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

These direct words made Cynthia blush slightly, and she naturally didn't delve into the reason why Orin left the room.

Xia Chen was amazed. This artificial intelligence could actually exploit human weaknesses and divert attention through precise verbal attacks. Its intelligence was too high!

However, Xia Chen wasn't sure if these words counted as a helping hand to him, since Cynthia wasn't the kind of girl who was easily swayed by love.

He explained, trying to cover it up, "Actually, she just doesn't like my cooking, but she didn't say it out of consideration for me."

Cynthia smiled slightly, "It seems your cooking skills aren't quite at the level to win everyone over."

Xia Chen thought to himself, "I don't know if I can win over everyone, but this guy definitely can't."

How do you conquer a robot whose body is filled with intricate circuitry...?

…………

After a satisfying meal, Xia Chen took Xilona out for a stroll to digest their food.

This is definitely not a stroll on the ground floor. There's nothing here except for Taijing and Jingguanghua. Only someone with a serious mental illness would bring a girl here.

They went to the upper level of Zone Zero, a place filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.

With the high-speed transportation of the Gurrenton, the winding journey of thousands of kilometers from the bottom to the top can be traversed in the blink of an eye.

Sensing the unusual speed, the perceptive Cynthia immediately asked in surprise after getting out of the car, "Has its injury fully healed?"

Xia Chen smiled and nodded, "Not only that, but I've also improved."

Cynthia naturally felt no jealousy. Instead, she said, "That's good. Then you don't have to worry about Milton causing you trouble anymore."

A champion's magnanimity is never about being jealous of talent, but about striving for the highest peak.

Amidst their laughter and conversation, Xia Chen and Cynthia released the rest of the Pokémon to relax together.

As they walked, the elves gradually dispersed, leaving the two of them alone.

Occasionally, without realizing it, they would be half-pulled and half-draggled away by the two ribbons.

Soon, only the two wandering figures remained in the beautiful wilderness.

"So, what have you been doing in Zone Zero all this time? Researching paradoxical species?"

"I asked, Cynthia."

"Not entirely. The main focus is on studying a very magical phenomenon, first discovered by Dr. Orin and Dr. Fortu, called 'Tai Crystallization'."

Since crystallization was not among the "secrets" mentioned by Dr. Orin, Xia Chen revealed it all.

"If this research can be perfected, it will be a mechanism with an impact no less than that of super evolution!"

Xia Chen's tone was like a child showing off a new toy, but the content of his words completely stunned Cynthia.

It's no less than a super evolution!

What is this concept?

It's worth noting that since its debut last year, super evolution has been the hottest trend in the world, with countless people engaged in research and business in this area, no less than super evolution itself.

That sounds like a huge exaggeration, doesn't it?

If it weren't Xia Chen who said those words, Xilona would have thought that person was crazy.

Xia Chen was originally very excited to have Gu Leton demonstrate it on the spot, but unfortunately the guy wasn't around, so he had to give up.

"Anyway, this is probably a special mechanism that can change a Pokémon's type and increase its strength in a short period of time. The current progress is stuck on research similar to the Mega Stone. By the way, the Mega Stone is the kind of stone that covers the bottom layer of Zone Zero."

He gave a brief introduction.

More than a month of research allowed Xia Chen to obtain complete information about the structure of the Taijing Stone and Taijing fragments. Technological development in the past decade has been rapid, and much of the information was something that couldn't be obtained in that era.

Cynthia couldn't help but say, "With so many, wouldn't it be possible to promote this technology to the whole nation once it's developed?"

Xia Chen smiled and nodded. That's why he said that the impact of crystallization is no less than that of super evolution. It has an advantage that the latter cannot match—its popularity.

The mountains and plains are covered with Taijing ore, and the reserves of Taijing fragments are also considerable. The possibility of its widespread promotion and popularization is much greater than that of the currently scarce Super Stone and Keystone.

"I thought they were all crystal flowers," Hilona remarked.

Xia Chen responded, "There are indeed quite a few crystalline flowers at the bottom..."

Wait... a crystal flower?!

The casual conversation suddenly sparked a flash of inspiration in Xia Chen's mind: Crystal Blossom is a Rock and Poison type Pokémon, containing a huge amount of potent toxins.

The crystal flower, the Taijing stone, and the Taijing fragments grow almost side by side. Could it be that the toxins from the crystal flower seeped in?

Xia Chen hadn't found this direction in his research log, but in any case, it was a direction worth exploring!

Overwhelmed with excitement after being tormented by this research for over a month, Xia Chen hugged Cynthia, who had given him the hint, and exclaimed, "Thank you for the reminder!"

Cynthia, caught off guard by the "surprise attack," froze. Her beautiful, misty eyes, like autumn water, gazed at the boy's face, which she had known for two years but had never been so close to before. For a moment, she felt dizzy and mesmerized.

The boy's slightly heavy breath, made by excitement, brushed against Cynthia's beautiful face. The blonde beauty pursed her lips, feeling her heart pounding faster than ever before.

Even the Eight Masters Tournament, where he won the championship and became a legend, is not even one-tenth as good as this one.

She tried to push him away, but her hands inexplicably felt weak and powerless.

She could only exhale softly, each word deliberate and low, "Xia Chen... let go..."

