Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game

Pulling himself back to reality, Xia Chen continued reading. He knew that what Teacher Mo Lan valued was definitely not just this.

Turning the page gently, the next page reads: "However, in Gulin Town, a place rich in gold, I heard another legend. It is said that someone saw a tiny golden man covered in gold coins near the gold mine! But this person was a gambling addict, and the people around him just thought he had lost money and was delirious. No one took his description seriously. I am not sure either, but I am just recording it for future generations to refer to."

This concludes the local history of Gulin Town.

Xia Chen looked up thoughtfully at Teacher Mo Lan.

Mo Lan explained, "This book was compiled by people sent by King Nevenmore III to various parts of Padonia a thousand years ago, when the Padian Empire was at its most powerful. Regardless of its credibility, the compilers faithfully recorded the local history and legends of the places they were responsible for. Unfortunately, the Treasure of Disaster later caused great calamities in various parts of Padonia, and this local history was destroyed by fire before it could be circulated. What I have in my hand may be the only copy left."

"So, perhaps only I know the legend of this golden man... Oh, and now I have to add you to the list."

Teacher Mo Lan smiled slightly, "So, what are your thoughts on the secret of this golden figurine?"

Xia Chen guessed, "An evolved form of the Money-Stealing Spirit?"

Teacher Mo Lan affirmed, "If that gambler isn't suffering from hysteria, I think the chances are quite high. After all, there are very few Pokémon in the Pokémon world that are weak without an evolved form."

Who said that? There's also a speaker...

Xia Chen silently complained to himself.

Ah, no, we've all forgotten that it evolved from the Circle Mage because of its weakness.

It's evolved a bit but still only has around 300 base stats, and it can't evolve any further. Looking through the Pokédex, you probably can't find another one like it...

…………

"I... don't really like going out. Aren't you going to travel to the Parthian region? If you could, would you be willing to help me find out if this legend is true or false? If you really discover the evolved form of the Money-Gathering Spirit, I will definitely thank you properly!"

Recalling Teacher Mo Lan's instructions, Xia Chen, sitting on the plane bound for Zhuotai City, rubbed his temples in distress.

It is certain that, apart from that local chronicle, there are no other records of the "Golden Men" appearing in the wild in the Parthian region.

The Money-Gathering Spirit is already rare and difficult to catch, and now we have to study its elusive evolutionary path, which we don't even know if it exists?

This is a difficult task...

Well, it'll be a long time before Goomy evolves into Goodra, so I'll use this lull to try catching a Moneypick and doing some research.

It was also a small goal I set for myself to travel to the Padiya region.

Gathering his thoughts, Xia Chen looked out at the blue sky and white clouds and entered a deep meditation mode.

The Eastern Huang region is extremely far from the Padiya region, and a single journey takes a full eight hours.

Breathing deeply, my mind cleared, and in that hazy moment, it felt as if only a few seconds had passed, yet also as if several days had gone by.

Xia Chen, who was in deep meditation, was gently awakened by Gardevoir's psychic power.

A notification sound came from the loudspeaker.

"Dear passengers, the aircraft is about to arrive at Orange Airport in Tabletop. There may be some turbulence during the landing process, please..."

Xia Chen's spirits lifted.

We've arrived in Tabletop, Parthia region.

Chapter 242 Arrival in Padiya

Tabletop is the largest city in the Padia region, located in the southern part of the center of the continent. It is bordered to the north by the famous Padia pit and surrounded by water on the other three sides.

The biggest difference between Tabletop and other regional capitals is that Tabletop is a city built around an academy called Orange Academy.

This ancient academy was founded during the Parthian Empire and has been passed down for over a thousand years.

As perhaps the most famous school in the world, it welcomes students from all regions and age groups every year.

That's right, all age groups.

As long as you have enough love for elves and pass the entrance exam, you can enter the school to study.

Originally, there was only the first requirement for admission, but in recent years, with the increasing frequency of exchanges between regions, more and more international students have applied, and the admission requirements have become more stringent.

Today, those who are able to study at the academy are all outstanding talents with exceptional performance or extraordinary potential in their respective fields.

Battles, nurturing, research, care... even cooking—anyone who meets the requirements can enroll.

As for Mingyi's learning direction, it is naturally Pokémon battles.

It is said that she prepared for several months to prepare for the Orange Academy's remote admissions exam.

She passed numerous hurdles, including written tests, video practice, and final interviews, eliminating thousands of competitors before finally gaining admission.

In some ways, this was even more difficult than Xia Chen's attempt to gain admission to Peking University.

As the plane slowly descended, Xia Chen could see through the porthole the Orange Academy complex in downtown Taiwan, a massive, Paleocene-style building complex that resembled a castle.

Like the Galar region, the Padia region also offers flying taxi services, except that the drivers here are not Corviknights but Angry Parrots instead of Corviknights.

The reason for this is that the Great Blacksmiths of the Padia region are natural enemies of the Corviknights, and there are frequent incidents of Great Blacksmiths using their large hammers to knock rocks away and bring down Corviknights.

