Chapter 78
The adventure team led by Beidou originally consisted of just Yoimiya and Kazuha.
Soon, Xingqiu and Chongyun joined along the way, bringing the team to five members.
Although their baby Pokémon couldn't yet provide substantial combat power, the combined strength of these five was enough to take on an overlord-level Pokémon.
After a full morning of trekking, Beidou successfully led the team to the deepest part of the forest without encountering any danger.
"Hmm…" Beidou muttered, looking around.
"The trees here are toppled everywhere, as if struck by a hurricane!" She immediately halted the team.
Kazuha looked around cautiously and whispered, "Only overlord-level Pokémon could cause destruction on such a massive scale."
Xingqiu snapped a photo of the wreckage and shared it in the group chat.
Image Caption: Destruction caused by overlord-level Pokémon.
At that moment, Yoimiya's Galarian Ponyta trotted over, carrying a perfectly intact fruit from a fallen tree.
"Neigh~!"
It nuzzled Yoimiya's leg with a soft whinny, clearly looking for praise.
"Oh? Another unfamiliar berry?"
Yoimiya snapped a photo of the fruit and sent it to Takumi in the group chat, not expecting a quick response given how busy he usually was.
Just as she was about to stash the fruit in her backpack…
Takumi: Naganohara Yoimiya, that's a Durin Berry. It has no special effects, but if you're interested in cultivating Pokémon, you can bring it back and study it for potential energy cube recipes.
Takumi: Xiangling, the silver fruit you found earlier is called Silver Razz Berry. It's effective in raising wild Pokémon's affection, thus increasing the chance of capture with a Poké Ball.
Meanwhile, Takumi, who had returned to the main store in Liyue with Klee, was free enough to batch-answer questions in the group chat, much to the excitement of everyone online.
Yoimiya quickly took out another stone from her backpack, took a picture, and sent it to Takumi.
This stone was something her Galarian Ponyta had found while they were exploring the forest.
Takumi: Ah, Naganohara Yoimiya, you got the angle just right! This is a Leaf Stone, an evolution stone. Many Grass-type Pokémon need it to evolve.
For instance, Captain Jean's Eevee could evolve into Leafeon with this Leaf Stone.
Over at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters…
Jean, who had just finished some paperwork, was scrolling through the group chat, absorbing Takumi's explanations with great interest. When she saw that her Eevee was mentioned, she froze.
"Oh? I can use it for Eevee?"
Jean, a member of the esteemed Gunnhildr family with vast resources, quickly messaged Yoimiya:
Jean: Naganohara Yoimiya, I'd like to buy that Leaf Stone from you. Just name your price.
Yoimiya, however, wasn't short of funds. The fireworks business, run by her family, was widely renowned and contributed significantly to festivals like Liyue's Lantern Rite.
Plus, she thought she might need the Leaf Stone herself in the future, so she politely declined Jean's offer.
Jean didn't insist and instead asked:
Jean: Manager Takumi, what would the approximate market price of this kind of evolution stone be if more become available in the future?
Takumi: The Leaf Stone should be priced around two to three million Mora, about the cost of a high-quality Pokémon. However, evolution stones like the Fire Stone—which can evolve popular Pokémon like Vulpix, Eevee, and Growlithe—will likely be several times higher in value.
Seeing Takumi's response, Beidou let out a sigh.
"No wonder the ecological zone drew tens of thousands of adventurers as soon as it opened."
Xingqiu nodded. "If someone were lucky enough to get a Leaf Stone, it could be their ticket to becoming a trainer!"
Yoimiya was delighted and hugged her Galarian Ponyta.
"Heehee, did you hear that?" she cooed, "Little one, you've got quite the talent for treasure hunting!"
Her Ponyta neighed playfully, while the other Pokémon in the team looked on with envious glances.
"Hmm?"
Beidou's starter Pokémon was a Seel, destined to evolve into a Dewgong. But in its current stage, Seel was chubby, slow, and rolled around on the ground.
Kazuha's starter was Snivy, one of the Grass-type starters from the Unova region.
Chongyun's was Mudkip, a Water-type starter from the Hoenn region.
Xingqiu's Pokémon, though, could easily be ranked as "double cute" and "double useless," with no battle power to speak of.
It was a Feebas.
Throughout the journey, the Feebas had been the topic of some amusement.
Now, as they paused to rest, Yoimiya came over to inspect Xingqiu's Feebas, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"Hey, Xingqiu, it must be exhausting lugging around this bucket for your little fish. Why did you pick it?"
"Well, it was my first choice, but I still had four more chances after that," Xingqiu replied, looking up at the sky with a sigh.
"Honestly, if it weren't for Club Manager Takumi's strong recommendation, I wouldn't have chosen it!"
He gave her a sheepish grin. "And carrying it in a bucket was his idea too…"
Seeing the doubtful looks on Yoimiya, Beidou, and Kazuha's faces, Xingqiu turned to Chongyun for backup.
Chongyun, munching on a snow bun, nodded in agreement.
Finally, after hearing that it was Takumi's advice, their doubts subsided slightly—though not completely.
Xingqiu sighed deeply, staring up at the sky, as memories of Takumi's instructions echoed in his mind.
"If kept in a Poké Ball, Feebas may never evolve. It needs exposure to light and the world around it. Take it out so it can see the vast world—perhaps it'll grow more spirited."
"Oh, and regarding its beauty… you'll need beautiful scales to evolve it, which are even rarer than Leaf Stones. Perhaps the Feiyun Commerce Guild can put up a notice and offer a handsome reward. Would 100 million Mora be enough?"
Lost in thought, Xingqiu didn't notice that Feebas was observing the world from its bucket, its dull eyes now filled with a faint glimmer as it looked at the lush forest surrounding it.
It may have looked slow-witted, but Feebas wasn't truly foolish. In its own way, it was becoming familiar with the world around it.