The line between late autumn and early winter in Shanghai was never very clear.
Leaning against the classroom window, Ethan Vale twirled his pen, staring listlessly at the bleak scenery outside.
Leaves fell from towering, thick-trunked century-old trees, leaving behind a lone gray-brown bird's nest hanging awkwardly from the bare branches.
Several newly hatched mountain chickadees chirped as they huddled together, their round little bodies tilted upward as they waited for the blue crow mother to feed them.
In his ears was the trademark voice of a middle-aged-to-elderly teacher—measured, halting, and utterly devoid of emotional fluctuation.
"Modern historiography believes that during the medieval period, the Sinnoh region occupied a pivotal position in world history. The oldest known site where a statue of Arceus has been discovered is located in—Ethan Vale, you answer."
Ethan Vale wasn't surprised by the teacher's special attention. His pen kept spinning as he replied immediately, "The ruins of the Spear Pillar at the foothills of Mount Coronet."
Professor Grant , who taught the course Mythology of Pokémon, softened his tone slightly. "Very good. Then in Sinnoh mythology, aside from Arceus, which other legendary Pokémon are important?"
Ethan Vale answered, "Besides the three Lake Guardians—Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf—there are also Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina."
"Wrong again!"
Professor Grant 's voice suddenly rose. "I don't know where you picked that up, but what is this 'Giratina' nonsense? We study history—we must maintain a rigorous attitude. Stop reading unofficial histories and pay attention in class. Understood?"
Ethan Vale nodded without arguing, though inwardly he sighed.
Daring to say that Arceus's number-one rebellious son, the Renegade Pokémon Giratina, was 'nonsense'… Professor Grant , you really are something.
That aside, it had already been three years since he transmigrated into this world where Pokémon truly existed, yet knowledge from his previous world still refused to fade.
In his past life, Ethan Vale had been an utterly ordinary office worker. Apart from watching Pokémon anime, playing Pokémon games, and battling with Pokémon cards, he had no other bad habits.
In other words, he was a seasoned Poké-fan.
So after hitting the cosmic jackpot, he adapted quickly to being reborn in a world where Pokémon and reality were fused.
Hydro Pump missing three times in a row, Cursed Body sealing myself, never once encountering a shiny…
According to the law of conservation of luck, this is all what I deserve!
Unfortunately, whenever one gains something, one inevitably loses something else.
In this world, Ethan Vale was an orphan.
His parents had died in a plane crash before his transmigration, along with the several Pokémon traveling with them, all buried at sea.
What they left him was only a single apartment and a modest amount of savings—just enough to support him through university.
He had thought: since losses must be baOriond by gains, with all the negative debuffs stacked, surely a system or something wouldn't be missing, right?
But there was nothing.
Although this Pokémon world was resource-rich and nearly utopian, such a hellish starting setup clearly wasn't enough to support Ethan Vale becoming a professional Pokémon Trainer.
Giving up on his childhood dream of becoming a Pokémon Master was admittedly regretful, but Ethan Vale had always been easy to satisfy.
Save up enough money, buy a small house with a yard, raise three to five Pokémon he liked, and live a leisurely daily life—wouldn't that be wonderful?
With his goal set, Ethan Vale threw himself into intense studying.
After three years of hard work, he finally gained admission to Shanghai University, the top institution in the Donghuang region, majoring in History.
It was a somewhat niche major, chosen after careful consideration.
People in this world had significant misunderstandings about many Legendary Pokémon—just like the "Renegade Pokémon" Giratina that Professor Grant claimed didn't exist.
Relying on information gaps like these, the future field of world mythology would surely have a place for me, Ethan Vale!
Fresh from being criticized by Professor Grant , Ethan Vale was in the middle of vowing something along the lines of "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river," when a strange voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
At the same time, a line of pale-blue translucent text appeared out of thin air before his eyes.
[Hextech System rebooting. The world you are currently in is detected—fusion in progress.]
The Hextech System?
After a brief moment of confusion, realization struck Ethan Vale.
My cheat has finally arrived!
"Brother System, aren't you a bit late? I've been here for three whole years already…"
Ethan Vale complained inwardly, half-bitter, half-aggrieved.
These past three years—what suffering they'd been.
His peers cuddled adorable Eevee, while he buried himself in books.
His peers traveled the world with starter Pokémon, while he buried himself in books.
His peers sweated it out in battle arenas, while he buried himself in books.
If not for the starkly different world outside, he might've thought he hadn't transmigrated at all—just relived his first year of high school and suffered through it again.
Still, three years of plain living had tempered his mindset. Even with the system activating now, he could remain sufficiently calm.
"The Hextech System… seems like a mechanic from some popular game I played before transmigrating?"
As a social game on par with Honor of Kings, Peacekeeper Elite, and Eggy Party, Ethan Vale had played Teamfight Tactics while dating his ex-girlfriend—and had even reached Master rank.
Though, much like "King" in another mobile MOBA, the Master rank in that game didn't exactly carry much prestige.
As Ethan Vale organized his thoughts, the light screen before him continued to flicker.
