Read up to 30 advanced chapters exclusively on my Patreon at - patreon.com/LoverrBoy
---------------------------------
"What kind of nonsense is this?! I only have a little over 9,000 exchange Points right now! Where the hell am I supposed to get 20,000 exchange Points?!"
Liam yelled at Lulu, his voice echoing as he practically strained his neck from shouting so loudly.
All afternoon, Liam had just been battling a few Trainers and updating his Pokédex, only earning a few exchange Points here and there. At this rate, it'd take until the next year to save up 20,000!
"This is already the lowest price. It's tailor-made based on your recent situation. I think it's perfectly reasonable."
Lulu floated midair, hands on her hips, her expression deadly serious as she spoke to Liam.
"…Where do you see reasonable in any of this?! I don't care, I don't have enough exchange Points! Figure out another way."
Liam, rendered speechless, immediately resorted to playing the victim.
"I'm not even asking you to pay it all right now, okay? You can owe it first. This is already the system's discounted price with internal benefits included. The system already did the math: once you collect a bit of Moltres' blood, not only can you forge a contract, but you'll also complete a quest. And you're almost done with your 'One Thousand Victories' achievement. Put in a bit more effort—today or tomorrow at most—and you'll have the 20,000, easy!"
Lulu shrugged helplessly at Liam's dramatic antics, then spoke with a rare tone of patience, explaining just how calculated—er, considerate the system was toward him.
"…So what you're saying is… I'm broke again?"
Liam felt drained. Ever since he started traveling, he could hardly save up any exchange Points. It was always earn a bit, spend a bit. Now most of Kanto's Pokédex was already complete, so it looked like if he wanted to keep earning through it, he'd have to leave the region.
"Don't worry! There'll always be more quests! More exchange Points! Earning is for spending anyway. You've only spent a bit, and now you've got a tool that can summon Moltres. Isn't that a pretty sweet deal?"
Lulu flashed a bright, professional smile at Liam.
"You not becoming a salesperson is honestly a waste of talent… Alright, fine. Let's go with your plan. I'll leave it to you."
Liam was finally convinced. Even if it wasn't the same as capturing Moltres, it still meant having a powerful ally. Not a bad trade.
"Alright, then! I'll put the exchange points you owe on your tab. Over the next few days, whatever you earn will go toward repaying the debt. Try to push a little harder—finishing the 'One Thousand Victories' achievement soon would be ideal. Dragging it out too long isn't good… Now, let's begin."
Seeing Liam agree, Lulu smiled and waved her hand. Liam's portable storage space opened automatically, and a massive ring dropped from the air, landing on the ground with a heavy thud.
"Screeeee!!"
The moment Moltres laid eyes on the ring, it let out an angry screech. It stretched its neck and bellowed at the object like it had a deep grudge.
"Huh? Moltres, what's going on? You recognize this ring?"
Seeing how intense Moltres' reaction was to the ring he had picked up earlier, Liam asked curiously.
"Scree! Scree!"
"…Ugh."
Liam couldn't make heads or tails of Moltres' cries, so he turned to Lulu for help.
"Hmph. Now you need me, huh?" Lulu said smugly. "That little one said it was brought to this place by that very ring. After it arrived, the ring lost its function, and it couldn't leave this area anymore. So it would take its frustration out on the ring now and then... Ohhh, so that's why the ring's in such bad shape—turns out the little guy's the one who damaged it. Hehe, I guess you really are getting your money's worth this time."
Lulu giggled as she looked at Liam.
Liam stared silently at the badly damaged ring, then turned to glance at the still-sulking Moltres. He let out a long sigh. "…Welp. Guess this is just my fate."
"Hehe! Time to start! First, I'll repair and enhance this mysterious ring!"
With Lulu's energetic announcement, the ring began to emit a faint glow, rising slowly off the ground. The damage on it was being visibly repaired at high speed. Finally, with a flash of light, the ring was fully restored—gleaming and flawless—spinning weightlessly in midair.
A mysterious energy pulsed around it.
"Ring restored! Next up, Moltres' blood!"
Lulu turned to look at the dumbfounded Moltres and gently flicked her finger. Several drops of Moltres' blood floated out from the rocky spot where it had been injured during battle. The drops quickly merged with the ring.
[Ding!]
[Emergency Quest Completed:The Flame Dancer in the Cave!]
[Reward Granted: 1000 Exchange Points; One Mystery Gift Pack]
Mystery Pack Opened: Received Everstone x1, Never-Melt Ice x1, TM – Rain Dance x1.]
[Ding!]
Pokemon: Moltres
Type: Fire/Flying
Species: The Flame Pokémon.
Ability: Flame Body
Nature: Naughty
Gender: None
Base Stats: ??? (Unidentified energy fluctuations—accurate values undetectable)
Moves:Wing Attack, Fire Spin, Flamethrower, Safeguard, Sunny Day, Heat Wave, Solar Beam, Sky Attack, Hurricane, Burn Up
Egg Moves: None
Evaluation: Unknown. Incomplete data prevents accurate evaluation. Like Articuno, this legendary Pokémon is shrouded in mystery and immense potential. Recommended for capture.
As Moltres' blood fused with the ring, the emergency quest completed, and Moltres' information flowed into Liam's mind. He also saw the 1,000 exchange Points appear in his account... only to vanish just as fast. He could only shake his head helplessly.
"Screee!!"
Moltres stared at the now-transformed ring in surprise. Though it had been furious at the object earlier, the fusion with its blood changed everything. Now, it felt a strange sense of familiarity from the ring. Confused, it tilted its head and stared at it closely.
"All done! Perfect success! With this ring, you'll be able to summon this little guy anytime, anywhere."
Lulu clapped her hands and wiped nonexistent sweat from her forehead, then turned to Liam.
Liam looked at the huge ring spinning in the air and asked in confusion, "Should I keep this in my storage space from now on? If I take it out during a battle, won't that give away the fact that I have portable storage?"
Lulu chuckled and gently flicked her finger. The massive ring began to shrink rapidly until it became a bracelet, which flew straight onto Liam's wrist.
Liam looked in surprise at the golden ring now wrapped around his wrist. It had no weight at all—light as a feather, so much so that he could barely feel it. Truly magical.
"Oh right! This ring must've belonged to Hoopa, right? Even if Hoopa the Mischief God is still sealed right now, what if it breaks free one day? Wouldn't it take the ring back?"
Liam, still fiddling with the ring, suddenly thought of that and looked up at Lulu.
"Nope! This ring has been completely remade and has nothing to do with Hoopa anymore. Even if Hoopa does escape, it won't be able to control this ring. The system personally remade it, remember?"
Lulu crossed her arms proudly and puffed out her chest.
"Well, that's a relief… Moltres, let's part ways for now. Go wherever you want—you've been stuck underground for so long, you must be bored. Now that I have this ring, I can summon you whenever I need you. When the time comes, we'll fight side by side again."
Liam turned to face Moltres and spoke softly.
"Scree!"
Moltres was visibly delighted, flapping its wings and affectionately rubbing against Liam. Then it soared toward the exit of Victory Road, its flaming wings scattering shimmering embers across the sky.