“Good boy.” Adrian Sterling gently patted Beldum on the head, his eyes filled with unmistakable affection.
Although he had grown up surrounded by the Pokémon belonging to his father, grandfather, and other family members—and had developed close bonds with many of them—they were never truly his.
Beldum was different.
It was his very first Pokémon.
For every Trainer, a starter Pokémon held a unique place in their heart.
It was much like a first love.
It might not always become the strongest Pokémon on the team, but it would almost always remain the one with the deepest emotional connection.
Of course…
That only applied to Trainers who genuinely cared about their partners.
— Beldum currently possessed Quasi-Champion potential.
With the Xia Family’s immense resources, its potential could certainly be raised to the Champion level.
Besides…
Adrian now had the System.
A Pokémon’s potential was never completely fixed.
With enough rare resources, it could be improved.
The problem was that resources capable of increasing a Pokémon’s potential were both extraordinarily rare and unimaginably expensive.
The higher a Pokémon’s existing potential, the more difficult—and costly—it became to improve it further.
His grandfather’s Metagross was the perfect example.
Despite the Xia Family’s status and wealth, its potential remained stuck at the peak of the Quasi-Champion level because the necessary resources simply didn’t exist in sufficient quantities.
If Beldum failed to reach Champion-level potential…
It would eventually become Adrian’s greatest limitation.
After all, Adrian possessed the Perfect Steel Heart, a talent capable of supporting an Elite-level Trainer and beyond.
However…
If Beldum remained limited to Quasi-Champion potential, Adrian himself would ultimately be unable to progress past that stage.
The opposite was equally true.
If a Trainer’s talent was lower than their Pokémon’s potential…
The Trainer would become the limiting factor.
In many ways…
Pokémon and Trainers complemented one another.
— This limitation did not apply to wild Pokémon.
For wild Pokémon, their maximum strength depended solely on their own innate potential.
As for why a Trainer’s talent could influence a Pokémon’s growth…
Even after centuries of research, Pokémon Scholars still had no definitive answer.
There was another mysterious phenomenon as well.
When a Trainer died…
Their Pokémon’s strength became extremely difficult to improve any further.
The longer a Pokémon had stayed with its Trainer…
The stronger this effect became.
That was precisely why the Champion-level Pokémon left behind by the Xia Family’s ancestors had remained at the exact same level ever since their original Trainers passed away.
— With the exception of Bug-type Pokémon—and a few other short-lived species—most Pokémon lived far longer than humans.
Even Bug-type Pokémon that reached the Quasi-Elite level could easily live for several decades.
Once they reached the Elite rank…
Living for over a hundred years was completely normal.
Dragon-type Pokémon were even more astonishing.
Many of them could survive for over a thousand years with ease.
Ghost-type Pokémon also possessed incredibly long lifespans.
As for Champion-level Pokémon…
Their longevity was even more extraordinary.
— After Adrian officially received Beldum, Xia Wudao personally arranged for it to be registered under Adrian’s Trainer profile.
Only after completing the official registration did Beldum become Adrian’s legally recognized Pokémon.
In public tournaments…
Every Pokémon used by a Trainer had to be registered under that Trainer’s identity.
There was another important rule as well.
No Pokémon participating in official competitions could exceed the level of the Trainer’s registered starter Pokémon by more than ten levels.
This restriction remained in place until the starter Pokémon reached the Gym Rank, after which it was automatically removed.
The reason behind this rule was simple.
Fairness.
If no such restriction existed…
Powerful families like the Xia Family could spend over a decade raising elite Pokémon for their children before they were even old enough to become Trainers.
By the time someone like Adrian officially registered…
His family’s Pokémon might already have reached the Elite level.
Meanwhile…
A Trainer from an ordinary family might only possess a newly trained Level 10 Pokémon.
A battle like that would hardly be fair.
Public dissatisfaction toward the monopolization of resources by powerful families had existed for generations.
The Xia Kingdom was no exception.
To reduce those social tensions…
Rules like these had been established.
Of course…
These regulations applied only to official competitions.
Out in the wilderness…
Nobody cared.
There were no referees.
No restrictions.
No rules.
Only survival.
— However…
Pokémon raised entirely by family members often lacked a close bond with their intended Trainer.
Many refused to obey commands completely.
Unless the Trainer possessed a special ability—such as Adrian’s Steel Heart, which dramatically increased a Pokémon’s affection and trust—it was entirely possible to inherit a powerful Pokémon that simply ignored its owner.
— Ding!
Congratulations!
You have obtained your first Pokémon.
Mission System Activated.
The familiar mechanical voice echoed inside Adrian’s mind.
— Daily Mission Objective: Spend one hour playing with Beldum.
Reward: – Physique +1 – 100 System Points Failure Penalty: None — System Points could be exchanged for items inside the System Shop.
Curious, Adrian immediately opened it.
The moment he saw the contents…
His breathing quickened.
— Steel Plate — 50,000,000 Points Champion Potential Potion — 300,000 Points Instant Healing Potion — 50,000 Points Steel Essence — 10,000 Points …
The shop contained an overwhelming variety of treasures.
Many of them were legendary items that rarely appeared even in the outside world.
Oddly enough…
There were no Pokémon available for purchase.
Almost everything Adrian wanted required an enormous number of System Points.
He sighed helplessly.
“Looks like I’ll just have to complete missions honestly and save up little by little.” Since this was labeled a Daily Mission, there would most likely be a new one every day.
Each mission rewarded 100 Points.
Ten days meant 1,000 Points.
One hundred days meant 10,000 Points.
Three thousand days…
Three hundred thousand points.
Adrian couldn’t help but smile.
“The future looks promising.” — “Grandfather, I’m taking Beldum outside to play for a while.” After informing Xia Wudao, Adrian left with Beldum and headed toward the backyard.
The backyard served as a training ground for many of the family’s secondary Pokémon.
Not all of them were Steel-types.
There were also Fire-type and Fighting-type Pokémon.
Both his grandfather and father specialized primarily in Steel-type Pokémon.
However…
His grandfather’s secondary specialty was Fire-types.
His father’s was Fighting-types.
As for Adrian…
His journey as a Trainer had only just begun.
It was far too early to consider building a secondary team.
That decision could wait until he became an Elite-level Trainer.
— After spending an hour playing with Beldum…
The System issued another notification.
Daily Mission Completed.
The reward was immediately distributed.
+100 System Points Physique +1 Almost instantly…
Adrian felt a surge of strength spread throughout his entire body.
He clenched his fists.
Power overflowed through every muscle.
Compared to before…
His body felt significantly stronger.
It was as though limitless energy flowed through him.
To Adrian…
The increase in Physique was actually more valuable than the System Points.
For a Trainer…
A strong body often meant the difference between life and death.
No Trainer could become truly powerful by remaining safely inside a city forever.
Battles could be fought in official arenas.
But the rare resources needed for real growth…
Could only be found in the wild.
Out there…
Without the protection of battlefields or safety barriers…
A Trainer had to endure the shockwaves of powerful Pokémon battles firsthand.
The tougher their body…
The better their chances of surviving.
At the very least…
If the worst happened…
Their body wouldn’t be torn apart quite so easily.
Give me more motivation!