The smoke of the joint examination finally cleared, and Jiang Mo, by bravely taking first place in the city's joint examination battles, instantly became the focus of everyone's attention, enjoying boundless glory.
During this period, Chen Jiaxing, unfortunately, narrowly missed a top ten spot due to encountering the powerful Lu Jiyin too early, and his disappointment was palpable.
Lu Jiyin, feeling guilty, promised Chen Jiaxing two meals, and only then did Chen Jiaxing's wounded little heart receive a sliver of comfort.
The day after the joint examination ended, the Alliance's rewards were issued.
The top one hundred participants all received a generous amount of Pokémon coins as scholarships, and the top ten additionally received a skill learning machine.
This skill learning machine is a miraculous black technology in the Pokémon world; it can record skill moves like a burned disc into the machine and then teach them to Pokémon capable of learning that move.
Typically, it only takes a short week for a Pokémon to fully grasp the move, which is many times more efficient compared to traditional self-discovery or instruction by others.
Precisely because of this, the price of skill learning machines is astonishing, ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of Pokémon coins, depending on the skill level.
For example, the skill learning machine for the Dragon type ultimate move, Draco Meteor, sells for as much as five million Pokémon coins!
Furthermore, skill learning machines are single-use items; once a Pokémon learns a move, the recording in the machine disappears, which is another significant factor contributing to its high price.
In this joint examination, Xingcheng No. 1 High School only had Jiang Mo and Mu Qingxue enter the city's top ten, but this was already the best result the school had achieved in recent years.
To celebrate and encourage, the school specially held a grand commendation ceremony during the flag-raising ceremony, where applause thundered and the atmosphere was extraordinarily lively.
Facing the choice of a skill learning machine, Jiang Mo already had a decision in mind.
Among the list of skills provided by the Alliance, his gaze was instantly drawn to “Protect,” a move that could be called a panacea.
Whether it was the reliable one hundred percent defense in the games of his previous life or the characteristic that became increasingly powerful with strength growth in the real world, “Protect” was undoubtedly an excellent defensive skill.
Protect, Protect, Protect!
This is the faith of many gamblers; successfully protecting three times in a row, the European Emperor declares this to be “pebbles”!
Moreover, “Protect” is extremely versatile; almost all Pokémon can master it.
Under Jiang Mo's clever hint, Mu Qingxue chose the Fairy type's signature skill, “Dazzling Gleam.”
Once Kirlia learns this skill, its strength will undoubtedly increase significantly, and if Eevee learns it, it might even produce unexpected and wonderful effects.
After all, only Jiang Mo knew that one of the key conditions for Eevee to evolve into Sylveon was to learn a Fairy type skill.
At Jiang Mo's strong recommendation, Mu Qingxue finally decided to let Eevee study “Dazzling Gleam,” as Kirlia would eventually learn this skill on her own after evolving into Gardevoir; it was just a matter of time.
After getting the skill learning machine, Jiang Mo found himself in a dilemma.
He had two Pokémon, Pikachu and Gastly, but the skill learning machine only had one use.
Both Pikachu and Gastly are relatively fragile and urgently need defensive measures, which made Jiang Mo ponder, unsure who to grant this precious opportunity to.
After much thought, Jiang Mo decided to let the two Pokémon discuss it themselves.
“Pika Pika!”
Upon learning the situation, Pikachu elegantly waved its small paw, displaying the demeanor of an elder brother, indicating that the opportunity should be given to Gastly.
“Hiss!”
Gastly also felt quite embarrassed, as this skill learning machine was earned by Pikachu's hard work in the joint examination, and he had not contributed, insisting that Pikachu should use it.
Watching the two Pokémon defer to each other, Jiang Mo's heart was filled with relief, which was enough to prove their deep friendship.
Finally, Jiang Mo made up his mind and bestowed the skill learning machine upon Gastly.
In the 【Toxic Cultivation Method】 manual given by Zhen Yu, “Substitute-Protect-Toxic” was a core tactic, and Gastly happened to be able to perfectly master it.
“Pikachu, don't worry, next time there's something good, you'll be the first to get it,” Jiang Mo gently reassured.
“Hiss, hiss!” Gastly also quickly stated that he would find an even better treasure to compensate Pikachu.
Pikachu, however, waved his small hand, as if to say it was just a small matter, and that this Pikachu God wouldn't care.
Since the ownership of the skill learning machine was settled, Jiang Mo urged Gastly to quickly comprehend it, hoping he could master “Protect” within a few days.
The top ten participants of the joint examination also had a precious opportunity to enter the Evergreen Secret Realm; the Alliance set the entry time for half a month later.
The Evergreen Secret Realm is like a mysterious treasure trove, inhabited by many rare Pokémon.
Due to long-term wild living and the careful nourishment of the Secret Realm's power, these Pokémon's talents and temperaments far exceed ordinary counterparts.
However, the Pokémon in the Secret Realm are wild and untamed; although the Alliance has dedicated personnel responsible for security, the danger level is still not to be underestimated.
At that time, Jiang Mo's personal safety would largely depend on Gastly's protection; if Gastly could learn “Protect” earlier, Jiang Mo would have an additional layer of security.
Just as Gastly was diligently comprehending “Protect,” Jiang Mo was pleasantly surprised to discover that his game panel had quietly changed!
The blank space that was originally in the 【Skill Machine】 option now had a 【Protect】 option!
A strong premonition instantly surged in Jiang Mo's heart; he suppressed his excitement and lightly tapped 【Protect】, then chose to 【Use】 it on Gastly.
In an instant, a 【Learning in Progress】 indicator appeared below Gastly's avatar, with a countdown of 24 hours!
“This speed is much faster than in reality!” Jiang Mo was thrilled.
What astonished him even more was that 【Protect】 in the 【Skill Machine】 had not disappeared.
With a testing mindset, Jiang Mo used the 【Protect】 skill on Pikachu again, and 【Learning in Progress】 also appeared below Pikachu's avatar!
“Holy crap, I hit the jackpot!”
Jiang Mo was so excited that he danced with joy, as this meant he had gained another magical way to quickly teach Pokémon skills, greatly saving time and cost.
In the following days, Jiang Mo continued to explore deeply and finally completely clarified the usage rules of the 【Skill Machine】 option.
The skills within the 【Skill Machine】 were only for his own Pokémon to use and could not be extracted into the real world like Tree Fruits.
As for the method of adding moves to the 【Skill Machine】, he had only discovered one so far: using a skill learning machine for his own Pokémon in the real world, after which the skill move could be recorded into the 【Skill Machine】.
During this time, Jiang Mo entrusted Lin Zhiqiu with purchasing several relatively inexpensive skill learning machines; after Pikachu and Gastly used them, he saw that the corresponding moves were successfully added to the 【Skill Machine】, which confirmed the feasibility of this method.
“Although it can only be used for my own Pokémon, this is already incredible enough.”
Jiang Mo still couldn't hide his excitement; after all, skill learning machines are expensive, and when the number of Pokémon increases in the future, this will undoubtedly be a huge expense.
Now with the 【Skill Machine】, once acquired, he can benefit for life!