Pokémon: Trainers Returning from Monster Hunter

Chapter 110 Ore, Shattered and Hatched!

In the end, Oreki got the answer from Poppi, who had just woken up, late at night.

There are still significant differences between the real world and games.

Oreki wasn't entirely clear on some specialized issues related to cultivation, but he had a wide network of connections!

During his trip to Padia, he collected photos of most of the trainers at the Gym Leader level or above.

Not to mention, he also has a childhood sweetheart who is a champion.

This is a networking training method!

Although Poppy is young, her expertise in the Steel type is second to none, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she is second only to Daigo among the Steel type experts.

Her answer was yes, but almost impossible.

This method inevitably leaves fire-attribute energy in the blacksmith's hammer, but no blacksmith can accept that.

Bopi had tried a similar method before, but its little blacksmith couldn't stand the presence of fire energy in the hammer and even refused to touch it for a time.

It's easy to understand why Steel-type Pokémon inherently dislike fire.

In the end, she had to use the water elemental energy from the mysterious droplet to forcibly neutralize the fire elemental energy, allowing the young blacksmith to pick up his hammer again.

That's why it's said to be difficult to cultivate.

If a trainer with limited resources comes up with a "secret technique" but it doesn't work, they might even ruin their Pokémon's future because they don't have the money to save it.

Just think about it.

So here's the question.

Why is my own little blacksmith acting like nothing happened?

Looking at the young blacksmith in the bedroom who was still awake and studying the Flame Orb, Oreki began to question his life.

Is this guy a steel-type character?

Who has a Steel-type Pokémon that says it wants to sleep with a Flame Orb?

Aren't you afraid of getting burned?

hiss!

So, the young blacksmith has indeed shown no signs of being burned since he received the Flame Orb last night.

Even Tire and Kirlia touched the Flame Orb out of curiosity and weren't burned.

Could it be that...?

Oreki thought of the "Flame Certificate," as well as the Lava Dragon Jewel and the Fireball Stone Tablet.

He couldn't be sure whose role it was, but the root of all this was most likely these three things.

Because of excessive daily contact with fire-attribute energy, a strong immunity has developed. In addition, the "Flame Token" reduces the impact of fire-attribute effects, thus ignoring burns to a certain extent.

This is the most likely explanation he, as a researcher, can currently obtain.

Okay.

Do the fire-resistant Tilley the cat and the little blacksmith have feelings for each other?

"Young blacksmith, are you really not bothered by the residual fire energy in the hammer?"

To ensure the safety of his Pokémon, Oreki asked again.

"Kanon!"

The young blacksmith nodded, indicating that he could easily control the small flame.

"Then you can share this with your sister Kirlia."

Kirlia can also strengthen her own flames by absorbing the energy within the Flame Orb.

"Chiru".

To everyone's surprise, Kirlia, who was meditating with her eyes closed, refused outright.

"Kikiru".

I don't need this.

Tsk, this aloof young lady is something else.

Oreki shrugged at the young blacksmith.

The little blacksmith was stunned for a moment, then, as if receiving a hint that the trainer didn't exist, he scurried over to Kirlia's back.

"Kanaikana."

I'll give my sister a back massage.

Before Kirullian could react, it dropped the hammer and started hammering.

Since Kirlia had just recovered and had begun her sixth meditation enhancement, she was fully focused on experiencing the effects of the extreme enhancement on her body and temporarily neglected to perceive the outside world.

result-

"Young blacksmith, no way!!"

Oreki shouted urgently.

He only dares to touch Kirullian's head and punch her a few times; he gets agitated if he touches any other part of her body.

Not to mention the other person's back, that's an absolute no-go zone, extremely sensitive!

Especially since it has now undergone six meditations—perhaps six times more sensitive—

"!!!"

In an instant, Kirlia's meditation broke down, and a tingling sensation spread from deep within her bones to her entire body, causing her to shiver deeply.

Without a word, it vanished from the spot, and simultaneously, a sharp explosion and—the chaotic sounds of Pokémon—came from outside.

The clueless blacksmith was startled and cast a helpless look at the trainer.

You know nothing about craftsmanship!

"—Never mind, I can't blame you."

Oreki shook his head helplessly; these were all minor matters.

Kirlian will mostly just sneak out in the red zone, and then reappear as if nothing happened.

