Chapter 23 keystone
Chen Xi and Ci Lang arrived in Pastoria City.
Ci Lang immediately took the invitation to visit the Wetland Shrine.
Chen Xi also came along the way.
One was the young Master of the Yuan Family, and the other was the young Master of the Sasaki Family from Kanto. The Wetland Shrine naturally did not dare to show any neglect.
The person responsible for receiving them at the Wetland Shrine was a priest named Chang Xin, one of the chief priests of the Wetland Shrine.
The Wetland Shrine is the largest branch shrine of the Sinnoh Shrine and is also one of the representatives of the Five Great Families.
However, unlike the other Five Great Families, the Wetland Shrine is inherited through a family temple system, and it merely guards the Great Marsh, showing no intention of expanding externally.
But the Wetland Shrine still opens the Great Marsh to the public for one month each year.
This is for external exchange, and also to boost Pastoria City's economy with the influx of people during that month, making it a major event for Pastoria City.
And at this time every year, due to the large number of Spirit Hunters pouring in, Pastoria City experiences a population peak, which promotes local development.
Chen Xi was also very interested in this sight of many Spirit Hunters gathering. After asking Ci Lang, the two went to the streets to have a look.
After all, for many Spirit Hunters, this great hunt was an opportunity to trade their accumulated goods.
“What local specialties are you planning to buy?” Chen Xi casually asked Ci Lang.
“Me…” Ci Lang pondered for a while and said, “I want to buy some Grass Type skills to enhance Carnivine’s strength.”
There are two methods for selling skills in this world: skill CDs and skill scrolls.
Skill CDs are created when Psychic Pokémon use a Seal skill to copy a Pokémon's skill consciousness and condense it into a CD.
Although they are single-use items and learning them doesn't require deep understanding, being able to learn immediately is quite convenient.
However, subsequent development requires a considerable amount of time to fully Master the skill.
Most of the skills circulating on the market are these skill CDs, which are single-use items and cannot be taught to other Pokémon.
The other type is skill scrolls, which contain detailed principles and training methods for mastering the corresponding skills.
However, the advantage of skill scrolls is that they involve a learning process, not only allowing the Pokémon to learn but, more importantly, enabling the Trainer to understand.
Moreover, these skill scrolls can be passed down, for example, “Earth Exploration” is a type of Pokémon knowledge found in skill scrolls.
“Grass Type skills to enhance Carnivine’s combat power, huh…” Chen Xi pondered for a while and said, “No matter how Carnivine learns Grass Type skills, it will still be relatively weaker compared to Grass Type Pokémon of the same level.”
This wasn't Chen Xi speaking carelessly; Carnivine, whether from attribute distribution or its unique moves, is not a strong Grass Type Pokémon, and normal Trainers would not choose it.
“Is that so…” Ci Lang lowered his head a little weakly upon hearing this.
However, Ci Lang stubbornly raised his head and said to Chen Xi, “But I will definitely train Carnivine into a powerful Pokémon.”
“I don’t deny that, because your Carnivine’s quality is quite good!”
Chen Xi knew that Ci Lang's Carnivine was Green Grade. With Ci Lang's family influence, if it was well-trained and given some rare treasures to improve its aptitude, this Carnivine might even have the potential to reach Tianwang level.
Chen Xi said, “However, for a Pokémon like Carnivine, it’s very difficult to follow the normal Grass Type Pokémon route.”
“Do you have any ideas?” Having traveled together, Ci Lang knew that Chen Xi came from a prestigious Grass Type family, a fact Chen Xi had never hidden.
In contrast, Ci Lang rarely mentioned his own family, as if he wanted to make a name for himself through his own abilities.
But in reality, this young Master, though not completely helpless without his family, would find things very difficult.
“Among Grass Type Pokémon, Carnivine is a very rare Pokémon because it is the only Grass Type Pokémon that possesses the Levitate ability!” Chen Xi told Ci Lang.
“The effect of Levitate is only to make Ground Type attacks unable to harm it!” Ci Lang sighed, “For Grass Type Pokémon, they already have strong resistance to Ground Type attacks, so Carnivine’s ability is not very significant!”
