Faced with Mr. Pokémon's sudden gift, Silas was momentarily stunned.
"Th—this…"
He hesitated.
"Take it," Mr. Pokémon said. "It's not anything particularly valuable anyway. And I promised this child's mother that I would find it a sufficiently outstanding Trainer. I think you're very suitable.
"I'm already old, no longer fit to raise Pokémon myself."
Although they had only spent a short time together, Mr. Pokémon had formed a very favorable impression of Silas.
On one hand, he trusted the judgment of his old friend Professor Oak. On the other, Silas's own personality and conduct were also very much to his liking.
Moreover, when Silas arrived earlier, Mr. Pokémon had clearly seen that shiny Ampharos accompanying him.
From a professional standpoint, Mr. Pokémon could fully sense the deep bond between Trainer and Pokémon.
A Trainer capable of forming such a profound bond with his partner was certainly not a bad person or so Mr. Pokémon firmly believed.
This was especially true from a Pokémon's perspective.
As for saying the gift wasn't valuable, that was obviously a joke.
An elder might say such a thing, but Silas couldn't take it seriously.
While Silas was still hesitating, Mr. Pokémon directly stuffed both the bag of Apricorns and the Pokémon Egg into his arms.
To keep the Egg from falling, Silas could only hold it carefully.
"Then… thank you very much."
At this point, all he could do was repeatedly express his gratitude.
"No need to be so polite."
Seeing Silas accept the gift, Mr. Pokémon nodded in satisfaction.
"As for this child, once it evolves, bring it by sometime and let me have a look."
He gazed kindly at the Pokémon Egg in Silas's arms.
The Egg gently rocked, as if responding to him.
The structure of a Pokémon Egg is actually quite similar to that of a modern Poké Ball. The Pokémon inside can perceive the outside world through the shell.
Although it's unclear how Pokémon that haven't yet fully formed can control the Egg, they can respond to external stimuli.
Silas instinctively lowered his head.
The Egg Mr. Pokémon had given him was predominantly white, with several scattered blue spots of varying sizes.
Upon closer inspection, there were exactly four on the upper half and four on the lower half.
In addition, the bottom featured small, cloud-like patterns.
"Why don't you take a guess?" Mr. Pokémon said with a chuckle. "What Pokémon do you think this Egg belongs to?"
Naturally, he didn't actually believe Silas wouldn't know but as an elder, such questions came instinctively.
Feeling the cool temperature of the Egg in his arms, Silas quickly matched its appearance with a Pokémon from memory.
"It should be a Vulpix Egg."
Although his wording sounded tentative, his tone was filled with confidence.
"But unlike ordinary Vulpix, this should be an Alolan Vulpix, unique to the Alola region.
Its type is pure Ice, unlike the Fire-type Vulpix we have here.
"And the method of evolution is different as well, it evolves into Ninetales using an Ice Stone, not a Fire Stone."
Hearing Silas's detailed explanation, Mr. Pokémon nodded approvingly.
While Vulpix Eggs aren't uncommon in Kanto or Johto, Alolan Vulpix Eggs are a completely different matter.
In fact, across both regions combined, the number of people who own an Alolan Vulpix or Alolan Ninetales could probably be counted on two hands.
Being able to associate this Egg with Vulpix immediately was a strong indication of the young man's grasp of Pokémon knowledge.
After all, changes in an Egg's primary coloration can easily cause misidentification.
Even experienced Egg appraisers can make mistakes when dealing with unfamiliar Eggs.
"The mother of this child was a very powerful Ninetales. As for the father, I'm not sure—but based on my judgment, it was likely an equally strong Primarina."
Mr. Pokémon briefly described the parents of the Alolan Vulpix.
Primarina, also known as the Songstress Pokémon and Dancer of the Sea, is a powerful Water-type Pokémon unique to the Alola region.
Although its appearance gives the impression that females are more common, studies show that the gender ratio in Primarina populations is approximately 1 female to 7 males.
That misconception has fooled many people over the years.
Mr. Pokémon explained this partly to reassure Silas.