The key is—please, whatever you do, don't let Officer Jenny come knocking on your door again.

What's wrong with a model citizen like me getting called in by the police every other day?

Ok?

Why is there still some fog?

Oreki suddenly noticed that a faint mist was rising from where Kirlia had been sitting cross-legged.

"Hmm—maybe I got too caught up in it and started sweating from the fright—"

Time flies, and it's already late May.

A full month has passed since Daigo disappeared.

Although Oreki had anticipated that it would take this long, he still found it hard to believe when it actually happened.

What kind of passion could make someone disappear from the face of the earth for a whole month?!

This is even more dedicated than Dr. Solans; the passion that sea sponge has for its work can't compare to your love for stones.

"Ugh!"

Inside the office, Oreki put away his phone, Rotom, and sighed heavily.

However, now is not the time to think about Daigo, but rather—

He looked at the mineral arrangement in the corner, enclosed by transparent glass that isolated energy.

Just an hour ago, the mineral absorbed all of the sixth culture medium he had added. That is, he had just received his salary last month, otherwise he really wouldn't have been able to afford the expensive culture medium.

He calculated that he had spent a total of 800,000 on this unknown ore!

He successfully reduced his hard-earned savings back to below 50,000.

He's even considering asking the college to give him more classes and a raise, because his monthly salary of 250,000 yuan is really not enough to live on!

Fortunately.

The investment of 800,000 seems to be about to yield results.

Inside the transparent glass dome, the ore was shaking wildly between the Molten Dragon Gem and the Fireball Stone Slab, and this had been going on for more than half an hour.

This was the first time Oreki had been shaken for such a long time since he got his hands on it.

In his view, this was clearly a manifestation of energy accumulating to its peak.

Another hour of waiting followed.

Just as it was almost lunchtime and Oreki thought nothing else would happen.

The ore suddenly stopped.

However, it remained suspended in mid-air, its top pointing towards the desk, in a way that defied gravity.

Upon seeing this.

Oreki got up and walked over.

Something amazing happened.

As he moved, the top of the ore actually adjusted slightly to follow his position.

It was as if it were searching for an enemy in the void.

In an instant, all three little ones stopped what they were doing and gathered around.

The little blacksmith and Kirlia looked on with curiosity.

Over three weeks, they witnessed firsthand how the ore became increasingly active and gradually smoothed out its rough edges, making it look much more refined.

But Tire Cat looked at it with a scrutinizing gaze, wanting to see what tricks this damned ore was up to this time.

You'd better just crack me open!

It's disgusting that it keeps wandering around all day, acting mysteriously and trying to get the trainer's attention!

dong dong! !

At this crucial moment, a knock sounded on the door.

Oreki knew it was Cattleya, so he called out "Come in" and didn't pay any more attention.

As Cattleya gained better control over her superpowers, Oreki stopped her from staying by his side for extended periods.

Although I don't know why the other person seemed a little reluctant, I still did it in the end. Now, they only come to see me when I go to and from school and when I eat, which are the times when the crowd is densest.

But Oreki never expected that it wasn't just Cattleya who entered.

And Dr. Solans and—Daigo??

Busigomen!

I just called you and your phone was off, and now you've suddenly appeared?

Are we playing hide-and-seek?

Seeing Oreki's surprised and speechless expression, Daigo, who was covered in dust, felt very awkward. He had already learned from Dr. Solans that the other party had been looking for him.

He smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Oreki-sensei. I encountered a bit of an accident during my adventure. My phone was accidentally broken, and I didn't want to return empty-handed."

Daigo explained it clearly in just a few words.

Oreki understood.

No wonder the initial contact message showed "out of service area," and later it was simply switched off. So that's why.

But the accident that managed to break Daigo's phone is probably not simple.

"what?"

Dr. Solans, being an expert in the field of minerals, immediately noticed something amiss with the mineral in the corner.

"Could it be... hatching?"

After some hesitation, he chose to trust Oreki's judgment and used the word "incubation".

Following Solans's gaze, Daigo looked over. If it weren't for his years of experience and intuition from mining stones, he really wouldn't have recognized that the ore was the one he had given him before.

This is quite a big change.

Wait, Dr. Solans just said "incubation"?

"You mean there are Pokémon inside this ore?!"

Even the usually composed Daigo showed an expression of disbelief; this once again overturned his understanding.

Are there really Pokémon that can be born from ore?

