My System: An Evolved Computer I Made With My Unique Ability—

Chapter 278 Jean Grey's Backstory

Chirp chirp.

It was another day in the city. Sunny weather with a couple of grey clouds in the sky— perfect and fine weather for beast taming. The weather couldn't get any better that day, and for a certain someone, it was his most fateful day— a day where his life would change in an instant and he'll finally be able to reach out his hand for the dreams he had ever since he was young.

Jean Grey's eyes fluttered open as sunlight peered through the windows, invading his room and hitting him directly on the face. He squinted as soon as his eyes opened, and he wiped the morning dust off his eyes as he rolled on his bed. The drool on his pillow had already left its mark, and Jean Grey had to turn the pillow to its good side so he won't have to smell the horrid smell of his saliva first thing in the morning.

"Wake up Jean! You'll be late for the beast choosing!" His mom called out from the first floor of their house.

A familiar scent of Hamburg steak wafted into Jean's room as he sleepily got up. After a stretch or two, he wore his slippers and headed downstairs. "Morning mom," He yawned, dragging his way towards the table before he settled down, leaning his head on the table as his sleepiness got the better of him.

"Come on, aren't you excited? You're finally going to get your first tamed beast! You can finally go on an adventure!" Jean's mom excitedly called out, grabbing Jean by the armpit and forcing him to lift his head up.

"You just wanted some time alone, mom. Isn't that the reason why you want me to go that badly?" Jean Grey muttered.

"What are you talking about? Of course, I'll miss you. It's just that... you're finally at that age huh. If your father were to see you right now, he'd be very proud." Jean's mom said, wiping a stray tear off her cheeks before she served Jean a bowl of rice and a plate of warm Hamburg steak.

"Hamburg steak for breakfast? You really want me out of here asap huh, mom," Jean Grey joked. He knew all too well that his mom cooked his favorite food just because this may be his last meal at home. Once he attends his beast choosing and he was chosen as a Beast Researcher's assistant, then he'd be able to go on an adventure, documenting every beast he finds as he worked his way to becoming a Beast Master.

,m "Come on, don't say that." Jean's mom cooed as she gave him a hug.

(And yes, Jean Grey's dad is nowhere to be found. This is all for the sake of the plot. Maybe he got the milk and never came back, or maybe he died in his adventures as a beast tamer. Whatever it is, he's missing in action, probably already dead. He hasn't shown up for years now, and Jean Grey could barely remember his face.)

"I'll miss you too mom. I promise I'll call everyday. I do have my trusty phone with me all the time." Jean Grey said, smiling as he savored his favorite meal.

"Did you already decide what kind of beast you're going to tame? If I recall, Professor Oakland doesn't just give three options for someone's first partner, unlike all the other professors. There are a lot of, you know, beasts to choose from. And you know, your very first tamed beast is definitely one of the most important choices you'll make in your adventure. It marks the start of your adventure, after all."

"I'll probably keep on soft resetting until I get an Altered Type." Jean Grey muttered to himself (referring to the old method of shiny hunting for a starter).

"What are you talking about?"

"You know, mom, delaying choosing your first tamed beast until Professor Oakland lands on an Altered Type Beast." Jean Grey said. He meant it as a joke, however. Just like his mom, he was also excited about his adventure. He doesn't care whether his tamed beast is an Altered Type or not. As long as he could get his first tamed beast, he'd be able to catch an Altered Type sooner or later.

"Thanks for the meal! Jean Grey announced with his mouth still full.

"Wow, that's fast." Jean Grey's mom muttered before giving her dear son another hug. "I'll miss you. I'll hold you onto that promise, okay? You'll call every day?" She asked, squeezing Jean Grey a little bit tighter to the point that he almost suffocated on her bosom.

"Sure mom, I will, I promise." Jean Grey smiled before getting his signature cap from the drawer. "I'll be going!"

"Take care out there!"

A beam of a smile formed on Jean Grey as he watched his mom from afar, waving by the veranda of their house as he headed to the Research Facility. Of course, why would his mom not worry about him when eighty percent of the Researcher's assistants die due to some form of accident? After all, the Nichijou Region is home to a variety of wild beasts, and if one wasn't careful, they could easily get killed while they were in the process of taming that said beast.

However, Jean Grey didn't head toward the Research Center. Instead, he headed deep into the Urass Forest. He had been eyeing a certain beast there and right now, he knew that the time has come for him to tame it. "After spending all my life savings, I managed to buy fifty Grens. With this, I can finally tame that Pheross." Jean Grey said to himself.

After walking through the meandering path of the Urass Forest, Jean Grey finally found himself near a rocky cave wherein the Pheross lived. For a few months now, Jean Grey had been carefully observing the Pheross from afar, not daring to get close to it since it might kill him in one swipe. Ever since he first saw Pheross, he badly wanted to tame it. That's why he decided to earn as much money as he could in order to buy Grens from the nearby shops.

"My time has come."  Jean Grey said to himself before he let out a scream— a scream so loud that it disturbed Pheross's sleep.

As soon as Pheross came out of the cave he was in, Jean Grey threw a Gren at it, hoping that he'd be able to tame it just like that. It's an immutable fact that a Gren has a three-percent chance of succeeding. That's why Jean Grey brought more than enough Grens with him. He knew he just had to catch that Pheross no matter what.

Fwoooosh~

Just as Jean Grey had expected, he couldn't catch Pheross in one Gren. As soon as Pheross came out, Jean Grey threw another one. He perfectly matched the timing of when Pheross came out so it wouldn't have the time to recover— and dodge the Gren coming its way.

"This should be easy... I shouldn't lose my timing though since I'm going to get killed if that happened." Jean Grey shuddered at the thought of dying before he could even begin his adventure. That's why he just had to focus really hard. If he persevered, surely he'd be able to successfully tame Pheross.

In a span of a few minutes, Jean Grey burned through his stock of Grens, throwing them one after another. By the time he reached the thirties, he was already sweating buckets. When he reached the forties, he felt as if he was going to faint due to nervousness.

And then he reached his forty-ninth Gren, Jean Grey was exasperated. "Are you kidding me?!" He screamed.

He only had one Gren left. "This is it... If I don't catch it with this... then I'm probably the unluckiest beast tamer in the world." Jean Grey muttered to himself, kneeling down and offering a silent prayer before he threw his last Gren.

Ting.

Ting.

TING!

Silence. Jean Grey stared at the Gren on the ground which sat motionlessly still. After burning all his Grens, he finally caught Pheross. At long last, after months of grinding for those Grens and after a painstaking effort of throwing fifty consecutive Grens, he was able to catch it.

Jean Grey leaped in the air, doing a celebratory dance. "I caught it! I caught it! I caught it!" He screamed in the forest.

"Jean? JEAN?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Someone called out from behind him. It was none other than Professor Oakland. Apparently, he was heading back to his Research Center after taking a stroll by the forest. "You don't have a tamed beast yet, right? You shouldn't be venturing into the forest like that." He continued.

Professor Oakland then noticed the Gren lying on the ground, picked it up, and a Pheross came out of it, much to his surprise.

.....

"Pheross... no..." Jean Grey called out. He could feel the connection he had with Pheross starting to sever. Pheross was dying. Of course, he was dying, half of his body was blown apart after all.

Somehow, his memories from when he first caught Pheross resurfaced in his mind, and he started crying his heart out.