“Beldum—use Tackle!”
On the training field, Suguru Natsume pointed toward a target positioned two hundred meters away.
“Bzzzt!”
The instant it received his command, Beldum shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
Whoosh—!
Its silver-white body tore through the air.
A heartbeat later—
BOOM!
The concrete target shattered beneath the impact, fragments scattering across the ground.
Seven days had passed since Suguru received Beldum.
During that time, its level had risen from five to six.
After destroying the target, Beldum turned in midair and flew back to its Trainer.
“Well done.”
Suguru gently patted its smooth metallic head.
Beldum narrowed its single crimson eye in delight.
Thanks to his Perfect Steel Heart, Suguru could clearly sense the happiness radiating from his partner.
Pokémon were remarkably pure creatures.
As long as their Trainer treated them with genuine care, they would respond with absolute loyalty.
Even if their Trainer ordered them to commit murder or set a city ablaze, many Pokémon would obey without hesitation.
Likewise, anyone who attempted to harm their Trainer would be met with the Pokémon’s merciless wrath.
The Natsume family was a great house specializing in Steel-type Pokémon.
Among the many species they cultivated, their three signature aces were Metagross, Aggron, and Steelix.
Naturally, Suguru was raising Beldum according to the cultivation methods that the family had inherited and continuously refined over the course of a thousand years.
Steel-type Pokémon might not possess the widest offensive coverage, but their defensive capabilities were unmatched.
They resisted eleven types, were completely immune to one, and suffered super-effective damage from only three.
In terms of pure defense, Steel was undoubtedly the strongest type.
Of course, some people dismissed Steel Pokémon as nothing more than durable shields that lacked offensive power.
But what about Pokémon that combined Steel with Fire?
Steel with Water?
Steel with Grass?
There was hardly a single weak Pokémon among the powerful dual types involving Steel.
With the Steel typing supporting the foundation of a Pokémon’s defenses, a Trainer had far fewer weaknesses to worry about compared to most other specializations.
“Here.
Eat this.”
Suguru took a palm-sized magnetic stone from his pocket.
Magnetic Stones could replenish the magnetic energy consumed by Beldum.
If consumed regularly over a long period, they could also gradually strengthen the amount and purity of its magnetism.
Beldum communicated with its companions through magnetic waves.
There was no blood flowing through its metallic body.
For Beldum, magnetism itself was the source of life.
The stone in Suguru’s hand might have been no larger than his palm, but the magnetic energy contained within it was exceptionally pure.
Its market price was as high as one hundred and fifty thousand yen.
Beldum currently consumed three of them every day.
As its level increased, the number it required would rise as well.
And that did not even include the Pokéblocks it normally ate.
Suguru had not chosen the Pokéblocks provided by the Natsume family.
Instead, he purchased a special product from the System Shop.
[Beldum-Exclusive Pokéblock]
When Suguru placed the family’s Pokéblock and the System Shop’s exclusive Pokéblock in front of Beldum, it chose the latter without the slightest hesitation.
It was not that the Natsume family’s Pokéblocks were poor quality.
Rather, the System Shop’s product was simply even better.
Unfortunately, each serving cost fifty System Points.
That was by no means cheap.
The product description was also strangely persuasive.
[Beldum-Exclusive Pokéblock]
[It can become stronger just by eating these.
What are you waiting for?
Buy more.]
“…That sounds less like a description and more like shameless advertising.”
Suguru had almost complained aloud when he first saw it.
His current source of System Points came from the Daily Missions issued by the system every morning at eight o’clock.
Over the past seven days, he had completed seven Daily Missions.
Not a single one had repeated.
Some of them, however, had been unbelievably bizarre.
Yesterday’s mission, for example, had required him to spend an entire hour sitting on the toilet.
He had nearly given himself hemorrhoids trying to complete it.
The point rewards generally ranged between one hundred and two hundred.
Aside from System Points, none of the missions over the past week had provided any special rewards.
His very first Daily Mission had rewarded him with both one hundred points and one additional point of Physique.
However, he had not received another attribute increase since then.
Suguru suspected that the first day had merely been a special beginner’s bonus.