Chapter 369 Thank goodness you came, Nana (Daily 10,000 words 4/5, second update 5,000 words)

When Garchomp saw its trainer again, it felt like she was acting a little strange.

But she's also a single dog... no, a single dragon, and she can't quite put her finger on what's strange about it.

Gardevoir, on the other hand, was very perceptive. Seeing Cynthia's still-blushing face, she knew that something must have happened when Cynthia and Xia Chen were alone together.

Feeling a little jealous, she decided to ignore Xia Chen for the rest of the day.

Although that was what she was thinking, she still went over to tidy up Xia Chen's somewhat disheveled collar.

Xia Chen coughed somewhat guiltily and said to Gu Leton, "Let's go back. I had some new ideas about the research while we were walking, and I'll need your help later."

Therefore, Leighton nodded indifferently and then bent down.

Xia Chen and Shirona retrieved the elf and boarded the Guleton to return to the research institute at the bottom level.

As soon as he got back, he hurriedly found Orin to ask her about the Crystal Flower.

If we were to ask who in the world understands the Crystal Flower best, the most likely candidate would be the Zero Zone Research Institute.

Because only here are the mountains covered with crystal flowers, it is rare for outsiders to even see a single one.

Although Orin didn't know why Xia Chen wanted the information about the Crystal Flower, she still handed him the research data on the Crystal Flower she had collected over the years.

Because the Crystal Flower is highly poisonous and grows everywhere, it could pose a significant threat to the research institute's staff. Therefore, the institute has conducted very detailed research on its toxins.

They even used the principles of snake venom serum to develop a method for preparing flower venom serum.

Of course, since there were no living people left in the research institute, the serum was no longer needed, and the institute had no stock at that time.

What Xia Chen needs to figure out now is whether there are any substances in the Taijing fragments that are the same as those in the Crystal Flower toxin.

The detailed study of the crystal fragments over the past month had not been in vain, and was now proving effective.

Upon comparison, Xia Chen indeed made the discovery he had expected—not only did it exist, but the match was extremely high!

This means that Xia Chen's previous guess was correct; the spirits who failed the experiment were poisoned by the toxins in the Crystal Flower!

…………

With a definite breakthrough in mind, the subsequent research proceeded smoothly.

The serum for the flower poison was prepared according to the previous methods of the research institute, and the efficacy was tested on the experimental subjects, including Gullerton, which is not afraid of the small amount of poison.

The experiments in the following days went very smoothly, both in the production of the flower poison serum and in the serum's detoxification effect on the crystal fragments.

The only difference from what was initially expected was that Xia Chen misunderstood the relationship between the Taijing fragments and the Crystal Flower.

It wasn't that the toxins of the Crystal Flower seeped into the Taijing fragments, but rather that the energy of the Taijing fragments affected the Crystal Flower, or rather, the Crystal Flower itself was a derivative spirit of the Taijing fragments.

However, this was a trivial matter; the most important moment had finally arrived.

After the successful clinical trials on Guleton, the most crucial question is whether the serum can be applied to ordinary elves.

Although the most likely outcome is yes, no one can say for sure until an actual experiment is conducted.

Therefore, the selection of experimental subjects became a problem.

"How about we send Lucario? Champion-level Pokémon naturally have higher physical attributes, and Steel-type Pokémon are immune to Poison-type Pokémon."

Cynthia, who had been accompanying Xia Chen in his research for the past few days, volunteered.

Lucario, standing to the side, nodded calmly, indicating his willingness to dedicate himself to science.

Xia Chen pondered for a moment. In the research log, there were indeed no Steel-type Pokémon in the first and only batch of experimental Pokémon. It could not be ruled out that Steel-type Pokémon could be immune to the toxicity of the Taijing fragments.

No matter how you look at it, Lucario, the strongest Steel-type Pokémon in the research institute, is definitely the best choice.

After considering the pros and cons, Xia Chen didn't hesitate and immediately nodded in agreement.

"So, what type of crystal fragment would you like to choose?"

Xia Chen looked at Cynthia and Lucario and asked.

Cynthia had clearly considered this question beforehand and answered without hesitation, "Steel type."

Xia Chen nodded as expected.

…………

Crystallize will change the Pokémon's type to a single Crystallize type, but the STAB power bonus of the Pokémon's original type moves will still be present.

Therefore, for Pokémon, the best type is the one that can eliminate four times the original weakness, and the second best type is one that can increase the coverage of attacks.

For example, Garchomp with a 4x weakness to Ice and a Crystal Steel form not only eliminates the weakness of Ice-type, but also gains the ability to attack Fairy-type, another natural enemy of Dragon-type.

Lucario's Fighting and Steel typing is already quite good, and its coverage is also excellent, so it's better to enhance its existing typing.

Whether pure Fighting or pure Steel is better is something every trainer knows in their heart.

Moreover, crystallization does not result in the loss of the original Fighting-type move power bonus, so choosing the Steel type, which has better coverage, is a logical choice.

It is foreseeable that if the crystallization can be successfully promoted in the future, the most sought-after crystallization attributes will be the already popular major elements such as steel, water, fairy, and electricity.

After making the final decision, the experiment began amidst the tense observation of the elves.