They stared at one another for a while, both frozen in place, simply locking eyes, until a distant bolt of lightning struck with a loud crack, startling Eevee so much she jumped and hit her head on the roof of the shelter.
Landing on the ground, she whimpered softly, covering her now-aching head with her paws.
"Are you okay?" Arthur asked with concern, reaching a hand toward her.
"Eevee!"
Seeing his movement, Eevee scratched his hand with a quick swipe, not to seriously injure him, but as a warning. After all, if she truly wanted to hurt him, she would've used a powered-up move instead.
"Ouch! What was that for?"
Arthur pulled his hand back, frowning at the small scratch now on his skin.
"Ee…vee…"
Eevee growled defensively at Arthur before bolting toward the forest, running through the pouring rain despite clearly disliking it.
"Phew..."
"And just like that, she's gone," Arthur sighed as he watched Eevee disappear into the trees.
Shaking his head, he looked at his wounded hand and frowned at the scratch. Opening and closing his fingers, he tore off a strip from the sleeve of his already worn-out cloak, wet it in the rain to clean the wound, then wrapped it around his hand like a makeshift bandage.
Looking at his crude dressing, he chuckled bitterly. If he had known he'd ever get a chance like this, he probably would've studied medicine like crazy.
Sitting back down and facing the sea, he watched the stormy waves and let his mind drift back to Art's memories from before he had passed out.
In those memories, he saw a large chest sinking into the ocean. As he swam desperately toward shore, the chest opened, and Art saw that it was filled with evolution stones: Fire Stones, Leaf Stones, Thunder Stones… even Sun Stones and Moon Stones.
Thinking about it made Arthur practically drool at the imagined fortune. He daydreamed for a moment before sighing with a sad smile. He didn't even have a Pokémon yet, and here he was thinking about evolution stones. It would be better to focus on how to survive the next few days, because once that barrel of Oran Berries ran out, he'd be in trouble.
BIP… BIP
"What the hell is that?"
Suddenly, Arthur heard a strange sound, something mechanical, completely out of place in this world.
BIP… BIP… BIP…
He heard it again. But this time he realized… it wasn't coming from anywhere outside. The only sound around him was the rain. No, the beeping was coming from inside his head.
And then, a cold, robotic voice spoke:
FIRST CONTACT WITH POKÉMON CONFIRMED...
INITIALIZING SYSTEM...
SELECTING SYSTEM TYPE...
TYPE SELECTED...
DEFINED AS...
ANCESTRAL BREEDER SYSTEM...
UNLOCK, DISCOVER, EXPLORE...
SYSTEM ACTIVATED.
Arthur froze. Then suddenly, he shouted with excitement.
"A system?! Awesome! I knew something special was happening!"
Forcing himself to calm down, he took a deep breath and said, "System?"
Immediately, a glowing screen appeared in front of him.
```
STATUS:
ANALYSIS:
LIBRARY:
QUESTS:
ACHIEVEMENTS:
```
The screen displayed five options: Status, Analysis, Library, Quests, and Achievements.
Arthur studied them, trying to guess what each one did before asking directly how they worked.
"System, what is Status?"
Suddenly, the same cold, mechanical voice from before answered:
The status screen displays the knowledge you've acquired, as well as your Breeder Points, along with other details related to the host.
"And Analysis?"
Arthur asked next, after hearing the explanation.
Analysis is the ability to examine both Pokémon and items or materials, gaining data and useful insights based on your system level and unlocked, assimilated knowledge.
"Hmmm… that's about what I expected," Arthur muttered as he scratched his chin with his right hand, only to wince when the scratch from Eevee stung slightly.
Opening and closing his hand, he ignored the sting and asked, already guessing the answer:
"So, Library is where I can access breeder knowledge offered by the system, based on my level, right?"
Correct. The knowledge available through the system can be acquired in the Library by spending Breeder Points, which you can earn by completing missions. Some knowledge can also be obtained as rewards from certain missions or achievements. All of it is meant to guide you on the path to becoming the "Ancestral Breeder".
The system's answer left Arthur disappointed, he had assumed the knowledge would be free to access once unlocked. Now that he knew he had to buy it, he'd have to plan carefully which skills to prioritize. It left him visibly annoyed.
"I seriously have to buy it? But why?"
Arthur asked, frowning at the glowing screen, his eyebrow twitching in disbelief.
Absolutely. The user must purchase knowledge; however, some will also be awarded through missions or achievements. As for the reason, ever since the system was created, it was decided that users must follow a purchase rule to maintain what the creator called 'balance.'
"Damn it!"
Arthur shouted in frustration.
"If the goal is to maintain balance, the creator shouldn't have made the system in the first place!"
