"Hiss... Damn it, that hurts, hurts, hurts." Cheng Tian clutched his aching head and slowly opened his eyes. What greeted him was his familiar bed and familiar room.
Cheng Tian hadn't fully processed the situation yet. "This is my room???"
Cheng Tian, male, 24 years old, a seasoned corporate drone and an extreme Pokémon fanatic. He had loved watching Pokémon since he was a child. After entering university, the six people in his dorm were all discussing their favorite racing teams, sports teams, or girl groups, or focusing intently on preparing for graduate school.
Only this simpleton plastered Pokémon posters all over the walls and excitedly talked about Pokémon to his roommates.
The result was usually the same: after Cheng Tian rattled on and on, a roommate would muse, "Oh, that Pikachu? I watched it when I was little. Isn't it that fat mouse?"
Cheng Tian: "..."
Despite being out of place, Mr. Cheng persisted in his hobby. He dated a girlfriend during his sophomore year and broke up with her in his junior year.
Cheng Tian, teary-eyed, pleaded, "Can't we just not do this?"
The girl replied, "Then delete all that messy stuff on your phone, computer, and game console."
Cheng Tian righteously declared, "I apologize, I held you back. The next one will be better."
"Slap—" A handprint appeared on Cheng Tian's face.
After graduating from university, Cheng Tian chose not to pursue graduate studies but went straight into work—becoming the strongest man: a programmer.
Even though he was dog-tired every day, Cheng Tian would still watch one or two episodes of the Pokémon anime. He also made sure to watch the new Pokémon movie released every year.
It is worth mentioning that his knowledge and passion for Pokémon came almost entirely from the anime; he hadn't delved deeply into the related games. He was the type of player who bought every new game but was terrible at battling. A player whose theoretical knowledge outweighed his practical skill, who sucked but loved to play, and who had terrible luck.
When playing collection games like this, the biggest taboo is getting obsessed with a single goal.
After spending ten consecutive days during a holiday hunting for a shiny Gastly without success, Cheng Tian was overcome by anger, his vision went black, and he passed out.
When he woke up again, this poor soul realized he had transmigrated. He picked up his phone and checked the date on the calendar.
September 10, Alliance Calendar 2055.
Cheng Tian had returned to when he was 16 years old!
Opening the browser, Cheng Tian subconsciously wanted to click into his bookmarks, but suddenly felt something was wrong: "Ahem... What am I doing? I should figure out what happened first."
He backed out without batting an eye and immediately saw the first piece of news: "2055 New College Entrance Examination Reform: The Pokémon Department is put on the agenda."
"This... my lifelong dream has come true!" Cheng Tian burst into tears of joy.
"Ding—System binding successful. Congratulations to the host for arriving in a brand new world." A slightly feminine electronic voice sounded in his mind, and Cheng Tian's face lit up with delight.
Sure enough, no matter how many times one transmigrates or reincarnates, a cheat system is absolutely essential.
"Congratulations to the host for activating the novice mission: First Partner. Mission details: Acquire your first Pokémon. Reward: One personal verbal commendation from the system."
Cheng Tian was speechless: "Thanks for the personal commendation."
Cheng Tian started fiddling around to see what features the system had, but after messing with it for a long time, nothing appeared except the novice mission interface.
"Forget it. I'm not in a hurry anyway. I'll slowly figure out what features it has."
Cheng Tian then looked at his phone. "Ahem, since I've transmigrated, those resources I had back then..." Cheng Tian swallowed, "Gulp," and slowly clicked open the bookmarks in his browser.
An excited heart and trembling hands!
With a "bang," the door was suddenly flung open. "You stinker, how long are you going to sleep? Hurry up and get dressed, eat, and go to school!"
Startled, Cheng Tian quickly exited the browser, hid his phone behind him, and said with a chuckle, "Alright, Mom, I'm going to eat right away."
Cheng Mu looked at Cheng Tian suspiciously. "What were you looking at just now?" Cold sweat immediately streamed down Cheng Tian's face. "N-n-nothing. I was just checking notifications in the group chat."
