"System bro is really stingy… whatever, may you live a hundred years."
Aarav complained inwardly, but he didn't feel too disappointed.
Thinking about it, it made sense.
For an ordinary regional-level tournament, getting a Prism Orb as a reward would've been absurd.
Still, even a mosquito's leg was meat.
Anything produced by the system was either extremely rare in the real world—or simply didn't exist at all.
So every round had to be taken seriously.
With that in mind, Aarav took out his phone and searched for information about the Shanghai Pokémon Cup.
As the name suggested, the "Shanghai Pokémon Cup" was a rookie Trainer tournament held annually in Shanghai City, usually in mid-December.
Any Trainer under the age of eighteen could participate.
But although it was called a rookie tournament, many participants already had one or even two years of training experience by the time they turned eighteen.
And Shanghai itself was a place where hidden talents lurked everywhere.
"…This Shanghai Cup really isn't going to be easy to win."
Resting his chin on his hand, Aarav murmured softly.
"Seriously? Aarav, you want to compete in the Shanghai Cup too?"
Chen Zhenze immediately leaned over the moment he caught the keyword, his face full of gossip.
Aarav jumped slightly. "What are you, a dog? Your hearing that sharp?"
Chen Zhenze laughed. "Forget that for now. Are you really going to participate?"
Aarav nodded seriously. "Yeah. The champion gets ten comprehensive evaluation points. I need the credits."
Chen Zhenze went silent.
So you're entering the Shanghai Cup not for the prizes worth hundreds of thousands… but for academic credits?
That reason was honestly ridiculous.
Speechless, Chen Zhenze said,
"Aarav, do you even know how insane the rewards are? Advanced training machines, breeding items—top three can even go to the Shanghai Breeding Base and choose a Pokémon with excellent lineage!"
Aarav's eyes lit up. "Does that include Dragonair?"
"Of course not!"
Chen Zhenze explained,
"Pseudo-legendaries are basically priceless. How could a rookie tournament offer something like that?"
Aarav instantly lost interest.
To be honest, these rewards were already extremely generous for rookie Trainers.
But compared to the Prism Orb he'd gotten from the system, they suddenly didn't look that impressive anymore.
Seeing Aarav's indifferent expression, Chen Zhenze felt even more helpless.
"Aarav, what's with that attitude? You're acting like the championship is already yours. I admit your gaming skills are crazy, but this is real Pokémon battling, not a game!"
Aarav just smiled and said nothing.
Do you really think you're qualified to question my system bro?
Seeing Aarav unmoved, Chen Zhenze grew anxious.
"Don't underestimate it! Take Sprigatito's former Trainer, Lin Lango, for example. Her main Pokémon is already a Servine. You do realize how big the gap is between a first-stage and a second-stage starter, right?"
Aarav thought to himself: not necessarily.
Ash's Litten once defied logic and defeated its fully evolved form, Incineroar.
Of course, even the writers thought that was too outrageous, so Litten evolved into Torracat mid-battle to make it more reasonable.
"And besides, the battle department people train every single day. Their Pokémon are all brutal monsters. Honestly, they're basically the same as people who fight on the streets…"
"Ding—ding—ding—ding!"
The ringing of the class bell cut off Chen Zhenze's endless chatter.
Aarav finally had some breathing room to plan his grand Shanghai Cup championship campaign.
Although he now had the standard transmigrator system, he was still at the very beginning.
Everything was hard at the start.
Forget the middle and end—even relying solely on the system's beginner package to sweep the Shanghai Cup would be pure fantasy.
So what resources did he actually have right now?
Not many.
But not zero either.
The system's Bond mechanism, and the items from the Prism Orb:
the Artifact Forge and two Basic Equipment Forges.
At the moment, he had only barely activated a Dark-type double Bond through the Chosen Emblem.
But there was still about a month left before the Shanghai Cup.
That was more than enough time to catch another Pokémon.
If he could activate a Grass Bond or Speed Bond, Sprigatito's strength would increase significantly.
As for the Artifact Forge and the Basic Equipment Forges…
Aarav called out to the system in his mind.
"Use the Artifact Forge."
[After activation, you may choose one of three artifacts. Confirm use?]
"Confirm."
[Forging complete. Please select!]
[Ascension Talisman: +10% HP, +33% Attack and Special Attack.
After 200 seconds of battle, gain 100% maximum HP and +100% damage!]
[Trinity Force: +33% Attack, Special Attack, Defense, Special Defense, Speed, HP, and skill casting speed!]
[Abyssal Flame Embrace: +30% Special Attack.
After special moves hit, burn the opponent and deal true damage equal to 30% of their maximum HP over 5 seconds!]
Looking at the three blue panels floating before him, Aarav felt torn.
He wanted all of them.
Ascension Talisman had a strict time condition, but once activated, its effect was unquestionably terrifying.
Trinity Force needed no explanation.
Pure stats.
And stats never lie.
Abyssal Flame Embrace didn't match Sprigatito very well, but for any special attacker, it was practically a god-tier artifact.
"Can I just grab all three if I'm fast enough?"
The answer was obvious.
[No.]
Aarav clicked his tongue. "Alright, then Trinity Force."
It wasn't that Trinity Force was necessarily better than the other two.
It was simply the most suitable choice for both Aarav and Sprigatito at their current stage.
Abyssal Flame Embrace didn't fit Sprigatito's build.
As for Ascension Talisman…
Come on. Rookie-level battles lasting over three minutes?
By that point, the match would've ended long ago.
[Artifact Trinity Force forged successfully!]
Aarav continued, "Equip Trinity Force to Sprigatito."
A flash of light.
On the blue interface, Trinity Force vanished from the equipment slot.
[Equipment successful!]
Since he'd already opened an artifact, he might as well open the two Basic Equipment Forges too.
Aarav said silently, "Activate Basic Equipment Forge."
[Forging complete. Please select the first basic equipment!]
[B. F. Sword: +10% physical attack]
[Recurve Bow: +10% skill casting speed]
[Giant's Belt: +10% HP]
Aarav fell into thought.
Giant's Belt was out of the question.
Both Recurve Bow and B. F. Sword were useful for Sprigatito.
But B. F. Sword had a better upgrade path.
After all, physical core builds often required items like Infinity Edge or Executioner Blade—both of which depended on swords.
After weighing the pros and cons, Aarav said,
"Choose B. F. Sword."
The sword icon lit up, and the system's voice rang out again.
[B. F. Sword forged successfully. Please select the second basic equipment!]
[Sparring Gloves: +10% critical hit rate]
[Recurve Bow: +10% skill casting speed]
[Negatron Cloak: +10% special defense]
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