Chapter 11: Swarm and Rise
Drake had just escaped that bubbly girl's curious gaze when a sudden memory hit him — the system notification from Starly's evolution. But why, he wondered, did the system credit him with the kills when his Pokémon were doing the fighting?
"System, why when my Pokémon kill monsters do the kills show as mine and I get all the EXP?" he asked aloud in his mind.
Before the system could answer, a sharp screech pierced the air. Drake turned to see a strange creature: a red ant-like monster with four legs, two arms, and a hard, shiny shell. Two small digital screens flickered above its back.
[KILLER ANT LVL 22][SKILL: PHEROMONES – USE EXTREME CAUTION]
"Huh, first time I've seen a monster with a skill. Let's see what happens," Drake muttered. "Staravia, Pidgey, come out!"
The two birds appeared beside him. With a powerful thrust of his legs, Drake smashed forward, slamming the screeching ant into the wall. It quickly recovered, releasing a different screech and an odd, pungent smell.
Drake bounced off the walls, spinning and ramming his horn into the ant's head, now covered in the sticky, strange liquid it sprayed. His Pokémon chuckled nearby, amused at his antics.
Suddenly, the familiar screeches multiplied. Ten killer ants swarmed from every direction.
"Ah, that's why the system warned me. Pidgey, Staravia — split up and attack!" The three launched into a coordinated assault, smashing, slicing, and shredding the swarm. The sticky liquid covered them all, but more ants kept pouring in.
"This is bad — we need to handle them all at once." Drake called out a plan, "Pidgey, get close to me and—"
His words were cut off by a sudden chime in his head.
Pidgey, moving toward him, was suddenly enveloped in a bright light that caused the ants to recoil. Drake's eyes widened as Pidgey's wings expanded, his body growing larger and stronger. When the light faded, a proud Pidgeotto stood before them, letting out a triumphant cry.
"Nice job, buddy! Now, full-powered Hurricane—center of the room!"
Pidgeotto blasted a mighty hurricane, pulling all the ants into a swirling vortex. Drake shouted, "Staravia, Razor Wind into the hurricane!"
Staravia sent razor-sharp wind blades slicing through the storm, shredding the ants into a sparkling rain of crystals.
"Perfect. Let's find a place to rest." The birds nodded proudly, and the group soon found a small cave perfect for a break. Drake withdrew piles of crystals for his Pokémon to nibble on and checked his battle gains.
First, the system answered his earlier question:USER POKÉMONS CREATED FROM SYSTEM ARE TECHNICALLY USER'S EXTENSIONS. IT'S LIKE A POWERFUL EXP SHARE THAT ALLOWS BOTH USER AND POKÉMON TO GAIN THE SAME AMOUNT OF EXP WHEN KILLING ENEMIES.
Then came the flood of missed notifications:CONGRATULATIONS STARLY REACHED LVL 15 — EVOLUTION PROCESS STARTINGCONGRATULATIONS PIDGEY REACHED LVL 15 — EVOLUTION PROCESS STARTINGCONGRATULATIONS FOR KILLING KILLER ANT LVL 22 — REWARD 45000 EXPCONGRATULATIONS USER FOR KILLING 43 KILLER ANTS LVL 21~25 — REWARD 1,500,000 EXPLEVEL UP5 SP OBTAINEDCURRENT LEVEL 16
"Huh, these ants give crazy EXP. I should camp here a while. This cave will be a perfect hideout between hunting sessions. But first, system, use my remaining ticket — start the Pokémon lottery."
ACKNOWLEDGED. INITIATING LOTTERY. SPECIAL WARNING: THE MORE POKÉMON YOU HAVE, THE STRONGER YOUR ENEMIES WILL BE. DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE? Y/N
"So that's why monsters outlevel me by so much. But yeah, keep going."
The huge wheel appeared again. Drake hit the spin button without hesitation. The wheel spun, passing many white sections, some green, blue, purple, and a few rare gold ones.
"Gold must be legendaries… let's see what I get."
The wheel slowed and stopped on a purple section with a name that made Drake's eyes widen.
"No way… Thank you, system! I love you!"
The chime sounded, and Drake checked the message:CONGRATULATIONS USER FOR OBTAINING SINNOH REGION'S STARTER POKÉMON — CHIMCHAR
He shouted mentally, "CHIMCHAR, COME OUT!"
A bright light burst forth, and a small bipedal Pokémon resembling a chimpanzee appeared. Its orange fur contrasted with the yellow of its face, ears, underbelly, hands, and feet. Flames danced on its tail's small round red patch.
Chimchar looked around, spotting the two large bird Pokémon eyeing him with mild disdain and a small bunny-like creature—his new owner.
Chimchar raised a tiny paw and waved enthusiastically at Drake.
"Hello, little one! Let's be friends, okay?" Drake asked.
Chimchar nodded vigorously and bounced happily.
"System, show me Chimchar's moves."
UNDERSTOOD. CHIMCHAR KNOWS FLAME WHEEL, FLAMETHROWER, AND EMBER.USER: BOTH STARAVIA AND PIDGEOTTO HAVE LEARNED CLOSE COMBAT.
Drake smiled wide. "Alright guys, let's hunt those pesky ants. Time to level up! You all ready?"
All three nodded eagerly.
The four began searching, but soon Pidgeotto spotted movement. "Three ants, over there!"
"Perfect. Staravia, Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack to draw their attention. Chimchar, wait until they focus on the birds, then charge with Flame Wheel with me!"
The birds dashed toward the ants, who screeched and launched attacks, but both effortlessly dodged and smashed the three ants against the wall.
Drake spun forward like a drill, Chimchar following as a blazing flaming wheel. Their combined attack hit the ants, causing a massive explosion.
Chimchar jumped beside Drake, proud as ever.
"Good job, buddy!" Drake praised. Chimchar bounced happily while the birds chirped in amusement.
Suddenly, the screeching returned, louder and more intense. Dozens of ants poured in from all sides.
Drake smirked, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Alright, friends — let the grinding begin!"