Chapter Ten: Forging the Artifact, the Trinity Force!

"Brother System is so stingy... Oh well, long live Brother System."

Xia Chi muttered to himself, though he didn't feel particularly disappointed. Come to think of it, expecting a prismatic orb as a reward for a common regional competition would be absurd. Still, even the legs of a mosquito are meat; anything produced by the System is either incredibly hard to find or non-existent in the real world. Therefore, every single round must be seized!

With that in mind, Xia Chi took out his phone to search for information on the Shanghai Treasure Cup. As the name suggests, the "Shanghai Treasure Cup" is an annual Pokémon competition held in mid-December in Shanghai for novice trainers. Anyone under the age of 18 can participate. However, while it is labeled a "novice" competition, for a significant portion of the participants, 18 years old already implies a year or two—or even two and a half—of training experience. Plus, with Shanghai being a place where hidden talents abound, the competition is fierce.

"This Shanghai Treasure Cup really won't be easy to win..." Xia Chi rested his chin on his palm and whispered.

"No way, Brother Chi, you want to compete in the Shanghai Treasure Cup too?" Chen Zhenze, having caught the keyword, immediately leaned over with a look of gossip on his face.

Xia Chi was startled. "What the, do you have dog ears?"

Chen Zhenze chuckled. "Never mind that. Brother Chi, are you serious about entering the Shanghai Treasure Cup?"

Xia Chi nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I saw the champion gets ten comprehensive assessment points. I need the credits."

Chen Zhenze was speechless for a moment. Entering the Shanghai Treasure Cup not for the prizes worth hundreds of thousands, but for academic credits? That was a reason like no other.

Chen Zhenze said, dumbfounded: "Brother Chi, do you know how generous the rewards are for the Shanghai Treasure Cup? High-level training machines, breeding items, and the top three can even go to the Shanghai Breeding Base to choose a Pokémon with excellent lineage!"

Xia Chi's expression brightened. "Can I pick a Dragonair?"

"As if!" Chen Zhenze explained, "Pseudo-legendaries are always priced but never available. How could a little baby-cup tournament have such a sweet deal?"

Xia Chi immediately lost interest. Honestly, these rewards could be considered generous for a novice trainer, but compared to the prismatic orb from Brother System, the Shanghai Treasure Cup's rewards didn't seem quite as dazzling.

Watching Xia Chi's indifferent expression, Chen Zhenze felt speechless and teased, "Brother Chi, why are you acting like the championship is already in your pocket? I admit your gaming skills are high, but this is a real Pokémon battle, not a game, okay?"

Xia Chi smiled without saying a word. *Could you really question the power of my Brother System?*

Seeing Xia Chi remained unmoved, Chen Zhenze added anxiously, "Brother Chi, don't brush it off. Take your Sprigatito's former trainer, Lin Lange, for example. Her main Pokémon is already a Servine that has evolved once. You don't realize how big the gap is between a first-stage and a second-stage starter, do you?"

Xia Chi thought to himself: *That's not necessarily true.* Ash’s Litten even defied the heavens to defeat its final evolution, Incineroar. Although the screenwriters probably thought it was a bit outrageous and had the kitten evolve into Torracat during the battle to accomplish such a feat.

"And those battle-major guys train every single day. The Pokémon they raise are all vicious-looking. Frankly, how is that any different from being a street thug..."

"Ring-a-ling-ling—" The start of the class bell stopped Chen Zhenze's chattering.

Xia Chi was finally able to take a moment to plan his grand conquest of the Shanghai Treasure Cup. Although he now possessed the standard System of a transmigrator, he was just starting out, and everything is difficult at the beginning. Leaving aside whether the middle and end would be difficult, trying to sweep the Shanghai Treasure Cup relying solely on Brother System's newbie starter pack was still a pipe dream.

So, what other resources could he utilize right now? Not many, but they weren't non-existent—the System's Trait mechanism, and the [Artifact Forge] and two [Basic Equipment Forges] he had pulled from the prismatic orb.

Although he had only barely managed to form a two-piece Dark-type Trait using the Chosen Badge, there was still about a month until the Shanghai Treasure Cup. That was plenty of time to capture a new Pokémon. By then, forming a two-piece Grass or two-piece Attack Trait would be a significant boost to Sprigatito's strength.

As for the Artifact Forge and the Basic Equipment Forges... Xia Chi summoned the System in his mind. "Use the Artifact Forge."

[After use, the host will choose one of three artifacts. Confirm use?]

"Confirm."

[Forging successful. Please choose!]

[Ascension Talisman: +10% HP, +33% Attack and Special Attack. 200 seconds after the battle starts, gain 100% Max HP and 100% increased damage!]

[Trinity Force: +33% Attack, Special Attack, Defense, Special Defense, Speed, HP, and Skill Casting Speed!]

[Deathfire Grasp: +30% Special Attack. After a special skill hits, burn the opponent, dealing 30% of their Max HP as true damage over 5 seconds!]

Xia Chi looked at the three blue light screens in his vision, feeling conflicted. He wanted them all... The Ascension Talisman's timing requirement was a bit harsh, but its effect once activated was undeniable. The Trinity Force was straightforward—pure numerical beauty; numbers never lie! Deathfire Grasp, while not a perfect fit for Sprigatito, would be the ultimate artifact for any special-attack-oriented Pokémon.

"Can I just be greedy and take them all?"

The answer was obvious. [No.]

Xia Chi curled his lip. "Fine, then I'll choose Trinity Force." It wasn't that Trinity Force was necessarily better than the other two, but it was definitely more suitable for Xia Chi and Sprigatito right now. Deathfire Grasp was clearly not a good fit for Sprigatito. As for the Ascension Talisman, please, would a novice-level battle really drag on for over three minutes? By then, the outcome would have likely been decided, and the opportunity would have long passed.

[Artifact Trinity Force forged successfully!]

Xia Chi continued: "Equip Sprigatito with the Trinity Force."

A flash of light occurred, and the Trinity Force vanished from the [Equipment Slot] on the blue screen. [Equipped successfully!]

Since the artifact was already set, he might as well open the remaining two [Basic Equipment Forges] while he was at it. Xia Chi silently thought, "Open Basic Equipment Forge."

[Forging successful. Please choose the first basic piece of equipment!]

[B.F. Sword: +10% Physical Attack]

[Recurve Bow: +10% Skill Casting Speed]

[Giant's Belt: +10% HP]

Looking at the three equipment icons on the screen, Xia Chi fell into thought. First, he definitely excluded the Giant's Belt. Both the Recurve Bow and the B.F. Sword were useful for Sprigatito, but the B.F. Sword had a better synthesis path. After all, the core items required for physical attackers, like Infinity Edge or Bloodthirster, all needed a B.F. Sword to forge.

After weighing the pros and cons, Xia Chi said: "Choose the B.F. Sword."

The B.F. Sword icon glowed, and then the System's voice sounded again.

[B.F. Sword forged successfully. Please choose the second basic piece of equipment!]

[Sparring Gloves: +10% Critical Hit Rate]

[Recurve Bow: +10% Skill Casting Speed]

[Negatron Cloak: +10% Special Defense]