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

And what about Leighton?

Xia Chen turned to look at the other side and saw that a similar surge of powerful energy was being released from the crystal, whether actively or passively, it all rushed into Gu Leton's body.

Therefore, Leighton's body was also covered with the same crystalline carapace, except that his crystalline color was a thick brownish-red.

It's like... the glow of Fighting-type energy?

Looking again at the golden crystal on Milton's body, Xia Chen had a vague idea in his mind: was this a mechanism that could... change the attributes of a Pokémon?

Chapter 365 The Truth of Zone Zero, The Third God of Padia, Talebagos!

Outside Research Institute Zero, the phenomenon of crystal anomalies reached its climax.

Golden and brownish-red crystalline essences had condensed into a layer of shimmering crystalline armor on the bodies of the two elves. Although not thick, its crystal-clear texture was dazzling and stunning.

Above the foreheads of the two elves are two marks resembling lightning bolts and fists, seemingly confirming Xia Chen's conjecture about the mechanism by which this phenomenon changes attributes.

(The crystallized shape has been slightly modified; the animation's direct copy of reality is a bit hard to accept...)

Seeing the changes in the two elves, Xia Chen felt a slight stirring in his heart.

If they can, can't I...?

After all, he and Deoxys are now essentially the same entity in different forms, and can be considered elves.

So he began to try to absorb the radiance emanating from the surface of the research institute.

But no matter how hard he tried to capture it, the final result was not as he wished.

It's as if...his body is an open container capable of storing liquid, while the energy emitted by the crystals is like a gas that can dissipate at any time—

He lacks a "lid".

Xia Chen didn't know what to use to make the lid, but that was obviously not something to consider right now.

Before us, the two spirits, now fully crystallized, began their second round of battle.

Every seemingly casual gesture and attack from Milton was far more terrifying than when he was on the upper level. Based on the overflowing aura, it was conservatively estimated that his power had increased by about one-third.

But it was different for Guleton. Consumed by rage and losing its reason, it unleashed Reverse Scale, a move whose power was almost identical to its previous one.

Clearly, this special phenomenon only enhances its Fighting attribute and has no effect on Dragon-type Outrage.

Even worse than not receiving the boost from the increased move power is that the damage from Electric-type moves that Guruton suffered seems to have been amplified even further...

Xia Chen had a vague idea of ​​the answer: the crystallization phenomenon most likely transformed Guleton, who had both Fighting and Dragon attributes, into a single Fighting attribute.

Without the dragon's resistance to electricity, a 100,000-volt attack would naturally hurt even more.

From another perspective, Reverse Scale can no longer deal double the damage against Milton, which is now a pure Electric-type.

Before him, Millerton, who had bravely endured the humiliation yet appeared unmoved, told Xia Chen with a cold gaze that he was right.

The good news is that Xia Chen has made a preliminary understanding of the strengthening principle of this special crystallization.

The bad news is that the price paid was Leighton's constant beatings.

This is troublesome...

…………

Xia Chen never expected that his eagerness to obtain the Origin Scales and his use of the Reverse Scale would lead to such terrible consequences.

If he hadn't used Reverse Scale, Leton could at least use his enhanced Fighting-type moves to fight back, or at the very least, escape safely.

But now, the fanatical side effects of the reverse scale have rendered all these options futile.

Regret is useless; the key is to get through the current difficulties.

Xia Chen glanced down at the Zero Research Institute, which remained unscathed amidst the aftershocks of the clash, and seemed lost in thought.

The building seems to be quite sturdy.

Why don't we go inside and lay low for a while?

Xia Chen was no longer able to consider the consequences of his actions on the research institute.

Since Dr. Orin is an AI and not a real person, there is no moral dilemma for her.

Having made up his mind, he now only needed to wait for Guleton to finish his frenzied state of rebellion, and then he would immediately collect him into the ball and escape into the research institute.

The plan is wonderful, but reality often falls short of expectations.

As time passed, Xia Chen, who was conserving his energy to avoid running out of strength, discovered an unexpected problem—

Perhaps due to his overwhelming strength, Leton's Frenzy state lasted for an unusually long time. Xia Chen waited for nearly ten minutes, but there was no sign of it stopping.

Including the time spent speeding along the way, the frenzy of Reverse Scale has lasted for more than half an hour!

This would be almost unimaginable for an ordinary elf.

Numerous studies have shown that elves in a frenzy state will gradually exit the frenzy within three minutes.

The sweltering heat has lasted for more than half an hour, and it shows no signs of dissipating; it's definitely going to last longer!

Xia Chen was worried that if things continued like this, Deoxys would run out of energy and Leton would still not be able to break free from his fanatical state, which would be a huge problem.

