Chapter 1: Orei Region

The training ended.

In the lounge.

Not long ago, the recently turned sixteen-year-old, Bai Mu, panting heavily, peeled off the clothes sticking to his body, revealing a robust physique.

A colleague entered from outside, he greeted them and picked up toiletries before heading into the bathroom.

As the water dripped onto his face or splashed around, Bai Mu couldn't help but start pondering and reminiscing.

This was the Yellow Iron Town.

A place filled with steampunk style, where different thicknesses of metal pipes, various gears in motion, and rusty dark cores were exposed.

Although called a town, its population size was no smaller than that of a small city in the same region.

The continuous mineral deposits underground were the main economic source here.

And situated inland in the Orei region, much like most towns, the outskirts were boundless wastelands and deserts. A glance revealed only shades of yellow, gray, and black, with very few signs of vibrant green.

While technology was relatively advanced, it was not a beautiful place.

Thus, Bai Mu often lamented being a transmigrator and wondered why he couldn't be reincarnated into a main series region.

Places like Orei.

Leaving life quality aside, as someone without parents, without money, power, or influence, trying to obtain Pokémon and become a trainer was extremely difficult, the competition was terrifying.

Traveling? Participating in tournaments? Too far away for him.

Of course, the main reason was that in the Orei region, wild Pokémon were scarce.

Being a remote corner of the world, most trainers' Pokémon relied on imports, with scarce wild individuals.

This direct cause had prevented Bai Mu from obtaining his own Pokémon to this day, and without Pokémon, changing his fate would be challenging.

However, there would always be bread, and there would always be Pokémon.

The second-rate force that automatically recruited him—the Quicksand Team—was in the process of selecting official members. Peripheral members—basically grunts—could obtain a Pokémon from the cadre as long as they passed the assessment.

Though unwilling, he had no say in this matter. Once inside, it would be difficult to leave.

Thinking this way, Bai Mu found the Rocket Team, which frequently expelled members, surprisingly humane. In Yellow Iron Town, everyone would be assigned work, and lower-class poor people who didn't want to work would only be sent to the underground mines. If unlucky, they might end up mining for a lifetime.

Escape? The next nearest town was at least hundreds of kilometers away, with desert in between. Finding a place with water was difficult, and people easily lost their sense of direction, not to mention the lack of high-speed hover bikes.

Moreover, the stations leading outside were filled with pickpockets, thugs, and con artists, mostly controlled by major powers. People marked would be caught as soon as they boarded the train.

The population was the most crucial resource in Yellow Iron Town.

Furthermore, even if he ran to another area, his undocumented status would be an issue, easily leading to deportation if caught.

Not to mention, he was illiterate, only able to understand some very basic vocabulary. The town had neither a library nor provided free education for grunts like him.

His only current advantage was his youthful physique. The Quicksand Team urgently needed new blood, and the two matched perfectly.

As for the road ahead, he decided to get a Pokémon first and then consider his options.

Also... there was this thing.

Bai Mu glanced at the countdown timer in the lower right corner of his field of vision. It had been counting down since a week ago when he awakened and merged his memories, and it was about to finish.

From what he knew about transmigrators, this might not be a benefit everyone had.

He couldn't help but feel anticipation.

After showering.

Resisting the urge to return to his room and wait for the countdown to reach zero, Bai Mu joined a meal with some familiar colleagues and had a few beers.

Listening to their drunken complaints, he felt quite calm inside.

Belonging was important. Until he had the means to protect himself, standing out would only make him a target of hostility and exclusion. Therefore, even if he was unwilling, he had to come out and drink with this group.

In the Quicksand Team, most grunts lived from day to day, with their salaries always spent, never saving.

But in this town, almost completely controlled by various organizations in the dark, they were living relatively well. At least, it was much easier than working as a lower-class laborer, with a stable salary.

If one added the earnings from illicit activities, buying a Pokémon after a few months of persistence was feasible.

However, nurturing Pokémon was not as simple as a snap decision. Various Pokémon foods, nutritional supplements, and essential items were surprisingly expensive, not to mention Pokémon massages, post-battle treatments, and more...

Getting a Pokémon was just the beginning of spending money.

Thus, most grunts who lived from day to day could only envy others' Pokémon while squandering their money.

As for Bai Mu, despite his instinct to save money, he often instinctively resisted certain "extra earnings," refusing to spend the money earned through illicit means, secretly stashing it away, resulting in an unsatisfactory amount in his actual savings.

Even though his "salary" wasn't entirely clean.

It could only be said that this was the bottom line he believed he had to stick to, even if it was a case of pot calling kettle black, it was better than truly going astray.

How long could this naive thought last?

He was curious himself.

... Iris Street.

As one of the areas controlled by the Quicksand Team, this place served as the residence provided for the peripheral grunts.

From the outside, it was no different from an old rubbish heap.

Pockmarked two-story houses, pervasive dirt, inexplicable graffiti, an indescribable stench, and various edges of rusty iron sheets...

Normal people would never want to live here.

But one thing was certain, it was extremely safe.

Although the Quicksand Team was only a second-rate force in Yellow Iron Town, very few dared to cause trouble for them. The fundamental reason was their powerful leader and solid background.

Upon returning home, Bai Mu swiftly closed the door, leaving the peculiar smell outside, lying down on the bed, waiting for the countdown to end.

What could the "Golden Finger" be? He was somewhat anticipating it but also faintly worried. What if it wasn't a golden finger, but some kind of countdown to death or disaster?

Lucky enough to arrive in the Pokémon world, but unlucky enough not to get a good start.

Complex emotions made him feel hesitant.

And just as he was lost in his thoughts, the countdown ended.

A line of text appeared out of nowhere in his field of vision, flashing incessantly.

[Trainer's Life Simulator activated, remaining uses: 2, next countdown replenishment: 168:00:00]

A simulator? Bai Mu was taken aback for a moment, then saw a new line of text pop up.

[Start the simulation? Yes/No]

He took a deep breath, somewhat relieved that this was in Chinese. Slowly clicking 'Yes,' three lines of text flew out.

[Choose your place of birth ▽]

[Choose your gender ▽]

[Choose your Pokémon ▽]

Bai Mu clicked on the first line, and a variety of main series regions instantly appeared, but there was no sign of the spin-off regions.

He chose Kanto.

For gender, there were only two options, male and female.

He selected male.

However, when it came to choosing a Pokémon, it was somewhat odd. There was only one option: random. There were no classic Kanto starter Pokémon, no Pikachu often found on the roadside, nor even the ordinary Pokémon Eevee.

Since there were no choices, Bai Mu silently clicked on 'random' and confirmed his three choices.

[Please draw your talent]

Pressed.

Fixed talent:

[Novice Trainer (Slow progress in nurturing Pokémon)]

Selectable talents:

[Clumsy (Rough Pokémon health management)]

[Financially Strained (Burden in nurturing Pokémon)]

[Passionate Youth (Always positive attitude)]

[Charm (Possible interactions with the opposite sex)]

Bai Mu carefully looked them over. The fixed talent couldn't be changed, but he could choose two of the selectable talents.

Only these four...

No matter how you looked at it, only the last two seemed viable, right? Only fools would choose the first two.

Or perhaps there was a trap among them? Never mind.

He had two chances anyway.

Bai Mu knew that practice was more effective than blind guessing, so he selected the last two talents, confirming his choices.

In an instant.

An illusory screen appeared before his eyes, playing peculiar pixel animations, accompanied by text explaining below.

Just like a game trailer.

ps: New book uploaded, folks, please give it a follow and a vote, flip to the last page with just a flick of your finger!

(End of this chapter)