Route 24.
After meeting with Lorelei and clarifying the mission details, Gu Qiu set off alone.
He had no idea Professor Oak had come looking for him.
His phone suddenly vibrated.
He glanced at the screen—it was Lorelei.
Gu Qiu was puzzled. Had something else happened?
"Gu Qiu, a lot of researchers have come to Cerulean City looking for you. Professor Oak is among them."
"They want your evolution method. I turned them away, saying you're carrying out a confidential mission."
"I suggest you change your phone number. With their connections, it won't be hard for them to track it down."
Lorelei's tone was serious.
"Looking for me? Why?"
Gu Qiu blinked in confusion.
"You really don't know? The internet is in an uproar about you."
As she said that, Lorelei paused, suddenly recalling their phone conversation from two days ago. She gave a helpless laugh.
"Right. I forgot. Our busy genius doesn't read the news."
Gu Qiu looked slightly embarrassed.
This morning he had focused on preparing for his battle with Misty and hadn't checked his phone.
Even now, he hadn't opened the internet.
"You'll understand once you look. But don't bother with most of them. They're all talk—leeches living off state funding."
"Professor Oak is different. If he asks for your advice, you can trust him. He genuinely researches Pokémon. If you reach an agreement with him, he'll honor it."
"Alright. Thank you, Elite Four Lorelei."
"You're welcome."
Gu Qiu had heard of Professor Oak.
In his youth, Oak had been a prodigious Trainer with exceptional talent.
But at eighteen, he had suddenly become obsessed with Pokémon research and completely shifted careers.
Within just a few years, he became a Pokémon Professor, publishing groundbreaking research that shook the world.
It was no exaggeration to say that the Pokémon world's knowledge base was far more complete than it had been twenty years ago—and Oak had played a massive role in that progress.
After hanging up, Gu Qiu saw Lorelei had already sent him Oak's number.
He saved it immediately.
"I'll deal with that later. Right now, the priority is…"
[Ding! The Pokémon egg in the host's inventory is about to hatch. Would you like to retrieve it?]
[Reminder: A newborn Pokémon will have a high affinity for the first person it sees.]
"The egg's hatching?"
"Take it out—quickly!"
This egg had been a gift from Lorelei.
Gu Qiu was curious what it would be.
The white egg appeared in his hands, radiating even stronger cold air.
Ice-type, he guessed.
"There aren't many Ice-types that hatch from eggs…"
For some reason, the first thought that came to mind was Alolan Vulpix.
"Lorelei did say she obtained it during a mission."
"Forget it. I'll find out soon enough."
He cradled the egg in his arms.
It was freezing cold.
Thankfully, his body had been strengthened, and he circulated chakra to shield himself.
"Judging by this frost aura, its aptitude shouldn't be low."
A gift from the Ice Queen wouldn't be mediocre.
Crack.
The sound of shell breaking.
A small snow-white head popped out, with a tuft of fluffy hair on top.
Its bright eyes were filled with curiosity as it looked around at the unfamiliar world.
Then—
It saw Gu Qiu.
It felt warmth and closeness from him.
"Welcome to the family, little one."
It was indeed Alolan Vulpix.
Gu Qiu smiled warmly.
"Vulpix!" (Are you my mother?)
"I'm your family."
He shook his head gently.
Seeing a flicker of disappointment in its eyes, he reached out and stroked its soft fur.
"Vulpix!"
"They're your friends too."
He released his other four Pokémon:
Kirlia.
Pikachu.
Milotic.
Greninja.
They all looked at the tiny Alolan Vulpix with curiosity.
"Master, is this our new partner?"
"She's so cute! I'll help take care of her."
Kirlia radiated a gentle, soothing aura.
"They're your family too."
"Vulpix!" (They're all my family? That's wonderful—I have family too!)
The little Vulpix twirled happily, its eyes pure and bright.
Gu Qiu took out a specially crafted energy cube from the system and handed it over.
Vulpix instantly took a liking to it but looked at him timidly.
"This is a gift for you. Go on."
He patted its head.
Vulpix closed its eyes in bliss.
After introducing everyone, the little Ice-type gradually accepted the new family.
Gu Qiu opened its status panel.
[Pokémon]: Alolan Vulpix
[Ability]: Snow Warning
[Description]: The Fox Pokémon, native to the Alola region.
Alolan Vulpix is an Ice-type Pokémon capable of exhaling air as cold as –50°C, freezing everything in its path.
Disliking hot environments, it creates ice from its tails to cool the surrounding temperature.
[Attribute]: Ice
[Aptitude]: Top-tier
[Level]: 1 (Novice)
[Moves]: Powder Snow, Tail Whip, Ice Shard, Icy Wind
Level 1.
It had just hatched.
Vulpix hugged the energy cube and licked it softly.
Gu Qiu could sense energy flowing into its body.
Newborn Pokémon shouldn't battle immediately.
Better to wait until it reached Level 5 and stabilized.
"With Vulpix, I now have five Pokémon."
"One more, and I'll have a full main team."
Currently:
Level 65 Pikachu.
Level 44 Greninja.
Level 27 Milotic.
Level 26 Kirlia.
Level 1 Alolan Vulpix.
"Pokémon on Route 24 are relatively high-level, especially near the cave."
"While completing the mission, I'll raise Milotic and Kirlia to Level 30."
"Then I can apply for the Elite Trainer assessment."
Gu Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Time to get stronger.
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