Trying to calm down, he took a few deep breaths and steadied himself. He was already tied to the system, he had no choice now but to rely on it to survive in this world.
Glancing away from the glowing interface, he noticed that the rain was easing up. What had been a heavy downpour was now just a stronger drizzle.
Stepping slightly outside the tent, Arthur looked up. The sky was clearing, and the storm clouds were slowly drifting toward the depths of the forest.
"So... Quests are how I earn points, and Achievements are unlocked when I complete certain tasks, right?"
He asked while gazing at the ocean, trying to relax as the storm passed into the distance.
Correct. Points are earned by completing quests, which will appear periodically. They come in different types:
Daily Quests: Repeatable tasks that reset each day;
Special Quests: Triggered by specific events or encounters;
Unique Quests: Require mission fragments to unlock;
Legendary Quests: Rare missions involving Legendary Pokémon.
As for Achievements, they're unlocked upon meeting hidden conditions. These conditions remain hidden until completed.
The system concluded, finishing the overview of its core functions.
Having heard the system, Arthur took a moment to steady his emotions, something he had done since childhood and that had always helped him, whether during exams or while playing cards.
He simply breathed, sitting for a while as he watched the clouds drift across the sky.
Once the rain stopped, he stepped out of the tent, stretching before noticing the barrel that had been knocked over and opened by Eevee.
"Damn it, my berries!"
Rushing over to the barrel, Arthur lifted it and crouched down, gathering the berries and putting them back inside.
After putting everything away, he picked up the lid and sealed the barrel. Wiping the sweat from his face with his forearm, he sat on top of it, deciding to check his status.
"Status."
Almost instantly after he spoke, na illusory light screen appeared in front of him.
Accessing Status…
Name: Arthur Lewyn (Art)
Profession: Apprentice Breeder
Knowledge: None (!) (Two knowledge slots available)
Breeder Points: 1000
"Hmm?"
Looking over his status, Arthur noticed he had knowledge to claim, which made him curious about what he had done to earn those two slots.
Using his mind, he accessed the Achievements tab.
Accessing Achievements...
The Transmigrator (Legendary Achievement): Successfully transmigrate to the Pokémon world. Success chance: 0.0000000001.
Unlocked Knowledge: Basic Herbal Medicine.
Breeder Point Reward: 1000
First Contact with Pokémon (Unique Achievement): Make your first contact with a Pokémon after transmigration.
Unlocked Knowledge: Basic Type Energy Knowledge.
"Hmm… Herbal medicine will be useful, at least in this forested region. I still have to figure out what exactly the energy knowledge is and what I'm supposed to do with it," Arthur muttered, scratching his chin as he examined the information, making assumptions based on the title of the knowledge obtained.
"First contact with a Pokémon, huh," Arthur said with na ironic smile as he glanced at his right hand, which had been scratched by Eevee.
"Library..." he whispered, intending to assimilate his new knowledge.
Accessing Library...
Breeder Points: 1000
Knowledge available for assimilation: Basic Herbal Medicine; Basic Type Energy Knowledge.
Knowledge available for purchase: Basic Pokémon Habitat and Ecology (250 Breeder Points); Ores and Rocks for Crafting Pokémon Items (1000 Breeder Points); Berries and Medicinal Herbs (300 Breeder Points); Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and How to Care for Them (600 Breeder Points); ...
Arthur examined the knowledge available for purchase, thinking that since he already had Basic Herbal Medicine, it would be wise to buy Berries and Medicinal Herbs. That knowledge would help him identify plants in the wild when he began exploring the forest.
"Buy Berries and Medicinal Herbs," Arthur said firmly, deciding on the purchase.
Breeder Points: 700
Knowledge available for assimilation: Basic Herbal Medicine; Basic Type Energy Knowledge; Berries and Medicinal Herbs.
Knowledge available for purchase: Basic Pokémon Habitat and Ecology (250 Breeder Points); Ores and Rocks for Crafting Pokémon Items (1000 Breeder Points); Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and How to Care for Them (600 Breeder Points); Fire Control Techniques for Forging (150 Breeder Points); ...
Seeing the three knowledge entries he could assimilate, Arthur smiled and said:
"Assimilate Basic Herbal Medicine; Basic Type Energy Knowledge; Berries and Medicinal Herbs."
Assimilating Knowledge...
The same cold, mechanized voice responded indifferently.
Suddenly, Arthur felt a large amount of information flooding into his brain. At first, it was fine, but once a certain threshold was crossed, his head started to ache terribly.
'Damn it! I should have assimilated them one at a time…' was the last thing he thought before collapsing backward, sprawled on the sand with his arms spread wide, passing out.
Hey everyone, I'm Pururutan. Just stopping by to let you know that you can read up to 9 advanced chapters on my Patreon!
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