Chapter 923: The Scarlet Purple Pit

Deep Bowl Gym.

The Dragon Trainer, filled with confusion, sought out the Artist Gym Leader.

You released Buzzybee and MotoLizard, asking why the Secret Seasoning had no effect.

The Leader was even more puzzled, checking the status of both Pokémon.

【You heard the Leader say the Secret Seasoning clearly had an effect.】

An effect?

What kind of effect?

The Dragon Trainer froze.

He immediately realized: Buzzybee's ravenous appetite, and the healthy physique praised by Joy, were the effects.

【You felt deceived.】

He had searched everywhere for the Secret Seasoning to make Buzzybee grow—now you tell him it only makes Pokémon hungry and healthy!?

Just as the furious Dragon Trainer was about to transform into a demon.

The Artist Gym Leader finally understood what the Trainer meant by "effect."

【You heard him say the size of a Pokémon is caused by eating the Secret Seasoning before it matures.】

Before it matures!?

The Dragon Trainer instantly shed his demon form and earnestly asked if this was true.

The Artist Gym Leader sighed, saying he'd heard it from someone who studied Pokémon growth.

【You decided to make a bold hypothesis and verify it carefully.】

The Dragon Trainer still couldn't let go.

The palm-sized Buzzybee had become his obsession.

He returned to the academy and asked his distant cousin if the Unova Trainer had returned.

Clearly not.

Not all students who went out "treasure hunting" traveled back and forth between locations and the academy as frequently as he did.

But the good news was, no matter how long they stayed out, they had to return for final exams.

In other words.

The Dragon Trainer would eventually meet the other Trainer.

Slightly calmer now, he set out on his treasure hunt again.

【You set your sights on the Sky Master in West Zone One.】

Rumor had it the Sky Master often dropped rocks from the mountains, just to monopolize the vast sky.

Thus, it was extremely dangerous.

The Dragon Trainer, confident in his skill, was utterly unfazed.

South Zone Two.

As before, the Dragon Trainer decided to stop by Round Mold Town for a badge.

【You arrived at Round Mold Town.】

This place was famous in Paldea for its olives.

The Gym Leader also ran an olive oil business and dressed like a farmer.

His specialty was Grass-type.

【You challenged the Round Mold Gym.】

Without doubt.

This battle was still no challenge.

Buzzybee, though small, was fierce and battle-hardened.

Both opponents—Golett and Litten—couldn't survive past the third round against it.

Only when Olivine appeared did the battle stall briefly, due to the opponent's superior Special Defense and the ability 【Seed Drop】.

The opponent would activate 【Grassy Terrain】 upon being attacked, restoring its HP.

The entire battle was prolonged.

All All Baimu expected the Trainer to grow impatient and switch Pokémon.

He didn't.

The Dragon Trainer fought steadily to the end.

At this moment, he seemed to have changed personality—calm and composed—and Buzzybee, influenced by him, maintained steady output until Olivine fell.

"Impressive."

All All Baimu stroked his chin.

In battle, a Trainer's emotional stability mattered more than the Pokémon's performance.

Frankly speaking.

Trainers easily swayed by others rarely go far.

Even among the rare elite, they often swing wildly between godlike and disastrous performances.

The Trainer's composure under pressure guaranteed his life would never be ordinary—

Of course.

This was All All Baimu's conclusion after shooting the arrow first, then drawing the target.

After all, with dual-orange talents, the guaranteed endpoint was the Elite Four.

【You defeated the Round Mold Gym Leader and received the Round Mold Badge.】

As the Dragon Trainer prepared to leave.

The Round Mold Gym Leader suddenly called him back.

The reason concerned Buzzybee—the Leader claimed to be a fan of Berry Eaters and was curious how to achieve Buzzybee's evolution.

If the Dragon Trainer was willing to share.

The Round Mold Leader could offer insights on raising Applin and Flapple, the other two evolutions.

The Dragon Trainer had no interest at first.

Because Applin and Flapple were just as tiny as Buzzybee.

But he recalled his own frantic, helpless rage in the library while chasing Buzzybee's new evolution.

【You decided to share this piece of information.】

Immediately after.

The Dragon Trainer stayed in Round Mold Town for a while.

One reason was to learn how to raise the other two evolutions; the other was to secretly study the Round Mold Leader's battle tactics when deploying them.

【Your understanding of Grass-type Pokémon deepened significantly.】

The Dragon Trainer, richly rewarded, set off happily.

Upward into South Zone Two.

He arrived in West Zone One, where the Sky Master resided.