“But the existence of this skill brings unparalleled flexibility and endurance to Grass Type Pokémon, especially when facing certain frontal attacks, Carnivine’s endurance is stronger than you imagine.” Chen Xi said, “Actually, I feel that a Pokémon like Carnivine should not focus on skills, but rather on finding ways to Master every inch of its own strength.”
“I don’t quite understand?!” Ci Lang was slightly stunned by Chen Xi’s words, but still shook his head at Chen Xi.
“Do you know about the Muto-dori style in Kanto, a school that is extremely skilled at training Grass Type Pokémon to redirect force?” Chen Xi asked.
Speaking of this, Chen Xi thought of the Bellsprout that Ash encountered in the Indigo Plateau Conference, which knew how to redirect force.
In fact, that Bellsprout's fighting style was more suitable for a Pokémon like Carnivine.
Because Bellsprout’s Chlorophyll ability is difficult to utilize through redirecting force, but Carnivine’s Levitate ability can be fully developed through this combat method.
Hearing Chen Xi’s words, Ci Lang thought for a moment and noted them down, planning to look into the Muto-dori style.
After all, Chen Xi came from the Sinnoh Yuan Family, a prestigious Grass Type family, so his conjectures about other Pokémon might not necessarily be correct.
But if the subject was a Grass Type Pokémon, it wouldn't be baseless, and Ci Lang naturally paid attention.
If Chen Xi knew Ci Lang’s thoughts, he would simply smile it off.
Because this was indeed just a product of his own wild imagination, and even Chen Xi himself wasn’t sure if it could succeed.
However, if the person trying it was Ci Lang, Chen Xi felt there shouldn’t be a problem.
After all, the Team Rockets trio, as long as they weren't trying to catch Pikachu, were basically causal-level individuals who could turn the impossible into possible, and the possible into certain.
Just then, Chen Xi stopped in front of a stall belonging to an uncle-level Spirit Hunter.
In front of this uncle were some stones, including star pieces, comet shards, and Moon Stones, Fire Stones, Water Stones, and Grass Stones, all types of ite.
“Fire Stone…” Seeing Chen Xi stop here, Ci Lang’s gaze also fell on the Fire Stone, with a hint of contemplation.
“Customers, would you like to see Pokémon Evolution Stones?” The sharp-eyed uncle saw Ci Lang’s gaze on the Fire Stone and said, “My Evolution Stones here are top-notch, only 200,000, and the Fire Stone is yours.”
“A mid-grade Fire Stone for 200,000 isn’t too expensive, it’s just two layers higher than the market price!” Chen Xi, having a system, saw through the quality of the ite at a glance and calmly said, “If you just want a common Pokémon to evolve with a mid-grade Fire Stone, that’s fine, but if you want to improve the quality of the Pokémon after evolution, it’s best to choose a top-grade Fire Stone.”
Chen Xi knew that Ci Lang had a Growlithe, and from the anime, its quality seemed quite good.
However, no matter the quality of that Growlithe, using these ite to evolve it would be a bit of a waste.
As a friend, Chen Xi felt it was important to remind Ci Lang of this.
“Little brother, what you’re saying is a bit unkind. You’re disparaging my shop…” The middle-aged uncle heard Chen Xi’s words and couldn’t help but say angrily, “What do you mean two layers higher than the market price? What do you mean mid-grade Fire Stone? Aren’t you insulting me?!”
Chen Xi coldly scanned the uncle at the stall and said, “I am from the Sinnoh Yuan Family, a direct descendant of the Yuan Family.
With a single word from me, I can definitely have the Wetland Shrine expel you from Pastoria City.
If I wanted to, I could even send a Master-level team to hunt you down to the ends of the earth and eradicate you.”
Chen Xi paused slightly here, looked up and down at the uncle, who seemed about to speak his mind but held it back, and said, “You look to be over thirty, don’t tell me anything about ‘thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don’t bully a young man for being poor’…”
The Spirit Hunter heard Chen Xi’s words and quietly fell silent.
Ci Lang, watching Chen Xi from the side, was originally soft-natured and had been troubled by the sudden outburst from the stall owner.
But now, seeing that the uncle became speechless after hearing Chen Xi’s words, even with a somewhat fawning expression.
