In front of Shiko's eyes,
an evolution panel appeared.
In Charmander's evolution route,
a new branch had actually appeared!
On that branch,
there was an orange creature that looked just like a dinosaur.
Shiko froze.
He blinked a few times before finally reacting.
Isn't that freaking Agumon!?
Good grief!
He could actually evolve into Agumon!?
If that's the case…
Shiko suddenly thought of something.
His gaze followed Agumon's evolution line further along.
"As expected!!"
Joy flashed across his face.
At the end of the evolution line
was a humanoid dragon-type Pokémon.
Its whole body was covered in golden alloy armor.
Both hands were encased in heavy gauntlets.
These were powerful weapons known as dragon-type slayers.
In its black dragon eyes
burned endless fighting spirit.
Golden hair streamed in the wind.
The shield spread out behind it like wings embedded in its back.
That overwhelming dragon aura, so vast it was terrifying—
even just looking at the image
made Shiko's heart tremble under the immense pressure.
With a single glance,
you could tell how incomparably strong it was!
"So cool!"
Shiko's face was full of excitement.
WarGreymon!!
This was freaking WarGreymon!
A being that had both power and looks!
The dream idol of countless people!
If he could evolve to that stage,
Shiko felt it wouldn't even matter whether he could turn back into a human!
"No need to say more! This is it!"
Without the slightest hesitation,
Shiko had already planned out his future route.
Between Charizard and WarGreymon,
he chose the latter without a second thought!
"Alright! From now on I'll work hard for WarGreymon!"
Shiko was full of fighting spirit.
The dejection from before was swept away.
He no longer wanted to be a slacker.
He only wanted to work hard, train seriously, and temper himself!
[Ding! Publishing quests...]
[Main Quest: Complete one evolution]
[Side Quest 1: Sleep for thirty minutes]
[Side Quest 2: Zone out for twenty minutes]
[Side Quest 3: Chat with the Pokémon in the next egg for ten minutes]
[Side Quest 4: ...…]
[Friendly reminder: Main quests provide special rewards, side quests provide random rewards. Main quests refresh upon completion; side quests refresh automatically every day.]
...
Looking at the system quests,
Shiko finally remembered that this system seemed to be called the Lying Flat System.
With such slacker-style quests,
it did seem pretty normal.
Still, that was fine too.
If he could complete quests while lying down, why not?
Thinking this,
he lazily turned over,
then curled up comfortably inside the shell
and went right to sleep.
...
Two days later.
[Daily quests completed. Congratulations to the host for gaining 50 EXP!]
When he woke up,
the system's voice once again rang out in Shiko's mind.
A special wave surged from within his body.
Shiko felt that his understanding of combat and moves
had become even more profound.
He glanced at his status panel again.
With the rewards from two days of side quests,
his level had already risen to Level 5,
reaching the mid-stage novice tier.
It might not sound very high.
But—
he was still an unhatched Pokémon!
Pokémon that hatch from their eggs start at Level 1!
And he was already Level 5!
This was without a doubt a massive lead!
He had basically jumped the gun at the starting line of life!
Once you get ahead by one step,
every step after is faster!
Straightening up,
Shiko was quite satisfied with his current situation.
After checking the remaining daily quests for the day,
he decided to continue chatting with the neighbor Caterpie in the Pokémon Egg next door.
After two days of chatting in a row,
while completing quests and getting rewards,
Shiko had also quietly satisfied a bit of his own mischievous streak.
He had successfully planted one idea in Caterpie's mind.
"Bro, what you told me—is it really true?
Can I really evolve into Rayquaza?"
Caterpie wriggled closer,
pressing his egg against Shiko's side as he asked.
His tone was extremely excited.
Because of this matter,
he had already been excited for a full day and night.
"Trust me!"
"I could tell at a glance that you're extraordinary. You're absolutely that one chosen Caterpie, destined to evolve into Rayquaza, the ruler of the skies!"
Shiko replied with a perfectly serious face.
Hearing this,
Caterpie became even more emotional.
He instantly felt as if golden light was radiating from his body,
as though he had become a chosen one.
Sensing Shiko's expectations and affirmation,
Caterpie took a moment to compose himself,
just about to say a few words.
But before the words could leave his mouth,
a sudden commotion broke the silence of the Breeding Center.
Right after that,
a beam of light shone into the dim space.
A voice came from the doorway.
"Everyone, this is our Academy's Breeding Center."
"Today, you will each select a Pokémon Egg here and take the first step on your journey as Trainers!"
The moment he heard this voice,
Shiko immediately knew what was happening.
Every year,
the Academy's graduating students
would come to the Breeding Center to choose a suitable Pokémon Egg
as their Starter Pokémon,
and thus take their first step toward becoming Trainers.
"Your Starter Pokémon is the Pokémon you'll use to get through your novice phase,
and it is the starting point for every Trainer."
"I don't need to say any more about how important it is
to choose a suitable Starter Pokémon."
"So now, you may go in and choose freely!"
As soon as the female instructor at the front of the line finished speaking at the door,
the students behind her
burst into joyful cheers,
then surged into the Breeding Center like a tide.
At the same time,
in that wave of people pouring in,
only one girl with a delicate face and a graceful figure
remained standing where she was.
In her clear eyes
was a dense mix of confusion and shock.
"This is…"
"I… was reborn…"
(End of Chapter)
If I see that this fanfic has support, I will upload 20+ chapters to Patreon!!
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]