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

Six hours! Eight hundred thousand!

How about... switching careers and becoming a live streamer in the future?

Chapter 120 Departure, Carlos!

January 3rd, a day of despair for most students and working professionals.

Xia Chen, who had temporarily escaped the troubles of going to school, was of course not included in this group, but today also had a special meaning for him.

That is, today is the day he sets off for the Carlos region.

Having bought his plane ticket, packed his bags, and taken the three most important Poké Balls with him, Xia Chen embarked on his journey to a foreign country.

Compared to the Kanto region that Xia Chen had visited, the Carlos region is much farther away from Donghuang.

It took Xia Chen a full ten hours of flight time to finally set foot on this familiar yet unfamiliar land.

Hmm... I've been there in the game, so I guess I can be considered somewhat familiar with it?

Due to the time difference, we departed at around 10 a.m. and arrived in Carlos at just 1 p.m.

Xia Chen chose the same starting city as Xiao Zhi, which is also located in the center of the Kalos region, the capital city and the most prosperous city in the region, Luna City.

Even more coincidentally, he was also there to see Dr. Blatano.

But Xia Chen wasn't going to get the Pokédex and starter Pokémon; he was going to deliver a letter for Professor Oak.

This was mailed from Pallet Town to Shige after Professor Oak learned that he was coming to the Kalos region.

Xia Chen couldn't understand why Professor Oak would do something so pointless and unnecessary...

Why not just mail it directly to the Bratano Institute in Miare?

Why go through all that trouble?

No, we need to examine this more closely. Why write a letter?

With the internet so readily available these days, why not just send an email directly?

In short, filled with inexplicable confusion, Xia Chen boarded a taxi bound for the Bratano Institute, located in downtown Miare.

…………

As one of the largest international cities in the Pokémon world, Luna City is much larger than it appears in the game.

After nearly an hour of driving, Xia Chen finally caught a glimpse of the city's most famous landmark, the Prism Tower, through the car window.

"Ralu..."

Ralts's small, white hands gripped the car window, gazing in amazement at the high-tech tower in the distance, over two hundred meters tall, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight. Beneath her short blue hair, her small mouth was wide open.

Ibrahimovic gazed nostalgically out the car window at the familiar street scenes receding into the distance, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

At this point in time, the Gym Leader of Luna City should still be Clemont's father, right? (This book is set so that you can only debut at the age of sixteen, hence the alteration.)

It's also unclear how far Team Flare has gone in their infiltration of the Carlos region.

However, there are still two or three years before that incident happens, so at least Xia Chen's safety in the Carlos region doesn't need to be a major concern during this time... right?

Ibrahimovic had some doubts in his heart.

She didn't know if it was her sixth sense acting out of a premonition of danger, or if she was just worrying unnecessarily, or if she had missed something in her memory.

"What's wrong, Eevee? Aren't you having fun on this trip?"

Sensing the unusual behavior of Eevee in his arms, Xia Chen gently rubbed the soft flesh beneath the downy hair on her neck.

That was Ibuki's most sensitive spot, and Xia Chen tried to use that method to soothe her mood.

As for the reason for Ibrahimovic's abnormal behavior being due to acclimatization... Xia Chen had never considered this question.

If even Ibrahimovic, with his constitution, is having trouble adjusting to the new environment, then I should probably be in the hospital by now.

"Buyi~"

After six months of getting to know each other, Ibrahimovic had mastered Xia Chen's "lubricating techniques" to perfection.

With his most sensitive spots being massaged using the most comfortable techniques, Ibu squinted his eyes in comfort, and the anxiety he felt, stemming from an unknown source, vanished.

Forget it, since we're on a rare trip, let's not let unknown risks ruin our good mood.

As soon as he relaxed, sleepiness naturally crept in. He yawned and snuggled closer to Xia Chen.

…………

Seeing the Prism Tower means you're not far from the Bratano Institute, which is located in the city center.

After another ten minutes or so, the taxi stopped in front of a cluster of white buildings that looked like a research institute.

"Guest, I wish you a pleasant trip in the Carlos region."

The well-dressed taxi driver bid farewell to Xia Chen in this manner.

Xia Chen smiled and replied, "Thank you."

It's often said that Miare is an elegant city, both inside and out, and these details certainly prove it.

Stepping onto the cobblestone path, Xia Chen rang the doorbell of the research institute.

Less than two minutes later, rustling footsteps came from behind the iron fence, but it wasn't a person who opened the door, but a large, fiery red fox standing upright, about the same height as Xia Chen.

The final form of the Fire-type starter Pokémon from the Kalos region: Fiery Fox.

"Oh ho?"

The fiery red fox, who also served as a security guard, sized up Xia Chen and the two pendants on his body, then raised the torch in his hand and stared intently at the flames.

About half a minute later, it opened its eyes and nodded solemnly.

Without it making a move, the door slowly opened.

