Chapter 121: The Egg

Chen Ou looked helplessly at Bai Ci, who was glaring at him with fury.

"No, I just wanted to give you some training. Besides, with Chimchar around, your safety is absolutely guaranteed. Even in the worst-case scenario, that guy Rotom is nearby with Growlithe’s Poke Ball."

Chen Ou felt helpless; his intentions were good, and his approach was correct. However, that did not stop Bai Ci from giving him a hug, followed by a fierce punch to his chest.

Fortunately, it wasn't a slap.

Bai Ci shot him a sidelong glance, snorted coldly, and walked toward the girl standing by the tree behind them.

Rotom emerged from the bushes, its screen displaying a laughing emoji.

Chen Ou took Growlithe’s Poke Ball from Rotom, tucked it onto his belt, and pushed the little machine aside.

Seeing the miserable state of the Pinsir, he immediately understood what had happened here.

*Brutal.*

"Are you going to capture this Pinsir or not?" Chen Ou called out.

The Pinsir lying on the ground felt a complex mix of emotions upon hearing this. It knew that a Pokemon defeated by a trainer was meant to be caught, and in its current state, it had no strength to resist.

*Is this... the end of my freedom?* Pinsir thought with sorrow.

*But, a bet is a bet! Since I lost to you, it is only right that I become your subordinate and serve your dreams!* With that thought, Pinsir felt that being captured was the proper outcome. It closed its eyes, preparing itself.

"No! It’s too ugly!" Bai Ci said without looking back.

Chen Ou’s mouth twitched. That was a very powerful reason.

He cast a look of pity at the Pinsir, which had frozen in place.

*Too... ugly?* Pinsir felt as if it had been struck by a paralysis spell.

By this time, Chen Ou had walked over to its side. With a look of profound grief, he said, "My condolences. Try to be a better bug in your next life." As he spoke, he sprayed it with a paralyze heal and an antidote.

Though the status ailments were cleared, the Pinsir remained lying there, motionless. Chen Ou wore an expression that said, "We did our best," patted the Pinsir’s horn, and walked away.

Truth be told, this Pinsir had decent strength and acceptable potential; it was even a Pokemon capable of Mega Evolution. All in all, it was a pretty good Pokemon.

It was just a pity that it was a bit ugly.

Chen Ou didn't find this too surprising. After all, he had experienced the task of helping female classmates pick out computers in his original world.

After he had explained a plethora of performance specifications and parameters to one classmate, she asked him, "Can you pick me out a pink one?"

And so, in the end, Chen Ou picked her a pink one.

Ever since then, Chen Ou had developed a sense of "I’ve seen it all" regarding such matters.

*Nothing surprises me anymore.*

Chen Ou didn't pay much more attention to the Pinsir. At the end of the day, it was just a relatively decent Pokemon. Its talent couldn't compare to Chimchar or even Bai Ci’s current Foongus, so there was no need to dwell on it.

However, thinking of this, Chen Ou rubbed his chin. If that was her character, Bai Ci probably wouldn't be able to accept the appearance of an Amoonguss either.

Even though, after looking at it for a while, an Amoonguss had a kind of "ugly-cute" charm... but no matter how "cute" it was, it was still ugly.

"Rotom," Chen Ou called out.

Rotom flew over quickly and asked, "What is it, Rotom?"

"Help me use my doctoral privilege for this year to apply for a Snivy egg with excellent talent. Consider it a welcome gift for Bai Ci," Chen Ou said. He still felt that Bai Ci should have a Serperior; it was a matter of principle!

"No problem, Rotom! By the way, Chen Ou, you haven't used your doctoral privilege even once this year, Rotom." Rotom logged into Chen Ou’s account on the internal League website and began searching.

Unlike the Elite Four and Champions, who could only select from the local League’s resource pool, Pokemon Doctors, while regionally based, were not restricted by geography in their research. Therefore, what they could request was sourced from the entire League.

This was another reason why the Elite Four and Champions needed to maintain good relationships with the doctors. Items that were hard to exchange for—like Mega Stones—were difficult to obtain for non-Kalos Elite Four members; they would either have to bid high at Kalos auctions, find them on the black market, or go through the formal route of having their own regional League trade for them, which was too time-consuming.

Honestly, it wasn't worth the effort.

But the doctors were different; they could exchange for them directly.

Moreover, the circle of doctors was very broad. Unlike the Elite Four and Champions, who rarely met, doctors encountered each other every year at scientific summits, and their social circles expanded through casual conversation.

Professor Sycamore had been the primary source of Mega Stones for doctors over the years.

After all, doctoral privileges were one-time-use per year, and for doctors who didn't research the subject, Mega Stones were of little use. It was better to trade them for research materials or viewing rights to out-of-print archives.

As for Professor Sycamore, he truly had an abundance of Mega Stones. Firstly, it was his field of study. Secondly, he was always acquiring and collecting them. After all, they were the perfect items for favors. Give them to a doctor, and the doctors were happy. Give them to an Elite Four member or Champion?

Those outside the Kalos region would be jumping for joy.

That was why Professor Sycamore and Professor Kukui had been thriving in the research world these past two years; there was no helping it, the resources they had on hand were simply too valuable.

The only one who could compare to them was Professor Elm. As a researcher in the field of Pokemon eggs, Professor Elm had no shortage of precious Pokemon eggs and Pokemon with exceptional talent. It could be said that very few of the next generation of promising young people in the League had not received some favor from Professor Elm. No doctor who achieved success was talented only in research.

Achieving fame and fortune required far more than just skill. Social and worldly wisdom were just as essential.

Thinking of Professor Elm, Chen Ou clicked his tongue and muttered to himself, "Should I just ask Senior Brother Elm for an egg? He should have the best Snivy egg there..."

That’s right—when it came to Starter Pokemon, the best eggs were definitely not in the hands of the local doctors, but with Professor Elm.

Chen Ou thought for a moment and said, "Rotom, don't place the order yet."

"I haven't yet, Rotom," Rotom replied, looking at Chen Ou in confusion.

"Then never mind. I’ll give Senior Brother Elm a call tonight. He should have the best eggs. After all, what the League puts up for general exchange certainly isn't the best of the best. I had forgotten about Senior Brother Elm just now."

"Understood, Rotom!"