Training complete.
The rest lounge.
Kashiwagi, who had just turned sixteen not long ago, stripped off his sweat-soaked clothes, revealing a lean, muscular physique.
A colleague walked in from outside. Kashiwagi waved a greeting, picked up his toiletries, and headed into the bathroom.
As water cascaded over his face, splashing here and there or streaming downward, he couldn't help but start thinking, reminiscing.
This was Pyrite Town.
A steampunk-style place, with exposed metal pipes of various sizes, constantly whirring gears, and a rust-covered, dimly lit core.
Though it was called a "town," its population rivaled that of cities in the same region.
The abundant mineral deposits underground were the main source of its economy.
Situated in the heart of the Orre Region, it was surrounded by endless wastelands and deserts, where the view was dominated by hues of yellow, gray, and black. Greenery was a rare sight.
Despite its advanced technology, it wasn't a beautiful place.
Kashiwagi often lamented his misfortune as a transmigrator: why couldn't he have been reborn in one of the main-series regions?
Orre, of all places.
Leaving aside the subpar quality of life, as someone without parents, money, or influence—a "nobody"—it was nearly impossible to obtain a Pokémon and become a trainer here, where competition was ruthlessly fierce.
Travel? Participate in tournaments?
Those dreams were far beyond his reach.
Most importantly, the Orre Region didn't have wild Pokémon to catch.
As a remote corner of the world, most trainers' Pokémon were imported, and wild Pokémon were incredibly scarce.
This meant that Kashiwagi had yet to acquire a Pokémon of his own. Without one, it was almost impossible to change his fate.
Still, bread will come, and so will Pokémon.
The second-rate organization he had somehow joined upon waking up—Team Sand—was currently selecting official members. Grunt-level recruits like him could receive a Pokémon from a higher-up after passing an assessment.
Though he wasn't thrilled about it, he didn't have much choice. Once you joined, leaving became almost impossible.
In comparison, Team Rocket, which regularly expelled problematic members, seemed almost humane. In Pyrite Town, everyone was assigned work. Those who refused were sent to the mines in the underground city, where the unlucky ones could end up mining for the rest of their lives.
Escape?
The nearest town was at least a hundred kilometers away, all desert in between. Finding an oasis was a challenge, and people often lost their sense of direction. Forget outrunning the high-tech hover bikes.
The train stations leading out were even more dangerous, crawling with pickpockets, thugs, and scammers—most of whom were spies for various factions. Anyone marked would be dragged off the train as soon as they got on.
Population was Pyrite Town's most valuable resource.
Even if he reached another region, his status as an undocumented individual would cause issues, and he'd likely be deported back.
Not to mention he was functionally illiterate, only able to recognize a few basic words. The town had no libraries or free education for grunts like him.
His only advantage now was his young, healthy body. Team Sand urgently needed new blood, and the two needs aligned.
As for his future path, he decided to focus on obtaining a Pokémon first and figuring out the rest later.
And then… there was that.
Kashiwagi glanced at the countdown timer in the corner of his vision. Ever since he woke up and merged memories a week ago, the timer had been ticking down—and now it was almost finished.
Based on his understanding of transmigrators, this was probably some kind of cheat ability.
He couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope.
After his shower, Kashiwagi resisted the urge to retreat to his shabby home and wait for the countdown to hit zero. Instead, he joined a few familiar colleagues for a meal and a bit of beer.
Listening to their drunken complaints, his mind remained calm.
Fitting in was crucial. Without the ability to protect himself, standing out would only make him a target. No matter how reluctant, he had to maintain his social ties.
Most grunts in Team Sand were just coasting through life, spending every penny of their paycheck as soon as they got it, with nothing left by the end of the month.
In this town, controlled in secret by various organizations, they were relatively well-off compared to the lowest-class laborers. They had steady salaries, and the occasional "side income" could make it possible to buy a Pokémon after a few months.
But raising a Pokémon was no simple matter. Food, nutritional supplements, massages, post-battle treatments—all of it was outrageously expensive.
Getting a Pokémon was just the beginning of the expenses.
Kashiwagi, however, had a habit of saving money. Yet he often resisted "side incomes" out of principle, preferring not to spend ill-gotten gains. He would secretly return the money in other ways, leaving his savings in a less-than-ideal state.
It was self-deception, perhaps, but it gave him a sense of moral integrity. Seeing the bitter, desperate faces of those he had taken advantage of made it hard for him to spend the money in good conscience.
How long until he was fully assimilated?
Even he was curious.
Blue Ore Street
This was one of the districts under Team Sand's control, where they provided housing for grunts. From the outside, it looked like a junkyard.
Dilapidated two-story buildings full of holes, dirt and grime everywhere, meaningless graffiti, a pervasive stench, and sharp, rusted metal sheets sticking out at odd angles…
No sane person would want to live here.
But one thing it had was excellent security.
Despite being a second-rate faction in Pyrite Town, few dared mess with Team Sand. Their strength came from their powerful leader and solid backing.
Kashiwagi quickly locked the door behind him, shutting out the strange smells, and lay on his bed to await the countdown.
What would the cheat be?
He was hopeful yet slightly worried it might be some kind of disaster or death timer.
He was lucky to have come to the Pokémon world, but unlucky to have such a poor starting point.
His mixed emotions left him anxious.
Finally, the countdown ended.
A line of text appeared in his vision, blinking rapidly.
[Trainer Life Simulator Activated. Remaining uses: 2. Next recharge countdown: 168:00:00.]
Simulator?
Kashiwagi froze for a moment before another line of text popped up.
[Begin simulation? Yes/No.]
He took a deep breath, grateful the text was in English. Slowly, he selected "Yes." Three new lines appeared before him.
[Choose your starting region ▽]
[Choose your gender ▽]
[Choose your Pokémon ▽]
Kashiwagi opened the first option, seeing a list of main-series regions. The spin-off regions weren't there.
He chose Kanto.
For gender, there were only two options: male and female.
He chose male.
As for Pokémon selection, things got strange. There was only one option: random. The classic Kanto starters, the ever-present Pikachu, and the common Eevee weren't listed.
With no other choice, Kashiwagi selected random and confirmed his choices.
[Select your talents.]
He pressed the button.
Fixed Talent:
[Beginner's Struggle (Slow Pokémon development)]
Selectable Talents:
[Clumsy Hands (Poor Pokémon care)]
[Poverty Stricken (High Pokémon upkeep)]
[Hot-Blooded Youth (Always optimistic)]
[Romantic Charmer (Better chances with the opposite sex)]
Kashiwagi scrutinized the options. The fixed talent couldn't be changed, and he could select two of the four available talents.
The first two were clearly terrible choices. Who would pick those unless they were idiots?
Or was there a hidden trap here?
Forget it.
He still had two attempts left.
Knowing practice was better than speculation, Kashiwagi chose the last two talents and confirmed his options.
In an instant, a surreal screen appeared before him, showing a pixelated animation alongside explanatory text. It felt like a game trailer.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I'm new on this side of WebNovel so please give me any advice or suggestions you have in the comments
Make Sure to give a Review!
If you enjoy, add this to your library (Collection)!
Send Power Stones!
-----------------------------------------------------------------