"Whoa." The fiery red fox calmly beckoned Xia Chen to follow behind, then turned around and led the way.

Eevee gazed thoughtfully at the retreating figure of the Fiery Fox.

Legend has it that if the fiery red fox concentrates its mind on the flame burning at the end of the wooden staff, it can foresee future events.

So, it just foresaw that Xia Chen would meet with Dr. Blatano in a little while, so it let itself in without asking any questions?

Have the Pokémon in the research institute become this strong?

…………

Perhaps because it was built in the heart of the expensive Miare city center, the Bratano Institute was much smaller than the Nandu Institute that Xia Chen had visited, but it was still home to just as many elves.

Along the path, the flower buds and petals, almost blending into the flowerbed, basked comfortably in the sun, occasionally waving their stems to scare away the colorful butterflies that lingered on their flowers, wanting to sip nectar.

On the grass nearby, the mischievous panda and the croaking frog were wrestling with pure physical strength, but were interrupted by the digging rabbit that just happened to emerge from the mud under their feet.

The two staggering elves, nearly falling over, exchanged a glance and decided to turn enemies into friends and teach this clueless fellow a lesson.

In the garden further away, Lady Flower, Dorimia, Fragrance Fairy, Fat Sweetie... many of the unique elves of the Carlos region live harmoniously here.

Xia Chen stroked his chin and suddenly thought that becoming a PhD with both fame and fortune wouldn't be bad either, as he could also live the life he had always dreamed of.

However, when he entered the research institute and saw Dr. Blatano running back and forth between different instruments, almost constantly on his feet, he gave up the idea.

As expected, the life of a laid-back gym leader suits me better...

Upon seeing the fiery red fox lead the guests in, the tall and thin Dr. Blatano put down his work.

"Ah, you must be Xia Chen, the one who discovered Milotic's second evolutionary path? Because the experiment was very urgent, I couldn't leave, so I had the Fiery Fox wait at the door."

Dr. Blatano is a handsome, easy-going middle-aged man. Although he is somewhat unkempt due to long hours of experiments, with stubble on his chin that looks rather unappealing, he still exudes a charm that makes people want to like him.

No wonder he's known as the legendary "Dr. Heartthrob".

Eevee on Xia Chen's shoulder was more concerned about something else: Did the Red Fox already know that Xia Chen and it were coming?

Who were they trying to fool by pretending to "predict the future" just now?

Eevee squinted at the nonchalant Fiery Fox beside him, thinking, "This is the first time I've seen someone who can put on an act even better than me!"

Chapter 121 The Journey Begins with an Undercover Mission to the Flame Team

"Hmm, I see..." Dr. Blatano looked thoughtfully at the letter in his hand and muttered to himself.

He looked up and examined Xia Chen's youthful face. "So, you're planning a trip to the Carlos region that will last about six months?"

Xia Chen replied, "Yes, Doctor, I am very interested in the Carlos region, which is the birthplace of the fairy attribute."

The doctor seemed to have thought of something, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "If that's the case, I have an important favor to ask of you."

Xia Chen guessed, "Is it related to the outbreak of the fairy aura last year... no, the year before last?"

Blatano nodded. "That's right, that's the direction I've been researching recently. Although Xerneas is the god of life, the aura of the legendary elves, no matter how gentle, is extremely aggressive to ordinary elves."

"These energies are like alien species, reacting violently with the energy in the elves' original bodies. Some elves are more compatible with this energy and, after being corrupted, gain a new attribute, which is what everyone now knows as the fairy attribute."

The professor raised a question: "But... what about the Pokémon whose attributes didn't change?"

Xia Chen was stunned. Based on his knowledge from games and anime in his previous life, Xerneas possessed the ability to share eternal life.

As for the negative consequences of the released energy, that was beyond his knowledge.

Xia Chen hypothesized, "Perhaps... there's no harm in it?"

The PhD student remarked with a sigh, "What I fear most is that there's no harm in it..."

…………

Suddenly, Blatano asked, "Do you know about the elf protection organizations that were active in various regions decades ago?"

Xia Chen subconsciously thought of Team Plasma, the classic evil organization in the Unova region that advocated rescuing all Pokémon from humans.

But this didn't quite match the activity in the various regions the doctor mentioned, so he replied, "I don't know."

The professor said, "That organization not only advocates for harmonious coexistence between humans and elves, but also proposes that elves should coexist peacefully with each other. Isn't that ridiculous? The law of the jungle is a perfectly normal phenomenon in nature."

"This organization later forcibly conducted an experiment, creating an elf ecosystem without conflict, killing, or food chain. The result was that within a year, the elf population exploded, the ecosystem became resource-scarce, and the entire system collapsed."

Xia Chen finally understood what the doctor meant; he wasn't worried that Xerneas's energy would destroy the elves' lives.

Instead, they worry that the pseudo-"eternal life" created by excessive life energy will cause the entire Carlos region to collapse, just like the ecosystem in that experiment.