Chapter 393: The Effects of Gold-Silver Tree Fruits: A Special Pokémon Disease?

Because preparations there were not yet complete, and at Karen's strong request, after Sneasler's injuries were healed by Nurse Joy stationed at the Indigo Plateau and her stamina restored to its peak, Luo Mu simply engaged her in another one-on-one battle.

The Pokémon appearing this time were still Sneasler and Dragonite, but the situation tilted toward Luo Mu and Dragonite from the very start.

The reason was extremely simple.

Before the battle began, Karen had spoken to Luo Mu thus:

"You and Dragonite surely haven't used your full power yet; please employ your full strength so I may understand the gap between us."

Therefore, as soon as this battle commenced, Luo Mu tossed out the Tera Orb and, under the gaze of Karen and Chairman Dahlia, had Dragonite undergo Terastallization.

Facing a Terastallized Dragonite of the Normal type, Sneasler, whose weaknesses could hardly be targeted, possessed almost no power to fight back.

In less than half the time of the previous match, Sneasler lost her ability to battle under Dragonite's terrifyingly powerful Extreme Speed and the overwhelming Hurricane released through full utilization of Lugia's teachings.

The battle ended; Karen recalled Sneasler, handed the Poké Ball to Nurse Joy waiting nearby, and showed Luo Mu a relieved expression: "It seems I still have a long way to go."

Even if she had swapped in her ace, Houndoom, the outcome likely would not have changed.

"This also means Elite Four Karen still has ample room for improvement."

Luo Mu thought for a moment and gave what he considered a high-EQ response.

Karen smiled and asked sincerely:

"Could you conveniently tell me what you just used?"

"It seems that after using that orb, Dragonite no longer feared ice."

Chairman Dahlia, who had set aside his flag nearby, also cast a curious glance at Luo Mu.

Knowing more than Karen, he suspected this was a phenomenon unique to the Paldea region; could it be that merely possessing that crystal orb allowed its use in the Kanto region as well? Breaking free from Dragonite's oppressively tight embrace, Luo Mu picked up the Tera Orb, now devoid of light, and displayed it to Karen and Chairman Dahlia.

"This is a Tera Orb; its function is to collect and release Tera energy. As you can see, it can only assist a Pokémon in undergoing Terastallization once, after which it must return to the Paldea region to recharge."

"Did you see the diamond atop Dragonite's head after Terastallization just now? That is called the Tera Crown. There are eighteen forms, representing eighteen types; after Terastallization, a Pokémon's type temporarily changes to the type represented by the Tera Crown."

Listening intently to Luo Mu's explanation, Karen frowned slightly, suddenly realizing something, and asked: "Then, what type did Dragonite's Tera Crown represent just now?"

"Normal type."

Luo Mu answered Karen's question directly.

Karen's eyes immediately widened; in that case, it made perfect sense that during the second battle, Dragonite could tank Sneasler's Avalanche, Icicle Crash, and Ice Punch without changing expression, deliver counterattacks, and even wield Extreme Speed with such terrifying power.

Chairman Dahlia stroked his white beard, marveling in his heart.

More than anyone, he understood just how crucial a strategic role Terastallization, which can temporarily change a Pokémon's type, could play in battles between evenly matched opponents.

There was also the Dynamax phenomenon of Pokémon in Galar, the Mega Evolution of Pokémon in Kalos and Hoenn, and the Alola region, which had declared its intention to establish a Pokémon League.

It seemed he should not merely maintain relations between nearby regions like Sinnoh and Unova; he must also find an opportunity to establish more friendly connections with regions across the planet, such as Paldea.

Shortly after the second battle concluded, Luo Mu received a single-use capsule containing three saplings.

Chairman Dahlia held Luo Mu's hand and, with a weathered voice, carefully instructed him:

"These three saplings are respectively a special Pecha Berry sapling, a Nanab Berry sapling, and a Pinap Berry sapling. Labels are affixed to each capsule; when planting them upon your return, you must strictly follow the methods in the manual I gave you to ensure their survival rate."

Luo Mu solemnly secured the three capsules, then carefully stored the cultivation manual Chairman Dahlia had handed him, nodding earnestly: "I will cultivate them well."

Chairman Dahlia broke into a smile; just as he raised his hand to pat Luo Mu's shoulder, a secretary with excellent situational awareness swiftly brought over a stepping stool, retreated once Chairman Dahlia stepped onto it.

