Chapter 34: Prospects

Chapter 34: Outlook

In the dark corridor.

The narrow hallway was crowded with people, yet not a single soul spoke or chatted, casting an eerie atmosphere over the scene.

A short distance away, a few other challengers from the Combat Tower, dressed in the same standard uniforms of Dark Star, stood or sat in various postures. But what they all shared was a look that could only be described as “ashen-faced.”

Some wore this expression even more intensely, as if their confidence had suffered a devastating blow. One clutched his head between his hands, slumping powerlessly against the cold wall. From his lips came a faint murmur, barely audible but carrying fragments of despair.

“Impossible…”

“It was only a Wooloo…”

“The third floor…”

A sense of loss and defeat pervaded the crowd. Those yet to enter the room, seeing their companions return one after another in utter defeat, found their own curiosity morphing first into surprise, and finally into a strange blend of eager anticipation tinged with fear.

Creak!

The door to the room slowly opened.

In that instant, whether they had already failed or were still waiting their turn, every gaze converged on the doorway, trying to divine the outcome from the challenger’s expression.

As the door swung wider, a figure in black gradually emerged. His dark hair was disheveled, his head hung low as though reeling from a shock; his face was pale, lips devoid of color, lending him a sickly appearance.

Feeling the weight of the stares around him, the young man bowed his head even lower. He raised his left hand slightly, waving it weakly before his chest, then shuffled listlessly to one side of the corridor and sat down in silence.

Gulp.

In the hush, a single, conspicuous sound of swallowing echoed.

In truth, as carefully cultivated seeds of the Dark Star organization, they were well trained to endure failure. But what they faced in this moment was nothing short of absurd.

As the favored children of fate, destined to become pillars of the organization, they had been utterly routed by a single Wooloo. Such a horrifying reality—one that surely not even dreams could conjure—left them in need of time to collect their thoughts.

Within the arena.

With mechanical motions, Linse returned Wooloo to its Poké Ball and placed it on the healing machine behind her, her expression numb.

All her life until now, her impression of Wooloo had always been that of a cute, gentle, and utterly unfit-for-battle livestock Pokémon. Everything that had unfolded before her today had completely upended her understanding of the species.

To think, a feeble little Wooloo had toppled a whole group of elite trainees raised by a world-class evil organization.

A strange, nervous laugh escaped her lips, eerie and out of place in the silent, empty arena. If she hadn’t witnessed it herself, if someone had simply told her such a story, she would have thought they were having her on.

Inside the Poké Ball.

Lu Yun felt soothing waves of warmth radiate from outside the sphere, easing the fatigue in his body and the pain from his small wounds. The seemingly endless battles had left him exhausted, yet exhilarated.

For all that his body was weary, the occasional “ding” from his system filled him with excitement. Such intense, high-quality battles were rare; he was determined to seize the chance and pocket every bit of readily available experience.

Happily, Lu Yun opened his system panel.

…

“Defeated Pokémon: Poochyena”

“Experience gained: 32”

…

“Defeated Pokémon: Haunter”

“Experience gained: 41”

…

…

And now, Lu Yun’s stats were as follows:

…

Species: Wooloo

Level: 23 (67/100)

Skills: Tackle, Growl, Thunder Wave, Hidden Power (Dragon), Thunder Shock, Cotton Spore, Charge, Thunder Punch, Magnet Rise, Take Down

Assessment: A Wooloo of immense potential

…

At first glance, his overall stats seemed little changed—his level had simply risen from 20 to 23. But only Lu Yun knew just how much these three levels had enhanced his overall physical fitness, electrical energy, and control over his abilities.

Previously, his system had seemed to do nothing more than digitize his attributes, offering no “golden finger” or cheat-like functions. Only now did Lu Yun begin to appreciate its abnormal advantages.

First, in the Pokémon world, the gap between Pokémon could be immense. The weak might be mere pets, while the strong could manipulate time, reshape space, even create worlds. Even among the same species, the range of power was staggering, and humans had only managed to roughly divide them into fifteen ranks.

Yet Lu Yun’s system divided his power, like a game from his previous life, into a detailed scale of one hundred levels, giving him a clear grasp of his current strength.

Second, by battling and training, Lu Yun could rapidly accumulate experience and power up. To other Pokémon, this was terrifying, as in the normal world, a Pokémon could only grow stronger by consuming vast resources and spending a long time step by step. Gaining so much experience from a single battle—and leveling up immediately—was almost unheard of.

Lastly, Lu Yun had a theory. He believed that even if a Pokémon in the real world grew up with unlimited resources, it would still not be in perfect condition after reaching its limit. Evolution and growth took a long time, especially for famously slow-growing types like dragons; even fast-evolving bugs needed time to mature. During this process, battles, emotional strain, and mental stress would inflict both visible and hidden wounds, diminishing their future potential. Thus, even at their limit, most Pokémon would only reach around level 96 or 97 by the system’s reckoning.

But if the system divided his growth into one hundred levels, perhaps he alone could bypass all these setbacks. With each level up, he could feel a surge of warmth within, not only strengthening him but seemingly repairing something inside—perhaps returning his body to the perfect state for a Pokémon of his current level.

Lu Yun was thrilled.

If, in this life, he could find enough time to climb all the way to level 100—and combine that with the combo moves he had invented—he might well become the first member of the Mareep line capable of challenging legendary Pokémon.

After all, even the legendaries had not enjoyed perfectly smooth growth; surely some had suffered injuries, their potential compromised.

Within the Poké Ball, Lu Yun could not help but lose himself in sweet visions of the future.