…Instead, it was cash.
After all, with enough money, he could easily exchange it for whatever he wanted in the system store.
Thinking of this, Nathan grinned. "Half a month from now, right? I'll be there."
"You brat, if you're planning to go, don't forget to fill out an application at the Pokémon Center to become a certified Trainer. Only then can you participate in the tournament," the homeroom teacher reminded him.
His instincts told him that this student wasn't ordinary, and he couldn't help but look forward to how he'd perform in the trial tournament.
Though a middle-aged man, the homeroom teacher wasn't one to put on airs.
They chatted casually, with Lily and Sam occasionally chiming in.
Soon, all the students had gathered.
After the principal gave a short speech, the homeroom teacher stepped forward and began calling names one by one for students to go up and choose a Poké Ball.
"Hazel Harper!"
"Kai Everett!"
"Zack Sterling!"
"Lily Chase!"
"Sam Zane!"
"Nathan Vesper!"
As each name was called, it wasn't long before it was Nathan's turn...
…
"This one will do."
After hearing his name, Nathan browsed through the Poké Balls for a bit before finally settling on one.
This sort of thing was purely luck-based, so Nathan didn't have high expectations. He just picked one based on his gut feeling and held it in his hand.
"Nathan, are you sure?" the homeroom teacher asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Nathan nodded.
"Then let's take a look," the teacher smiled.
"Was just about to," Nathan grinned and pointed the Poké Ball at an open space in front of him. A beam of red light shot out, and in the next moment, a small creature appeared before his eyes.
"Pan Cha!"
The little guy looked at Nathan seriously, a bamboo leaf in its mouth, black and white all over—clearly a national treasure in Pokémon form.
It was… a Pancham!
"Hey there, little guy. From now on, I'll be your partner," Nathan crouched down, gently stroking Pancham's head and speaking softly.
The serious look on Pancham's face softened under Nathan's touch, and its eyes narrowed in comfort.
"A Pancham, huh? Seems like a decent partner for you. If I remember right, Pangoro, its evolution, is pretty solid," the teacher said with a smile.
"Yeah, I'm happy with him. The little guy looks full of energy. Hopefully he's not as mischievous as his name suggests," Nathan laughed.
As a Fighting-type Pokémon, Pancham had a base stat total of 348—not bad for a starter Pokémon handed out by the school. Its evolution, Pangoro, a Fighting/Dark dual type, boasted a base stat total of 495. Not super high, but definitely solid.
"Pan Cha!"
Pancham cried out, as if saying, 'My name might be Pancham, but I'm not actually mischievous. I'm a good boy!'
Since childhood, Nathan had grown up alongside Volcarona. While Pancham hadn't reached level 10 yet, Nathan had learned to read a Pokémon's expressions to understand their thoughts.
He smiled and said, "Alright, alright, you're the best behaved, haha."
Then, he focused his thoughts.
Pancham had officially become his second Pokémon, which meant he could now access its status panel.
[Name: Pancham]
[Ability: Iron Fist (Boosts power of punching moves)]
[Type: Fighting]
[Description: Hot-tempered and impulsive, but doesn't tolerate bullying the weak. It uses the leaf in its mouth to sense opponents' movements. Even when attacked, it doesn't flinch—charging forward with strength enough to snap a utility pole.]
[Level: 5 (1–10: Beginner)]
[Moves: Tackle, Leer, Arm Thrust]
"It even has an Ability!"
After reading the panel, Nathan was pleasantly surprised. While most Pokémon had Abilities, not all could awaken them.
Many Pokémon went their whole lives without ever activating their Ability.
But an awakened Ability could provide a significant boost in strength, and for a Fighting-type like Pancham, Iron Fist was a great one.
If trained well, this Pancham could definitely grow strong—maybe even become a core team member.
Especially since Nathan had already designed several training plans for Fighting-types—Pancham included.
"Alright little guy, return for now." Nathan held up the Poké Ball and called Pancham back.
"Wow wow!" Pancham nodded and turned into red light as it returned to the ball.
Nathan clipped the Poké Ball to his belt and returned to his class's lineup.
Sam and Lily immediately came over.
"Boss, you got lucky! A Pancham!" Sam said with envy.
His starter Pokémon was a Pidgey—common and not particularly strong. While the one bred by professionals at the training center would definitely be better than a wild Pidgey, it still wasn't anything special. Compared to a slightly rare Pokémon like Pancham, it came up short.
