In Hushi, the boundary between late autumn and early winter was never distinct.
Leaning against the classroom window, Xia Chi spun his pen, gazing out at the desolate scenery in sheer boredom.
Leaves were falling from a towering, century-old tree, leaving only a lone, grayish-brown nest resting awkwardly between its thick branches.
A few newly hatched Rookidee chirped and snuggled together, tilting their round bodies up as they waited for their Corvisquire mother to feed them.
Beside him came the characteristic voice of a middle-aged professor—rhythmic, yet completely devoid of emotion.
“Modern historical consensus holds that the ancient Sinnoh region occupied a pivotal position in world history.
Up to now, the oldest known statue of Arceus was discovered at—Xia Chi, you answer.” Xia Chi wasn’t surprised by the professor singled him out.
His pen kept spinning effortlessly as he answered right away, “The Celestic Ruins at the foot of Mt.
Coronet.” Professor Zhou, who taught Pokémon Mythology, softened his tone slightly.
“Very good.
Now, in Sinnoh mythology, aside from Arceus, what other major legendary Pokémon exist?” Xia Chi replied, “Besides the Lake Guardians—Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf—there are Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina.” “Wrong again!” Professor Zhou’s voice shot up suddenly.
“I don’t know where you picked that up, but what on earth is a Giratina?
As scholars of history, we must maintain a rigorous attitude.
Read fewer wild, unofficial rumors and pay attention in class.
Understood?” Xia Chi nodded without arguing, though he couldn’t help sighing in his heart.
*Calling Arceus’s number-one rebel son, the Renegade Dragon, ‘what on earth’…
Professor Zhou, you’re really something.* Then again, even after transmigrating to this world filled with Pokémon three years ago, he still couldn’t forget the knowledge from his previous life.
In his past life, Xia Chi was just an ordinary corporate drone.
Outside of work, he didn’t have any bad habits other than watching Pokémon anime, playing Pokémon games, and playing the Pokémon TCG.
In other words, he was a die-hard Pokémon fan.
So after hitting the jackpot and transmigrating into a world where Pokémon merged with reality, he had accepted it quite quickly.
*In my past life, Hydro Pump missed three times in a row, Cursed Body sealed my own moves, and I could never hatch a shiny.
According to the law of conservation of luck, I deserve this transmigration!* Unfortunately, gaining something meant losing something else.
In this world, Xia Chi was an orphan.
His parents had died in a plane crash before he transmigrated, and the few Pokémon traveling with them had perished at sea as well.
All that was left to Xia Chi was an apartment and just enough savings to put him through college.
He had originally thought that with such a tragic backstory and maximum negative buffs, he would at least get a cheat or a system, right?
Except there wasn’t one.
Although this was a resource-rich, near-utopian Pokémon world, a rock-bottom start didn’t seem enough to support him in becoming a professional Pokémon Trainer.
Abandoning his childhood dream of becoming a Pokémon Master was a bit disappointing, but Xia Chi had always been content with a simple life.
Once he saved enough money, he would buy a small house with a yard, raise three to five Pokémon he liked, and live out a cozy, relaxed daily life.
Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
So, after setting his goal, Xia Chi studied relentlessly.
After three years of hard work, he finally got accepted into Hushi University, the top university in the Donghuang region, majoring in History.
This rather obscure major was a choice he had made after careful consideration.
People in this world had significant misconceptions about many legendary Pokémon—such as the supposedly non-existent “Renegade Dragon” Giratina that Professor Zhou had just dismissed.
By leveraging these information asymmetries, Xia Chi was sure to secure a place for himself in the future world of mythological studies!
Just as Xia Chi, fresh off Professor Zhou’s reprimand, was making a silent vow to rise above it all, an unfamiliar voice rang out in his mind.
At the same time, a line of light blue, transparent text appeared out of thin air before his eyes.
[Hextech System rebooting…
Current world detected.
Fusing…] Hextech System?
After a moment of shock, Xia Chi instantly realized what was happening.
His cheat had finally arrived!
*System Bro, aren’t you a bit too late?
I’ve been transmigrated here for three whole years…* Xia Chi complained inwardly, half aggrieved and half resentful.
What kind of suffering had he endured over these three years?
While his peers were cuddling adorable Eevees, Xia Chi was buried in textbooks.
While his peers were setting off on journeys with starter Pokémon, Xia Chi was buried in textbooks.
While his peers were sweating it out on the battlefield, Xia Chi was buried in textbooks.
If he hadn’t been able to see the vastly different world outside, he would have thought he hadn’t transmigrated at all, but had simply relived the torture of high school.
Still, three years of quiet living had tempered Xia Chi’s mindset.
Now that the system was active, he managed to stay remarkably calm.
*A Hextech System?
Sounds like a mechanic from that popular game I played before transmigrating.* As a casual game on par with other mega-popular titles, Xia Chi used to play Teamfight Tactics with his girlfriend, even reaching the Master rank.
Though Master in TFT wasn’t particularly prestigious, much like reaching King in other mobile games.
