Chapter 35

The pseudonym "Bai Ke" seems to be well-known for the illustrations in his only debut work, The Record of Shen Qiu's Picking Up Swords.

Albedo, polite and elegant as always, represented the highest achievement of alchemy. His mother, Rhinedottir, who created him, must have designed him with the template of a blond prince.

"Artwork?"

Takumi's visit to the mountain was a surprise to Albedo, but the request for painting intrigued him. Albedo's interest was piqued.

"This device is called the 'Pokédex,'" Takumi explained.

Takumi handed a device, seemingly a product of Fontaine's technology, to Albedo.

"I have recorded the project details and the illustrations needed. But before that, you need to register, authenticate, and draw an 'initial Pokémon' for the Pokédex to officially belong to you."

Albedo: ???

Albedo understood the first part; it seemed like a work log stored on this technological device. The second part—register and authenticate, and an initial Pokémon—confused him.

Initial Pokémon?

Suddenly, Albedo felt like he'd been stuck on Dragonspine for too long—had the world outside changed this much?

Indeed, talented painters are hard to come by, and it just so happened that Albedo, one of the best, was here on Dragonspine. Takumi decided it was an excellent opportunity to make his acquaintance.

"Takumi, I recently detected a resurgence of energy up north—it looked like a powerful dragon-type creature."

Originally, Takumi planned to discuss the concept and artwork for "Pokémon Auto Chess" with Albedo. However, a telepathic communication from Cresselia forced Takumi to hasten the process.

"Let's do this," Takumi said, guiding Albedo. "After authentication and registration, click 'Start' to extract your Pokémon."

Albedo was still confused. Many of the terms Takumi used were unfamiliar to him. Despite this, Takumi guided him through the first Pokémon draw.

The upgraded Pokédex now even played background music (BGM). The cheerful sound effects made Albedo feel oddly nostalgic.

"Who am I?"

"Aron!"

A beetle-like creature appeared, covered in a gray-white steel helmet, with bright blue eyes.

Takumi smiled, pulled Albedo into the customer group chat, and said, "I suggest you choose Aron. It's no worse than any of the starter Pokémon."

"It evolves into Aggron. Its steel and rock-type attributes make it a solid tank."

"Well, the downside is it moves slowly and has a huge appetite…"

Takumi added, "If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the group chat. Everyone is very enthusiastic. I'll respond when I see the message."

"In addition, once you make your choice, your initial Pokémon will be delivered to you in the next few days."

"This Aron is priced at five million Mora…"

"I won't charge you the Mora; I'll cover the cost myself. Consider it the payment for commissioning the original artwork."

With that, Takumi nodded at Cresselia, and a wave of psychic energy enveloped Takumi and the Legendary Pokémon.

The next moment, Takumi disappeared, leaving no trace of his presence in Albedo's alchemy lab.

Albedo suspected he might be hallucinating after too much sketching and painting.

"That powerful being... is it a Pokémon?"

The powerful psychic energy that Cresselia emitted made Albedo realize that his guest was accompanied by an extraordinary being. The way they teleported away was astonishing.

Albedo hurried outside and roamed the vast snowy landscape before he was convinced that Takumi and his Pokémon were extremely powerful.

Back in his cave, Albedo calmed his racing heart.

Ding!

The Pokédex device on his workbench emitted a notification tone.

The group chat was bustling.

Though there were only eight members, including newcomer Albedo, the group was quite lively and active, constantly discussing Pokémon.

After figuring out how to operate the Pokédex, Albedo minimized the Pokémon extraction screen and switched to the group chat interface, where messages were pouring in.

He wasn't yet comfortable with the input method, so he opted to send a voice message.

Albedo: "Hello everyone, I just drew 'Aron.' Do you have any suggestions?"

The group chat went silent for a minute or two.

Then it exploded.

Hu Tao: @Albedo, we were lined up to welcome you ten minutes ago—where did you go?

Xiangling: Wow, @Albedo, the new guy is awesome!

Albedo: "New guy is awesome"? What do you mean?

Xiangling: It's what Takumi said. Every new member who joins the group should take initiative and share photos and selfies. Girls need to reveal their measurements…

Ningguang: @Xiangling, you're too naive, little sister. Can't you tell that our dear manager was teasing you?

Xiangling: Wait, really? No wonder I was the only one enthusiastically revealing my measurements before! Ugh, my fists are so ready to punch!

Keqing: Albedo… @Albedo, are you the chief alchemist of Mondstadt?

Ningguang: I've heard that name as well. He's the chief alchemist of the Knights of Favonius!

Seeing everyone discussing him, Albedo sighed.

He wasn't a social person and preferred to paint or conduct alchemical research alone.

However, his curiosity about Pokémon outweighed his reluctance for social interaction.

Childe (Dadalia): @Albedo, by the way, how did Takumi evaluate Aron?

Albedo: "No worse than any of the starter Pokémon."

Childe (Dadalia): "Starter Pokémon"? What does that mean?

Everyone: ...

On the outskirts of Liyue, at a private training ground:

Childe (Dadalia) was in the middle of training his Alolan Vulpix, diligently practicing its Powder Snow move, breaking earthen pots one by one, and freezing the splashing water.

Childe sighed, then sent a voice message to the group chat, his frustration apparent.

"Why did you hesitate, Albedo? If I could go back, I would have chosen Fennekin, one of the Kalos starters. Now I'm stuck training Vulpix."

"Fire Fox... I hate it! The Fire type could also react with my Hydro element to create Vaporize."

"Moreover, the Pokémon from the starter families are well-qualified, easy to train, and have promising potential!"

What Childe didn't realize was that he was speaking out of frustration.

Alolan Vulpix, who had been training diligently, overheard Childe's complaints. A look of determination appeared in its crystal blue eyes.

Vulpix's firm resolve wasn't shaken by Childe's dismissive comments. Despite the complaints, it wasn't hurt or discouraged.

It wasn't overly sensitive.

Starter Pokémon? Fennekin?

Forget about them!

I, Alolan Vulpix, will prove to my trainer that when I evolve into Alolan Ninetales, my nine beautiful ice tails will create a snow-white sky to protect my master!

Determined, Vulpix took a short rest and then returned to its self-training, more focused than ever.