I Have a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon System in a World with Pokemon

The place Mualani was talking about didn't disappoint. 

It was a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, without any signs from the outside that it was even serving food. But after they entered, they saw how clean and spacious it was. 

There were plenty of tables inside, with most of them already occupied by what Dante presumed were students from the same school. Mualani familiarly greeted the server on the side. Then, she led the group towards one of the private rooms.

"This is our team's exclusive room. We normally eat together here after training, but since school just started, the coach let us train on our own first."

According to Mualani, the head chef of this restaurant was a former university alumnus. After graduating, they chose to open a diner here. And they only promoted this place on the school website with the school's approval.

As a result, this place is almost exclusive to Manila University students. 

The atmosphere during dinner was quite lively. Kachina, Mualani, and Dawn quickly integrated into the group. Among them, Mualani and Candice quickly became close due to their similarly outgoing personality.

"Sister Mualani, can you tell us the selection process for the varsity team?"

"*chew* Mwell, gulp, it's easy! Just apply to your combat class professor and you can join the team as a reserve member. But~ if you want to become part of the main lineup…hehe, it's also simple."

Mualani had a mischievous smile as she faced the group.

"Do you know the ranking system of our university?"

"Yes, the one divided by class, grade, and course, right?"

"Right! And in our Trainer course, the top 10 all occupy the main lineup~"

"...It's simple indeed. So, we have to squeeze them out of the top 10 to replace their position in the team?"

"Yeah, that, orrrr wait for them to graduate and fill in the vacancy. You know, everyone in the top 10 possesses at least two Pokemon. And to replace their position, you need to beat all the Pokemon they have."

Shinobu, Focalors, Candice, and Kachina fell into silence as they processed what Mualani just told them. Their current Pokemon hasn't even reached the final evolution/racial limit. 

Defeating one full-grown Pokemon may still be possible, but two? Not unless their opponent made countless mistakes in commanding.

In stark contrast to the four, Dante just continued eating as if he hadn't heard what Mualani said. Dawn, upon seeing this, couldn't help having her curiosity aroused.

Soon, dinner finally ended and they separated to do their own things. Mualani accompanied Kachina and Candice back to the school dorms. Meanwhile, Furina and Dawn planned to go shopping and buy some items they needed for their class. Focalors tagged along with them.

"Hnggh, so we're the only ones left. You wanna walk around before going back?"

"Let's. It feels like it's been a while since we hung out with only the two of us."

Shinobu intertwined her hands with Dante as they casually strolled around the school. They bought some desserts and other snacks to eat while chatting about some mundane things. 

Fortunately, the reporters around the school had already been warned and driven away by the school officials, making their mini-date go off without a hitch.

At 10:00 PM, they returned to their dormitories. He kissed Shinobu goodbye before heading back to his cottage.

"Sigh, it would have been great if she agreed to live with me."

"Pika." (You're just greedy for her body.)

"Heh, you're still too young to understand. How about I set you up on a date with other Pikachus online?"

"Pikachuu!" (No! I want to find my true love!)

"You never know, maybe the true love you're waiting for can be found on the internet?"

Pikachu fell silent after healing Dante's words. He placed his paws under his chin as if thinking about the philosophies of life.

"…Pika, pikachu." (…no. True love waits. If we are destined to be together, then I prefer our first meeting be under the starlit sky. With the moon as witness to our encounter.)

"Hmm, that's nice. Which movie did you steal that line from?"

Pikachu deflated from embarrassment at having been exposed. Unbeknownst to him, Dante's eyes glinted as he began to ponder.

'What would Pikachu's reaction be when he finds out I want to start a harem? Should I have him watch shounen harem anime to increase his moral threshold?'

*Shiver* Pikachu looked around, suddenly feeling chilly all over his body. Seeing nothing in their surroundings, he became confused.

Entering his cottage, Dante released Azumarill and the three spent their idle time before midnight talking about their next plans.

—

"This is Mt. Thunder? Uhh, are you sure about exploring this place, Dan?"

Dante, Pikachu, and Azumarill stood on the side of a jagged mountain. Dark thunderclouds are visible above the skies, with lightning raining down every few seconds.

