Chapter 31: Spiky-Eared Pichu
Watching the Pichu nibbling on the Pokéblock, Nero grinned and said, "Pichu, you can come here anytime. I have plenty of delicious treats, and if you'd like, you can try different flavors every day."
"Pichu??"
Pichu lifted its tiny head, staring at Nero in disbelief.
Could there really be such a wonderful thing?
"Of course."
Nero smiled and nodded.
He had a good stock of Pokéblocks and Berries on hand. A single Pokéblock could provide enough sustenance for an entire day, and since Pichu was so small, half a block would be more than enough.
It wouldn't take much, and Pichu was so adorable—why not treat it like an electric pet?
"Pichuuu~~"
Living alone in a big city as a stray Pokémon, Pichu had not had an easy life. It never knew when its next meal would come.
Hearing Nero's promise, it let out a cheerful chirp.
Cautiously, Pichu inched closer and nuzzled Nero's hand with its tiny head.
Its fur was warm and soft, making it an absolute delight to touch. Nero found himself liking this little creature more and more.
Now that he was looking at Pichu up close, he noticed something unusual—this Pichu looked different from others.
Unlike normal Pichu, this one had three small jagged notches on the tip of its left ear.
Staring at the notched ear, Nero paused in thought.
If he remembered correctly, in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, there was an event at Ilex Forest Shrine. If the player had a Pikachu-colored Pichu in their party, it would trigger an encounter with a Spiky-Eared Pichu.
The Spiky-Eared Pichu couldn't evolve into Pikachu.
No, to be precise, the Spiky-Eared Pichu from the game had traveled through time with the Forest Guardian, Celebi, and was affected by the journey. Because of that, it was unable to evolve or breed.
But if this Spiky-Eared Pichu hadn't undergone a time-traveling experience with Celebi, it should still be able to evolve.
After all, apart from the unique ear shape, it was genetically no different from a normal Pichu.
"This is quite the rare find."
Spiky-Eared Pichu was an extremely rare Pokémon.
"Oh, I almost forgot to check in today."
Every morning, Nero had a routine check-in. But because of today's school team selection tournament, participants had to arrive early at the venue. Nero had overslept and hadn't had time to check in yet.
"Today's also a monthly check-in day, right?"
Last month, his check-in reward was Shave, one of the Navy's Six Powers. Now that it was March, it was time for a new reward.
Nero opened his interface.
A translucent blue screen displayed:
...
Task List!
Task: Compete in the school team selection tournament.
Task Objective: Qualify for the school team.
Progress: 1/3
Rewards: One spin on the check-in roulette and a random standard TM.
...
Nero had long known that his system included a task feature, though it didn't appear frequently, and he sometimes forgot about it.
But yesterday, on the eve of the school team selection, the system had issued this mission.
Task assignments were rare, but their rewards were usually worthwhile.
Nero had looked into the check-in roulette before.
Since monthly check-ins were currently the highest level he had reached, the best rewards from the roulette would match that tier.
If he reached seasonal sign-ins in the future, then the best reward from the roulette would upgrade accordingly.
For this task, he needed to win three consecutive matches to qualify for the school team. So far, he had defeated Leiv, completing a third of the requirement.
The system's tasks weren't mandatory. If Nero found them too troublesome, he could decline without any penalties.
He tapped the left panel button.
[Daily check-in successful. Reward: One blue Pokéblock.]
Afterward, the screen displayed updated sign-in progress:
...
[Check-In Progress]
Daily Check-In: 1/1 (Reward Claimed)
Weekly Check-In: 5/7
Monthly Check-In: 30/30
Seasonal Check-In: 58/90
Yearly Check-In: 58/366
Decade Check-In: 58/3652
...
[Congratulations, host! You have completed the monthly sign-in. A reward has been selected based on your current Pokémon.]
Five seconds later, the system successfully deposited the reward into his inventory. Nero opened his bag and smiled as he saw his prize
...
The next morning.
The school team selection tournament continued.
As Nero walked through the school gates, he immediately heard murmurs around him. His presence was drawing quite a bit of attention.
"I remember this upperclassman! His Pokémon's Thunder Punch yesterday was so cool!"
"Yeah! I wonder if my Magikarp... could ever do something like that."
"Forget it, Magikarp doesn't even know an Electric move. My Caterpie is better! Not to brag, but my Caterpie's Electroweb can take down Flying-types like it's nothing!"
"He's competing again today, right? Too bad I can only watch the livestream from class instead of seeing it live."
Discussions about Nero filled the air.
There had been plenty of exciting battles yesterday, but Nero's first-round performance had been a standout, earning him significant attention.
The way some younger students looked at him made Nero sigh helplessly. He and his Combusken had always been quite the duo, and now being handsome was its own kind of trouble.
When he arrived at his classroom, a few classmates regarded him differently than before.
Many had expected Nero to be eliminated in the first round, yet Combusken had demolished a Vaporeon with a single punch, making an impression on everyone.
Their skepticism had completely backfired.
Of the 20 students advancing to the second round, three were from Nero's class. The homeroom teacher had been grinning nonstop since yesterday.
When the match time arrived, Nero made his way to the gymnasium.
As before, they drew lots for battle numbers.
Nero pulled number 3—he would be in the third match.
The first two battles weren't particularly exciting, likely due to the school's intentional arrangement.
Stronger contestants were matched against weaker ones, leading to one-sided fights.
When the third match was called, Nero stepped onto the battlefield.
His performance yesterday had caught the attention of the school's leadership.
So he speculated that his opponent today might be weaker than Leiv.
His opponent was a student from the advanced class.
Both trainers took their positions. At the referee's signal, they threw out their Poké Balls.
Nero's choice was, of course, Combusken.
And his opponent's Pokémon was—
-----
Want to read ahead of schedule?
Join here for advance chapters: patreon.com / madbot635