The offspring of two powerful Pokémon rarely have low potential. This Alolan Vulpix would undoubtedly become Silas's primary Ice-type Pokémon.
Silas nodded silently.
Even without Mr. Pokémon saying so, he already knew the Vulpix had exceptional potential, Zero wasn't just for show.
The word "Elite Four" in the aptitude column was extremely eye-catching.
As for Mr. Pokémon casually gifting a Pokémon Egg with Elite Four–level potential, Silas could only say he was already used to it.
When figures like this made a move, giving anything less would actually be abnormal.
Considering the species and aptitude of this Alolan Vulpix, its value in Kanto and Johto would be close to half a hundred million.
That was no small sum.
After carefully placing the Egg into his backpack, Silas turned his attention to the bag filled with Apricorns.
Apricorns are the fruit of Apricorn Trees, which grow only in specific regions—typically referring to Johto.
As the name suggests, one of their most important uses is crafting Poké Balls.
In the past, Poké Ball craftsmen hollowed out Apricorns and inserted special capture mechanisms to create Poké Balls. These Apricorn-made Poké Balls often possessed unique effects.
Before modern Poké Balls existed, Apricorn Poké Balls were extremely common. The technique can be traced back 400 to 700 years.
As technology advanced, they were gradually replaced by mass-produced Poké Balls due to longer crafting times and lower efficiency. However, craftsmen who inherited the technique still produce them for outstanding Trainers.
Apricorns can also be consumed, but unlike Berries or other fruits, they can't be eaten raw. They must be processed into Apricorn Juice first.
The Kurt Mr. Pokémon mentioned earlier is the world's most famous and most skilled Apricorn Poké Ball craftsman.
He is also a close friend of Professor Oak.
Still, Silas couldn't help but feel a bit worried.
"Don't worry about him refusing to see you," Mr. Pokémon said. "Just hold up that bag and knock on his door."
With a single sentence, he dispelled Silas's concerns.
As the world's foremost master of handcrafted Poké Balls, Kurt rarely meets outsiders in Azalea Town, let alone agrees to make Poké Balls for them.
After all, crafting Apricorn Poké Balls by hand is extremely demanding work. As Kurt has grown older, the number of times he personally crafts Poké Balls has decreased year by year.
Many people believe that it won't be long before Poké Balls made by Kurt himself become collector's items.
To a Trainer, a Poké Ball is much like a weapon.
Its value doesn't lie in dealing damage, but in how much assistance it provides.
Take the Lure Ball, one type of handcrafted Poké Ball, as an example.
Its special property allows it to more easily catch Pokémon hooked with a fishing rod.
For Trainers who enjoy fishing or specialize in Water-type Pokémon, this Poké Ball can truly be called a god-tier tool.
The special effects of other handcrafted Poké Balls are no less impressive.
The bag Mr. Pokémon gave Silas contained Apricorns of six different colors—Yellow, Blue, Green, Pink, White, and Black two of each.
Compared to the Elite Four–level Alolan Vulpix Egg, the Apricorns might seem less impressive in value, but they were still far from trivial.
More importantly, these Apricorns came with direct access to Kurt, instantly multiplying their worth several times over.
If this bag of Apricorns and the opportunity attached to it, were placed in an auction, Silas felt their price would easily reach eight figures.
All he could say was that the old gentleman was truly a wonderful person.
As for Mr. Pokémon's suggestion that he could simply carry the bag and knock directly on Kurt's door, Silas found it very trustworthy.
After all, as fellow natives of the Johto region, Mr. Pokémon's relationship with Kurt might even be closer than Professor Oak's.
"Thank you very much for your gift. I really like it."
Silas once again expressed his sincere gratitude to Mr. Pokémon.
Mr. Pokémon waved his hand dismissively.
"Hah, an old man like me who travels around all year doesn't really have much use for these things. I'd rather give them to you. I believe they'll definitely be of help to you—especially to that child."
"I'll take good care of it."
Silas said firmly.
These words came straight from his heart.
Sensing the seriousness in Silas's tone, Mr. Pokémon smiled with great satisfaction.
Watching the young man leave the room, he suddenly felt that he truly was getting old.