For a moment, Ci Lang felt that having a background seemed quite good, but wondered if it was a bit too extravagant.
To be honest, Chen Xi truly didn’t understand why these young Masters from prominent families always wished to shed their noble identities, feeling that they could only prove their abilities through their own efforts.
Zhu Lan was like this, and Ci Lang, whom he met, was also like this.
Aren’t prominent families good?
Isn’t an amazing background good?
Isn’t being tyrannical good?
Isn’t being a prodigal son good?
Anyway, perhaps because he was a commoner in his previous life, even with a wealthy family background in this life, Chen Xi still couldn’t change his old way of thinking.
Chen Xi didn’t feel any of the so-called restraints of being a young Master or young lady from a prominent family; instead, he felt the exhilaration and convenience of being able to command vast resources after acquiring a wealthy family background.
“Pack up these Moon Stones, star pieces, and comet shards for me. Here’s a 1,000,000 Pokémon Coin check. Take this to the Elf Garden, and they will cash it for you!” Chen Xi said to the man crisply.
“Good, good, good…” The middle-aged man was also delighted to hear Chen Xi’s words. Although he didn’t earn much, this was still a big business.
He just felt that Chen Xi’s eyes were incredibly sharp, as he only earned about one layer of the market price at most.
“Didn’t you say that these Moon Stones are of lower grade and not very suitable for Pokémon evolution?” Ci Lang asked.
“Yes!” Chen Xi nodded, “I plan to use the planet shards and comet shards as snacks for Staryu, and the Moon Stones are for Floette’s training. In short, I’m just trying them out.”
“Alright… whatever makes you happy!” Ci Lang felt that Chen Xi’s worldview was completely different from his own upon hearing his words.
But at this moment, the Spirit Hunter who was still packing was already a bit muddled.
It must be known that for ordinary Trainers, even a mid-grade ite would cost tens of thousands of Pokémon Coins.
But for someone from a prominent family like Chen Xi, it was merely a snack for one of his Pokémon.
Chen Xi successfully completed the transaction with this fellow, and most importantly, among the star stones he casually pointed at, there was a round stone with pink, blue, green, and luminous halos.
The colors of this stone were clear and distinct, with a black pattern in the center.
This Trainer had merely labeled it as a colorful comet shard, presumably having been dug up with the other star pieces.
But because it was prettier, the Trainer in front of him considered it a comet shard.
However, Chen Xi knew this was a keystone; even if he was mistaken, the system wouldn't be!
The function of this keystone is also very simple: it can react with a Mega Stone to allow a Pokémon to undergo Mega Evolution.
However, the conditions for using these Mega Evolutions are quite stringent and complex.
First, the Pokémon needs a corresponding Mega Stone.
Second, human emotions and Pokémon emotions need to resonate and form a bond.
Finally, the Pokémon must also be able to withstand the power generated by this bond and resonance to complete the evolution.
And Mega Evolution, this ability, was a new topic that would not even begin to be popularized for another ten years.
Not to mention that this mining Spirit Hunter would understand the preciousness of the keystone and sell it as a comet shard.
At least in his knowledge system, it was already a quite profitable venture.
Chen Xi’s character was still relatively kind, so he naturally wouldn’t cruelly expose this matter.
“I already have four Small Elves now. Should I consider Mega Evolution for the next Small Elves?” Chen Xi took out the keystone and looked at it, thinking thoughtfully.
Chen Xi and Ci Lang continued to stroll along the commercial street.
Although two big men shopping together felt a bit strange, due to the rare opportunity of this great hunt, there were indeed many Spirit Hunters gathered here, and the items they brought out were endless.
And it's worth noting that the items appearing here were basically for official Trainers and Elite Class Trainers.
For Chen Xi and Ci Lang, acquiring them was very suitable.
Just then, as the two continued to wander, Chang Xin from the Wetland Shrine came to find them, inviting them to participate in an auction.
This auction was held by the Wetland Shrine, and the criteria for participation not only required the strength of an official Elite Class Trainer but also a certain deposit to enter.
Of course, for Chen Xi and Ci Lang, there were no such restrictions. The Wetland Shrine directly arranged relatively front-row private rooms for them.
They definitely wanted the two to feel at home.