Chapter 2: A 2-Star Weedle? Second Ability: Huge Power!
The Gacha Fusion System?
Kenji stroked his chin. In his past life, he had been hooked on a mobile auto-battler game. The mechanics seemed... familiar.
Could it be...?
"Kenji!"
Just as Kenji's mind was racing, a teenager's voice called out from behind him.
He turned at the familiar sound. It was his best friend, Leo.
"Bro, I'm so touched! You actually waited for me," Leo said dramatically, throwing his arms around Kenji in a big bear hug.
Kenji shoved him off with a look of mock disgust.
"So, what did you get?" Leo asked, his curiosity piqued.
Kenji just shrugged and jerked his head toward the small creature on the ground a few feet away.
Leo followed his gaze and saw the Weedle, staring back at them with its beady, innocent black eyes. He looked from the Weedle back to Kenji. Without another word, he simply patted his friend on the shoulder.
"Hey, man, it's okay. Stay strong. There's always next year."
Kenji slapped his hand away. "What about you? What did you get?"
Leo shook his head. "Haven't looked yet."
With that, he took out his own Poké Ball. As Kenji watched, Leo tossed it high into the air.
"Come on out, my Pokémon!"
Ding!—
A flash of red light shot out from the ball. This time, the light didn't hit the ground; it hovered in the air.
Poof!—
The light dissipated, revealing a small, brown-feathered Pokémon with yellow eyes and a black beak.
"A Pidove!" Kenji recognized it instantly.
"YES!" Leo pumped his fists, his face lit up with excitement as he watched the Pidove soar in a small circle above them.
A small pang of envy hit Kenji, but the thought of his newly awakened System quickly washed it away.
"Congratulations, man," Kenji said sincerely.
Leo's excitement faded as he seemed to remember Kenji's situation. He recalled his Pidove and put the Poké Ball away, trying not to gloat.
Seeing the concern on his friend's face, Kenji put on a brave, cocky grin. "Don't worry about me. I was just worried you'd get some trash Pokémon and I'd be all lonely at the Trainer Academy."
For once, Leo didn't fire back with a witty comeback. He just slung his arm around Kenji's shoulders. "Come on! I'm in a good mood! My treat, let's go get some BBQ!"
Kenji rolled his eyes but let himself be led along. He recalled his Weedle, and the two friends left the stadium and walked off campus. With the practical exam coming up, their next month would be dedicated to training, not sitting in classrooms.
Ben's Grill
"Ben! Two pounds of Tauros skewers, two pounds of lamb skewers, and also..."
The BBQ joint had just opened, and the main lights weren't even on yet, but Leo had already plopped down at a table by the door and started shouting his order.
"Don't be so loud! You want your father to come out here and smack you?" a woman in her forties scolded him from behind the front counter.
Leo just grinned sheepishly. "Not while my amazing, heroic mom is here to protect me."
"Hi, Auntie May," Kenji said, giving the woman a polite greeting.
Kenji had worked part-time at Ben's Grill ever since leaving the orphanage in middle school. It was also how he and Leo had become best friends.
"You little brat! You only show up when you're hungry! Why don't you get in here and help your old man with the prep!" a man's voice roared from the kitchen.
Leo theatrically covered his ears, then rolled his eyes and trudged toward the back.
With Leo gone, Auntie May came out from behind the counter holding a plain white envelope.
"Auntie May, what's this...?" Kenji asked, surprised, as she handed it to him.
She simply tucked the envelope firmly into his hand, her voice soft. "The exam is in a month. This is just a little something from me and Ben. Don't worry about coming in to work for the next few weeks. Just focus on your training. If you need anything at all, you let me know."
Kenji looked down at the envelope. It was thick with cash.
"Thank you, Auntie May," he said, looking up with misty eyes and a voice full of genuine gratitude.
Not long after, Leo came out with a massive tray of sizzling skewers.
After they finished eating, Kenji didn't linger. He said his goodbyes and left the restaurant.
He had a Newbie Gift Pack to unlock, after all.
Kenji's home was a tiny, rundown one-room apartment. The moment he walked through the door, he impatiently summoned the system interface.
[Ding! Do you wish to open the Newbie Gift Pack?]
The familiar system prompt sounded again.
This time, Kenji didn't hesitate. He immediately selected 'Yes'.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for opening the Newbie Gift Pack!]
[You have received: Poké Ball x10!]
[You have received: Lesser Hero Replicator x2!]
[You have received: Last Whisper x1!]
The moment he saw the names 'Lesser Hero Replicator' and 'Last Whisper', Kenji was certain. This Gacha Fusion System was definitely based on the auto-battler game from his previous life.
Lesser Hero Replicator
Description: Can replicate any Pokémon with base stats ≤ 200.
What's the point of the Replicator? To make two more Weedles? Unless...?
A bold idea sparked in Kenji's mind. A core mechanic of that game was combining three identical units to create a stronger, higher-starred version.
Could it be...?
Acting on his hunch, Kenji immediately tossed out his Poké Ball.
"Come out, Weedle!"
The brownish-yellow bug appeared on the floor, looking up at its new master with a blank expression.
[Ding! Do you wish to use Lesser Hero Replicator on Weedle?]
The replicator only worked on Pokémon with 200 base stats or less. Using it on his 195-stat Weedle was a no-brainer.
"Yes!"
As Kenji made his choice, a vibrant green light burst from the original Weedle, flew to the side, and solidified.
A second, identical Weedle appeared out of thin air.
Without pausing, Kenji used the second replicator. As the item vanished from his inventory, a third Weedle materialized beside the other two.
The instant the third one appeared, all three Weedles began to glow with a brilliant white light. The two on the sides transformed into orbs of energy and flew into the one in the center. The three points of light merged into a single, blinding sphere before fading away.
[Congratulations, Host, you have synthesized a 2-Star Weedle!]
[Congratulations! Weedle's level has increased from LV.1 to LV.2!]
[Weedle has awakened a second Ability: Huge Power!]
[Weedle's base stats have increased!]
[Weedle's potential has increased to E- Rank!]
Weedle (2-Star)
Gender: Male
Level: 2
Type: Poison / Bug
Base Stats: 255
Abilities: Shield Dust, Huge Power (Doubles the Pokémon's Attack stat.)
Moves: Poison Sting, String Shot
Potential: E-
In this world, a Pokémon's potential was ranked from S-Rank down to F-Rank. Determining a Pokémon's potential required specialized and expensive equipment, but it was common knowledge that all the Pokémon given out for the exam were bottom-of-the-barrel, F-Rank specimens.
He never imagined that starring up a Pokémon could actually increase its fundamental potential.
On top of that, his Weedle's base stats had jumped from 195 to 255—a full 60-point increase.
But the most shocking change, the one that truly blew Kenji's mind, was the second Ability.
It was a fundamental law of nature that a Pokémon could only have one Ability. A powerful Ability could elevate an otherwise average Pokémon to incredible new heights. Their importance couldn't be overstated.
And Huge Power was, without a doubt, a top-tier Ability. The description was simple, but the effect was terrifying.
Doubles the Attack stat.
Kenji's mind immediately jumped to the future. Mega Beedrill had a monstrous base Attack of 150. If you combined that with the Huge Power ability... the damage from its Bug-type moves would be absolutely devastating.