According to gathered clues, the Pokémon was located on the northern mountain—and here, the Trainer saw many windmills.

【You mounted Dragonite's back.】

Correct.

He decided to fight the Sky Master in the air.

Everyone said the falling rocks were dangerous—so why not avoid the ground entirely?

Clever!

All All Baimu gave silent approval, thinking that in a game, this method probably wouldn't work.

Game Freak would surely restrict it.

A veteran Pokémon player knew well that exploiting loopholes rarely worked in Game Freak's minigames.

Cheating aside.

And as the Dragon Trainer expected.

The Sky Master indeed spotted the arrogant Dragonite carrying him and flew over, furious.

【You encountered the Sky Master.】

This Pokémon resembled a crane, with a particularly sly gaze.

All All Baimu had known the moment he saw it—it had to be Dark-type—and indeed, it did.

And.

The Sky Master resembled Mime Jr.

Both carried a sack capable of holding objects.

But unlike Mime Jr., which simply stored food, the Sky Master had a habit of dropping things from above.

Dropping rocks from the sky was simply part of this habit.

How cruel!

All All Baimu clicked his tongue.

In the scene.

The Dragon Trainer gave the Sky Master no chance to drop rocks—he sent Dragonite in with Quick Attack, then froze its wings with Ice Beam.

You easily took control of the Sky Treasure Master.

For Charizard.

So far, it's still playing the fishpond game.

No opponent has yet appeared that demands its full strength.

All All Baimu thought Charizard resembled Bisharp, radiating the aura of a champion's Wangpai.

You intend to seize all the secret seasonings held by the Sky Treasure Master.

Until now.

Any Trainer who captures a Treasure Master takes only one seasoning from its mouth.

Now he changed his mind—he wants it all.

The Sky Treasure Master naturally refused—

You don't get a choice!

The Trainer and Charizard attacked together, quickly prying open its beak and securing a pile of seasonings.

You obtained Secret Seasoning · Bitter.

The bitter seasoning's color was utterly ordinary: the green commonly found in nature.

Had its appearance not been nearly identical to the secret seasonings he'd previously obtained, he'd have thought the Sky Treasure Master was mocking him.

You selected the immature bitter seasoning and fed it to Honeypuff and Moto lizard.

With intense anticipation.

Honeypuff and Moto lizard's bodies actually began growing.

The former swelled two full basketball sizes larger; the latter became a full-sized off-road vehicle!

You stared at them in delight, marveling that the journey was worth it.

His wish had finally come true; the Trainer nearly wept with joy.

"That simple?"

All All Baimu raised an eyebrow.

It wasn't that he thought the Trainer didn't deserve his wish—it was just that if it were this easy to make Pokémon grow larger,

Orange Academy should have no shortage of large-bodied Pokémon.

Hmm…

The Trainer clearly hadn't thought that far ahead.

He released the captured Sky Treasure Master and cheerfully headed toward South Zone Six.

You plan to head to Bakingfort Town.

It is the location of his fourth badge.

Along the way.

Inside a dark cave.

The Trainer's Dragon Radar suddenly began beeping.

You sensed a wild Dragon-type Pokémon nearby.

Immediately, under All All Baimu's curious gaze, a screen appeared showing a wild Dracozolt frantically crashing about.

Hss!

There are wild Dracozolt in Paldea!

He was stunned.

Though in the anime, aside from Charizard, other pseudo-legendaries weren't especially rare.

Especially Metagross—Pokémon Hunter J had an entire legion.

But they weren't things you could just stumble upon.

Otherwise, where would Pokémon Hunters even survive?

You're excited.

The Trainer immediately recognized Dracozolt—he'd collected data on Dragon-type Pokémon from other regions, spurred by the confusion caused by Chewtle.

Among them was the fierce, terrifying, yet large and impressive Dreepy.

Feeling he'd hit the jackpot, the Trainer didn't hesitate—he sent out Moto lizard to capture it.

You caught Dracozolt. The rough dragon increased.

Third Dragon Pokémon acquired.

Feeling fortune had turned, the Trainer halted his steps.

Inside the cave, he sought out wild Pokémon to battle, thoroughly training Dracozolt.

Not long after.

Your Dracozolt evolved into Dracovish.

Holy cow!

All All Baimu was stunned.

Though he'd grown Dracozolt to Dreepy in under a month, that was thanks to simulator level rewards.

This Trainer is terrifyingly strong!

With Honeypuff and Moto lizard—both specially evolved or not evolved at all—it was impossible to tell.

On-screen.