No, that's not right.

If Pokémon really exist, why couldn't they be detected in the database back then?

"I know you might be a little confused, Daigo, but based on my and Dr. Solans's assessment, there is indeed life here, but whether it's a Pokémon is hard to say."

Oreki offered a brief explanation.

"But now it seems the truth will soon be revealed."

"If that's what Oreki-sensei said, then I'll start looking forward to it."

Daigo nodded, but the next second—

He noticed the jade next to the ore.

Ok?

Its smooth, lustrous finish and naturally perfect shape —

This is obviously not an ordinary thing. How could Oreki-sensei have such a perfect stone?

The unremarkable stone slab below looks somewhat familiar.

It feels like so much has happened during the month I was gone—

Based on the principle of prioritizing tasks, Daigo temporarily suppressed his curiosity and waited for the so-called "truth".

Even the usually independent-minded Cattleya patiently sat down on the sofa and waited.

Sudden.

Without any warning, a crack suddenly appeared in the center of the still ore.

"Meow??"

Are you really cracked?

Tire Cat was surprised.

But soon it discovered that the ore cracked open not as it had expected, breaking into dust, but rather felt more like the sensation it had when it was born.

Tonic!

There aren't enough trainers to go around!

With quick reflexes, Oreki removed it from the glass enclosure and placed it on the soft mat that had been prepared beforehand.

My heart started beating faster involuntarily.

More than a month has passed since he received it, and his investment in the ore has been considerable. Now the answer is about to be revealed!

In just a short while, the cracks in the ore spread along the main fissure in the middle, and beams of deep red light emanated from within.

This familiar scene thrilled Oreki.

Isn't this exactly what happens when a Pokémon egg hatches?

What Pokémon could it be?

Everyone held their breath, but intentionally or unintentionally, including Kirlia and the others, they all stood behind Oreki, making him the first person to face after the ore cracked open.

The deep red light did not weaken as the ore completely cracked open; instead, it became even stronger, accompanied by intense heat that seemed to have been accumulating for a long time.

After a wave of scorching heat swept around, a red-bodied creature with black stripes on its back stood proudly in place. Its fur was thick, and its grayish-white curly tail covered its private parts. The thick mane on its forehead not only obscured its eyes, but also left only its black nose exposed, which kept sniffing around.

"This is—Growlithe??"

Daigo's tone carried a hint of uncertainty.

The main problem is that the Pokémon in front of him is quite different from the Growlithe he remembers.

A normal Growlithe dog's body color is orange-yellow, its mane is cream-yellow, and its fur is not this thick.

Could it be a different color—no, it's more like a mutated individual, isn't it?

Daigo turned to look at Dr. Solans.

Solans frowned in thought. To be honest, he seemed to have seen this kind of Pokémon somewhere before, but Pokémon was not his area of research, so after a moment of recollection, he chose to give up and slowly shook his head.

And so—

Everyone, including the three Pokémon, looked at Oreki at the front.

If anyone here would recognize this creature, it would probably be him.

He let out a long sigh, and Oreki had an "I see" expression on his face.

"It's Growlithe, but it's a Growlithe from nearly three hundred years ago. Historically, it was called the Washed Growlithe."

"Three hundred years ago?"

"A washed Growlithe?"

Daigo and Solans spoke in unison.

But before Oreki could continue explaining...

A Pokémon named "Growlithe" suddenly barked.

"Woof!!"

The sound was crisp and clear.

It took a step back, leaped high into the air, and plunged headfirst into Origami's arms, showing great affection.

After sniffing the familiar scent, it kept rubbing its hard head against Oreki's cheek.

In other words, Oreki's physique is so extraordinary that if an ordinary trainer were to do this, they would have their face rubbed off in just a couple of hits.

"A hard head—"

"Meow!"

That despicable ore that steals your food!

Seeing this scene, Tire Cat could no longer tolerate it. It instantly appeared behind Growlithe and stretched out its paw to start pulling its tail.

"Meow?"

Why is its tail so stiff?

Never mind, get down here, you cat!

result--

It's not fair to say they're evenly matched; it's more accurate to say they're completely evenly matched.

Faced with Tire's warning look, Oreki innocently raised his hand, indicating that he hadn't exerted any force to hug Growlithe at all.

The other person simply used their own strength to hold his arm with their forelimbs.

"Meow??"