[Bulbasaur level +1, get points *10!]
At the same time, Renji Takahashi sat cross-legged on the tatami floor of his dimly lit room, the faint flicker of candlelight reflecting in his eyes. He was deep in thought, strategizing how to get the plot characters in this world to adopt Pokémon from his shelter. But before he could come up with a solid plan, the system's voice resounded in his mind like a bolt of thunder.
"Naruto's doing fine. It's been less than an hour since I handed Bulbasaur to him, and it's already leveled up?" Renji blinked, and his lips curled in a complicated smile. "But system, ten points? That's it?"
The disappointment was palpable. Ten points for a level-up. It felt almost insulting. If ten was the reward for a plot character, then what would a regular villager's Pokémon bring in? One point? A pittance.
"Host," the system replied in its ever-calm voice, "the stronger the Pokémon, the greater the points obtained for leveling. The structure is as follows—"
And then it laid it out:
Internship Ninja = Level 1–10 (10 points per level)
Genin = Level 11–30 (100 points per level)
Chunin = Level 31–50 (1,000 points per level)
Jonin = Level 51–70 (10,000 points per level)
Quasi-Kage = Level 71–80 (100,000 points per level)
Kage = Level 81–90 (1,000,000 points per level)
Super Kage = Level 91–100 (10,000,000 points per level)
Renji leaned back and exhaled slowly. Now it made more sense. The early-game was slow and stingy, but once his Pokémon grew stronger, the payout would snowball.
"System, open the novice gift package."
Without hesitation, the system complied.
"Opening novice gift package—"
[Received: 1x Gold Exclusive Treasure Chest]
[Received: 10,000 points]
[Received: God-Level Mental Talent]
The words hit Renji like a punch to the gut, in a good way. His breathing quickened. "Mental talent? You mean what I think it is?"
"Yes. The host's god-level mental talent corresponds to mental power found in anime. It grants abilities such as telekinesis, mind-sensing, and teleportation."
Renji froze, eyes wide with disbelief. The gravity of what the system said was overwhelming. This wasn't just a nice perk. It was a game-changer. In a world dominated by chakra, possessing powerful mental abilities would grant him a terrifying edge.
"In that case... I might actually survive here."
Survival had always been a nagging fear in the back of his mind. The system sounded great on paper, but it was useless if he couldn't live long enough to use it. Now, with this talent, not only could he gain strength, but he also had a method of escape.
"System, bind the talent."
"It will be painful. Please brace yourself."
Renji didn't even have time to react before the agony hit. His entire body arched as pain screamed through every nerve. His scream echoed through the quiet house, his face drained of all color.
"This is a little pain?!" he gasped through clenched teeth, "This is worse than dying!"
But just as fast as it came, the pain vanished. He was drenched in sweat, but something was different. He hovered a few inches off the ground, supported only by a field of invisible power. His eyes lit up in awe.
"I just awakened, and I can already fly?" he whispered, stunned. Most people in anime had to train for months to pull that off. And yet here he was, already able to float, already stronger than a Chunin-level fighter. His physical strength had clearly surged as well.
Touching down, Renji looked toward the treasure chests in the corner of the room.
"System, what's the gold exclusive treasure chest?"
"Exclusive treasure chests are unique to the host. They contain exclusive Pokémon or rare items tailored to the host. They come in four tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. Three chests of the same level can be fused into a higher-tier one. A bronze chest is granted for every Pokémon successfully entrusted to a plot character."
Renji's excitement bubbled beneath the surface. He had wanted to keep the three starter Pokémon for himself, but in the end, reality demanded he give them away. He had no choice. Now, though, he had a path to getting his own team through these treasure chests.
"System, show me the mall."
With that thought, the wooden house blurred and transformed into a digital overlay of the system mall. The interface was split into four categories: Food, Props, Medical, and Tree Fruits.
He browsed through the food section first.
"Fifty points for a bag of low-level energy cubes?" His eyebrows twitched. "And that's only enough to feed one Pokémon for a week?"
The higher the quality, the steeper the price: 100 points for mid-grade, 500 for high-grade, 1,000 for special-grade. And with more Pokémon joining him soon, the cost was going to skyrocket.
Then something caught his eye.
"Wait, there are recipes?"
Indeed, there were. [Low-Level Energy Cube Recipe – All Attributes], listed at an absurd 500,000 points. And that was just the blueprint. It required rare berries and specialized machines. Without them, it was useless.
He sighed and moved on to the props. There were Poké Balls, evolution stones, Pokédexes… but the prices were astronomical. A regular evolution stone cost millions. Mega Stones? Tens of millions. Rare Pokémon? The same.
Medical items were cheaper but still costly. Fruits and trees were basic and uninspiring.
With each section he browsed, his 10,000 points felt more like pocket change.
He closed the mall and opened the lottery interface instead.
"1,000 points per draw, and a Pokémon is guaranteed," the system confirmed. "But don't expect high base stat Pokémon often."
Renji frowned. "That means if I get trash Pokémon, I'll have to raise them myself. Isn't that just dumping the unwanted ones on me?"
Still, he had little choice. He needed a bigger lineup if he was going to make this shelter work.
"System, give me five draws."
His points dropped by 5,000, and a gashapon machine appeared in his mind. The machine whirred, and five glowing spheres tumbled out.
[Pikachu]
[Rattata]
[Caterpie]
[Pidgeot]
[Chansey]
Five Pokémon a materialized before him, each one blinking curiously at the new world around them.
Renji smiled warmly. "Welcome, Pikachu, Rattata, Caterpie, Pidgeot and Chansey. My name is Renji Takahashi. You'll be safe here."
The Pokémon responded with soft, eager sounds, each one looking up at him with a mixture of curiosity and trust.
Renji nodded, satisfied. "Not bad at all… This is a solid lineup."
The road was long, the system was ruthless, and the costs were staggering. But this was his start. The first step toward building something far greater than just a shop or a shelter—he was laying the foundation of a legacy.