To avoid this situation, Xia Chen decisively chose a strategic retreat—first exiting his transformed state and running into the research institute to conserve his energy, then flying out to retrieve Guleton's frenzied state once it dissipated.

This is currently the only viable solution.

…………

It must be said that the building strength of Research Institute Zero is quite astonishing.

The battle between the two legendary Pokémon had been going on for more than ten minutes, but the research institute, which was only a hundred meters away from the battlefield, remained completely unharmed. The special crystals covering it did not even show a single crack.

The wonder of creation in the world of elves lies in this; it is very likely that this is a material with strength comparable to that of a super stone.

Under the protection of the crystal, Xia Chen arrived safely at the gate of the large research institute.

He exited the transformation, shook his head which was throbbing from transforming into Deoxys, and unlocked his iris to enter the research institute.

Inside, everything was exactly the same as yesterday. The few staff members seemed oblivious to the commotion outside, busily working as if following a set procedure.

Xia Chen remained silent; it seemed these ordinary people weren't human anymore...

Where is Dr. Orin?

Her AI level must be higher, so will she have a special reaction to this situation, which should be considered expected?

For safety, Xia Chen sent Sylveon and Gardevoir to protect him, while he arranged for Dragapult, the smallest and easiest to escape, to keep an eye on the battle from the outside.

He then used his waveguide power to search for Dr. Orin while exploring the interior of the research institute.

The enhancement of his mental strength has made Xia Chen's wave-guiding power have an extremely wide range, covering most of the research institute without any problem.

Because of the shielding provided by this special crystal, Xia Chen could only search room by room.

Soon, the first level was explored, but Dr. Orin was not found.

So, is it up or down?

At the top of the stairs, Xia Chen pondered this question.

He suddenly remembered that when he talked to Dr. Orin yesterday, she seemed to have mentioned that the so-called time machine was located underground.

This special node might not even exist in that place?

Without further hesitation, Xia Chen stepped onto the first basement level.

The underground passage is very clear; going down the stairwell, there are two passages, one on the left and one on the right.

To the left is a wild and unrestrained style, to the right a cyberpunk and dreamlike style, like one leading to the past and the other to the future.

Because Dr. Orin had mentioned that she was in charge of the ancient paradoxical species, Xia Chen chose to go left.

There were no extra laboratories or other rooms on the first basement floor. Following the strange passage all the way to the bottom, what appeared before Xia Chen was an extremely fantastical scene.

…………

On the wall, a huge opening, resembling a black hole, was wide open—in reality, Xia Chen had never seen a black hole, and his description was simply because he thought that's what a black hole should look like.

The cave entrance is entirely black, yet it seems to contain all the colors in the world; the so-called multicolored black is probably no more than this.

"Is this the passage to the ancient world...?"

Xia Chen muttered to himself.

"Yes, this is a time machine to the past, or more precisely, a one-way time machine from the past to here!"

"Beside the passage," Dr. Orin replied calmly.

Xia Chen, who was immediately drawn to the spectacular sight upon entering, only then realized that Dr. Orin was standing by the passageway.

He frowned and asked, "Are you still going to stick to this? Isn't that unnecessary, Dr. Orin... or rather, Ms. AI?"

Orin's face showed no surprise or annoyance at being exposed; she simply said calmly, "You found out? I understand... Did that kid, Guleton, tell you?"

Xia Chen breathed a sigh of relief when the Orin AI didn't react excessively. He was afraid that the thing would activate some kind of protection program because the truth had been discovered.

"Let's get to know each other again. I am an artificial intelligence created based on Dr. Orin's wisdom and knowledge. You can call me Orin."

Like Gu Leton, AI itself didn't take the substitution too seriously; only Xia Chen was alarmed and worried about it.

But Xia Chen can't be entirely blamed. Anyone who discovers that the living person in front of them is actually a robot would probably not react calmly.

But after getting used to it, Xia Chen is now able to face it calmly.

Then, he blurted out all the questions that had been troubling him for so long.

"The existence of paradoxical species, the crystals in the research institute—what exactly is going on?"

Although it's uncertain whether Orin AI will tell the truth, asking might yield an answer, while not asking would definitely mean missing the opportunity.

Fortunately, Orin answered.

As if triggering a question-and-answer mechanism from an NPC in a game, she immediately said, "This crystal is called [Tai Crystal]. It has existed in the bottom layer of Zone Zero for an unknown amount of time. It is a creation of a great god."

Xia Chen's heart skipped a beat. A god? Is it the third god of Parthia?

He pressed further, "What kind of beings are these so-called gods you speak of?"

Because it was AI, Orin barely needed to think before quickly replying, "The god's name is Talebagos. Legend has it that the god's form is like a giant tortoise, shaped like a disc, radiating a dazzling aura. He is the creator of the entire continent of Padia."

Xia Chen nodded to himself. So it really was the creation myth of Parthia?