"Bind!"
The command burst from Kudo Shiba's mind almost without thought, as if by instinct.
[Ding! Prophecy System bound successfully!]
[Host: Kudo Shiba.]
[System Function: Able to probe fragments of others' future fate. The importance of a fortuitous opportunity is displayed as halos of different colors (white, blue, purple, crimson, gold, prismatic).]
At the instant he issued the order, an icy data-stream rammed into his mind.
It wasn't some gentle airflow but a storm of information, as if to completely reformat his consciousness and then write in a brand-new set of rules.
All color was stripped from Kudo Shiba's vision; the entire world turned grey and white.
Then, little points of light began to kindle in his sight.
By reflex, he looked at Takai Yuko beside him.
A soft white halo quietly circled above the girl's head, pure as first snow.
A thought stirred.
The next second, a soundless yet utterly lifelike moving image unfolded directly in the depths of his mind.
In the image, it was the most inconspicuous corner of the breeding room.
Takai Yuko was looking around somewhat blankly, seemingly uneasy about what kind of Pokémon partner she might get. After hesitating, she walked toward a pile of dry yellow leaves that others had overlooked. When she clumsily pushed the leaves aside, a green-skinned Treecko, curled up on itself, woke with a start.
The image shifted, and cold characters appeared projected from the scanner.
[Treecko. Potential: Elite tier.]
For a student from an ordinary family, this was indeed a start worth delighting in.
So that's it.
This was "prophecy."
Kudo Shiba's breath hitched, and his heartbeat began to quicken. He forced down the surge within and aimed this brand-new, near-miraculous power at himself.
He wanted to see what sort of future the system would grant him.
However, the moment his own prophetic image surfaced, the last trace of color drained from his face.
In the image, he stood beneath the central spotlight of the breeding room.
All around were countless gazes.
There was no jealousy or envy in those eyes—only undisguised sympathy and deep regret.
In his hands, he cradled a trembling Squirtle.
Cracks laced the Squirtle's shell; its eyes were timid, and its life's breath was so faint it seemed about to gutter out at any moment.
The data on the scanner burned into his pupils like a red-hot brand.
[Potential exhausted. Timid nature.]
This is… my future?
What kind of international joke is that!
Kudo Shiba's body locked in place, a chill boring up his spine to the crown of his head.
The elation of gaining a divine tool just a second ago shattered against an icy reality.
If the system existed only to make him watch himself march toward a tragic ending that had already been written, then what was the difference between this so-called "prophecy" and the cruelest curse?
No.
Kudo Shiba clenched his fists so hard his knuckles whitened.
By what right should his life be arranged by something like this?
A script written by someone else—he wouldn't let a single word of it come true!
A cold, sharp curve tugged at the corner of his mouth. It wasn't self-mockery; it was the feral, predatory grin of a beast driven to the edge.
"Kudo Shiba, what's wrong? You don't look well."
Takai Yuko's clear voice pulled him back from the icy thoughts; concern filled the girl's eyes.
"It's nothing."
Kudo Shiba loosened his fists, and the gloom on his face vanished in an instant, returning to his usual gentle smile.
"I'm just… looking forward to seeing what kind of Pokémon I'll get."
The two of them, borne on the tide of students, stepped into the spacious, bright Pokémon breeding room.
It had been meticulously divided into several zones, simulating different ecosystems such as forest, wetlands, and rocky ground. Hundreds of starter Pokémon available to new Trainers were running, playing, and tumbling within; the air brimmed with the raw bustle and vitality of life.
"Whoa! A Charmander!"
"There are so many Pikachu over here—so cute!"
Exclamations of excitement rose from the students as they scattered at once, eager to seek the partners they favored.
Kudo Shiba didn't move.
He simply stood at the entrance, calmly watching the lively scene before him.
Then, he activated the Prophecy System again.
This time, his gaze no longer fixed on any single person—it swept the entire hall!
In an instant—
The whole world flipped over completely within his vision!
Centered above each classmate's head, halos representing "fate" suddenly bloomed!
White.
Blue.
More white.
A few specks of blue.
Multicolored halos burst across his retinas like a grand, silent fireworks display.
The halos hovering above the vast majority of classmates were the most basic white or blue.
Kudo Shiba didn't even need to probe deliberately to guess their futures—obtaining a Normal-tier or Elite-tier Pokémon.
It matched their family backgrounds and personal talent perfectly.
This was predestined fate: clear, cold, and without suspense.
Kudo Shiba didn't linger on these already "spoiled" destinies.
His gaze became the finest of radars, madly searching this "sea of fate" woven from halos!
White—too weak.
Blue—not enough.
What he wanted was a light brighter and hotter—enough to turn the tide and shatter the shackle branded on him as [Potential Exhausted]!
He would cut in and seize someone else's future!
And his own future would be reforged by his own hands!
From now on, other people's opportunities…
I want them all!
(End of Chapter)
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[[email protected]/Zukooo]
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