NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11: Time to Relax
Dante and Pikachu kept waiting and defeating other Pokemons until both of them reached level 9.
During this period, Dante also studied the moves of these Pokemons. Except for Wooper with Water Gun, the only attacking moves of the rest of them were Normal types.
Therefore, Dante formulated a tactic where he will be the vanguard when facing Geodude, Tangela, Makuhita, Skitty, Electrike, and Chingling.
Except for Skitty, Dante can use Astonish in order to attack the five. Pikachu is on the side, preventing Electrike from hitting Dante with Thunder Wave using his Lightning Rod Ability. He also supports Dante by using Growl, Thunder Shock, and Grass Knot on the opponents.
Dante once tried using his Illusion Ability, but even when he transformed to look like one of the dungeon Pokemons, they could still sense and attack him without hesitation. Only his passive Super Luck ability helped him and his moves occasionally hit where it hurts the most.
Pikachu was tasked to prioritize Wooper, using his Grass-Knot to deal super effective damage on them.
This tactic allowed them to survive relatively unharmed until reaching level 9. Their fast levelling allowed them to deal more damage while at the same time taking less.
Dante was curious about whether everyone in this world has a menu or something similar that allowed them to gain experience faster. When he asked Pikachu and got a negative answer, he confirmed that the menu was also a part of his cheat.
This was a big discovery. This means that other Pokemons in this world may not obtain experience by defeating other Pokemons. Maybe the stat boosting attributes of Gummies are also exclusive to him.
Dante and Pikachu walked out of the cave. Stretching his body, Dante asked Pikachu.
"Pikachu, do you know any place where we can stay for the night?"
"Hmm? We could stay at my place, but it takes a long walk from here. Why don't we just sleep at the forest or the beachside?"
Hearing Pikachu's words, Dante also remembered that they were Pokemons now. There is no problem with directly sleeping in the wild.
So Pikachu and Dante agreed to just sleep on the beach. Lying down and looking at the stars, Dante thought about his first day in the PMD world.
'It's just the beginning, but everything is already very different from the game. Stronger Pokemons, different mechanics, and a much larger world. Me and Pikachu need to get much, much stronger if we ever need to face those enemies from the future.'
Remembering the meme about how most JRPGs began with finding a cat in the first chapter, and then defeating God in the last, Dante couldn't help but chuckle.
"What are you laughing about, Dante?"
"It's nothing, I'm just imagining how much stronger we're going to be in the future."
"Yeah, I can't believe how much stronger I got just after defeating those Pokemons in the dungeon. Is that the ability of Pokemon Trainers?"
"Heh, you could say it's my exclusive ability. With it, we'll be able to explore more dungeons in the future. You can also defeat more enemies for me when we fight other Pokemon trainers."
"Oh yeah, can you tell me more about your job as a Pokemon Trainer?"
"Hmm, well, it's…"
The two Pokemon continued to chat late into the night. But with how tired both of them are from their first Dungeon Exploration, it didn't take long for both of them to fall asleep.
As Dante opened his eyes, he found himself sitting in front of the computer once again.
On the computer, there was a panel that displayed the summary of Dante's dungeon exploration as well as his current stats.
The time displayed on the lower-right corner showed 12:02 AM, about a minute from when he entered the PMD world.
'So in addition to fainting in the dungeon, does sleeping also trigger my return to the real world? In addition, even though both Pikachu and I formed a partnership in the game, he's still not displayed on the team in the menu. Do we need to officially form a rescue team? Or are there other conditions I need to achieve before I can also transport him into the real world?'
Dante couldn't wait to confirm whether he can bring a Pokemon from that world to here. Although his experience from reading light novels made him sure that he can, it still made him anxious.
He turned off the computer and laid in bed for the night, many thoughts still swirling in his mind.
—
Dante woke up very refreshed. His mental fatigue from fighting many times, worrying about Pikachu, and fainting almost disappeared after sleeping.
Getting out of bed, Dante stretched and made his bed. Walking down the stairs, Dante greeted his mother on the sofa and petted Luna.
"What's for breakfast, ma?"
"There's a hotdog in the oven. Your father also fried some rice before going to work."
*Woof Woof!* (Oh yeah~ Scratch under the ears too~)
Dante stopped and stared at Luna. Luna blinked and stared at Dante.
*Woof Woof* (Why did you stop? Keep scratching my tummy~)
…Okay, so he can understand Pokemons even in the real world now. Dante continued scratching Luna's tummy and ears for a while before he stood up.
Luna barked and followed him, asking him to keep petting her. Dante just ignored her to get his breakfast and after a while, she stopped and sat beside Mrs. Zulueta.
While eating breakfast, Dante was thinking about what he should do for the day. He had already used up his entry to the PMD world for the day and had to wait for tomorrow's refresh.
He already had his Trainer ID, and the entrance examination for various universities usually doesn't start for about a month, when all new graduates have a chance to take the examination for the Trainer ID.
As for a part-time job, Dante doesn't think he needs them anymore. With the resources available to him from the PMD world, he wouldn't have to worry about what to feed his Pokemon.
'Hmm, let's watch a Poketube guide for what an aspiring trainer needs to prepare before entry into University.'
Dante opened his phone and was a little surprised to see that there was an additional PMD application. But then he remembered that the system mentioned he can access its function through any technological device.
'So, can I also go to the PMD world using a smart refrigerator? How about a calculator? Maybe a wristwatch? I'm going to try later and see whether the 'any technological device' considered those.'
With that in mind, Dante opened the Poketube and searched for 'Things to prepare before entering a Pokemon Trainer University'.