Over time, there were fewer and fewer Steelraven taxis.

After all, even if a mode of transportation carries a huge risk of crashing, no one would dare to ride it for free...

…………

Arriving in a new area, one naturally wants to try the local specialties, so Xia Chen chose the Flying Taxi at the airport exit over a regular taxi.

This was Xia Chen's first time riding in a flying taxi, and the experience was quite different from flying directly on an elf's back.

The latter was for getting somewhere quickly, while the former's leisurely flight speed was more like sightseeing.

Ascending to a height of over 100 meters, the entire cityscape of Tsukita City unfolds before your eyes.

The Orange Academy complex extends behind the crater surrounding the Padia Crater.

This mountain is quite different from mountains in the ordinary natural environment; it is made entirely of rock and is barren of vegetation.

In addition, the crater's terrain is extremely steep, almost vertical, forming a natural barrier that isolates the giant crater from the outside world.

The mountaintop was shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see the environment inside the giant pit from the outside.

Xia Chen naturally did a lot of research before traveling to this most famous location in the Padiya region.

From the treasure legends that have been circulating for two thousand years, to the successful arrival of the Zero Zone Observation Team at the deepest part of the giant pit two hundred years ago, and then to the Zero Research Institute that the Alliance officially established in the giant pit a few years ago.

Xia Chen had a general understanding of the situation.

Overall, this is an unknown place filled with mystery.

The Padiya League prohibits entry to anyone other than institute staff or authorized personnel.

Of course, even if it were allowed, Xia Chen wouldn't go in.

He had a clear understanding of his own abilities. Going into a mysterious place where he didn't even know what kind of monsters were inside was just courting death.

Lost in thought about the Parthian region, I didn't realize that the journey was nearing its end.

To be honest, the Angry Parrot didn't fly very fast, but because there were no intersections in the sky to obstruct the way, Xia Chen quickly arrived at the huge square in front of Orange Academy.

As the new school year begins, the square is bustling with people.

Even so, Xia Chen still spotted Mingyi, who had come to pick him up, in the crowd at a glance.

It wasn't her who was conspicuous, but the Earth King lying next to her, who looked like a giant piece of chocolate.

Besides the Earth King, standing next to Mingyi was a girl with a wheat-colored complexion and a good figure, wearing a single ponytail.

What's particularly eye-catching is that the girl has two tufts of green hair in her hair, giving her a cool and stylish look.

The girl with the single ponytail also has a fairy by her side. This orange-yellow, fluffy creature is very cute. It looks like a bear, but its size is only about half a person's height.

It is the distinctive spirit of the Padiya region, Babutubo.

Xia Chen could roughly guess that this girl was Nemo, Mingyi's best friend from Orange Academy.

…………

Mingyi spotted Xia Chen getting out of the Flying Taxi early on and came over with cheerful steps.

The Earth King followed behind with his four short legs flapping, his beady eyes giving him a silly and goofy look.

"You must be tired after such a long flight! Let's go inside the school and rest for a while!"

Mingyi smiled with her eyes narrowed, clearly delighted that Xia Chen had come from Beijing as promised.

After saying that, she took Xia Chen's hand as if no one else was there and was about to walk inside, leaving the girl with the single ponytail who followed her speechless. "Hey, Mingyi, did you forget something?"

Only after being reminded did Mingyi realize that there was a third person beside her. She playfully stuck out her tongue and introduced the two people to each other.

"Oh, right, this is Nemo, the one I told you about. Nemo, this is Xia Chen, the one I told you about too."

Mingyi's way of introducing herself was very unique, it felt like... she said nothing at all.

Nemo sighed helplessly and didn't bother arguing with Mingyi, who was in a daze. She introduced herself and said, "Hello, I'm Nemo, a third-year student at Orange Academy and the student council president. I've been following you online for a long time. It's nice to meet you."

Xia Chen politely shook Nemo's outstretched hand and said with a smile, "I often hear Mingyi mention you. She said your combat skills are quite outstanding. We should exchange ideas sometime."

At the mention of Pokémon battles, Nemo's demeanor changed drastically. Her eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "Great! How about right now?"

Xia Chen: "......"

Does this guy not know what small talk or politeness means?

As we all know, "having an opportunity" means it's not now, right?

Mingyi interrupted Nemo impatiently, "Senior, can you please be mindful of the occasion when you challenge someone to a duel?"

Recovering from her "frenzy," Nemo scratched her head sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry. I heard from Mingyi that you were coming, and I was really looking forward to playing against you. But there's no rush. We should be able to face each other at the World Youth Championships in July."

Xia Chen asked curiously, "Oh? Nemo, you're going to participate in that competition too?"

Mingyi explained, "That's right, Nemo is not only the current student council president, but also the champion of this year's Orange Contest."

Xia Chen nodded thoughtfully.

The so-called Orange Competition should be an intra-school competition organized by Orange Academy.

Can the champion of a school competition directly represent the region in competitions?

Orange Academy certainly holds a high position in Padia...

Chapter 243 Are you coming for Sad Tea today? (4k views, requesting monthly votes at the end of the month)