Chapter 4 – Master-Level Lottery!

Ather continued focusing on the "Talent" section.

"Maximum talent value of 490... isn't that a species value?" Ather frowned. He remembered that the base species value of Miltank was indeed 490.

According to the game's mechanics, each individual has unique individual values (IVs), while the species value corresponds to its race. It now appeared that the "Talent" referred to a combination of IVs and species base stats.

In simple terms, the talent cap for the Miltank species was 490, and this particular Miltank wasn't one of the more talented ones of its kind—it only had 401.

Besides that, Ather also learned that skill proficiency was divided into four tiers: Learned, Skilled, Mastered, and Transcendent.

The old gym leader's Miltank had mastered a Transcendent-level combo of Rollout and Defense Curl, able to attack with incredible fluidity while rolling.

"So proficiency is probably the prerequisite for creating combo moves…" Ather rubbed his chin, slowly digesting the new information.

Next, he looked toward the "Held Item" section.

From what he knew about this world, it seemed that none of the current trainers used held items in battle.

Ather's mind raced with ideas—Leftovers, Light Clay, Eviolite, Focus Sash…

"If held items are allowed in matches, wouldn't that let me crush everyone effortlessly?"

Of course, it could also be that Ather hadn't yet entered the inner circle of professional trainers and thus wasn't aware of how held items were handled.

As he was deep in thought, Ather suddenly felt a shift in his consciousness. The next moment, a tech-like interface appeared before him, showing four buttons: Missions, Pokémon, Backpack, and Lottery.

Only then did he realize that he needed to focus his mind to view the system interface.

Unsurprisingly, both the Pokémon and Backpack tabs were empty. Ather opened the Missions panel, where only one quest lay dormant:

[Main Mission] Begin Your Journey

Objective: Obtain your first Pokémon and start your journey.

Reward: Beginner's Gift Pack.

"My first Pokémon, huh… Which one should I choose?" Ather murmured.

After years of grinding, he had saved nearly 200,000 Alliance Coins—enough to buy a starter from the black market.

But most of the Pokémon sold there were leftovers from poachers—weak in talent and possibly suffering psychological damage.

Now, with the system's scanning ability, he could easily sift through wild Pokémon to find top-tier individuals. Saving the money for his journey seemed smarter.

"Wild species, huh…" Ather pondered.

In Johto, the most appealing option to him was the pseudo-legendary Tyranitar. If not that, perhaps snagging a Dragon-type hatchling from the Dragon's Den near Blackthorn City.

Still, that was wishful thinking... Even getting a decent starter Pokémon was already a luxury.

Shaking his head, Ather clicked on the "Lottery" panel. The interface was extremely simple: one poop-yellow button in the center labeled "Start Lottery."

Driven by curiosity, Ather pressed it.

[Ding! Master-Level Lottery requires 10 Master Points. Insufficient balance. Please recharge!]

"???"

Staring at the recharge prompt in the middle of the screen, Ather was dumbfounded. Why did this feel exactly like those pay-to-win mobile games from his previous life?

After a moment of hesitation, Ather tapped the "Recharge" button.

He wanted to see how it worked.

[Ding! 70,000 Alliance Coins converted into 7 Master Points. Confirm draw?]

Ather: "HUH???"

Wait, what the hell? There wasn't even a confirmation screen for recharging?

Auto-deducted?!

And how did you access my money? My Bank card is still in my wallet!

Just then, Ather's phone dinged with a notification:

"Beep! You've spent 70,000 Alliance Coins using your Tomato Bank card. Payment successful."

"B@%ch…ass#…N&*"

Ather cursed, eyes red with tears. That was his savings—ten whole years of pinching pennies! And now, half of it was gone in an instant?!

What kind of Bank lets you spend money without asking for permission?!

After a long breakdown, Ather finally went quiet.

The money was already gone. There was no getting it back. His only hope now was to pray for good luck in the lottery...

"Confirm draw!"

[Drawing... Please wait.]

Ather watched as the roulette spun, cycling through various rewards: Pokémon eggs, held items, rare tools, Berries, training devices... He even spotted Mega Stones and Z-Crystals.

"My standards aren't high! Just give me a full-talent Pokémon egg! A legendary would be great! A mythical is acceptable! Even a pseudo-legendary works!" Ather mumbled his hopes.

[Ding! Lottery complete. You've obtained: Basic Energy Cube Recipe!]

[Basic Energy Cube Recipe: Grants knowledge of crafting Basic Energy Cubes. 100% success rate for Basic Cubes.]

"..."

Ather stared at the parchment in his hand, speechless.

Forget legendaries or pseudo-legendaries—not even a regular egg.

"But this might be profitable…" Ather tried searching his memory, but couldn't recall the market price for Energy Cubes.

After all, those were basically luxury items for common folk. His former social standing would've never granted him access to such things.

Even Ash and his companions in the anime rarely used them, opting for regular Pokémon food most of the time.

Clapping his hands together, the blueprint disappeared, and a flood of information surged into Ather's mind.

Ratios for Berry mixing, usage of honey, petals, stream water as additives, operation of the cube mixer—all of it downloaded instantly.

"So that's how it works..." Ather muttered in awe.

Energy Cubes were essentially nutrient-dense crystallized blocks.

Compared to simply mixing ingredients, these cubes were far easier for Pokémon to digest and absorb.

But everything mattered—mixing speed, force, ratios—affecting the quality of the final product. A poor mix could result in inferior or even counterproductive cubes, worse than regular food. That's why Energy Cubes had such high value.

"Didn't expect to gain a Breeder skill before becoming a real Trainer... Might as well test it out in the forest later."

As the sun dipped below the horizon, hunger pangs hit. Ather realized he hadn't had dinner yet.

He headed to the dining room, where Whitney had already set the table with seven dishes: Tamagoyaki, Smashing Steak, Miltank Cheese Pizza, Whirlpool Sushi, Mini Ice Parfaits…

Ather was surprised. "Is today a special occasion? Why so much food?"

Whitney wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled. "Nope! I guess I'm just in a really good mood today?"

Ather looked at her smile. His instincts screamed something was off—very off.

But… what bad intentions could sweet Whitney possibly have? Look at that massive "justice" written right on her chest.

He didn't press further—he was starving. He lunged forward and stuffed an omelet into his mouth, followed by steak, pizza, and more.

Halfway through devouring the feast, Ather noticed Whitney wasn't eating. She just sat there, watching him quietly.

Curious, he asked, "Why aren't you eating?"

...........

[300PS= 1Bonus chapter]

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