Su Yuexi looked helpless and returned Gloom to her Poké Ball. She had long been accustomed to losing every battle, so she could only weakly say, whether to herself or her partner:
"You worked hard, Gloom."
Chen Kai reached out and gently stroked Grovyle's head, praising with a smile, "You did great."
Then, he turned to Su Yuexi and asked curiously, "Why don't you let Gloom evolve? Haven't you decided on her evolution path yet?"
Su Yuexi replied:
"My parents found a Sun Stone with particularly abundant energy in the provincial capital, Chengdu, and they originally planned to use it to help Gloom evolve.
However, evolution is a huge transformation for a Pokémon. Teacher Xu said it's best to let Gloom adapt to her current state first and build a more solid foundation.
Only when she is completely familiar with and can skillfully use her current power will she be able to better exert her strength after evolution. Otherwise, if she evolves blindly, she might not be able to control her new power."
"There's such a saying?" Chen Kai subconsciously pinched his chin in thought. When he used to play games, as long as he had an ite, he would directly evolve his Pokémon; he had never considered these things.
At this moment, Teacher Xu saw that Chen Kai and Su Yuexi had finished their training and walked over to join their conversation:
"Student Chen Kai, this is experience summarized by many trainers through practice.
Moreover, from a scientific perspective, it also makes sense. If a Pokémon evolves too quickly, it may have adverse effects on their state.
For example, a Gloom evolved from an Oddish, this stage is the most suitable for accumulating energy.
The smellier Gloom is, the more energy she has accumulated. This way, after evolving into Vileplume, the flower on her head will be larger and more vibrant, and if she evolves into Bellossom, her scent will be even more intense."
Chen Kai understood immediately after hearing this. In the game, whether a Pokémon's flower on its head became prettier or smelled better after evolution had little impact on battles, so he hadn't paid attention before.
But on Blue Star, if a Grass-type Pokémon's flower is more fragrant and beautiful, its aura will be stronger. Although things like aura, will, and bond sound illusory, like the protagonist's winning trick in an anime, they do have their effect in reality.
"Teacher Xu, I'll go treat Gloom first," Su Yuexi said.
Teacher Xu nodded and replied:
"It's almost time for school to end anyway. Students who have finished their practice can pack up and go home for the weekend."
"Yay!" The students cheered.
Chen Kai picked up his backpack and set off for home with Miraidon.
At this moment, the sunlight, like a golden veil, gently scattered on the slopes of Zining Mountain. The air was filled with a faint scent of osmanthus, its sweet aroma lingering at the tip of the nose, making one want to take a few more breaths, as if the entire body and mind were permeated by the fragrance. The sky was as clear as a sapphire, pure without a trace of impurity, and the white clouds floated like cotton candy, as if one could reach out and touch them.
Walking along the winding path, Miraidon's wheels rolled over the ground, making a rhythmic sound, as if playing a cheerful tune. Wild chrysanthemums bloomed freely in the roadside bushes. Their flowers were small and exquisite, in various colors—pale yellow, snow-white, light purple—scattered like stars in the night sky, adding a touch of splendor to this ordinary patch of grass.
Suddenly, the bushes rustled, and a Bellsprout slowly emerged. Its golden head swayed gently with its steps, as if dancing to the rhythm of the breeze. It curiously glanced at Chen Kai and Miraidon, then slowly walked towards the stream, as if pursuing its own little world.
Upon returning home, Chen Kai gently put down his backpack, then carefully took out an item from inside. The backpack contained an exquisite glass cover, filled with a slightly turbid nutrient solution that emitted a faint glow, gently enveloping an egg.
This was an Exeggcute's egg.
During the National Day holiday, Chen Ma was responsible for taking care of it, and after the holiday, it was Chen Kai's turn to look after it.
Chen Ma roughly estimated the time and thought that this egg should be hatching soon.
However, this "soon" was hard to determine; it could be today, or it could be this week.
Chen Kai, as usual, opened the glass cover, took out the egg, poured out the day's used nutrient solution, and prepared to replace it with new. Even Grovyle hadn't enjoyed such treatment back then. Out of guilt, Chen Ma and Exeggutor used a bucket of nutrient solution for this unborn Exeggcute every day.
This nutrient solution was not cheap, and Chen Kai couldn't help but grumble in his heart, "I don't know why, but it feels like changing diapers for a child—expensive and troublesome."
Just then, the egg on the table suddenly began to tremble slightly.
Grovyle noticed it first and quickly reminded Chen Kai, "Cha!" (Master, look!)
"Oh! Is it going to hatch?" Chen Kai quickly ran back to the table, staring at the egg without blinking.
Grovyle also widened his eyes, his body unconsciously leaning forward. He had only been away from home for a little over a month and this was his first time seeing another Pokémon being born.
Then, with a "crack," a small crack appeared on the egg, and Grovyle nervously held his breath.
The crack gradually widened, and a tiny, light pink head emerged from inside, swaying gently. Then, the second, the third... a total of five light pink little heads emerged one after another.
They opened their big eyes, curiously rotating the part that was both their head and body, observing this strange world. Then, five adorable Exeggcute crawled out of the egg. Their bodies were round, their light pink shells appeared exceptionally smooth under the faint light, and their appearance was similar to the egg they hatched from, only much smaller in size.
Chen Kai stared at this scene, dumbfounded, his mouth slightly agape. For a moment, he didn't know how to react. Although he had long known that an Exeggcute's egg might hatch this way, having five emerge at once, and looking so much like the egg, still caught him off guard.
Especially once the Exeggcute were born, they were like wild ponies, frolicking around the house. Some jumped onto the sofa, scattering the throw pillows; others climbed onto the bookshelf, nudging books with their small heads, causing them to fall; and still others chased each other on the floor, occasionally bumping into furniture, but they didn't care and continued to play with great delight.
Grovyle's eyes widened in shock at the chaotic scene. He had been standing quietly to the side, but now he was repeatedly backing away, startled by the Exeggcute's mischief.
"Cha... cha..." (That's Chen Ma's favorite cup... now it's knocked onto the floor...)
Grovyle couldn't even imagine how messy the house would be later.
Miraidon had already run back to its room and locked the door. It didn't want the Exeggcute to go in and cause trouble.
Chen Kai looked at the messy room, feeling both exasperated and amused. He quickly chased after the Exeggcute, trying to catch them. But the Exeggcute were too agile, hiding under the table one moment and jumping behind the curtains the next. Chen Kai was also afraid of hurting them, so he couldn't catch them.
After a good while of commotion, the Exeggcute seemed to tire of playing and obediently returned to Chen Kai's side, rubbing their soft bodies against his legs, making "Exeggcute..." Growls, as if Charm him.
Chen Kai smiled helplessly, gently stroking their heads—or more accurately, their entire bodies—and said with a resigned laugh:
"At least they still know I'm their family!"