"What about you, Lily?" Nathan turned to ask Lily.
"Mine's pretty good too—a Vulpix," Lily replied with a slight smile, clearly pleased.
"A Vulpix, huh? That's a solid pick." Nathan was surprised. Looked like he had the best luck of the three, but Lily wasn't far behind.
Vulpix's evolution, Ninetales, actually had higher base stats than Pangoro—though the gap wasn't huge.
The unluckiest one was definitely Sam.
A Pidgey…
Not exactly ideal for a starter.
"Cheer up. You should actually consider yourself lucky," Nathan said as he patted Sam's shoulder, pointing to a student not far away. "Look at that guy—he picked a Caterpie. Compared to him, you're doing alright."
"Heh..." Sam rolled his eyes, his lips twitching.
Still, now that Nathan put it that way, he had a point.
Pidgey might not be great, but it wasn't the worst either.
Shaking his head, Sam asked, "Boss, what are you planning next? Joining the trial tournament?"
"Yeah, probably. Not expecting to win or anything, but at least Pancham can gain some experience," Nathan nodded. Then he looked at the two of them. "What about you guys?"
"I'm gonna wander around a bit. Try to challenge a gym if I can. The National Tournament's only a few months away, right? Gotta get stronger before then." Sam shrugged.
"And you?" Nathan looked to Lily.
"Study, review, gain experience at the battle club, then head to a Secret Realm," Lily said simply.
"A Secret Realm? You'd better be careful." Nathan warned him. Secret Realms were still pretty dangerous for beginners. That said, if it was a low-level one, it should be okay.
"Don't worry. I wouldn't step into one without proper preparation," Lily nodded.
The three of them kept chatting as they waited.
By around eleven o'clock, the distribution of starter Pokémon was complete.
That was when Nathan said his goodbyes to Sam and Lily and prepared to head home.
Once the Pokémon were handed out, third-year students were given a one-month break.
This break was meant to help students bond with their new Pokémon, become real partners, and get familiar with battles and daily care.
…
When he got home, his parents weren't there—clearly busy at the store.
Nathan called them to say he wouldn't be home for lunch, then quickly packed his things and set out to leave the city.
There were lots of forests and even some mountains outside Yang City.
His destination, naturally, was one of those forests—somewhere he could build battle synergy with Pancham and prepare for the upcoming training.
"This is your breakfast—eat up."
On the way, Nathan pulled out a yellow energy cube and handed it to Pancham. It was a long-term supplement that helped strengthen the body over time.
Perfect for a Fighting-type like Pancham.
"Wow wow!"
Pancham took a small bite, eyes widening in delight. Clearly, he didn't expect it to taste so good. He quickly gobbled down the whole thing and let out a satisfied burp.
"Little guy, we're going into battle soon. Be ready," Nathan said, rubbing his head with a smile.
"Wow wow."
Pancham nodded, punching the air with his tiny fists, then thumped his chest with a grin—like he was saying, 'I'm strong!'
"Love the confidence," Nathan smiled back.
Soon after, Nathan and Pancham left Poplar City and arrived at their destination—a forest in the wild.
It wasn't the same forest he'd visited yesterday, but he'd been here before and was familiar with the strength levels of most of the wild Pokémon inside.
It was a good trial ground for Pancham.
Once inside, the light green surroundings swayed with the breeze, leaves rustling in a soothing, peaceful way.
After finding a clearing, Nathan set down his backpack and pulled out some incense from inside. He lit it and waited quietly.
This incense, bought from the system shop, was designed to attract wild Pokémon. It wasn't expensive—just 3,000 Pokémon Dollars for a week's worth.
"Caw~"
Not long after lighting it, the nearby bushes began rustling. Accompanied by a strange sound, a figure emerged, curiously sniffing at the incense.
"Alright little guy, your first opponent has arrived," Nathan said with a smile.
That sound reminded him of Psyduck, but the Pokémon that appeared wasn't one—it was a Bellsprout.
Funny how many Pokémon had similar cries—Bellsprout and Psyduck were a prime example.
"Pan Chaa."
Seeing his opponent, Pancham let out an excited cry and stepped forward, eyes gleaming with battle spirit.
"Caw~"
Bellsprout tilted its head, seemingly confused.