After recalling the lively Magikarp into its Poké Ball, Nozomi continued his lottery draws.
"There are still four Silver Draws and one Gold Draw left."
As he muttered to himself, Nozomi once again connected to the system and used one of his Silver Draw chances.
[Drawing in progress—congratulations, host, you have obtained a King's Rock.]
"King's Rock, huh?"
As someone well-versed in the Pokémon world, Nozomi naturally knew what that was.
The King's Rock was often used as an evolution item for certain Pokémon.With it, Poliwhirl could evolve into Politoed instead of Poliwrath, and Slowpoke could evolve into Slowking instead of Slowbro.
"But this thing's not really useful to me right now."
Nozomi neither had a Poliwhirl nor a Slowpoke. He'd once had the chance to get a Slowking from Team Rocket, but he hadn't taken it.
"Well, better than nothing. Maybe it'll come in handy someday."
With that thought, Nozomi stored the King's Rock in his backpack.
"System, continue the draw."
[Drawing in progress—congratulations, host, you have obtained a Mega Evolution Set.]
"Mega Evolution? Am I really this lucky today?"
Nozomi felt like his luck was so good, it was almost suspicious.
Mega Evolution—also known as Mega Evolution—was a temporary form of evolution that only occurred during battle. Through Mega Evolution, certain Pokémon that were once thought incapable of further evolution could transform once more, taking on new forms and gaining immense power.
Mega Evolution was first discovered in the Kalos Region. Based on his past life's memories, it seemed that Mega Evolution hadn't yet spread widely in this world. At least from what he recalled, no one in Kanto was known to use it.
He never expected that he would actually obtain a full set of tools needed for Mega Evolution.
"System, what exactly does the Mega Evolution Set include?"
After learning that he'd drawn a Mega Evolution Set, this was the question that interested him most.
[The Mega Evolution Set contains a Key Stone and one Mega Stone. The host may freely choose which Mega Stone to receive.]
"How considerate."
Nozomi couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Although only one Mega Stone was included, Nozomi wasn't a greedy person. For him, being able to obtain even one at this stage was already more than enough.
Then he began to think. "Which Pokémon's Mega Stone should I choose?"
Among his current Pokémon, aside from Leafeon, his Gengar (final evolution of Gastly), Gyarados (from Magikarp), Venusaur (from Ivysaur), Steelix, and Metagross were all capable of Mega Evolution.
If he followed his personal preference, he'd choose the Gyaradosite.
For one, his Magikarp was his only Shiny Pokémon at the moment, and the Red Gyarados that it would become after evolving was incredibly cool.
Secondly, Mega Gyarados's Ability was extremely tempting. After Mega Evolving, its Mold Breaker Ability allowed it to ignore opposing Abilities when attacking—making it a powerhouse in battle.
But after some thought, Nozomi still chose the Metagrossite.
The main reason was that choosing Metagross's Mega Stone would instantly boost his current combat power. He also had another concern—bond levels.
Mega Evolution didn't just require the proper stone—it also demanded a strong emotional bond between Trainer and Pokémon.
Among his current team, only Metagross, Ivysaur, and Leafeon had a bond strong enough for Mega Evolution. Gengar and Steelix were halfway there at best, and Magikarp… well, it had just been caught.
No one could predict what Gyarados's personality would be like after evolution, but based on its species' naturally violent temperament, raising its friendship level was bound to be a long, painful process.
That was why he chose the safer and more practical option—Metagrossite.
"System, I choose Metagrossite!"
Having made his decision, Nozomi spoke without hesitation.
[Distributing Key Stone and Metagrossite.]
The system's mechanical voice echoed in his mind, and with a flash of white light, a marble-like orb appeared in his palm, streaked with tan and white patterns. At the same time, a wristband set with a rainbow-hued Key Stone silently attached itself to his left wrist.
"So this is the Key Stone and the Mega Stone? This is my first time seeing the real thing."
Nozomi held the Key Stone and Metagrossite up to his eyes, admiring their beauty—they looked far more exquisite than what he had seen in anime or games in his previous life.
Suppressing the urge to test Mega Evolution inside the hotel, Nozomi continued with his draws.
Perhaps his luck had run dry, because the next two Silver Draws only yielded rather ordinary rewards.
One was an Evolution Stone Set, containing a Fire Stone, Water Stone, Leaf Stone, Thunder Stone, and Moon Stone—five of Kanto's most common evolutionary items.
The other was an Old Amber. According to the system, if it was used with an ancient Pokémon resurrection device, there was a ten percent chance of reviving an Aerodactyl.
Reviving an Aerodactyl would certainly be amazing—but that ten percent success rate? Nozomi could only chuckle dryly.
"Well, looks like my luck's run out."
Still, Nozomi didn't feel disappointed.
He was already more than satisfied—just obtaining the Key Stone and Metagrossite alone made the five Silver Draws worth it. Not to mention, he had also turned his Magikarp into a Golden Magikarp.
Taking a few deep breaths, Nozomi focused his consciousness on the system interface—on the one remaining Gold Draw.
This was the main event!
What kind of treasure could he pull from the Golden Draw?
"System, draw—"
But just as the words left his mouth halfway, the communicator in his pocket started ringing, interrupting him.
"Who's calling at a time like this?"
Being interrupted at the most exciting moment, Nozomi was more than a little annoyed.
Suppressing his irritation, he picked up the communicator.
"Lorelei? What's she calling me for now?"
Seeing the caller ID, Nozomi calmed himself a bit. He had a good impression of Lorelei. As a talented and emotionally intelligent young Elite Four member, she was someone he naturally respected—and he wasn't about to lose his temper with her.
"Hello? This is Nozomi speaking—"
"I'm terribly sorry to bother you," Lorelei's gentle, melodic voice came from the other end, though Nozomi keenly picked up a trace of anxiety beneath it. "There's an emergency situation. We need your help."
"No problem. What's going on?"
As a man with no plans of staying single forever, Nozomi knew full well—playing it cool was a basic survival skill.