1 Oulei Region
Oulei Region
Training was over, in the lounge the newly sixteen-year-old Kashiwagi was drenched in sweat as he took off his sticky clothes, revealing a strong and muscular physique.
A colleague entered the room from outside, and Kashiwagi greeted him with a wave before grabbing his toiletries and heading into the shower.
As the water cascaded down his face, splashing around, he couldn't help but begin to think and reminisce.
This was Yellow Iron Town.
A place filled with a steampunk aesthetic, where different-sized metal pipes and various gears spun and operated, and the rusted, dark inner workings were exposed.
Although it was called a town, its population was not much smaller than some cities in the same Region.
The main economic source here was the continuous underground mineral deposits.
Located inland within the Oulei Region, like most towns, its surroundings were vast wastelands and deserts. The scenery was dominated by hues of yellow, gray, and black, with very little green in sight.
The technology was relatively advanced, but it wasn't exactly a picturesque place.
As a result, Kashiwagi often lamented the fact that he had been transmigrated to the Oulei Region instead of the main series Region.
Life in Oulei was difficult, and as someone without parents, money, power, or influence, it was extremely challenging for him to obtain a Pokémon and become a trainer. The competition was fierce and intimidating.
Traveling? Participating in Conferences?
Those things were too far out of reach.
Moreover, the most significant reason was that Oulei Region lacked Wild Pokémon to catch.
As a remote and distant land, most trainers relied on imported Pokémon, and Wild individuals were few and far between.
This direct consequence meant that Kashiwagi had not been able to obtain his Pokémon yet. Without Pokémon, it was challenging to change his fate.
However, as they say, where there's bread, there's a chance to get Pokémon.
Quicksand Team, an Outer Member, just had to pass the assessment to receive a Pokémon from the Executive.
Though he wasn't particularly willing, he had no say in the matter. Once he joined, it would be difficult to leave.
Thinking about it, Kashiwagi considered that Team Rocket, which frequently expelled members, was quite considerate. In Yellow Iron Town, everyone was assigned work, and if someone didn't want to do it, they would be sent to The Under to mine. Unlucky ones might end up mining for their entire lives.
Escape?
The nearest city was at least hundreds of kilometers away, with desert all the way. Finding an oasis with water was difficult, and people were likely to lose their sense of direction easily. Not to mention that escape speed couldn't compete with high-tech hover motorcycles.
Moreover, the station leading outside was even more dangerous. Pickpockets, thugs, and swindlers were numerous, and most of them were connected to various Great Influences. People with such marks would be captured as soon as they boarded a train.
The population was the most crucial resource in Yellow Iron Town.
Even if he managed to run to another Region, his undocumented status would become an issue, and he could easily be repatriated if caught.
Not to mention, he was illiterate and could only understand very basic words. The town had no library or free educational environment for Outer Members like him.
His only advantage now was his youthful physique. Quicksand Team urgently needed recruits, and the two matched perfectly.
As for the road ahead, he decided to see how things went after obtaining a Pokémon.
And also... there was this thing.
Kashiwagi glanced at the countdown timer in the lower right corner of his vision. It had been counting down since he awakened and merged with memories a week ago, and it was about to reach zero.
Based on what he knew about transmigrators, this was probably a benefit that most people had.
He couldn't help but feel excited.
After taking a shower, Kashiwagi resisted the urge to return to his little nest and waited for the countdown to reach zero. He gathered with several familiar colleagues for a meal and had some beer.
Listening to their drunken complaints, he felt quite calm inside.
Being sociable was important. Before he had the power to protect himself, being unique and independent would only make him antagonized and rejected. Therefore, even if he didn't want to, he had to join them for a drink.
In Quicksand Team, most Outer Members just got by, living day by day. Their salary was always spent, with nothing left for savings.
If they added some extra money from pickpocketing, they could barely afford to buy a Pokémon after a few months of saving.
But breeding Pokémon was not as simple as an impromptu decision. Various Pokémon food, nutritional supplements, and other necessities were surprisingly expensive, not to mention Pokémon massages and post-battle treatments...
Getting a Pokémon was just the beginning of spending.
Therefore, most of the Outer Members who just got by could only envy others' Pokémon and spend their money on drunken stupors.
As for Kashiwagi, he had the instinct to save, but he often instinctively resisted some of the "extra money" he obtained through pickpocketing. He refused to spend them and secretly stored them away, which didn't result in an ideal amount of real savings.
Despite his "salary" not being very clean.
He could only say that it was a bottom line he believed he had to adhere to. Even if he was fifty steps ahead of others, it was still better than going a hundred steps ahead.
How long could he hold on to such naive thoughts?
He was curious himself.
...
Qingyi Street.
As one of the districts controlled by Quicksand Team, it provided residences for their peripheral Outer Members.
From the outside, it didn't look any different from a rundown garbage dump.
Dilapidated second-layer bungalows, dirt and grime everywhere, incomprehensible graffiti, an indescribable stench, and sharp rusty metal everywhere...
Normal people would never consider living here.
But there was one point – it was extremely safe.
Although Quicksand Team was only a 2nd Rate Influence in Yellow Iron Town, few dared to trouble them. The main reason was their powerful leader and solid backing.
Back home, Kashiwagi quickly closed the door, leaving the strange smell outside, and lay down on the bed, waiting for the countdown to reach zero.
What would the "cheat" be?
He was somewhat excited but also vaguely worried that it might not be a cheat but rather a countdown to some kind of death or disaster.
Lucky to arrive in the Pokémon world, but unlucky to not have a good start.
His complex emotions made him feel uneasy.
And just as he was lost in thought, the countdown reached zero.
A line of text appeared out of thin air in his vision, flickering constantly.
[Trainer Life Simulator activated, remaining uses: 2, next recharge countdown: 168:00:00]
A simulator?
Kashiwagi was stunned for a moment, and then another line of text appeared.
[Start the simulation? Yes/No]
He took a deep breath and felt relieved that this was in Chinese. He clicked "Yes" slowly and three lines of text flew out again.
[Choose your birth Region ▽]
[Choose your gender ▽]
[Choose your Pokémon ▽]
Kashiwagi clicked on the first line, and a variety of main series Regions appeared before him, but the non-main series Regions were not visible.
He chose Kanto.
As for gender, there were only two options, male and female.
He chose male.
However, the available Pokémon options were a bit strange; there was only one option for random selection. Classic Kanto Pokémon like the Three Founding Families, Pikachu, and even the common Pokémon Eevee were missing.
Since there were no choices, Kashiwagi silently clicked on random and confirmed his three selections.
[Please draw your innate talent]
He pressed it.
Fixed innate talent:
[Novice Breeder (slow progress in breeding Pokémon)]
Selectable innate talent:
[Clumsy Handler (rough management of Pokémon health)]
[Poor Family (burden in breeding Pokémon)]
[Passionate Youth (always positive mindset)]
[Love Charmer (likely to interact with the opposite sex)]
Kashiwagi carefully looked at them. The fixed innate talent couldn't be changed, but he could choose two from the selectable innate talents.
But with these four...
It seemed that only the last two were worth choosing, right? Only an idiot would pick the first two.
Or perhaps there was a trap among them?
Oh well.
Since he had two chances, Kashiwagi knew that practice was more effective than blind guesses. He selected the last two innate talents and confirmed his choices.
In an instant.
A virtual screen appeared before him, showing peculiar pixel animations, and text jumped out to explain below.
It was like a game trailer.
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The main character name is Kashiwagi, and many original character also have chinese names, do you want me to change them to a more regular and basic names ?
