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

Xia Chen sat in the interview area, next to Cang Yan Ren Gui, who was named MVP of the match.

He had just recovered from treatment when Xia Chen dragged him to the press conference, which could be seen as a form of indirect reward and encouragement.

Judging from his upright posture, although this guy usually seems nonchalant, he still cares a lot about having such an opportunity to show off.

Below the stage, reporters from all over the world looked excited and asked all sorts of questions about Taijinghua.

In the live stream, dozens of times more viewers than during the actual match crowded into the stream, which was so crowded it was lagging a bit, all waiting for the answers to these questions.

"Gym Leader Xia Chen, what are your thoughts on representing the Donghuang region in the World Gym Leader Tournament? Also, what's the story behind the special power that Azure Flame Blade Demon displayed during the competition?"

This is a reporter's question that reveals the true intentions behind the question.

"Master Xia Chen, it's rumored online that you used underhanded tactics to win this match. What's your explanation for this?"

This is a question from a reporter who asked a question without any apparent reason.

"Master Xia Chen, is that a special phenomenon similar to hyper-evolution? What is the current research progress on that phenomenon?"

This is a normal reporter's question.

Xia Chen naturally gave the opportunity to ask the question to the normal person.

After a moment of contemplation and organizing his thoughts, he replied, "That's right. What happened to the Azure Flame Blade Demon was a phenomenon similar to mega-evolution, which can enhance the spirit. I call it, Hypercrystallization."

Although there was a general consensus on this view online, Xia Chen's confirmation still inevitably caused a stir at the scene.

Then came an even more cacophony of questions.

The crowd control personnel tried to quell the noise for a while but couldn't, so they had to release Incineroar with its Intimidate ability, and only then did the entire venue return to calm.

Xia Chen continued not to answer any of the questions and began his introduction at his own pace.

"This is a joint research project between me and Dr. Orin and Dr. Futu from the Zero Zone Institute. The origin of terrecrystallization also comes from the bottom layer of the Zero Zone of Padia."

The reporters in the audience and the viewers in the live broadcast room looked excited.

Wow, this press conference was so straightforward, it didn't keep us in suspense at all!

…………

"Before introducing the specific features of Meta Crystallization, I think it is more important to tell everyone that, unlike Mega Evolution which can only be used on specific Pokémon, Meta Crystallization is a system that can be used by all Pokémon."

Xia Chen's words caused a huge stir, pushing the post-match press conference to a new climax, and even the many big shots hidden in the live broadcast room turned their attention to him.

The fact that it applies to all Pokémon means it's fair.

Of course, it's not absolutely fair; different Pokémon still have varying strengths, and trainers of different ranks will receive different quality Crystal Orbs—if such differences exist.

However, the emergence of the new system means new possibilities in Pokémon battles.

The 3v3, 6v6, or doubles battle formats have remained unchanged for hundreds of years since humans and elves formed a group contract.

Although each game has different possibilities and unpredictable processes and results, the unchanging format can be quite boring.

Xia Chen's discovery of hyper-evolution changed this landscape.

However, a new problem has arisen: while Mega Evolution combines coolness and practicality, Mega Stones and Key Stones are too rare and place too high demands on trainers and Pokémon.

Gym Leader level – trainers who can reach this level are absolutely one in ten thousand, or even one in a hundred thousand among all professional trainers in the world.

For ordinary people, it's really something they can only see on TV.

While highbrow art may be elegant, it is inevitable that it will be appreciated by few.

Is there a more accessible, common-sense mechanism that works for most trainers?

Xia Chen has brought the answer today.

Have!

"The crystal beads and crystal fragments needed for crystallization are special products of the bottom layer of Zone Zero. They are widely produced and have amazing reserves. Although we dare not say that we can meet the needs of all trainers in the world, it is definitely possible to meet 30% of them."

"Furthermore, crystallization does not require the trainer's mental strength, and the energy requirements for the Pokémon are also greatly reduced. Generally speaking, reaching the senior level or above is enough to safely complete crystallization."

With each sentence Xia Chen spoke, the discussion below the stage grew even more heated.

The atmosphere reached its climax when the discussion turned to the strength requirements of the Pokémon for the Crystallization ability.

Senior level?

The requirements for this level are quite low. For ordinary trainers and Pokémon, almost anyone can reach the senior level after a few years of training. Even Rattata, which is known for its low potential, is no exception.

If what Xia Chen said is true, then in the foreseeable future, the era of everyone being a Taijing will surely arrive!

…………

"Everyone, please be quiet."

Compared to the lackluster press conference hosts, Xia Chen's words carried much more weight.

The chatter from the audience quieted down within three seconds. They looked at Xia Chen with still excited eyes, as if they were seeing a sweet little bear.

Xia Chen, the queen bee, did not disappoint them. After clearing her throat, she uttered a sentence that made everyone hold their breath.

"Next, I will briefly introduce the specific effects of crystallization."

"To put it simply, there are only two key points to crystallization: crystal beads and crystal fragments. The former can be understood as key stones, which play a role in activating crystal energy. However, crystal fragments are somewhat different from super stones. They are divided into eighteen attributes, which are equivalent to the attributes of spirits."

The audience was silent as they eagerly absorbed every piece of information Xia Chen provided, like devout believers listening to divine teachings.

