[Lottery completed. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained: Body Enhancement ×1]
"What the heck is 'Body Enhancement ×1' supposed to mean?" Nozomi stared blankly as the system's voice echoed in his head, utterly clueless about what he had just drawn.
When in doubt, ask the system. "System, what exactly does this thing do?"
[As the name suggests, Body Enhancement strengthens the Host's physical endurance and resistance to damage.]
"That's it?" Nozomi waited for a follow-up explanation that never came. After a long pause, he asked again.
[The above is the full description.]
The system replied curtly.
Nozomi: "…"
You've got to be kidding me. Just endurance and resistance? That's all?
He'd thought "Body Enhancement" would mean a comprehensive boost to his speed, strength, and overall physical attributes. But apparently, it only toughened him up a little.
"I need an explanation."
[Pokémon Trainers do not require strength or speed.]
"Then why enhance endurance and damage resistance?"
[To improve the Host's survival rate in the wild.]
In the end, Nozomi found himself oddly convinced. Fair enough. Pokémon Trainers weren't meant to fight battles themselves. As long as he didn't get taken out by a stray Pokémon attack in the wild, it made sense.
After receiving the reward, Nozomi immediately felt his already energetic body grow even more vigorous. Beyond that, he didn't notice much difference.
Still, with his psychic sense warning him of incoming danger, he was rarely ever hit by surprise. It wasn't like Pokémon attacks could easily take him down anyway.
In short, his first lottery reward turned out to be rather underwhelming.
"Let's draw again."
He believed in science, not luck. Superstition like being "unlucky" or "blessed by RNG" didn't exist in his book. After washing his hands for good measure, Nozomi sat back on the sofa.
[Drawing complete. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained: Universal TM.]
"What's the difference between a Universal TM and a normal TM?" Nozomi asked curiously.
[A Universal TM can record multiple moves and accelerates a Pokémon's learning speed.]
"Now that's a good item. Guess washing my hands really did change my luck." Nozomi examined the oddly shaped device in his hand, smiling with satisfaction.
TMs might not look impressive, but they were extremely practical—especially for training weaker Pokémon. It could drastically reduce the time and effort required to raise them.
If Nozomi wanted to become an Elite Four member—or even Champion—then excluding Mewtwo, his current team was still a bit risky. His lineup lacked diversity and synergy, leaving him vulnerable to counters. With the Universal TM, he could quickly train new Pokémon and fill those gaps in his roster.
"The final golden draw…" he murmured, placing the TM into his bag and looking expectantly at the last lottery slot.
The last time he'd used a Golden Lottery, he'd drawn Dragonite. He couldn't help but wonder what he'd get this time.
[Drawing complete. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained: Mewtwo Mega Evolution Stones (X & Y).]
"…"
Nozomi stared at the two Mega Stones floating in front of him, his expression a mix of disbelief and irony.
Seriously? He'd just gotten Mewtwo, and now the system was handing him its Mega Stones. This had to be rigged.
"System, I suspect you're manipulating the draw," Nozomi said flatly. "And aren't Mega Stones supposed to be Silver-tier rewards? Why would a Golden draw give me this?"
[Running self-diagnostics… Scan complete. No evidence of tampering detected. As for your second question: Legendary Pokémon Mega Stones can only be obtained through Golden-tier draws.]
The system's calm reply left Nozomi silent for a moment.
"…Fine." He exhaled, reluctantly accepting the explanation.
In truth, he wasn't unhappy with the reward. The Mewtwoite stones were valuable, but his bond with Mewtwo wasn't strong enough yet—he couldn't use them anyway.
"Looks like it's time to start working on that bond," Nozomi muttered, putting both stones away carefully.
After that, he left the hotel to find a restaurant for lunch.
Later that afternoon, Nozomi arrived once again at the Celadon Gym.
"Is Miss Erika in right now?" he asked the receptionist.
"Yes, she is. Please follow me," replied the same young woman who had greeted him earlier that morning.
Following her inside, Nozomi entered the heart of the Celadon Gym—a lush paradise of trees, vines, and flowers layered in elegant design. Grass-type Pokémon darted playfully among the greenery, giving the whole place the feel of a tranquil forest.
"This gym is beautifully arranged," he remarked.
"Thank you. Miss Erika personally guided us in setting it up little by little," the receptionist said proudly.
Nozomi nodded, gaining a deeper impression of Erika. "She's a Gym Leader with real taste."
Soon, they arrived at the battle arena.
The Celadon battlefield was also covered in thick vegetation, though Nozomi's sharp eyes noticed a narrow strip of scorched, barren ground lining the edges—a firebreak, cleverly placed as a safety precaution.
"Probably because so many challengers use Fire-types," he thought.
As that idea crossed his mind, Erika turned toward him from across the field.
"Hello," she greeted with a gentle smile. "Are you here to challenge the Gym?"
Apparently, she didn't recognize him.
Nozomi didn't mind. While his reputation had grown somewhat, he wasn't yet a household name. Most of Kanto wouldn't know him until he'd won the Indigo League Championship.
"I'm Nozomi, from Fuchsia City. I'm here today to challenge the Gym."
"I see," Erika said pleasantly. "Celadon Gym follows the standard 3-on-3 format for official League battles. Any objections?"
"No problem," Nozomi replied.
"Then, let's begin. As the Gym Leader, I'll send out my Pokémon first." With that, Erika tossed a Poké Ball forward.
A Gloom appeared on the field.
"Gloooom~!"
Drool dripped from its mouth as a pungent odor spread across the arena.
The stench wafted toward Nozomi, who frowned slightly but didn't recoil.
Though the smell was foul, he maintained his composure—ever the respectful Trainer.
He would never underestimate or look down on any Pokémon.