System, I choose Dragon type. Begin the simulation
[Dragon type selected. Randomly selecting simulated Pokémon]
[...]
[Random result: Duraludon]
Duraludon!
Julian’s eyes lit up.
Now that was what he called early achievement.
[Beginning simulation...]
Julian’s vision suddenly went black.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself inside an unfamiliar, dry cave. The entrance had been blocked by rocks, with only thin cracks allowing faint sunlight to seep through.
What was going on?
Had he transmigrated again?
"Roaaar!"
Julian froze.
Was that his voice?
He lowered his head.
His hands were gone.
In their place was a pair of silver-white claws.
Wait.
The simulated Pokémon was Duraludon.
And Duraludon has silver-white claws...
Julian’s body stiffened as he felt the shape of this new form.
Wonderful.
He had turned into a Duraludon.
Wasn’t the Pokémon Simulator supposed to be a text simulation?
Why had it actually turned him into a Pokémon?
System, what is going on?
[Pokémon Simulator: the most realistic Pokémon simulation system]
[The host will no longer suffer from making the wrong choice and causing the simulated subject to die early]
[The system will evaluate the host’s simulation score based on Duraludon’s survival time, level growth, move training, territory expansion, and other relevant factors]
[Duraludon’s attribute panel has been unlocked. Please review it immediately]
Julian immediately opened the attribute panel.
[Duraludon]
[Level: Lv. 38]
[Type: Steel / Dragon]
[Ability: Light Metal — development level 0.3]
[Base stat total: 605]
[HP: 77]
[Attack: 103]
[Defense: 123]
[Special Attack: 130]
[Special Defense: 64]
[Speed: 108]
[Effective stat total: 605]
Julian paused at that number.
Duraludon’s official base stat total was 535. Its evolution, Archaludon, had a base stat total of 600.
But after living in this world for ten years, Julian had long since learned that base stats were not absolute limits. They were a reference point — a useful way to understand the average strength and natural distribution of a species.
The real Pokémon world did not strictly follow game mechanics.
That made sense.
If base stats were everything, then a Pikachu with a base stat total of 320 should never be able to stand on the same battlefield as fully evolved pseudo-legendaries like Metagross or Dragonite.
Yet things like that had happened in the anime.
Training, talent, nutrition, battle experience, move mastery, Ability development, and a Pokémon’s own will could all push it beyond the average of its species.
In that sense, it meant this Pokémon had already trained its body past the normal Duraludon range and reached the foundation expected of an Archaludon.
It was ready to evolve.
It simply had not crossed that final threshold yet.
Julian looked at the moves next.
[Available moves:Metal Claw65,Dragon Claw96,Flash Cannon103,Hyper Beam155,Dragon Pulse108,Take Down98,Rock Tomb66,Hone Claws1.5,Iron Defense1.4]
System, what do the numbers after the moves mean?
[For damaging moves, the number represents move power]
[For status moves, the number represents the multiplier of the move’s effect]
Other than being a little low-level, this Duraludon had excellent stats and moves.
Julian now had two choices.
The first was to push aside the rocks sealing the cave entrance and explore the world outside.
The second was to follow the tunnel leading deeper into the cave and explore the underground.
Duraludon was a Steel and Dragon-type Pokémon with a body made of aluminium-like metal. Its food was rock, or more precisely, the metal contained inside rock.
If he explored the underground, he could find ore rich in metal, ensuring Duraludon’s survival, level growth, and perhaps even move development.
Exploring outside, on the other hand, probably corresponded to territory expansion.
Julian decided that survival came first.
He would raise his level and gain enough strength to protect himself before exploring outside.
Julian entered the underground tunnel. After following a winding path for some time, he arrived in a gradually widening underground space.
The twisting route, combined with the rocks sealing the cave entrance, immediately made him suspicious.
Duraludon had clearly been cautious.
That meant there was probably a powerful Pokémon living near its territory, one strong enough to threaten its life.
Using the sharper claws on his right hand, Julian sliced a piece of stone from the cave wall and placed it in his mouth, tasting the metal content inside.
There was very little metal.
With rock like this, he might have to eat hundreds of pounds just to fill Duraludon’s stomach.
Julian continued deeper in.
