Chapter 58: Dark-type, pseudo-legendary, could it be...

"Er..."

The leader carefully weighed his words. "There might be, well, a tiny, infinitesimal gap between the value of the Beldum and the price range we can offer..."

Lin Lange calmly replied, "I'll cover the price difference. Is ten million League dollars enough?"

After a moment of sheer astonishment, the leader was overcome with wild elation.

Turning official business into private profit—wealth was knocking on the door!

He hurriedly said, "Enough, more than enough! As it happens, our breeding base imported a shiny Beldum from the Hoenn region some time ago, and I haven't mentioned it to anyone yet. If you're interested, we could discuss adding a little bit more..."

As he introduced the details, he led Lin Lange toward the sector where the Beldums were kept.

Of the trio from the Huba Cup who had entered together, three had left, leaving only Xia Chi alone in the lounge.

The remaining female staff member asked, "Mr. Xia, what kind of Pokémon do you have in mind?"

Xia Chi thought for a moment and replied, "With a limit of one million League dollars, what kind of Pokémon can I buy here? Exceeding it by a few hundred thousand doesn't matter."

The thirty-thousand-dollar prize from the Huba Cup was still in his account, and by scraping together some more funds, gritting his teeth to buy a Pokémon worth one million and a couple hundred thousand wasn't entirely out of the question.

The staff member brought over a tablet, handed it to Xia Chi, and smiled, "All the Pokémon in our base are listed inside. You can filter them according to your needs—by type or price. By the way, for types, just filter by the Pokémon's final evolutionary form."

Hah, quite advanced.

Xia Chi took the tablet and filtered for Dark-type Pokémon within the price range of one to two million. Only a handful of options met the criteria.

One was a Skorupi possessing the bloodline of an Elite Four-level Flygon and a Gym-level Drapion. The breeding base rated its potential as Excellent, with a price tag of one million.

Another was a Pawniard with the bloodline of an Elite Four-level Lucario and a Gym-level Kingambit. Its potential was rated as Superior, priced at 1.5 million.

The third was a Zorua with a mysterious bloodline, rated as Good potential, priced at two million.

That was it.

Come to think of it, Zorua really was an absurd Pokémon. Due to its elusive rarity, even with a mysterious bloodline and potential sitting only at the fourth tier of Good, it could still command a price of two million.

After a brief moment of thought, Xia Chi said, "Take me to see them."

He didn't have any obsessive attachment to these three Pokémon; he still needed to check their individual traits firsthand.

Thus, for the remainder of the morning, Xia Chi bustled back and forth across the vast breeding base, interacting with all three target Pokémon.

How should he put it? All three Pokémon were quite nice, but Xia Chi didn't feel that spark.

That sense of instant connection and affinity, just like when he had first laid eyes on Sprigatito and Mismagius.

Could it simply be a shallow issue of looks?

Yet Zorua was clearly quite adorable as well.

Xia Chi could only attribute it to fate not yet being fulfilled.

Reluctant to give up, he asked, "Are there any other Dark-type Pokémon in this price range?"

Actually, if the staff member replied no, he wouldn't dwell on it any further and would simply look at Pokémon of other types instead.

However, after hesitating for a moment, the young woman said uncertainly, "Well, there is one Pokémon that fits your criteria, but it might have a slight... flaw."

Xia Chi asked in confusion, "A flaw?"

The staff member explained, "That little one hatched over a year ago. Its paternal and maternal bloodlines are exceptional—both are Elite Four-level. However, it suffers from a very severe congenital genetic disorder."

Just as humans might develop hereditary diseases due to their parents' genes, certain Pokémon experienced similar conditions.

The young woman continued, "It has been diagnosed with congenital energy mania, meaning it cannot control the violent surges of energy within its body. Consequently, it has virtually no value for training and battling, and can only survive at a very low-energy baseline..."

Xia Chi's heart skipped a beat as he suddenly recalled the "Universal Healing Capsule" he had drawn from the [Lucky Lantern] a few days ago.

At the time, he had wondered why a smart prize pool tailored to his own situation would yield such an item.

He had simply assumed the system was preparing for potential accidents involving his future Pokémon.

Now, he had another bold hypothesis.

Was this preparation intended for the third Pokémon he was about to catch?

And what about those Rock Gems, despite him not owning any Rock-type Pokémon?

Everything made sense now.

A preemptive strike from Brother System!

Moreover, a Pokémon with a congenital defect unsuited for training and battles could still command a price of one to two million.

Its identity seemed self-evident.

Xia Chi asked, "So, which Pokémon is it?"

The young woman replied, "Larvitar."

As expected!

A late bloomer, and one of the so-called "pseudo-legendaries" in people's mouths—the infantile form of Tyranitar, Larvitar!

Xia Chi nodded. "Take me to see that Larvitar."

The young woman asked with great surprise, "Mr. Xia, are you sure?"

Xia Chi found it strange. "Didn't you recommend it to me? It should be available for adoption, right?"

"Um... yes, that's correct."

The young woman nodded, feeling a bit puzzled herself.

Why on earth had she suddenly felt the impulse to bring up this Larvitar, which had practically been abandoned by the breeding base?

——————

In short, Xia Chi ultimately got to see that special Larvitar afflicted with a congenital illness.

This seemingly frail fellow lived in a solitary, dimly lit room.

The room was filled with objects bearing impact marks and energy scorch marks, and the concrete floor was covered in scratches, making it look utterly chaotic and messy.

It was a far cry from the exquisitely decorated Pokémon habitats Xia Chi had seen earlier.

The young woman explained, "It's not that the living conditions are poor because of the child's special condition; this simulates Larvitar's natural survival environment in the wild."

Xia Chi nodded in understanding.

He had previously read in the Pokédex that Larvitar was a Pokémon born deep underground and disliked sunlight.

They also liked to bite everything around them to determine whether it was edible.

No matter how magnificent a living environment you arranged for them, the end result would always be the same—

It would end up looking like a house freshly wrecked by a Husky.

Case in point.

Xia Chi looked at the frail, little-monster-like creature in the dark.

As if sensing his gaze, Larvitar trotted unsteadily on its short legs all the way to Xia Chi.

Unfortunately, a pane of glass separated the human and the dragon.

*Duang!* Larvitar’s horn-topped head bumped squarely against the triumph of human technology.

"Gawu..."

The little one let out an aggrieved, baby-like squeak. No one looking at it now could ever imagine it would eventually grow into the ferocious and brutal Tyranitar.

(The Tyrant of Sandstorms, Old Ban)

Xia Chi couldn't help but laugh out of amusement.

It completely fit his initial stereotypical impression.

Because it grew a sharp horn on its head, does that mean its brain doesn't work very well?

Xia Chi turned to the young woman and asked, "Can I go inside and interact with it?"

"Um... I wouldn't advise close contact without preparation."

The young woman cautioned, "Because of its congenital condition, this Larvitar has poor eyesight and loves to use biting to identify objects, including living creatures. So..."

Xia Chi shook his head. "It's fine, I can handle the consequences."

A one-year-old Larvitar with a congenital disease—how formidable could its attack power possibly be?

The young woman originally wanted to dissuade him, but seeing Xia Chi's nonchalant attitude, she reconsidered and let him in.

And then Xia Chi willingly donned the mask of agony.