Benefits like that probably would not appear frequently.
“All right.
Let’s continue training.”
Suguru turned his gaze toward the rest of the field.
More than a hundred similar targets remained standing.
Beldum’s training objective for the day was simple—
Destroy every last one of them.
Before evolving into Metang, the only move Beldum naturally learned by leveling up was Tackle.
However, it could learn several powerful attacks through Technical Machines, including Take Down, Iron Head, Steel Beam, and Zen Headbutt.
That greatly alleviated the awkward problem of Beldum possessing an extremely limited natural move pool.
After all, if it relied solely on Tackle and encountered a Ghost-type Pokémon, it would be completely helpless.
For the time being, however, Suguru had no intention of teaching Beldum any TM moves.
Its current body was still too immature.
Even if it learned those techniques, it might not be able to control them properly.
The move could fail entirely—or worse, Beldum might injure itself in the process.
Right now was the golden period for establishing its foundation.
Repeatedly using Tackle against the concrete targets would not only improve Beldum’s mastery of the move, but also strengthen its body.
The targets might appear simple, but every one of them had been specially constructed according to Beldum’s present physical condition.
Their hardness had been carefully calculated.
If they were too solid, Beldum would be unable to break them and might injure itself instead.
But if they were too soft, the training would have no meaningful effect.
This kind of exercise did not merely test the Pokémon.
It also tested the Trainer’s financial resources, training system, and management team.
Ordinary Trainers could not afford to destroy over a hundred custom-made concrete targets every day.
Its silver-white body was now covered in several small scratches and dents.
Suguru did not immediately apply medicine.
Steel needed to be hammered repeatedly before its impurities could be removed.
Only then would it become harder and stronger.
Seeing his partner covered in wounds naturally made Suguru’s heart ache.
However, if he softened now, how could he and Beldum ever reach the summit together after it evolved?
Excessive kindness would not protect it.
It would only harm its future.
After leaving the training field, Suguru brought Beldum to a room filled with dense magnetic energy.
“Go inside and rest.”
“Bzz.”
Beldum nodded and floated into the room.
Suguru then returned to the family residence alone.
“Big Brother, are you finished training?”
The moment he stepped through the door, his younger sister came running toward him.
Hatsumi Natsume leaned to the side and peeked behind her brother, but Beldum was nowhere to be seen.
“Beldum is resting in the magnetic chamber.”
Suguru looked down at her.
“So, what do you need?”
Hatsumi was about to enter her first year of middle school.
Despite her young age, she was already showing the makings of a beautiful young lady.
That was hardly surprising.
Not every child born into a great family was exceptionally handsome or beautiful, but most of them were at least well above average in appearance.
That was especially true for a millennium-old lineage like the Natsume family.
There was not a single unattractive person among Suguru’s immediate relatives.
Even his grandfather, despite being over seventy years old, remained remarkably handsome.
Moreover, Gendō’s outward appearance resembled that of a man in his forties or early fifties.
Thanks to the mysterious abilities of Pokémon, Japan’s average lifespan had already exceeded one hundred years.
Those fortunate enough to consume rare treasures capable of extending life or preserving beauty might not remain eternally young, but their aging could be slowed considerably.
“Huh?
Big Brother, how did you know I needed something?”
Hearing his question, Hatsumi blinked curiously, her bright eyes fixed upon him.
“If you didn’t need anything, you’d still be upstairs taking your beauty nap.”
It was not even ten in the morning.
For Hatsumi, who treasured her morning beauty sleep more than almost anything else, coming downstairs at this hour could only mean that something had happened.
Something important, at that.
Otherwise, she would have waited until the afternoon.
Hatsumi puffed out her cheeks slightly.
“Big Brother, I’m going to a Pokémon battle club this afternoon.”
“A battle club?”
Suguru narrowed his eyes.
“I’m battling my sworn rival!”
“That girl named Kasumi Yanagi?”
“Yes, her!”
The moment that name was mentioned, Hatsumi’s expression filled with indignation.
“She awakened a Fairy Affinity a little while ago, and ever since then, she’s been showing it off in front of me every chance she gets!”