"Bro System's so stingy. Whatever, long live Bro System."
Xia Chi grumbled to himself, but he was not particularly disappointed.
It made sense. Getting a Prismatic Orb as a reward for an ordinary regional tournament would have been absurd.
Still, every little bit counted. Anything the system produced was either extremely hard to obtain in the real world or did not exist there at all.
That meant he had to make the most of every round!
With that in mind, Xia Chi took out his phone and searched for information on the Shanghai Pokémon Cup.
As its name suggested, the Shanghai Pokémon Cup was a Pokémon tournament for rookie Trainers held in Shanghai every year, in mid-December.
Any Trainer under eighteen could enter.
But although it was billed as a rookie tournament, quite a few eighteen-year-olds already had one or two years of experience as Trainers-some even had two and a half.
And Shanghai was a place teeming with hidden talent.
"Winning this Shanghai Pokémon Cup really won't be easy."
Xia Chi propped his chin on one hand and muttered under his breath.
"Seriously, Chi? You want to enter the Shanghai Pokémon Cup too?"
Picking up on those keywords, Chen Zhenze immediately leaned over, his face full of curiosity.
Xia Chi jumped. "What the hell, do you have a dog's ears?"
Chen Zhenze chuckled. "Forget that for now. Are you really entering the Shanghai Pokémon Cup, Chi?"
Xia Chi nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I saw that the champion gets ten points toward their overall assessment. Thought I'd pick up some credits."
For a moment, Chen Zhenze was speechless.
Entering the Shanghai Pokémon Cup for academic credits rather than prizes worth hundreds of thousands? That had to be a first.
Chen Zhenze said incredulously, "Chi, do you know how generous the Shanghai Pokémon Cup's prizes are? Advanced training machines, training items-the top three even get to choose a Pokémon with an excellent pedigree from the Shanghai breeding center!"
Xia Chi perked up. "Could I get a Dragonair?"
"Of course not!"
Chen Zhenze explained, "Pseudo-legendaries are always in demand, but nobody's selling. How could a little Little Cup offer something that good?"
Xia Chi immediately lost interest.
Honestly, those prizes were plenty generous for rookie Trainers.
But with Bro System's Prismatic Orb setting the bar, the Shanghai Pokémon Cup's prizes seemed far less dazzling.
Seeing Xia Chi's indifferent expression, Chen Zhenze was at a loss. "Chi, why are you acting like you've already got the championship in the bag? I admit you're great at games, but these are real Pokémon battles, not a game, okay?"
Xia Chi merely smiled.
Who are you to question Bro System's power?
Seeing that Xia Chi remained unmoved, Chen Zhenze grew anxious. "Don't brush this off, Chi. Take Lin Lange, your Sprigatito's original Trainer. Her main Pokémon is a Servine that's already evolved once. Surely you know how huge the gap is between first-stage and second-stage starter Pokémon?"
Not necessarily, Xia Chi thought.
Ash's Litten had even defied the natural order and beaten its own final evolution, that musclebound tiger.
Granted, even the writers had apparently thought that was a bit ridiculous, so they had Litten evolve into Torracat during the battle before pulling off that feat.
"And the battle department students do nothing but train all day. Every Pokémon they raise looks vicious. Honestly, how are they any different from street thugs?"
Ring, ring, ring-
The class bell finally put a stop to Chen Zhenze's nonstop chatter.
That also gave Xia Chi a chance to plan his grand campaign to win the Shanghai Pokémon Cup.
He now had the system that came standard with transmigrators, but he was only just getting started. The beginning was always the hardest.
Whether the middle and end would be difficult was a question for later. Expecting to sweep the Shanghai Pokémon Cup with nothing but Bro System's beginner gift pack was still a pipe dream.
So what other resources could he use right now?
Not many, but he did have some-
The system's synergy mechanic, along with the [Artifact Forge] and two [Basic Equipment Forges] dropped by the Prismatic Orb.
At the moment, he had only barely managed to activate a two-unit Dark-type synergy using the Chosen Badge. But there was still about a month until the Shanghai Pokémon Cup, which was plenty of time to catch another Pokémon.
Then he could put together a two-unit Grass or two-unit Swift Striker synergy, either of which would give Sprigatito a considerable boost.
As for the Artifact Forge and Basic Equipment Forges...
Xia Chi called up the system in his mind. "Use the Artifact Forge."
[After use, the host may choose one of three artifacts. Confirm use?]
"Confirm."
[Forging successful. Please choose!] [Ascension Amulet: +10% health, +33% physical attack and Special Attack. After 200 seconds of battle, gain 100% maximum health and deal 100% more damage!] [Trinity Force: +33% physical attack, Special Attack, physical defense, Special Defense, speed, health, and move execution speed!] [Deathfire Grasp: +30% Special Attack. Special moves burn the opponent on hit, dealing True Damage equal to 30% of maximum health over 5 seconds!]
Xia Chi stared at the three blue panels in his field of vision, torn.
I want all of them.
The Ascension Amulet's timing requirement was a little harsh, but its power once activated was beyond question.
There was not much to say about Trinity Force. It was the simple, pure beauty of raw stats, and numbers never lied!
Deathfire Grasp was not a good fit for Sprigatito, but it would be the perfect artifact for any Pokémon focused on Special Attack.
"Can I grab all of them if I'm fast enough?"
The answer was obvious.
[No.]
Xia Chi pursed his lips. "Fine. Then I'll choose Trinity Force."
That was not to say Trinity Force was necessarily better than the other two artifacts, but it was definitely a better fit for Xia Chi and Sprigatito right now.
Deathfire Grasp was unsuitable because it clearly did not synergize well with Sprigatito.
As for the Ascension Amulet-come on, a rookie-level battle lasting more than three minutes?
By then, the winner would probably have long since been decided. It would be far too late to matter.
[Artifact Trinity Force forged successfully!]
Xia Chi continued, "Equip Sprigatito with Trinity Force."
Light flashed, and Trinity Force disappeared from the [Equipment] section of the blue panel.
[Equipped successfully!]
Since I've already opened the artifact, I might as well open the two remaining [Basic Equipment Forges] while I'm at it.
Xia Chi said silently, "Open the Basic Equipment Forge."
[Forging successful. Please choose the first basic equipment item!] [B. F. Sword: +10% physical attack] [Recurve Bow: +10% move execution speed] [Giant's Belt: +10% health and stamina]
Looking at the three equipment icons on the panel, Xia Chi fell into thought.
First, he could definitely rule out the Giant's Belt, which only boosted survivability.
The Recurve Bow and B. F. Sword would both be useful for Sprigatito.
But the B. F. Sword had better upgrade paths.
After all, both Infinity Edge and the Sword of the Occult, core items for physical attackers, required a B. F. Sword to craft.
After weighing the pros and cons, Xia Chi said, "Choose the B. F. Sword."
The B. F. Sword's icon lit up, and the system's voice rang out again.
[B. F. Sword forged successfully. Please choose the second basic equipment item!] [Critical Gloves: +10% critical-hit chance] [Recurve Bow: +10% move execution speed] [Negatron Cloak: +10% Special Defense]
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