If he could crawl through an internet cable, [Fishing Enthusiast Ash] would have done it already, just to throttle [Newbie Ash] on the other end.
He was the one who asked. And yet, watching someone else flaunt that kind of insane luck? That sting in the chest was something only he could understand.
And this wasn't ordinary flaunting. This was S-Rank.
S-Rank!
What kind of concept was that?!
There were hundreds of Ashes in the group. Each had drawn hundreds of times, some even as many as three hundred. Across all of them, only one or two S-Ranks had ever appeared.
Meanwhile, this newcomer… how many draws had he done in total?
Maybe three the first time. A few more now. In total? Not even ten.
And in fewer than ten pulls, he had already hit two S-Ranks. His luck wasn't just good, it was invincible!
"You shouldn't even be called [Newbie Ash] anymore," [Fishing Enthusiast Ash] groaned. "You should be called the Chosen One…"
[Champion Ash: Another S-Rank? That probability is absurd. Honestly, you're the total opposite of [Fishing Enthusiast Ash]. I feel like you should change your name to European Emperor.]
[Newbie Ash: Heh… hehe, let's not. I'm afraid the veterans will beat me up if I brag too much.]
[Aura Ash: So what's the S-Rank ability called? And how many draws total?]
[Newbie Ash: It's listed as… a one-time ability, Chosen One's Radiance. I drew three times this round. Got one A-Rank, Special Attack Limit Boost. One C-Rank, Beginner Breeder. And then this.]
[Fishing Enthusiast Ash: …]
[Fishing Enthusiast Ash]'s whole soul deflated.
He already knew life wasn't fair, but unfair to this degree? It was outrageous!
At this point he couldn't shake the feeling the newcomer had joined the group purely to torment him. Surely this wasn't an illusion… right?
Leaving aside his complete mental collapse, the results of [Newbie Ash]'s draw still shocked the rest of the group.
None of them really needed abilities from the lottery anymore, they were already peak Trainers in their own timelines. For them, new abilities were just icing on the cake.
But luck like this? This was on a whole other level.
Even if [Newbie Ash] only drew garbage D- and E-Ranks from now on, he would still hold the record as the group's luckiest member. After all, no one had ever drawn more than one S-Rank before.
In terms of sheer luck, [Newbie Ash] had already become the group's strongest!
[Champion Ash: Chosen One's Radiance… never heard of it, but S-Rank plus one-time use? It's gotta be powerful. S-Ranks always come with an instruction guide from the chat group. Check the light spot in your mind.]
[Breeder Ash: Let's not skip over the C-Rank ability either, that Beginner Breeder is really good. It gives you a full foundation: flavor preferences for different Pokémon, massage points that help them relax, that sort of thing. Very practical.]
[Breeder Ash: With this ability, you can save a lot of time memorizing knowledge and directly start learning advanced Breeder training from me.]
The one most delighted with Ash drawing this C-Rank ability was, of course, [Breeder Ash]. For him, this meant [Newbie Ash] had taken another step closer down the path of a Breeder.
In the future, [Newbie Ash] would inevitably become more invested in breeding, and [Breeder Ash] could finally enjoy the feeling of having an apprentice.
He'd always wanted someone in the group who could properly discuss breeding with him. So far it had always been one-sided teaching, but for [Breeder Ash], even that was satisfying.
[Harem King Ash: What a pity. If you'd drawn an ability related to me, I could finally teach you properly, and the others wouldn't have any excuse to stop me.]
Another figure who wanted to "spread the faith" was [Harem King Ash]. But unlike breeding knowledge, nobody in the group wanted to learn his particular "techniques."
Why? Because almost no Ash cared about building a harem. Some had partners already, but only [Harem King Ash] had many partners, and everyone else was focused on their Pokémon, not romance.
So every time he tried to push his "curriculum," the group shut him down. And now that a blank slate like [Newbie Ash] had arrived, the others still blocked him, saying he needed to focus on becoming a proper Trainer first.
That's why [Harem King Ash] felt so bitter. If only [Newbie Ash] had drawn a girl-chasing skill, then he'd have had a legitimate reason to proselytize, just like [Breeder Ash]!
[Miner Ash: Heh, don't come out here harming people. Instead of wasting time on pickup lessons, it's better to learn mining from me. Those shining ores are worth risking your life for!]
[Harem King Ash: Huh?! You crazy miner, now you're trying to proselytize about mining? Don't mislead the kid!]
[Miner Ash: Bullcrap, you're the one misleading people!]
[Champion Ash: Ahem. Enough bickering. The newcomer's priority right now is still breeding and training Pokémon. You two can keep your recruitment pitches to yourselves. Newbie, you should check the details of your new ability. This chat won't quiet down anytime soon.]
[Newbie Ash: Okay.]
Ash quickly realized staying any longer would only drag him deeper into their squabbles. Best to log out before it got worse.
He decisively followed [Champion Ash]'s advice and left the chat group…
Back in the real world, Ash opened his eyes to a night sky filled with glittering stars, a crescent moon hanging high above.
It was already past midnight. Everyone, including Pikachu, was fast asleep, so no one noticed him awake.
Ash glanced around, then closed his eyes again, sinking inward. Inside his mind, besides the chat group's glow, there was indeed another light spot waiting for him.
When Ash tapped it, a surge of information poured into his thoughts:
[Chosen One's Radiance: Every Chosen One possesses immense luck. This powerful luck allows them to encounter rare Pokémon and even Legendary Pokémon, but only with time and chance. Normally, this is an unstable passive ability. However, the one-time version, Chosen One's Radiance, guarantees that within three days, the user will encounter an extremely rare Pokémon with a high probability of capture. Once the light spot is clicked, the ability is considered activated.]
...
2 Bonus Chapters @100 PS