washed over him. "Mm... it really is hot." Suppressing the urge to go back inside for the air conditioning, he walked down the street.

He wasn't in a hurry to go home. There was nobody there anyway, so he might as well browse around here.

At the southeastern end of the food street, Su Han stepped out of a car. The driver's window rolled down. "Take your time browsing, miss. I'll wait right here," Uncle Wang said with a smile.

"All right. Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Wang." Su Han nodded and headed deeper into the food street.

Su Han was wearing a white blouse again today. Her chest rose high beneath the fabric, making one wonder whether it could withstand such pressure.

She paired it with a smoky-gray school-uniform miniskirt. Alluring black stockings covered her long, beautiful legs, making the strip of snow-white skin exposed between them and her skirt even more enticing.

Su Han was clearly in a good mood. This was her first visit to Bingzhou's food street to sample its delicacies, and the thought of all those foods she had never tried brought a sweet smile to her face.

"Stinky tofu! Deliciously fragrant, deliciously stinky tofu! Come give it a try!" A vendor's cry caught Su Han's attention. When she saw the stinky tofu stall, she swallowed.

Back in Magic City, she had always maintained her image as a proper young lady and rarely got to eat things like this. Yet the few times she had tried it had left her unable to forget its unusual deliciousness.

Nobody knows me here anyway. I'll go have some. At that thought, Su Han's eyes narrowed happily. She hurried to the stall and said, "Boss, one serving of stinky tofu, please."

"Coming right up, pretty lady. Just a moment!" After a short wait, a box of stinky tofu was placed in Su Han's hands. "That'll be five yuan."

After scanning the code to pay, Su Han happily speared a piece with a bamboo skewer and brought it to her mouth. Her pearly teeth bit down lightly, and the stinky tofu tumbled across her tongue, leaving a lingering fragrance.

Finding it a little too hot, Su Han parted her red lips to let the heat escape, reluctant to spit it out. "So hot, so hot. So tasty, so tasty." Just as the girl walked forward with her head lowered, eating, her forehead bumped into a solid back.

"Ooh... sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to." Su Han hurriedly apologized. The figure turned around, and a familiar face appeared before her.

Cheng Tian was also holding a box of stinky tofu and eating with relish. Feeling someone bump into him, he turned to look, his surprised words a little muffled by his food. "Shu Han!?"

Su Han froze on the spot. A moment later, her face flushed red, and she cried, "Ahhhhh!"

Today's second update is ready! Once this chapter goes out, it'll be time for the debut showcase. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I hope it doesn't flop too badly.

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