Chapter 75: A Humanoid Arceus? An Unexpected Reward!

Inside the teacher's dormitory, Su Bai sat beside his packed belongings, silently watching the system's countdown tick away.

The task titled "A Role Model Teacher" was finally coming to an end today.

Soon, he would be heading to the Pokémon Center for final inspection, and tomorrow would mark its official opening.

After that, he no longer needed to stay in the teacher's quarters.

The system's countdown slowly ticked toward zero.

When it hit zero, the system notification sounded right on cue.

[Congratulations, Host, for completing the teaching mission: "A Role Model Teacher"!]

[Mission Completion Rating: S]

[Congratulations, Host, you've earned a random ability reward!]

[Would you like to draw your reward now?]

"A random ability reward?"

Su Bai blinked in surprise, recalling the initial newbie gift pack.

That reward had transformed his body into that of a super rookie capable of going toe-to-toe with an S-class Deathbeast.

What would this new ability be?

Though puzzled, Su Bai didn't hesitate to tap "Yes."

After all, who turns down a free reward?

[Drawing ability…]

[Draw complete. Congratulations, Host, you've obtained: Grass-Type Ability!]

In the void, a small orb of green light appeared and shot directly into Su Bai's stunned body.

A surge of vibrant life force flooded through his limbs and veins.

Suddenly, he understood everything.

With a casual flick of his fingers—

The potted plant on his table went absolutely berserk with growth!

Crack!

The flowerpot split apart with a sharp snap.

It had only been a sapling moments ago, its flower yet to bloom.

In an instant, it went from budding to full bloom in a spectacular explosion of vitality!

The force of the growth shattered the pot from the inside.

"Melo! Melo!"

Meloetta let out a startled cry, flying behind Su Bai's head alongside Diancie, both peeking cautiously over his shoulders.

They seemed half-expecting some monster to leap out of the broken pot.

"…Grass-type ability. It really is a Grass-type ability!"

Su Bai was just as dumbfounded as his two partner Pokémon.

"Wait a minute… if that's the case…"

A jolt of realization struck Su Bai hard.

This system was literally called the Pokémon Home System.

So of course, its rewards were tied to Pokémon.

Grass type—one of the eighteen elemental Pokémon types.

And if that first physical enhancement from before was symbolic of the Normal type…

Did that mean he now had both Normal-type and Grass-type powers?

Was he… turning into a Pokémon himself?

"Holy crap… if the system keeps handing out rewards like this…"

Su Bai stared blankly at the remains of the flowerpot, stunned.

If this continued, could he possibly collect all eighteen types?

And judging by the overwhelming strength of this ability, these weren't low-level powers either.

If he really did get all eighteen… what would that make him?

A Humanoid Arceus?!

This was busted. Absolutely broken!

Su Bai gawked at the shattered plant pot for a long while.

Then suddenly stood up, surging with renewed purpose.

"Thank goodness I didn't go the mage route!"

"Even the strongest mages can only cast high-level spells of their own attribute. But once I gather all the types, I can casually unleash all eighteen kinds of attacks with just a flick of my wrist!"

"Isn't that a thousand times cooler than any mage?!"

"No time to waste! Let's go inspect the Pokémon Center!"

We Pokémon trainers must forge our own world—this is our duty!

Commercial District.

Su Bai stood before the massive structure glowing beneath the night sky.

Even he, someone now aiming to become a humanoid Arceus, couldn't help but gasp.

"…Incredible."

On his shoulders, Diancie and Meloetta fluttered in delight, unable to contain their excitement.

He had thought himself pretty well-traveled by now.

After all, he was on his way to becoming an unparalleled Pokémon powerhouse.

But the scale of this Pokémon Center still stunned him.

In his mind, it was supposed to be something like in the games—maybe a medium-sized clinic with a few battle arenas. At most, the size of a football field.

For someone who used to run a small pet shop, even that would've been impressive.

But now?

The entire commercial district was practically overtaken by this towering facility.

It looked like it could house an entire high school campus!

Su Bai stared at the massive structure, confused.

What the heck was I doing that night, poring over the floor plan like an idiot?

And how could this thing only cost 200 million?

From what he knew in his past life, the Arsenal football team's stadium could hold 60,000 people and cost 300 million pounds—and that didn't even include maintenance.

This place looked just as massive—maybe even bigger.

How much did the Ding Corporation lose on this?!

Was this debt a little too heavy?

Su Bai wasn't the type to owe people favors. If money was the issue, he'd rather just earn it himself.

Debts of gratitude… needed to be repaid with gratitude.

He forced a polite smile and asked Uncle Lin, who was overseeing the handover process:

"Um… Uncle Lin, just between us—this Pokémon Center, it couldn't possibly have been built for just 200 million, right? How much did the Ding Corporation really subsidize? I'll make sure to repay every cent I owe!"

Uncle Lin paused his signing and gave Su Bai a funny look.

"Mr. Su… you're not joking, are you?"

"I admit, we didn't make a profit. The Ding Corporation provided all materials at cost, as instructed by the young lady and the chairman."

"But you think we lost money? That's hardly the case."

"We hired three A-Class Awakened and twelve B-Class Awakened for construction. Their wages totaled less than 20 million."

"Add in everything else, and 200 million was more than enough."

"Wait, really?"

Su Bai scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.

He had lived as a broke man for eighteen years. A single coin was precious to him, and he didn't know much about construction costs in this world.

Now that he thought about it, things were different here.

With Awakened individuals, a lot of heavy machinery wasn't even necessary.

A strong physique-type Awakened could easily carry giant support beams, no crane required.

"Here you go, Mr. Su. This is the full inspection contract. Once you've checked everything over, just sign here."

"City Lord Zhu instructed that due to the secrets inside the Pokémon Center, no outsiders may attend the final inspection."

"If you find anything amiss afterward, just inform us the next day. We'll handle any necessary revisions immediately."

"This project took just two weeks. To us at Ding Corporation, it's a point of pride."

Uncle Lin handed Su Bai the documents with a warm smile.

"There's no need for you to feel indebted, Mr. Su. While we didn't profit directly, the future reputation of this center will echo across humanity."

"As the company that built the world's first Pokémon Center, the benefits we'll receive are beyond your imagination."

"In fact, it might be more accurate to say we owe you a favor."

Su Bai was stunned.

Uncle Lin clearly understood his worries, but skillfully turned the conversation around, his tone sincere and natural.

A true professional.

Su Bai nodded as he took the contract.

When it came to social finesse, these people were leagues above him.

And Uncle Lin had a point.

To win the construction rights to something that would eventually become a global symbol in just two weeks?

For Ding Corporation, this was a steal.

Because Su Bai knew better than anyone what the Pokémon Center would become.

From that angle, Ding Corporation hadn't lost a thing.

City Lord Zhu Jianyuan's arrangements were also surprisingly thoughtful…

It seemed both City Lord Zhu Jianyuan and Principal Lu Liangpeng didn't know much about this hidden profession of Pokémon Trainer, but they took it seriously and were incredibly supportive.

After sending Uncle Lin off, Su Bai took a deep breath.

He turned toward the gleaming glass doors and pushed them open.