Chapter 15: Mega Evolution Keystone and a Purple Trait

Chapter 15: Mega Evolution Keystone and a Purple Trait

"Right, I haven't checked today's traits yet!"

While focusing on racking up points, Hikaru suddenly remembered he hadn't opened the system yet that morning. It was already the third of the month, and tomorrow a new monthly trait would be available.

Seeing Charmander dispatch a Beedrill with a single Fire Punch, Hikaru waved it over to rest. His lead over the second place was nearly 1,000 points now—enough to relax.

Opening the system, he found that today marked a new week.

[New Weekly Trait Unlocked]

[Green Trait: Rapid Recovery]

Equipped Trait Effect: Energy quickly recovers after disengaging from battle. While in battle, energy recovery is moderately accelerated.

"Perfect!" Hikaru grinned, swapping out the Food Supply Station trait for the new one.

At this stage, the Incense of Attraction was proving its worth. Caterpie and Weedle continuously wandered over, practically offering themselves up for points. Though they provided only 10 to 50 points each, the sheer volume added up quickly.

These weak Pokémon required little effort; a single Scratch from Charmander was enough.

"Not bad," Hikaru nodded in satisfaction, already looking forward to tomorrow's monthly trait. "I hope for something even better than blue this time!"

After a brief five-minute rest, Charmander thumped its chest confidently, signaling it was ready.

"Alright, let's get back to work!"

Using his Appraisal Eye, Hikaru confirmed Charmander's condition was optimal. Together, they set off to find more points. Charmander's seemingly endless energy and relentless determination continued to baffle the teachers in the monitoring room.

"This Charmander... does it even run out of energy?"

Its mastery over the enhanced Ember move, combined with its seemingly bottomless stamina, left them in awe.

Hikaru awoke feeling refreshed the next morning, and even better, he discovered Charmander had reached level 12 overnight. Leveling up involved qualitative changes to a Pokémon's energy and strength, much like the games from his previous life. There was no better way to grow than through constant battle.

"Time for the monthly trait!" Hikaru opened the system eagerly.

A burst of purple light greeted him, nearly dazzling his eyes.

[Purple Trait: Friend of the Forest]

Trait Effects: While in a forest environment, energy recovery increases by 500%. Grass-type moves gain a slight boost, and most creatures develop a positive attitude toward you.

"Not bad!" Hikaru mused, though only the energy recovery aspect was immediately relevant to Charmander.

"Why can't I get a useful trait for Ralts?" Hikaru sighed. Ralts still hadn't benefited from a single specialized trait.

The randomness of the system left him both thrilled and frustrated, especially when it came to his beloved second Pokémon.

Opening the Trait Store, Hikaru saw he had accumulated 83 trait coins. Today's store refresh caught his eye:

1. Trait Slot Reservation: Allows one trait to be locked to a Pokémon without consuming a trait slot. (10 trait coins, daily special)

2. Mega Evolution Keystone (Charizard - Random): Enables Charmander to mega evolve into Charizard X or Y when fully evolved and sufficiently bonded with its trainer. (1,000 trait coins, daily special)

The keystone gleamed tantalizingly on the virtual shelf, but the price tag was daunting.

"A thousand trait coins?" Hikaru groaned.

Just as he was about to dismiss it, another option caught his attention:

[Item Preservation]: Allows one item to remain in the store for future purchase. (1 trait coin)

"Now this... this is a lifesaver!" Hikaru immediately purchased the preservation option and locked the keystone in place. He'd work toward it no matter how long it took.

By morning, Hikaru released Ralts from its Poké Ball to let it stretch and enjoy the fresh air.

"Ralts~"

The tiny Pokémon squealed happily, leaping into Hikaru's arms. After feeding it some energy cubes, Hikaru readied himself for the day.

By 8 a.m., the virtual Pokémon reappeared, and Hikaru resumed his relentless push for points.

Charmander's efforts proved unstoppable. With its new traits and buffs, Hikaru amassed an astonishing 5,200 points by the end of the competition—over 3,000 points ahead of the second-place finisher.

The gap left everyone else in the dust. The name "Hikaru" had become the talk of Shuimu High, with students and teachers alike speculating about his identity.

"Is he some hidden prodigy? How does a first-year even get this strong?"

Even upperclassmen in their second and third years were at a loss. Competing against him felt futile, and they begrudgingly resigned themselves to lesser rankings.

At 8 a.m. on the third day, the competition officially ended. Hikaru's device buzzed with the announcement:

"This year's wilderness training has concluded. Please follow the marked route on your device back to the meeting point."

Looking at Charmander, Hikaru chuckled. Despite its overwhelming performance, there were still untapped aspects of its potential—traits like Splashing Fire and Fairy Wings had yet to see use.

"These school exercises can't fully challenge you, huh?" he said with a grin.

As he neared the meeting point, Hikaru spotted several familiar faces from his class. Many of them were bruised, battered, and clearly exhausted from the past few days.

Their reactions to Hikaru and his pristine Charmander, however, were priceless.

"Is this guy even human?"

While they had scraped and struggled for a few hundred points, Hikaru had effortlessly claimed over 5,000. The disparity was almost insulting.

Though the air around him buzzed with curiosity and awe, no one dared approach him directly—except one person.

The girl, exuding quiet determination, walked over with her blue-and-white Dratini coiled protectively at her side.

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