Satisfied with Dracovish's growth, the Trainer stepped out of the cave.

Bakingfort Town lay just ahead.

Though perched atop a high mountain, the town was famed throughout Paldea for its ceramics.

Its Gym Leader happened to be a middle-aged, pot-bellied potter skilled in Fire-type Pokémon.

You challenged the Bakingfort Gym Leader.

As always, the Trainer who loved giving newcomers a chance didn't deviate from form.

Dracovish led off, facing Coalossal.

The battle visuals were crude.

Yet even so, All All Baimu could see the Trainer excelled at leveraging Dragon Pokémon's strengths.

Unlike him, who followed logic and strategy,

the Trainer preferred to base tactics on a Pokémon's personality and innate traits.

For instance, Dracovish was rough and energetic—so once it entered battle, it charged head-on.

It looked stupid—but it maximized its current power at 100%.

This style had clear drawbacks.

Dracovish, having defeated Coalossal and Scorbunny but now unable to battle, proved it well.

Letting Pokémon act on instinct introduced too many uncertainties.

You switched to Moto lizard.

The massive Moto lizard appeared.

The Gym Leader was genuinely shocked—he'd lived for decades and had never seen a Moto lizard this big!

The Trainer proudly told him it was from eating immature seasonings.

Gym Leader: '…'

You didn't notice the Leader's odd expression—you excitedly commanded Moto lizard into battle.

Hah!

The narrator spoke!

Does he suspect the seasonings are flawed?

All All Baimu raised an eyebrow.

The battle continued—the Gym Leader sent out Cinderace.

A handsome, humanoid Pokémon.

Though Moto lizard had grown massive, its speed advantage remained unchanged.

【Electric Flash】 activated.

Instantly, it transformed from a darting Electrike into a land-based battleship!

The merely stylish Cinderace stood no chance.

It was swiftly defeated.

You defeated the Bakingfort Gym Leader and earned the Bakingfort Badge.

Fourth badge acquired.

The Trainer felt he was nearing life's peak.

Just as he turned to leave, the Gym Leader called him back.

You wondered if he wanted to exchange knowledge—but the Gym Leader delivered bad news.

A Treasure Master's size must be maintained by long-term consumption of secret seasonings.

In other words,

Without a steady supply of secret seasonings,

Honeypuff and Moto lizard will soon revert to their original sizes.

A bolt from the blue!

The simulator kindly rendered the lightning animation, turning the Dragon Tamer from colorful to grayish-white.

{You relayed the Deep Bowl Gym Leader's words with a pale face. }

The Baking Gym Leader believed the Deep Bowl Gym Leader clearly understood only partially—that his Hairy Cliff Crab was merely a rare individual.

{You asked him whether he could grow it himself. }

The Baking Gym Leader regretfully said that, due to some unknown factor, the secret seasoning only grew in the wild.

Secondly, the Alliance forbade the seeds of the secret seasoning from leaving the region.

He pointed the Dragon Tamer toward a clear path—

{You learned that someone in Bopin City was researching the secret seasoning. }

The unwilling Dragon Tamer set off.

Just as the Baking Gym Leader had said.

The Honey Wrap and the MotoLizard soon returned to their original forms, striking the Dragon Tamer once more.

"Heartless..."

All All Baimu shook his head.

He did not know that in the game, after defeating a Pokémon Master, the player could capture a Pokémon of the same level, same moveset, and holding the Master's Proof at the same spot.

And without exception, their sizes had shrunk.

The screen shifted.

The desolate Dragon Tamer rode his beloved MotoLizard all the way to Bopin City.

This place was a land of waterways, divided into three levels.

Numerous gourmet restaurants operated here.

{You were lured by the aromas and feasted with your Pokémon at a restaurant. }

After filling his stomach, the Dragon Tamer's spirits improved considerably.

Following the guidance given by the Baking Gym Leader, he found the scholar researching the secret seasoning.

An NPC model of a researcher.

From this man's mouth, the Dragon Tamer learned a term—

The Paldea Pit.

At the very center of the Paldea region, within a vast pit shrouded by mountains, lay the source of the secret seasoning.

Centuries ago, an expedition team transplanted them out of the pit.

Then they planted them across Paldea.

The researcher revealed little, as Orange Academy had explicit rules forbidding students from involvement in matters concerning the Paldea Pit.

How could the Dragon Tamer accept this?

Immediately.

{You heard him say that to get involved, one must at least become a Champion-level Trainer of Paldea. }

Perfect for the Dragon Tamer!

His spirit surged upward, and he turned straight toward the Bopin Gym.