"…According to the information, this dungeon is just rated 2 stars. However, a mighty Pokemon is living on the peak of this mountain, and we have to turn back after reaching the 10th floor to avoid disturbing them."

Dante's face turned solemn as he stared at the mountain's peak. 

Even standing at the bottom, he could feel a huge pressure emanating from that place. It was comparable to the feeling he felt when facing Neuvillette for the first time.

"I have a bad feeling about this. Why don't we explore a 1-star dungeon first?"

"It's fine~ besides, this is the only dungeon we know that contains Pikachu's exclusive items."

Dante assuaged Azumarill's worries. While the Pokemon in the dungeon might be strong, their team wasn't weak, either. 

Apart from that, they have many Reviver Seeds in the bag, as well as an Escape Orb. Therefore, there's no need to worry about being trapped inside. 

Right after entering the dungeon, they were immediately besieged by an Elekid and a Weedle. Dante dodged Elekid's quick punch by taking a step to the side before slapping him back with a Shadow Claw. Meanwhile, Azumarill easily took care of Weedle with an Aqua Jet. 

"G-get out of here! You're disturbing the lord's sleep!"

Elekid took three to four steps back before steadying himself. His eyes were scarlet with rage as he threatened their team. 

Dante was surprised. Usually, one attack would be enough to knock his previous opponents out. It seems the Pokemon in the 2-star dungeon lives up to its name. 

"Who is the lord you speak of?"

Elekid ignored Dante's question. Electricity gathered in his right hand as he lunged forward towards Dante.

Dante didn't even bother to move. The moment Elekid's fist was about to make contact with his head, all the electricity gathered in it was suddenly attracted to Pikachu. 

Elekid only had time to widen his eyes before a Shadow Ball hit him directly in the face. 

His body fell backward and rolled on the ground. He struggled to stand up once again, however, Dante sneaked into his shadow and delivered the final blow. Then, beside Elekid's fallen body, a treasure box slowly began to form. 

"Whoa! Finally, a real treasure chest!"

Pikachu ran from the back and excitedly picked up the red chest that Elekid dropped. 

However, when he tried opening it, it wouldn't budge. 

"Give it up. Although it looks like a treasure chest, Croagunk already told us it's just a congregation of energy. We need an appraiser to see its real form."

"But it's still a treasure chest! The key to opening it is just unconventional!"

Pikachu argued as he looked foolishly at the treasure box in his hand. 

Per their protocol, the trio initially stayed on the first floor to gauge the strength and variety of Pokemon in the dungeon. 

During this period, Dante observed three things: 

One, using his Copycat vision, he determined that the treasure chests were formed from the energy of the defeated dungeon Pokemon. Every time they defeat a Pokemon, the energy levels in their body will show a noticeable decline.

Dante speculates that the energy escaping from their body is the blessing they obtained from the dungeon- the ones that allowed them to easily break past their racial limits. 

That energy disperses into the surroundings. Based on luck, those energies may converge into one spot, and if the amount gathered is enough, they will form a treasure chest. 

This may be the reason only high-level dungeons can form a treasure chest. Only there does the Pokemon absorb enough energy to allow their formation.

Secondly, there are only Voltorb, Weedle, Nidoran, Electrike, Elekid, and Cacnea on the first floor of this dungeon. The Pikachu-line that they target should be located on the higher floors.

According to Dante's estimate, the stats of the Pokemon they encountered are in the early 80s. It's already the same as their current stats! Not to mention, it will only go higher the deeper they are in the dungeon.

And the last thing he observed gave Dante a sudden wake-up call. He is now the weakest among the three of them. 

With Pikachu's Light Ball and Azumarill's Huge Power, they can still defeat their opponents with one move just like during their previous explorations. However, for Dante to achieve the same result, he had to rely on the Power Band and the boost from Swords Dance.

Dante frowned in contemplation. While he is happy that Pikachu and Azumarill have become stronger, he couldn't accept possibly holding them back in future explorations. 

In his mind, he is already thinking of ways to catch up to the two of them.