While Xia Chi gathered his thoughts, the floating screen before his eyes continued to flash.
[Fusion complete.
Detected that your first Hextech Augment choice was [AFK!].
Now granting a Prismatic Orb that conforms to the rules of this world!] “Hold on, when did I choose my first Hextech Augment?” Xia Chi couldn’t help interrupting the system, asking in his mind.
[Three years ago,] the system answered succinctly.
Xia Chi fell into deep thought.
Three years ago…
wasn’t that right after he transmigrated?
It seemed that after organizing his memories of this world, he had shouted in despair, “I’m giving up!” “Wait, is that even the same thing?!” Unwilling to accept it, Xia Chi was utterly speechless.
Did a single complaint venting his frustration really decide his crucial starting Hextech selection?
Wasn’t that a little too reckless?
“And System Bro, you didn’t give me any warning either!” System Bro offered no reply, remaining completely silent.
Xia Chi had no choice but to accept reality.
He asked, “So, because of this [AFK!] Hextech augment, you took three years to restart?” [Yes.
The effect of [AFK!] is: Skip the host’s first three rounds, and after they end, grant an extremely rare Prismatic Orb reward!] “Wait, hold your horses.
Let me ask you something.” Xia Chi suddenly caught a blind spot.
“Did those three skipped rounds include what happened to my parents in this world?” If that were true, wouldn’t his guilt be off the charts?
[Events regarding the host’s original family are unrelated to the system.] The system’s emotionless words were quite convincing, and Xia Chi quickly stopped dwelling on the matter.
“Got it.
Go ahead and issue the rewards then.” [Prismatic Orb opened.
Congratulations to the host for obtaining the following rewards: Artifact Anvil × 1, Chosen Crest × 1, Component Anvil × 2.] A massive payout!
Looking at the three icons on the transparent screen in front of him, Xia Chi was overjoyed.
He knew what the Artifact Anvil was—upon opening it, he could choose one out of three powerful Artifacts.
The strength of Artifacts went without saying; in TFT, equipping specific Artifacts on certain units could completely transform them.
The Chosen Crest was somewhat unfamiliar to Xia Chi, but hearing its name, it was clearly related to the “Chosen” mechanic, so its value had to be high as well.
*Ring—ring—ring—* The end-of-class bell interrupted Xia Chi’s thoughts.
“Alright, that’s all for today’s lecture.
Class dismissed!” Although Professor Zhou was stern and old-fashioned, he never held students past the bell.
The second it rang, he gathered his teaching materials without hesitation and walked out of the classroom.
While Xia Chi was still sitting at his desk, savoring the pleasant surprise brought by the system, a sudden weight landed on his right shoulder.
“Stop daydreaming about your stupid Gira-whatever-tina!
Come on, let me buy you lunch!” The speaker was Xia Chi’s classmate and roommate, Chen Zhenze.
Both of them hailed from Sunan, and they got along well.
Just over two months into the semester, they had already become close enough to banter like brothers.
With the system still on his mind, Xia Chi declined, “I have something to take care of back at the dorm.
Grab me some Huangmen chicken and a Berry salad, will you?
Oh, and mix in some Moomoo cream cheese dressing.” Detecting the keyword “bring back food,” Chen Zhenze smirked mischievously.
“Bringing food is fine, I can even pay for it.
But what’s the catch?” Facing his buddy’s blatant hint, Xia Chi glided a glance over at him and smirked.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you stuck in your Great Ball rank promotion matches?
How about I stream and play your account today to help you rank up?” Indeed.
To realize his dream of a lazy, laid-back life as early as possible, Xia Chi had thrown himself into the wave of content creation right after the college entrance exam.
In plain terms: making videos and streaming games.
The reason for choosing this industry was simple: low barrier to entry, high potential.
Professional Trainers in this world were a minority after all, and the elite who could walk the heavily anticipated Champion’s Path were even rarer.
Thus, virtual battles in games became the outlet for people who loved Pokémon battles but lacked the real-world strength to pursue them.
*Pokémon: Champion’s Path*, released by Devon Corporation two years ago, had become the most popular game of the moment thanks to its cutting-edge interactive technology.
Many professional Trainers and even famous Gym Leaders occasionally played it to relax or research tactics.
As everyone knew, the more popular the trend, the fiercer the competition.
Xia Chi, who understood streaming inside and out, grasped this deeply.
Through unconventional meme compositions, game knowledge ahead of the current meta, plus the bonus of his handsome looks, he had become a moderately famous gaming streamer in less than half a year.
A tiny promotion match in the Great Ball rank was something he could handle with ease.
Upon hearing Xia Chi’s reply, Chen Zhenze instantly switched faces, putting on a flattering smile.
“Deal!
Chi-ge, your food is as good as delivered!” Xia Chi stroked his chin.
“A meal in exchange for a crucial promotion match.
Is that a fair trade, my son?” Chen Zhenze fell silent for two seconds, but ultimately couldn’t resist the temptation of ranking up.
“Father, my promotion match is in your capable hands!” Having achieved his goal, Xia Chi waved his hand.
“Piece of cake.”