Eventually, he found a grey-black rock wall.
He swung his right claw, knocked down a protruding chunk of stone, and placed it in his mouth.
Yes!
Iron ore
Julian immediately began experimenting. He used Metal Claw with his left hand and Dragon Claw with his right.
To his surprise, both moves came out smoothly at the same time.
Then he started hacking at the wall in front of him.
By the time he stopped, the entire grey-black section of the wall had been hollowed out. The exposed stone had turned yellowish-brown.
Julian lowered his claws, planning to rest for a while and enjoy the fruits of his labour.
He looked down.
Where was his ore?
All he saw were several small creatures with liquid-metal bodies, golden hex nuts on their heads, and eyes full of desire as they stared at him.
Meltan
There were Meltan in this underground space.
The way they looked at him made Julian’s scales crawl.
He immediately swung his claws and knocked all the Meltan in front of him flying.
Then he turned and ran.
A sharp pain suddenly came from his tail.
Julian turned his head and saw a Meltan hanging from it, taking small, determined bites out of him.
Very determined bites.
Julian slammed his tail against the cave wall and flung the Meltan away.
His instincts had been right.
The Meltan had not been looking at him because they wanted him to dig up more iron ore.
They had been looking at Duraludon as food.
As mythical Pokémon larvae, Meltan were not especially strong.
Duraludon could send them flying with a casual Metal Claw.
But their teeth were excellent.
They could easily bite pieces out of Duraludon’s body and eat them.
And the fearless look in the Meltan’s eyes made Julian feel something was wrong.
Sure enough, a pair of fists as large as sandbags suddenly flew out from the depths of the tunnel, slamming into the ground behind Duraludon.
Booming echoes filled the cave as rocks crashed down wildly.
A huge grey-black hex nut was connected to a pair of mercury-like arms. After stretching to their limit, the arms snapped back.
A massive one-eyed giant turned its liquid-metal body, then sent its hex-nut fists flying at Duraludon again.
Melmetal
Julian ran for his life.
He had been too naive.
An underground space this large should have warned him from the beginning.
Was his first simulation really going to end with him becoming Melmetal’s food?
Julian’s mind raced as he searched for a way to survive.
He used Rock Tomb, creating a mass of boulders behind him in an attempt to block Melmetal’s pursuit.
Double Iron Bash.
Melmetal swung its fists and shattered the rocks with ease.
Then it continued chasing Julian at an unhurried pace.
As he ran, Julian suddenly noticed a long, sunken trail in the ground, left behind by some kind of serpentine Pokémon.
Steelix
That was right.
A Steelix.
He was saved.
Julian’s eyes sharpened.
If trouble was chasing him, he just had to throw that trouble at something bigger.
Steelix was much larger than Duraludon.
Much larger.
Compared to Duraludon, a Steelix would definitely be the more attractive meal.
Following the tunnel-like trail left by Steelix, Duraludon fled wildly.
There!
A round opening.
This was where Steelix had burrowed through.
Duraludon’s body was not especially large. Julian widened the entrance slightly with his claws, then squeezed inside.
Melmetal, however, was too tall. It could only keep swinging its fists and smashing the stone, enlarging the passage Steelix had left behind.
The sleeping Steelix heard the noise and immediately opened its eyes in alarm.
When it saw the aggressive-looking Duraludon charging towards it, it opened its mouth and fired a burst of Dragon Breath.
Julian ran straight past it.
Then he rushed out of the nest through another tunnel without slowing down.
Steelix was still confused when a Double Iron Bash smashed into its face.
The Steelix let out a roar that was three parts pain, three parts shock, and four parts fury.
It swung its tail and used Iron Tail, clashing violently with Melmetal.
Hearing the fierce sounds of battle not far away, Duraludon suddenly slowed.
He had spotted a piece of iron ore.
While Melmetal was busy fighting Steelix, he quickly dug the iron ore out and ate it.
This time, Duraludon had learned his lesson.
Dig one piece.
Eat one piece.
Halfway through the meal, the sounds of battle stopped.
From beyond the tunnel entrance came faint, overlapping cries.
"Meltan... Meltan..."
So many voices that they blurred together.
Julian froze in place, too terrified to move.
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