"After special processing, the spirit can eat fragments of the Tai Crystal. Once activated by the special energy in the Tai Crystal Bead, it can complete the Tai Crystalification. After Tai Crystalification, the spirit's attribute will become the attribute of the Tai Crystal fragment it ate, such as my Tai Crystal Fire Azure Blade Demon."

The eyes of the audience lit up instantly; they knew the big one was coming!

"The Crystal attribute will replace the original attribute, whether it is single or dual, but the Pokémon can still enjoy the [Same Attribute Bonus] of the original attribute. The same attribute of Crystal will increase the coefficient of the move power bonus to about twice, the exact amount depends on the quality of the Crystal Fragment and Crystal Bead."

So that explains why Azure Flame Blade Demon's fire-type moves were so powerful in that battle.

This effect is incredibly powerful!

Some journalists with high combat skills immediately realized the effect of crystallization.

Offensively, the double attribute bonus is almost equivalent to attribute advantage, and if a dual-type Pokémon crystallizes into a new type, its STAB moves expand to three!

This greatly increases the Pokémon's attack range.

In terms of defense, it is well known that unless there is a particularly strong dual-type combination, single-type Pokémon are better at defense than dual-type Pokémon, such as Steel, Water, Fairy, and Electric.

Not to mention that many attribute combinations can result in a fourfold weakness, and the top ten pseudo-legendary characters are particularly vulnerable to this fourfold weakness.

Dragonite, Salamence, and Garchomp are 4x weak to Ice; Tyranitar is 4x weak to Fighting; Kommo-o is weak to Fairy...

With the addition of Crystallization, these Pokémon not only lost four times their weaknesses, but also became the dominant force against their former overlords, the Ice and Fairy types!

Its performance on both offense and defense is so excellent, plus the applicability of all Pokémon and the freedom to choose from eighteen attributes.

At this moment, everyone in the audience and the live broadcast room had only one thought in their minds—

Get one for me too!

Chapter 376 Not Like the Wanderings of Youth

The press conference ended abruptly at its climax.

It's a bit odd to turn what should be a post-match press conference for the qualifiers into a Taijinghua press conference.

Besides, there are still matches to be played in the losers' bracket.

Although at this point, nobody really cares...

Because today, February 25, 2025, a date that will be named [Tai Crystal Day] in future history books, trainers and Pokémon battle enthusiasts all over the world are excitedly discussing one thing—Tai Crystallization!

As expected, within hours of the press conference, Xia Chen, the Zero Research Institute, and the Padia Alliance successively revealed a series of information about Taijinghua.

Methods for rendering Taijing fragments harmless, the existence and teaching of the [Taijing Burst] move, the opening hours for purchasing Taijing Beads... and so on.

The Padia League is very efficient. Xia Chen went to see Ye Ci just the day before yesterday, and this afternoon they officially announced that the Tai Crystal Beads, Tai Crystal Fragments of different attributes, and the matching Flower Poison Serum will be available for sale to all trainers starting in May.

Of course, quantities are limited, and pre-orders are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Within minutes of this message being sent out, the official website of the Padiya League was immediately overwhelmed and its servers crashed.

Although it's only a short sentence, it's actually not that simple to handle.

This means that in just over two months, they need to complete a series of tasks, including mining crystal ore, making crystal beads, and establishing a route to the Elf Center.

This is no small amount of work.

One can imagine how busy Jinhui Town, located right next to the Zero Zone gate, especially the Alliance civil servants in the town, will be in the coming period.

Xia Chen silently mourned for Aoki, the owner of the corporate slave club, for three seconds in advance.

While ordinary trainers can only experience crystallization after three months, it is much easier for special individuals such as Gym Leaders and Elite Four.

Basically, the top trainers who had free time contacted the Padiya League that very day to inquire about experiencing the Crystallization as soon as possible, and the Padiya League generously agreed to all of them.

The alliance's main objective is to expand Taijinghua's influence as quickly as possible during this three-month gap.

For top trainers, a system like this that can significantly boost a Pokémon's battle power during battles is crucial; if others have it and they don't, their chances of winning will be greatly reduced.

This is why almost all the gym leaders in this selection tournament have Mega Evolution – they simply can't win without it!

It's easy to imagine that next month's World Gym Leader Tournament will inevitably see a chaotic battle between Mega Evolution and Crystallization.

That world-renowned competition will also become an important stage for expanding Taijinghua's influence.

…………

The lingering effects of tert-crystalline formation are still ongoing.

In the days that followed, the most discussed topic on various social media platforms was the different crystallization choices made by each elf.

Although they haven't achieved crystallization yet, this doesn't hinder the progress of the fantasy time.

There are nearly a thousand kinds of Pokémon in the world, and each kind of Pokémon can be combined with eighteen different types, which gives trainers a huge creative stage.

What started as a calm discussion gradually escalated into an argument about "my build is better than yours," and then into a verbal battle over "how are you going to catch my Steel-type Crystal Burst?"

Meanwhile, Xia Chen, having already secured his ticket to the World Gym Leader Tournament, arrived at Padia District Zero.

The purpose of this trip is to take back a few large enough pieces of Taijing mother ore.

The energy in the crystal beads will be completely consumed after helping the spirits crystallize, and replenishing the energy requires a "power bank" like the crystal mother ore.

Donghuang and Padia are extremely far apart, and it's impossible for him to run back to Zone Zero to "recharge" every time he crystallizes. So he thought of bringing a few pieces of mother ore back to Yuanling Island to be self-sufficient.