Chapter 5: A-Grade

After dinner, Huo La carried Caterpie back to the study.

He gently placed the little creature on the desk covered with soft cloth, sat himself on a wooden chair, and his fingertips unconsciously tapped the tabletop.

In his mind, the evening battle with Mother replayed repeatedly: the slip during String Shot, the misaligned Poison Needle angle, the panic when facing close‑range attacks… each detail surfaced clearly, and as he contemplated how to adjust the upcoming training plan, a cold mechanical voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

"Host, basic battle detected, unlocking Pokemon Data Panel. Current Pokemon—Caterpie."

Huo La startled, then his mouth involuntarily curled upward—indeed, this seemingly 'chicken‑rib' system was more than just issuing missions.

He restrained his excitement, focused his mind toward the translucent interface before him: beside the floating panel that originally displayed only the 'Mission' icon, indeed a 'Pokemon Attribute' label with a spirit silhouette had appeared.

His fingertip hovered over the label, and the interface switched instantly.

When his gaze swept over the Caterpie curiously gnawing on an eraser on the desk, a detailed dossier instantly unfolded before his eyes.

Pokemon: Caterpie

Gender: Male

Level: Lv3

Su Xing: A

Status: Healthy

Nature: Conservative

Attribute: Bug/Poison

Ability: Run Away (Pokemon with this ability can always flee from battles with Wild Pokemon.)

Height: 0.3m

Weight: 3.2kg

Carried Item: None

Moves: String Shot (Proficiency 12%), Poison Needle (Proficiency 8%), Tackle (Proficiency 5%)

Improvement Count: 1 (???)

"The Su Xing is actually A…"

Huo La's eyes fell on the desk—Caterpie was happily gnawing a half‑piece of eraser, its yellow little body swaying gently with each chew, completely unaware that its potential was stirring waves in its trainer's heart.

His fingertip brushed the creature's smooth shell, his tone full of awe, "No wonder the system issued a temporary timed mission for you; you've been hiding such a huge surprise all along."

The cool touch of the insect's carapace under his fingertip involuntarily brought the world's Pokemon Su Xing system to mind.

From the basic C-Grade up to the pinnacle SS-Grade, each leap in letter signifies a vast difference in growth ceiling, move‑learning speed, and combat potential.

Combining memories from his past life, he quickly matched Su Xing with power tiers: A-Grade already crossed the threshold of Elite Class.

It should be noted that even Gym Leaders of the major Leagues, aside from their secret ace Pokemon, usually have their main assessment Pokemon lingering in the A-Grade range.

For ordinary Trainers, possessing an A-Grade Pokemon is enough to hold one's own in a town or city, and even to contend in the early rounds of a Regional Tournament.

As for higher Su Xing? Huo La couldn't help a light laugh—an ordinary Trainer who meets an S-Grade 'Gym Class' Pokemon in a lifetime can only claim ancestral merit; S-Grade and above appear almost exclusively on Regional Champion or top‑tier teams; and SS-Grade 'Quasi‑Divine Class' Pokemon are reserved for Heavenly King Class Trainers, each capable of turning the tide of battle.

Not to mention Phantom Pokemon and Divine Beast; those legendary beings are without exception top‑tier SSS-Grade, existing only in ancient texts and oral lore, and virtually no one has ever seen them in reality.

Thinking this, Huo La looked down at the Caterpie still wrestling with the eraser; the little creature seemed unaware how rare its Elite Class Su Xing was, only occasionally raising its head to hiss twice, as if boasting.

But the next second, Huo La's gaze fell on the panel's final line 'Improvement Count: 1', and confusion surged: "System, what does this 'Improvement Count' mean?"

"Host query detected, system retrieving relevant information… Retrieval complete, ready to answer."

The cold mechanical voice faded, and the interface before Huo La switched abruptly, dense text accompanied by concise diagrams clearly presenting each annotation of the Pokemon Attribute.

"Damn, this system can't be some third‑rate programmer's practice project; the annotations are that detailed!"

He skimmed the content quickly, finding most information matched his remembered data, except that 'Improvement Count' was a never‑seen new setting.

After careful study, Huo La finally understood—this 'Improvement Count' was a dedicated upgrade opportunity for a Pokemon's Su Xing!

As long as a Pokemon has Improvement Count, it can, via specific items or special methods, directly break through its Su Xing ceiling.

In short, this A-Grade Caterpie with an Improvement Count of 1, once the appropriate item and method are found, can leap from the Elite Class of A-Grade to S-Grade 'Gym Class'; with an Improvement Count of 2, it could even surge to the SS-Grade 'Quasi‑Divine Class'!

"System, I truly love you to death!"

Realizing this, Huo La could no longer contain his excitement, leapt up from his chair, nearly startling the Caterpie off the desk.

He hurriedly steadied himself, gently cradling the creature in his palm, his fingertips trembling slightly—A-Grade as a base, plus one upgrade chance, and the panel that lets the system monitor growth in real time; this meant his Caterpie could not only remain firmly in the Elite Class, but also have a chance to enter the Gym Class ranks!

It should be noted that Gym Class Pokemon belong to the top tier of existence in the entire Pokemon World.

When this Caterpie evolves into Metapod and finally into Beedrill, with Gym Class Su Xing backing it, it will surely become his first sharp blade for traversing the world.

"To make the most of your top‑grade Su Xing, starting tomorrow we'll intensify basic training, aiming to have you evolve into Beedrill before the journey!" Huo La placed the Caterpie back on the desk and tapped the opening on its head's horn.

The Caterpie seemed to sense his excitement, gently rubbing its fresh horn against his palm, a faint violet glow flickering lively.