"Well, hurry up then." Cheng Mu left after saying that. "Phew—" Cheng Tian let out a long sigh of relief.
He almost died of embarrassment!
He quickly put on his black and white school uniform and left the room. In the living room, Cheng Mu had already served the food, and Cheng Fu was scrolling through his phone with a cheerful smile.
Suddenly, a yellow figure appeared, trailing tiny sparks of electricity, and leaped into Cheng Tian's arms. "Woof! Woof!"
Cheng Tian instinctively hugged it. Taking a closer look, a puppy-like Pokémon was in his arms. "Yamper?"
Yamper wiggled its little butt. It had a ring of yellow fur around its neck, a slightly chubby face with baby fat, and four perfectly white canine teeth. It was sticking out its tongue and licking Cheng Tian.
"Hahahaha, that tickles! Stop it, Yamper." Cheng Tian was tickled by the licking. Suddenly, a glint flashed in Cheng Tian's eyes, and a panel appeared in his mind.
Pokémon: Yamper
Gender: Male
Nature: Naughty
Ability: Ball Fetch
Level: 12
Egg Moves: Play Rough (Lv3), Round (Lv2), Charge (Lv3)
Known Moves: Tackle (Lv4), Tail Whip (Lv6), Bite (Lv1), Nuzzle (Lv8), Quick Attack (Lv4)
Tutored Moves: None
"Huh? What is this?" Cheng Tian was surprised. "When the system scans a Pokémon, it will automatically display its level, ability, move status, and so on," the system explained.
Cheng Tian's eyes lit up. This was a great tool, and he needed to utilize it.
But why do the moves have levels attached to them? Can moves be leveled up too?
Without thinking further, Cheng Tian reached out and stroked Yamper, feeling how incredibly soft it was. "Is this what it feels like to touch a Pokémon?" Cheng Tian mused.
"Woof! Woof!" Yamper was also comfortable, happily rubbing its little cheek against Cheng Tian's face. With a "crack," electricity flashed, and Cheng Tian went numb all over.
Nuzzle! A move that has a chance of paralyzing the opponent. Cheng Tian felt a current pass through his body, leaving him completely unable to move.
Cheng Tian wanted to cry but had no tears. Was this why Yamper's Nuzzle move had such a high level???
Cheng Mu glared at Cheng Tian exasperatedly, reached for a Cheri Berry from the table, popped it into Cheng Tian's mouth, and then lifted Yamper out of his arms to scold it: "Xiao Wang, how many times have I told you not to use your moves?"
"Woof woof~" Yamper looked a little wronged.
Cheng Fu chuckled and said, "We can't help it. Yamper has an electricity-generating organ inside that produces electricity while it runs, but because it can't store the generated electricity internally like Pikachu, it's normal for it to discharge uncontrollably."
Hearing this, Cheng Mu shot a glare at Cheng Fu, who quickly changed the subject in fright: "Xiao Tian, hurry up and eat. You have school soon."
By now, Cheng Tian, chewing the Cheri Berry in his mouth, had recovered from the paralysis and sat down at the dining table to eat breakfast.
Egg drop soup, steamed twisted rolls, and two boiled eggs. Cheng Tian felt a pang of emotion, realizing that in his previous life, he had rarely eaten his mother's cooking since going to university.
Watching Cheng Tian devour his food, Cheng Fu asked with a smile, "So? Have you decided whether you'll choose the Pokémon Department?" Hearing this, Cheng Tian nodded frantically: "Yes, yes, yes! I've loved Pokémon since I was a kid."
Cheng Fu nodded. "Good, I support you. Go ahead confidently. Your dad still has some money saved up for you to raise Pokémon."
Cheng Mu worried, "If Xiao Tian becomes a Trainer later, how dangerous will it be running around outside every day? I heard wild Pokémon attack people." Cheng Tian reassured her, "It's okay, Mom, I can take care of myself."
Cheng Fu nodded. "Alright, pack your things and get ready for school. Study hard when you get there." Cheng Tian immediately replied, "Got it."
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