Chapter 24: An Exceptionally Gifted Pokémon

Zhao Shan had completely lost the arrogance he displayed earlier, tempering his temper in front of Supervisor Qin. After all, anyone capable of serving as a supervisor in the Flame Secret Realm possessed at least pseudo-Elite-level strength, not to mention an incredibly formidable background.

He dared to lash out at a small guide like Jiang Qinglan, but he could only act deferential in front of Supervisor Qin. Since he lacked both the backing and the strength to compete, he had no choice but to tuck his tail between his legs. He was a bully to those beneath him and a sycophant to those above.

Supervisor Qin had deduced the general situation halfway through the explanation. It was clear that Jiang Qinglan had been wronged, and as her superior, she had to stand up for her. If she didn't, it would chill the hearts of her staff, and no one would be willing to follow her in the future. "Mr. Zhao, the young lady is correct. If you engage in a brawl within the Vault, the Flame Secret Realm does indeed have the authority to revoke your selection quotas."

Of course, this warning was merely to maintain the authority of the Flame Secret Realm; it was impossible to actually cancel the Zhao family’s quotas. Jiang Qinglan was, after all, just an intern with no connections, and Supervisor Qin could not afford to thoroughly offend the Zhao family for her sake. "We will let it slide this time. Since you have selected your Pokémon egg, Mr. Zhao, please leave the Vault. Lin, wrap this egg up for Mr. Zhao and his party."

Hearing the eviction order, Zhao Shan’s face flushed red, but he dared not challenge Supervisor Qin and could only leave in defeat.

Once Zhao Shan had departed, Supervisor Qin put on a smile and said apologetically to Xia Luo, "Mr. Xia, I apologize. There is no strict 'first-come, first-served' rule in the Secret Realm; it depends entirely on personal character. When encountering someone as ill-mannered as Zhao Shan, there is little we can do. I am very sorry. I see that the egg in the young lady's arms is one you purchased in the outer area; as such, within the scope of my authority, I will grant you a maximum discount—forty percent off."

It had to be said that Supervisor Qin’s ability to reach this position was due not only to her strength but also to her mastery of interpersonal relations. She had both upheld justice for her subordinate and skillfully resolved the dispute between Xia Luo and Zhao Shan, allowing Zhao Shan to leave with his egg while providing compensation to Xia Luo.

"Mr. Xia, please continue your search. I won't disturb you any further. Do you need to rest, little Jiang?"

"I'm fine, Supervisor Qin, truly," Jiang Qinglan said quickly.

"Very well. Then I shall return to my work. You’ve worked hard; finish assisting Mr. Xia, and then you may take the rest of the afternoon off."

"Thank you, Supervisor Qin."

...

"Brother, don't be angry. I just felt that the potential of that egg wasn't very good anyway, and it wasn't worth our time," Xia Yu said, trying to console his brother. "Now that they’re gone, we can take our time selecting one. We will definitely find an egg with better potential than that Growlithe."

"I'm not angry." Xia Luo sighed. If this were the old Xia family, Zhao Shan would never have dared to treat him with such an attitude. Now that his strength had been severely compromised, every two-bit hoodlum was crawling out of the woodwork. "Let's keep looking."

The two brothers continued their search. The entire Vault was not very large, and they finished looking through the dozens of eggs within a few minutes.

Among them, Xia Yu was shocked to discover two Pokémon with Elite-level potential or higher: one was a Litleo, and the other was a Shiny Charmander with the Solar Power ability!

Between the two, Xia Yu would undoubtedly choose the Charmander, as it was the only Pokémon in the entire room with pseudo-Champion-level potential.

To be honest, the potential of this Charmander was so high that even Xia Yu was incredibly tempted.

[Pokémon Egg]
Charmander
Gender: Female
Type: Fire
Potential: Pseudo-Champion
Ability: Solar Power
Moves: ???

The Solar Power ability undoubtedly made this Charmander best suited for a special-attacking build. Under sunny weather, a Charizard with Solar Power possessed terrifying lethality.