"Maybe I should rest for a while before going out traveling again?"
Such a thought unexpectedly surfaced in the mind of Mr. Pokémon, who loved traveling so much.
He immediately chuckled at himself and tapped the ground lightly with his cane.
No, that kind of thinking wouldn't do.
There were still far too many places in the world waiting for him to explore and understand, his footsteps couldn't stop now.
"I should find some time to go take a look at Sinnoh. After all, Rowan did say he's made a new discovery."
Thinking this, Mr. Pokémon turned around and walked back into the room.
Walking along the road toward the next city, Silas was in an excellent mood.
How could he not be? Anyone who received a phone call asking them to help deliver a package, only to inexplicably inherit assets worth several hundred million halfway through, would be happy.
But very soon, he let out a quiet sigh.
Having several future core Pokémon was indeed a good thing, but the heavy burden of life that followed was also an undeniable reality.
Raising young Pokémon during their growth stage was extremely expensive.
For a Pokémon with Champion-level potential to break through to the Elite Four level, at the very least, one would need to invest resources worth roughly the same as the value of the egg itself.
Not to mention further strength development afterward.
Additionally, Alolan Vulpix still needed an Ice Stone to evolve into Alolan Ninetales, which was another massive expense—after all, an evolution stone with a quality above 95 had to be prepared in advance.
"Hmm… looks like I'll need to revise my plans."
Silas sighed with mixed pain and joy as he took out his planner and began reorganizing it.
According to his original plan, his official eighth partner was supposed to be a Water-type Pokémon. After all, Suicune's gift would be wasted if left unused.
The sooner it was used, the sooner he would grow stronger.
But now, with a Elite-Four Ice-type Pokémon placed right in front of him, there was no reason not to raise it.
"For an Ice-type Vulpix, the main development material should still be Pomeg Berries, right?
And if I remember correctly, after evolving into Ninetales, it seems to gain an additional Fairy type. In that case, Roseli Berries could also be used a bit in the early stages."
Silas thought through the nurturing plan for the future Vulpix, which was still in egg form.
Come to think of it, Ice plus Fairy typing didn't seem very friendly toward Dragon-types.
In addition, although gaining the Fairy type after evolution made Alolan Ninetales especially vulnerable to Steel-type Pokémon, Silas didn't think this was a bad thing.
At the very least, Alolan Ninetales' resistance to Fighting-type attacks would return to a normal level.
For Alolan Ninetales, which wasn't particularly good at close-quarters combat, this greatly enhanced its survivability against Pokémon that excelled in melee combat.
As for Steel-type Pokémon, those could be handed over to its second-oldest brother to deal with.
"Fire-type Ninetales' nine tails each have different abilities, if I remember correctly?"
Silas thought uncertainly.
The Pokédex and textbooks did mention this, but very few people seemed to have actually achieved it in practice.
"I'll ask Kajiyama about it sometime. If it's possible, then Alolan Ninetales' tails should be able to do it as well."
After thinking for a while, Silas wrote a friend's name down in his notebook.
As one of Blaine's last disciples, Kajiyama would definitely be able to give him a satisfying answer.
After all, Blaine's Ninetales was one of his signature main Pokémon, his mastery of Fire-type and Psychic-type moves was nothing short of astonishing.
The only question was how much it would cost.
Silas sighed softly once again.
This was before the Pokémon had even hatched and entered formal training, yet the advance investment alone was already hard to imagine.
"Hmm, while I'm at it, I should also ask Lorelei how Ice-type Pokémon should be trained properly."
He added another special name to his notebook.
Ever since the Seven Islands mission ended last time, he had Lorelei's private contact information.
As long as there was a way to contact her, everything was negotiable.
To be honest, Silas was somewhat unaware of how fortunate he was.
Not everyone had channels to seek advice from both a former Elite Four member and a current one, this was something countless people could only dream of.
"And then there's estimating inherited moves. If the father is a Primarina, then the inherited moves will most likely be Baby-Doll Eyes and Moonblast, right?"
Protected by Ampharos, Silas walked down the road without even looking where he was going, fully focused on jotting notes and calculations into his planner.
....
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