Now it was the turn for ranks 4–20, but unlike the earlier selection which only had three Pokéballs—since Pokémon like Eevee weren't too rare and were easy to breed—this time there were more.
"Ranks 4–20, please step forward and choose your Pokémon," the teacher announced.
"Okay, teacher!" the students replied in unison.
One by one, they began taking out the Pokémon from the Pokéballs. Brian stayed back, since many students had already gone straight to the Eevee area.
Most of the Eevees that had been released were orange quality; there were also two yellow ones, and four Pokéballs that hadn't been opened yet.
Brian stepped forward to open one, but two students beat him to it. The third Pokéball was opened, and Brian's eyes lit up—it was green quality. Before the excitement faded, the fourth Pokéball was opened… and it was blue. Yes, blue.
Brian approached. "Hey, want to take this one?" he asked the student standing nearby.
"Uh, no. Look at the data—it only has two skills, and neither of them are attack moves. Do you want it?" the female student replied.
"Yes. So, can I take it?"
"Please, go ahead."
Brian checked the blue Eevee's data, and his excitement grew.
EeveeType: NormalGender: FemaleAbility: AdaptabilityQuality: BlueLevel: 5Skills: Growl, Wish
"Hello, Eevee. You'll be my Pokémon now, and we'll grow strong together."
"Miii mi mi!" Eevee replied with a cute cry.
"Haha, yes, you're adorable."
He returned the Eevee to its Pokéball and was about to head back to the line when he noticed Brook reaching for an orange-quality Vulpix—even though there was a yellow one right beside it.
"Which one are you going to pick?" Brian asked.
"I'm thinking this one," Brook said, pointing to the orange Vulpix.
"If it were me, I'd choose this one," Brian said, pointing to the yellow one.
"Is that so? Then I'll take this one," Brook said, switching his choice.
"You won't regret it. Haha."
"Yes, I trust your judgment. You're always right," Brook replied with a smile.
The two of them returned to the line, listening again to the principal's rather dull speech.
"So when you graduate from this school, you will carry its good name—whether you choose to go to college or become a trainer immediately. That's all for today, you may go home now," the principal concluded.
On his way home, Brian noticed something different on the screen in front of him: a small message icon in the corner with a red number 3, indicating three unread messages.
His heart skipped a beat. Could this be a starter gift for people who had crossed over? With growing excitement, he hurried home and went straight to his room.
"What's this…?" he muttered, seeing an image resembling a recipe.
The moment he focused on it, the screen turned into light, and suddenly his mind was filled with a flood of knowledge.
"This… is this real?" he whispered. The recipe was for Grass-type Energy Cubes, along with two other formulas—Protector and Metal Coat.
"Hahaha, I'm going to be rich! This really is my golden finger!"
Excitement aside, Brian began to think. With this knowledge, wealth was within reach. But, just like the novels he had read in his previous life, having wealth without strength was asking for trouble.
He also hesitated—should he tell his family? Something like this could easily bring trouble if the wrong people found out.
That night after dinner, he gathered them.
"Why have you called us here? Is it something important?" Leon asked.
"Yes, Father, it's very important for our family."
"What is it? Did you get someone's daughter pregnant?" Leon asked, half-joking, but Brian's serious face made him suspicious.
Brian's face turned green. What is this man thinking?
"Is that true, Brian?" his mother asked. Even his younger brother looked at him with questioning eyes.
"You guys… Hah! No. I wanted to tell you I found historical fragments containing the knowledge to make Grass-type Energy Cubes, Protectors, and Metal Coats."
"Oh, so it's not that—wait, what?! Energy Cube recipe? How to make Protectors and Metal Coats?!" Leon's disappointment instantly turned into shock.
Brian grinned at their stunned faces.
"What are Metal Coats and Protectors?" Fiona asked. She understood about Energy Cubes, since the Samyun Company sold those, but the other two were unfamiliar.
"They're items that help Pokémon evolve," Brian explained.
"Evolve?"
"Yes. Very powerful Pokémon. A Protector evolves Rhydon, and a Metal Coat evolves Scyther and Onix."
"You mean… you know how to make Pokémon evolve?" Leon asked in disbelief. For the past ten years, no one had figured out how to trigger certain evolutions. Steelix and Rhyperior existed, but they were all evolved long ago—no one knew how to replicate it.
Fiona and Alan's eyes widened as well.
"Yeah. So? Isn't this important? We can produce and sell them."
"Yes, it's important. But our family can't sell them—not openly," Leon said.
"I understand, Dad. We can sell Energy Cubes first, then use the profits to find you a strong Pokémon," Brian replied, glancing at his father's Pikachu, which was only level 22—a mid-junior at best.
"If it's just Energy Cubes, we can manage. Even as a peak junior trainer, it's enough for now," Leon said, pulling out two Pokéballs.
RaticateType: NormalGender: MaleAbility: HustleQuality: OrangeLevel: 29Skills: Quick Attack, Tackle, Focus Energy, Scary Face, Last Resort, Bite, Crunch
FearowType: Normal/FlyingGender: MaleAbility: Keen EyeQuality: OrangeLevel: 30Skills: Peck, Drill Run, Leer, Aerial Ace, Wing Attack, Agility
"These are my strongest Pokémon," Leon said.
Brian was a little surprised—this Raticate even had a powerful move like Last Resort.