Furthermore, Charizard could Mega Evolve. Whether it became Mega Charizard X or Mega Charizard Y, its strength would be extraordinary.

If it evolved into Mega Charizard X, its ability would shift from Solar Power to Tough Claws, allowing a special-attacking Charizard to transition into a physical attacker, catching opponents off guard and proving difficult to defend against.

If it evolved into Mega Charizard Y, its ability would change to Drought. The value of weather-setting abilities was self-evident; every weather-setter was the core of a team.

"Brother, come take a look at this egg!" Xia Yu called out.

"A Charmander egg?" Xia Luo trusted Xia Yu’s discernment, so he immediately took a close look. He couldn’t see anything special about the egg himself, and since he already owned a Charizard, he didn't have much interest in it. "I already have a Charizard. Do I really need to raise another one?"

"The potential of that Charizard of yours is lacking; its strength has already plateaued. Gym Leader level is its limit." It must be said that Xia Yu was getting a bit carried away—calling Gym Leader level "lacking." Only a month ago, he was a weakling without a single Pokémon. Even now, he was still a weakling; he just happened to have two high-potential Pokémon, and true growth would still take time.

"You’re quite young to be so arrogant, saying my Charizard’s potential is lacking," Xia Luo said, ruffling Xia Yu’s hair with a laugh. "My Charizard is at the Gym Leader level. Wait until you have a Pokémon of that caliber before you talk like that."

In truth, Xia Luo couldn't see anything unique about this egg. Tucked among the many high-quality eggs, it looked exceptionally ordinary. "Are you really sure this egg has good potential? I really think it looks quite average. Here, take a look at the one I picked."

"..."

Xia Yu was speechless at Xia Luo’s behavior. He really wanted to shout at his brother that this was a pseudo-Champion-level Charmander egg!

However, Xia Yu could not sway Xia Luo, who pulled him to the other side to look at a different egg.

"Little Yu, I think this Chimchar egg is good. First, it’s large, and second, the patterns are vibrant, and it’s brimming with Fire-type energy. While it’s not as good as that Growlithe egg from earlier, it’s still very decent." Xia Luo analyzed it with great confidence. Xia Yu checked its potential—Gym Leader level. Good grief, it wasn't even as good as that Growlithe.

What a waste to use such a precious quota on a Gym Leader-level Pokémon.

"Brother, this egg is really not as good as the one I chose. Listen to me, that Charmander egg is absolutely top-tier," Xia Yu insisted.

"Really?" Xia Luo remained skeptical.

"No, Brother, when have I ever lied to you?" Xia Yu asked.

"Back in middle school, you created a female account, pretended to be a girl, and chatted with me online for a month, swindling me out of a month’s living expenses," Xia Luo replied flatly.

"Pfft." Jiang Qinglan, standing nearby, couldn't help but let out a laugh, leaving Xia Yu embarrassed. "Cough, cough, that was an exception. Let's talk about the matter at hand. Seriously, I think this egg is excellent. You have to believe me."

"Are you really sure?" Xia Luo asked.

"Certain and positive," Xia Yu replied.

"Then this is the one." Seeing Xia Yu so determined, Xia Luo made his decision without hesitation. Such is the trust between family members; since Xia Yu was confident, Xia Luo supported his choice without reservation. "If the potential is bad, I’ll choose the other quota myself. But if it’s good, how about I give the other quota to you?"

Xia Yu wanted to say, "Then just give me this Charmander egg," but he held back. He knew this egg might very well be the key for his brother to advance to an Elite-level Trainer.

With the system’s help, he would undoubtedly encounter many more powerful Pokémon in the future. However, Xia Yu secretly resolved that he, too, would eventually obtain a Charizard and Mega Evolve it directly into Mega Charizard X—a black-scaled Charizard that would dominate the field—and perhaps even achieve Gigantamax form.

"Then it’s settled. We’ll take this egg."