[Fusion complete. Detected that your first Hextech Augment choice is [Openly Slacking Off!]. Distributing a Prismatic Orb that conforms to world rules.]
"Hold on—when did I ever choose my first Hextech Augment?"
Ethan Vale couldn't help but interrupt the system with a question in his mind.
[Three years ago.]
The system was concise. Ethan Vale fell into deep thought.
Three years ago… wasn't that right when he'd first transmigrated?
It vaguely seemed like, after sorting through this world's memories, he'd despairingly shouted, "I'm done for—time to slack off!"
"…No, that can't possibly mean the same thing, right?"
Unwilling to accept it, Ethan Vale was utterly speechless. So a single venting complaint had determined such a crucial opening Hextech choice?
Wasn't that a bit too hasty?
And you didn't even warn me, Brother System!
Brother System said nothing—only maintained its silence.
Left with no choice, Ethan Vale accepted reality and continued, "So you're saying that because of this [Openly Slacking Off] Hextech, you only restarted after three years?"
[Correct. The effect of [Openly Slacking Off!] is: Skip the host's first three rounds, then grant an extremely rare Prismatic Orb reward upon completion.]
"Wait—don't say anything yet. Let me ask you something."
Ethan Vale suddenly noticed a blind spot. "Do the three rounds you skipped include my parents in this world?"
If that were the case… wouldn't his guilt be far too heavy?
[Events related to the host's original family are unrelated to the system.]
The system's emotionless reply carried great credibility. Ethan Vale quickly stopped dwelling on the issue.
"I understand. Then please distribute the reward."
[Prismatic Orb opened. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the following rewards:
Artifact Anvil ×1, Chosen Emblem ×1, Basic Item Anvil ×2]
A huge hit!
Looking at the three icons on the translucent screen, joy surged in Ethan Vale's heart.
He knew what the Artifact Anvil was—it allowed one to choose a single artifact from three powerful options.
The strength of artifacts needed no explanation. In Teamfight Tactics, certain units underwent a complete qualitative transformation once equipped with specific artifacts.
The Chosen Emblem, on the other hand, was something Ethan Vale wasn't very familiar with, but judging by the name, it was related to the "Chosen" mechanic and surely of high value.
"Ding ding ding—"
The sound of the class dismissal bell interrupted his thoughts.
"Alright, that's all for today. Class dismissed!"
Professor Grant , though old-fashioned and stern, never dragged out class. The moment the bell rang, he briskly gathered his lesson plans and left the classroom.
Ethan Vale was still savoring the surprise brought by Brother System when his right shoulder suddenly felt heavy.
"Stop thinking about that stupid 'Gira-whatever-tina.' Come on—let's eat!"
The speaker was Aaron Cole, Ethan Vale's classmate and dormmate.
The two were both from southern Jiangsu and got along well.
In just over two months since school started, they'd already become close enough to joke about having each other acknowledge ancestral ties.
Still preoccupied with the system, Ethan Vale declined, "I've got something to do and need to head back to the dorm first. Help me bring back a serving of braised chicken with rice and a berry salad. Oh, and mix it with MooMoo Cheese sauce."
Upon detecting the keyword "bring food", Aaron Cole put on a mischievous grin. "Bringing food's no problem—I'll even treat you. So… what's the price?"
Facing his buddy's completely unsubtle hint, Ethan Vale grinned at him and chuckled. "If I remember right, you're stuck in your Great Ball promotion match, aren't you? How about I stream and play your account for you tonight?"
That's right—after the college entrance exam, in order to realize his dream of a laid-back life as soon as possible, Ethan Vale plunged into the booming self-media wave.
In plain terms: making videos and streaming games.
The reason was simple—low entry barrier, high potential.
Professional Pokémon Trainers were rare in this world, and those who could walk the championship road under the spotlight were rarer still.
Thus, virtual battles in games became the outlet for people who loved Pokémon battles but lacked sufficient real-world strength.
Released two years ago by Devon Corporation, Pokémon: Champion's Path had become the hottest game around thanks to its cutting-edge interactive technology.
Many professional Trainers and even famous Gym Leaders would occasionally play it to relax or research tactics.
As everyone knew, the hotter the track, the fiercer the competition.
Ethan Vale, well-versed in the art of streaming, understood this deeply.
With off-meta "meme" lineups, version-leading game knowledge, and the icing-on-the-cake of good looks—
In less than half a year of streaming, Ethan Vale had already gained a bit of fame.
A mere Great Ball promotion match was naturally easy pickings.
Upon hearing Ethan Vale's reply, Aaron Cole instantly performed a Sichuan opera face change, flashing a sycophantic smile. "Deal! Brother Chi, this meal's on me for sure!"
Ethan Vale stroked his chin. "Trading one meal for a critically important promotion match—does that really make sense, kid?"
Aaron Cole fell silent for two seconds. In the end, unable to resist the lure of promotion, he gritted his teeth. "Dad! My promotion match is in your hands!"
Having achieved his goal, Ethan Vale waved him off. "No big deal—easy enough."