"Oh, Sprigatito, you're awake?"
Xia Chi, who had been keeping an eye on her, turned his chair around and said with a wicked grin, "The surgery was a success. You're no longer a girl."
Sprigatito's expression froze. She instinctively raised a leg to check that nothing strange had grown there, then meowed at Xia Chi in mortified anger.
"Meow!"
Give me back all that gratitude I wasted on you!
Xia Chi gave a light cough and changed the subject. "Just kidding. But seriously, Sprigatito, haven't you noticed any changes in your body?"
The Chosen Pokémon effect should have been substantial. Sprigatito ought to have felt something after her "system update."
Seeing that Xia Chi was serious, Sprigatito tried bouncing around on the bed and throwing a couple of kitty punches.
To her delight, she discovered that, just as Xia Chi had said, her strength and speed had improved considerably.
Sprigatito knew perfectly well that this change couldn't have come from nowhere. She turned toward Xia Chi in confusion. "Meow?"
What on earth did you give me to make my body like this?
Xia Chi said calmly, "It's just a welcome gift. Don't worry. Stick with me, and you'll never run short of good thnigs."
Sprigatito rolled her eyes. "Meow."
You mean good things, don't you?
Despite that, warmth still slowly spread through Sprigatito's heart.
Her previous Trainer had been strict, but had never skimped on raising her. In fact, the care she had received surpassed what the vast majority of Trainers provided.
So Sprigatito was a little kitty who had seen her share of the world.
She knew that such a huge improvement in such a short time couldn't be achieved through ordinary means.
Xia Chi must have put considerable thought into it, and perhaps even paid a hefty price.
Sprigatito even thought that Xia Chi must have prepared these rare things before he had caught her.
Hmph. This guy was only saying all that silly stuff to hide it, so I wouldn't feel so guilty.
Watching Sprigatito's averted face grow redder and redder, Xia Chi's mouth twitched.
Seriously, kitty, what on earth are you thinking?
Tsunderes have been out of the meta for ages, you know!
The next morning.
Inside the Pokémon Center at Shanghai University.
The young woman at the front desk handed Xia Chi his Trainer Card with a sweet smile.
"All done! From now on, you're officially registered as Trainer and Pokémon!"
Taking his newly issued Trainer Card, Xia Chi flipped it open.
Beneath his handsome one-inch ID photo sat a neatly positioned picture of Sprigatito's adorable smiling face.
Xia Chi couldn't help feeling a little sentimental.
Three years after transmigrating into the Pokémon world, he could finally say things like, "My goal is to become a Pokémon Master."
As parents in Donghuang would put it, he had already lost at the starting line!
Then again, I don't have parents anyway.
With that thought, Xia Chi waved to the newest member of his family at his feet. "Well then, here's to getting along from now on."
Sprigatito raised her head and answered, "Meow!"
Reality wasn't a game. No rival immediately popped out to challenge Xia Chi the moment he acquired his "starter Pokémon."
In fact, hardly anyone paid the boy and cat any attention all the way to their classroom.
The classic pairing of a Trainer and a starter Pokémon was nothing out of the ordinary on the campus of Shanghai University, a Pokémon university.
Once they reached the classroom, though, someone did express surprise.
"Xia Chi, you really caught this Sprigatito?"
The question came from Chen Zhenze, whom Xia Chi had only recently claimed as his adopted son.
He teased Xia Chi with a smirk. "Well, well! I've seen you two making eyes at each other all this time, and now you've actually hooked up!"
Xia Chi chuckled. "Watch how you speak to your father."
Chen Zhenze was about to fire back on instinct, but then remembered the shiny Great Ball rank badge Xia Chi had helped him earn just last night. His confidence evaporated.
"Uh, fine. But are you sure you want to catch her?"
He glanced at Sprigatito, who was staring straight at him, then leaned toward Xia Chi's ear and whispered, "I told you about her past, didn't I?"
Xia Chi glanced down at Sprigatito, who was pretending to admire the scenery while quietly pricking up her pointed ears, and nodded.
"You mean how she was abandoned by a blind, heartless Trainer who only treated Pokémon as tools for battle?"
Chen Zhenze scratched his head anxiously. "No, look, Lin Lange might be a little cold, but she's seriously capable, okay? She's the top favorite to win this year's Shanghai Pokémon Cup."
[Ding~ Battle round 2-1 triggered: Shanghai Pokémon Cup. The host may choose whether to participate.]
Xia Chi: "..."
Wait, is this right?
So my buddy is just an NPC for triggering rounds?
Isn't that setup a little too disrespectful?
The system's sudden voice in his head left Xia Chi rather speechless.
Of course he knew what a "round" was. It was the combat mechanic in Teamfight Tactics.
In the game, players assembled their lineups of Tacticians and fought one another.
Translated into the real world, did that mean Pokémon battle tournaments?
[Including, but not limited to, battle tournaments.]
His system bro promptly cleared up his confusion.
Xia Chi raised an eyebrow slightly. Including, but not limited to?
Then what else could count as a system round?
"Hey, Chi, what are you thinking about?"
Seeing Xia Chi suddenly zone out, Chen Zhenze waved a hand in front of his eyes.
"Nothing. Just thought of something."
Xia Chi put his conversation with the system on hold for now, snapped back to his senses, and returned to the topic.
"That... Lin Lange. Whether she's strong or not doesn't contradict anything I said."
Unlike the many Pokémon fans who liked cold, rational Trainers such as Paul-
Honestly, that was really because the Diamond and Pearl anime had great production, a great story, and great Dawn doujinshi.
Ahem, getting off topic. Besides, Paul's character did genuinely have an arc of reflection and growth.
Otherwise, Xia Chi felt he wouldn't have been much better than his later successor, Goh.
In short, Xia Chi preferred that lovable idiot who valued his bonds and feelings with Pokémon.
Consequently, he had no fondness for Lin Lange, who had abandoned Sprigatito, either.
Xia Chi waved a hand. "All right, stop worrying about it, Chen. Sprigatito and I have already finished registering."
With his best buddy putting it that way, Chen Zhenze could only let the matter drop.
At Xia Chi's feet, a faint smile had appeared on Sprigatito's face at some point.
After returning to his seat, Xia Chi finally had time to look at the information his system bro had just issued.
There was no question that he had to participate in the first round and see how it worked.
Xia Chi said silently, Start the round.
His ever-available system bro replied instantly.
[Round 2-1: Shanghai Pokémon Cup activated! Upon completion of the round, the system will issue corresponding rewards based on the host's performance rating!]
Xia Chi's eyes lit up. "What rewards are available? Do they include a Prismatic Orb?"
The Prismatic Orb awarded by his first Hextech had been seriously impressive.
If I can open another Prismatic Orb, I'd even be willing to catch Rayquaza and marry Cynthia!
However, the system's response immediately shattered Xia Chi's unrealistic fantasy.
[This event is a minor round. The highest possible reward is a Gold-Tier Orb.]
Before you continue