-027- Aptitude Advancement! Curator-level Aptitude!

After planting the Muko Berry Tree beside the Oran Berry Tree, Tong Si spent another twenty thousand points at the system shop to purchase two bags of Rapid-Grow Fertilizer. He sprinkled the fertilizer on both trees, and before his very eyes, the saplings began to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Nearby, the trio of Runaway Brothers and the Karu Duo Fish group were stunned speechless.

Was this really how fruit trees were supposed to grow?

"Eevee-vee~"

"Beep beep!"

Eevee cheered gleefully, twirling its little fan and prancing about in tiny steps. Electabuzz stood with arms akimbo, looking as unperturbed as ever.

When the Muko Berry Tree reached over a meter in height, it abruptly stopped. The Oran Berry Tree, meanwhile, grew to over two meters. From then on, both trees would grow slowly.

Tong Si was in no hurry; having already used Rapid-Grow Fertilizer on both, the rest depended on the trees' own fortune.

"System, I want to raise Electabuzz's potential to Gym Leader level. Redeem one vial of Pokémon Potential Enhancement Serum!"

After finishing the planting, Tong Si still had five hundred thousand points left. He intended to elevate Electabuzz to Gym Leader class.

[Beep-boop]

[Redeeming Pokémon Potential Enhancement Serum x1]

Suddenly, a bizarrely shaped pentagonal bottle appeared in Tong Si's hand, containing an unidentified yellow liquid. Compared to the last time's white enhancement serum, this bottle held at least three times as much.

Tong Si unscrewed the cap and sniffed—an indescribably foul stench assaulted his nose. In moments, the entire courtyard was filled with the overpowering odor.

The Runaway Brothers couldn't stand it and fled through their little hole as fast as possible. The Karu Duo Fish group dove deep into the pool, suspending their Splash competition for now. Eevee grimaced for a while before fainting on the spot.

"Electabuzz, drink it," Tong Si said, pinching his nose and handing the bottle to Electabuzz.

"Beep beep???" Electabuzz stared at Tong Si in disbelief.

"Have you stopped loving me?"

"Is there another dog out there for you?"

"If there is, just say so—but please, don't hurt me!"

"Electabuzz, trust me, this is for your own good. Bitter medicine cures the disease! Drink this and your potential will rise significantly!" Tong Si grabbed Electabuzz's arm and pressed the bottle into its hand.

Electabuzz's grip on the bottle trembled slightly. Even for a true tough guy like it, panic was inevitable at this moment.

"Beep beep..."

A rare tenderness flashed in Electabuzz's eyes, as if to ask: Do I really have to drink this?

"Yes! Electabuzz, drink!" Tong Si nodded, cheering him on.

Electabuzz stared at the strange yellow liquid for a long moment before finally tilting back the bottle and downing it in one go.

"Beep beep..." Electabuzz drank, tears of excitement welling up in its eyes.

This stuff was delicious! Electabuzz swore this was the best thing it had ever tasted. The smell might be awful, but the flavor was cool and sweet. As the liquid slid down its throat, every cell in its body seemed to come alive.

It polished off every last drop, even wishing for more. Not long after, Electabuzz's body shuddered, expanding as if growing larger by a size. Electromagnetic energy flickered all over its form.

"Beep beep!"

Electabuzz unleashed a stunning Thunderbolt attack, pure one hundred thousand volts without any external energy storage. Tong Si could sense the power—it was truly formidable. Had Electabuzz's Thunderbolt moved to a whole new level?

Through his Scanning Eye, Tong Si saw that Electabuzz's potential had indeed risen to Gym Leader class.

"So this is a Gym Leader-level Electabuzz?"

[Beep-boop]

[Congratulations, Host, for completing the task: raising a Pokémon's potential to Gym Leader level. Reward: one special Pokémon Egg.]

[New task: capture a third Pokémon.]

As the system's voice fell, a pure white, patternless Pokémon Egg landed in Tong Si's arms.

"A special Pokémon Egg?" Tong Si hadn't expected the system to reward him with an egg.

Using his Scanning Eye, he tried to identify it.

Pokémon Egg

Species: Unknown

Gender: Unknown

Ability: Unknown

Potential: Pseudo-Legendary

...

Seeing the details, Tong Si was shocked! His Scanning Eye had always been able to identify any Pokémon, even those still inside eggs. Yet this egg yielded no information. Not only that, but it was a pseudo-legendary potential egg?

"System, why can't I get any information about this Pokémon?"

Tong Si questioned the system.

[Beep-boop]

[This is a special Pokémon Egg. The host cannot scan for specific details. It cannot be hatched by conventional means, including Pokémon Egg Incubators.]

[Hatching condition: the host must carry it at all times. It will hatch randomly under special circumstances.]

Hearing the system's explanation, Tong Si was speechless.

Carry a Pokémon Egg everywhere? Was this a joke?

He scrutinized the egg for a long time, even tapping its shell with his finger—it was incredibly hard. This was no ordinary Pokémon Egg; just the thickness of the shell set it apart.

"So this is a pseudo-legendary potential egg?" Tong Si murmured.

The system had just issued a task to capture a third Pokémon. He'd thought he could simply hatch this egg to complete the task. But the hatching required him to carry it everywhere and wait for a special occasion?

Again, he found himself at a loss.

He wrapped the egg in a piece of cotton cloth and placed it carefully. He did have a small backpack, but carrying the egg everywhere still felt odd.

"Eevee-vee?" When Tong Si came downstairs, he found Eevee had woken up, looking puzzled as to why he was wearing a backpack at home.

He patted Eevee's head without explaining.

The stench of the yellow enhancement serum had dissipated. The Runaway Brothers had returned to nap in the courtyard, while the Karu Duo Fish group resumed their Splash contest.

...

The Rookie King Tournament had finally arrived.

Tong Si set out early for the Jiahua City Pokémon Battle Club. In fact, there was more than one such club in Jiahua City—according to what he’d learned from Zhang Shanju, there were a total of four.

His was the latest to join the ranks, with far fewer members than the other three. However, all four clubs would hold their Rookie King Tournament on the same day. In the end, the four rookie kings from each club would compete for the ultimate title.

The strongest rookie king would be determined.

Of course, this was more than just a contest between new trainers—it was also a battle for prestige among the four Pokémon Battle Clubs.

...(To be continued)