"Silph Co. has announced an upgrade in Poké Ball manufacturing technology. From now on, Poké Ball prices will be reduced even further!"
In Azalea Town of the Johto region, Nina's expression shifted slightly when she heard the news broadcast over the radio.
"Nina."
Not far away, an old man called out to her.
"Bring me that Apricorn."
"Coming."
The white-haired girl answered at once. She set down her tools and handed the half-processed red Apricorn in her hands to the old man.
"Very nice..."
The old man praised her work.
"Nina, with your current skill, you'd have no trouble opening your own shop out there."
"That's only thanks to your guidance, Master Kurt."
The white-haired girl smiled modestly.
"But these are just the basics. When it comes to making Poké Balls, I'm still far behind you."
Kurt grew even more satisfied with Nina's attitude.
Every elite Trainer in the Johto region knew that Kurt of Azalea Town was the finest Poké Ball craftsman in all of Johto.
But these days, handmade Poké Ball craftsmanship was becoming more and more obscure. Young people simply had no interest in entering the trade.
Even Kurt's own son would rather join Silph Co. and help develop the latest Poké Ball production technology.
It was only three years ago, when Nina got lost near Azalea Town, that Kurt finally found an apprentice with enough talent to learn his craft.
By now, Kurt believed he had already taught Nina everything he could, yet the girl was still willing to stay by his side and help as an apprentice.
"Being too modest won't do."
The old craftsman's brows drew together sternly.
"If you can do it, then you can do it. If you can't, then you can't."
"If I say you're ready to graduate, then you're ready. What's the future in staying here and doing odd jobs for me forever?"
No matter how much gratitude she owed him, three years of labor was more than enough to repay it.
Kurt felt it was about time to send Nina out into the world and let people see the ancestral craftsmanship of Azalea Town's handmade Poké Balls.
But Nina hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
It had already been three years since she had transmigrated into this world.
At first, after discovering that she had arrived in the world of Pokémon, Nina had been overjoyed.
Before transmigrating, she had been a veteran Pokémon player, fully versed in every title all the way through Sword and Shield. In every generation, she had gone out of her way to complete a full Shiny Pokédex.
What could be better than truly becoming a Trainer in the Pokémon world?
However, once Nina learned more about high-level Pokémon battles in this world through television, she realized just how wrong she had been.
Pokémon battles in this world were exactly like they were in the anime. Trainers needed real personal ability to command their Pokémon effectively.
Morty, the Gym Leader of Ecruteak City's Gym in Johto, truly possessed second sight.
Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron City's Gym in Kanto, was likewise famous for her psychic powers.
Simply knowing the Pokédex was nowhere near enough to make Nina an excellent Trainer.
And besides, being a Trainer was not exactly a reliable job.
Battling other people didn't earn much money. Only the most fanatical Trainers made a living by taking on missions issued by the League.
Nina knew herself well enough. She had no desire to become cannon fodder at tournaments.
It just so happened that when Kurt noticed Nina had taken an interest in handmade Poké Ball craftsmanship, inspiration struck him, and he asked whether she would be willing to become his apprentice.
And yet...
Just as Nina was preparing to focus wholeheartedly on learning the highly profitable craft of handmade Poké Ball making from Kurt, the Poké Ball artisan who had taken her in, her cheat finally arrived.
The Electronic Pokémon Raising System!
Taking the form of a simulator, the system would randomly draw a Pokémon.
As long as Nina controlled the GBA-like handheld simulator in her hands and guided the digital pet Pokémon inside through adventures and growth, she could raise her own Trainer stats.
I get it.
It's basically a virtual pet, isn't it?
Nina was very familiar with those. Back when she was a kid, she had managed to get several digital monsters killed.
But if she raised one seriously now, then surely there wouldn't be any problem getting it to adulthood.
Full of confidence, Nina pressed the draw button.
[You have drawn the Ancient Pokémon, Groudon. Groudon has sensed your presence and is awakening...]
The Ancient Pokémon, Groudon!
A legendary Pokémon said to have created the land, also known as the embodiment of the earth itself!
Nina was overjoyed.
If she had drawn such a powerful Pokémon, then clearing the simulator should be effortless.
[Awakening Progress: 1%... Awakening Failed!]
The very next moment, the system slapped her in the face with an abnormal status alert.
The stubborn girl tried again and again, and in return she got countless notices of awakening failure.
Five days later, Nina gave up on her first raising attempt.
Giving up on raising a Pokémon came with a price: a one-year cooldown period.
It's fine. Maybe Groudon and I just weren't meant to be.
After a year of quietly waiting, Nina made her second attempt.
[You have drawn the Renegade Pokémon, Giratina. Giratina has sensed your presence and is opening a rift to the Distortion World...]
[Crossover Progress: 1%... Crossover Failed!]
This time, the message changed. Now it was telling her the crossover had failed.
Already experienced by this point, Nina was disappointed, but she did not take it too hard.
So she kept waiting.
After the first two failures, Nina was mentally prepared. With a much more casual attitude, she opened the simulator for the third time.
[You have drawn the Order Pokémon, Zygarde. Zygarde has sensed your presence and is assembling...]
[Assembly Progress: 1%... Assembly Failed!]
That was when it hit her.
This simulator was nothing but a defective half-finished piece of junk.
After giving up on the third raising attempt, Nina finally understood.
If this kept going, it would be three years and then another three years. This body's age was already considered eighteen this year, and in another three years she'd be over twenty!
Once you passed twenty, you had to face the terrifying curse known as nearing thirty.
Nina had already more or less given up on becoming a Trainer in the first place. The system's arrival had only given her a small spark of hope.
Once that spark was extinguished, she did not dwell on it too much. Instead, she began seriously thinking about her future.
...
"Please give me two more days to think about it."
"One day."
The old craftsman frowned beneath his white brows and chopped the time in half without hesitation.
"You'll give me your answer tomorrow."
"...Alright."
Sigh. It was about time to face reality.
Giving up on her dream was a little sad, sure, but after three years, Nina had already thought it through.
If she couldn't become a Trainer, then buying a Pokémon from a Day Care would be fine too, right?
A Furret would be pretty nice. A fluffy little long-bodied cuddlebug that would definitely feel comfortable to hold.
And then there was Swablu, Ralts, Espurr...
When she really started calculating it, even the money needed to adopt Pokémon was no small amount.
But just thinking about it gave the girl fresh motivation.
After saying goodbye to Kurt, she returned to the small apartment she had rented.
There was barely any furniture inside the cramped room. Aside from the necessary basics, only the computer and television counted as anything expensive.
Nina changed clothes, lay down on the bed with the simulator in her hands, and took a deep breath.
This is the last time!
"Draw!"
[Ding!]
[Electronic Pokémon Raising System Activated]
[Trainer currently has no Pokémon in active raising.]
[Draw cooldown check... reset to zero. Next Pokémon draw is available.]
[Drawing Pokémon...]
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]