Every movement flowed as smoothly as flowing clouds and running water.

Patting Luo Mu's shoulder, he asked with a smile: "Do you still intend to claim a Chikorita? The breeding center here at the Indigo Plateau has already prepared one."

Naturally, Luo Mu wanted to.

However, after a moment's thought, considering how much effort it had taken merely to ease the relationship between his Serperior and Moltres, if he were to choose a Chikorita, he would certainly pick the one most clingy to himself.

Upon returning to the farm with that Chikorita, Luo Mu suspected that before an enraged Serperior, only one of them—himself or the Chikorita—would remain; better to abandon this idea.

Thinking thus, Luo Mu shook his head at Chairman Dahlia and helplessly spoke the truth: "Most Chikorita have rather clingy personalities; I fear conflicts might arise with some of my Pokémon upon returning, so let's forget it."

The air in Paldea was already fresh, and there were many Grass-type Pokémon on the farm, so bringing back a Chikorita was not strictly necessary.

Hearing this, Chairman Dahlia wore an expression meaning "I understand," deep and significant, then sympathetically patted Luo Mu's shoulder again: "You've worked hard."

Sometimes, a Pokémon's jealousy could be truly terrifying.

Next, Luo Mu chatted briefly with Chairman Dahlia, agreeing that when Chairman Dahlia visited the Paldea region for inspection, he would invite him to be a guest at Luo Mu's farm.

Afterwards, under the send-off gazes of Chairman Dahlia and Karen, Luo Mu rode his stamina-restored Dragonite back to the Paldea region to transplant the three special berry tree saplings as soon as possible.

In the air, holding Victini, who had remained invisible the entire journey and was now full after feeding on the waves of victory from Luo Mu's second triumph over Karen, Luo Mu opened the manual Chairman Dahlia had given him.

Thanks to the protective barrier formed by air currents from Dragonite, who continuously used Fly, Luo Mu worried not about the various troubles of supersonic flight, and could even open the paper manual to review the planting methods for the three saplings.

The first few pages of the manual basically introduced the saplings' required environment, detailing specifications for temperature, humidity, and so forth.

The requirements were quite perverse, even precise to several decimal places, extremely rigorous.

Luo Mu thought for a moment; even if he couldn't control everything as strictly as in the underground greenhouses of the Indigo Plateau,

with the help of the Pokémon on his farm, maintaining conditions near the requirements would be no problem at all.

For the rest, he would leave it to the all-purpose Mixed Grass Terrain.

If that still proved insufficient, he would invite the ancestral Lei Guan Wang to come out of seclusion, and then go to the Alola region to steal the black soil tilled by Seeing Seeing Kapu Tapu Tapu Moumou.

With the work of transplantation and cultivation now pressure-free, Luo Mu began browsing the content on the later pages of the manual.

These pages detailed the research conducted by institutes funded and controlled by the Indigo Plateau regarding the effects of Gold-Silver Pecha Berries, Gold-Silver Nanab Berries, and Gold-Silver Pinap Berries.

Compared to the ordinary versions, typically used as ingredients or as one of the materials for Pokéblocks, the Gold-Silver series of these three berries possessed entirely new and extremely precious effects.

Silver/Gold Pecha Berry: Research indicates that while ordinary Pecha Berries are materials for making spicy Pokéblocks that polish a Pokémon's coolness, the silver and gold versions borne by these trees have less pronounced spiciness and have acquired new effects.

Pokémon that consume these berries over a long period will become more dependent on the researcher/trainer who feeds them; their friendship rises noticeably, and cases have even appeared where Eevee evolved into Espeon/Umbreon.

However, this is not addiction caused by the food, but a subtle, gradual influence, akin to thinking, "He fed me delicious food again today; I like him more."

The effect of the gold version far surpasses that of the silver.

PS: Unfortunately, the output of silver and gold berries is too scarce; with insufficient samples, it is impossible to make more detailed and scientific judgments.

Silver/Gold Nanab Berry: Research indicates that compared to the obvious sweetness of ordinary Nanab Berries, the silver and gold Nanab Berries taste milder, their palatability has increased significantly, and like the aforementioned Pecha Berries, they have acquired new effects.

Pokémon that have consumed the Silver or Golden Aroma Berries, whether excited, angry, happy, or sad, will begin to see their emotions stabilize within approximately ten minutes after eating the Silver or Golden Aroma Berries.

Even a Primeape that has been angry all day long will have its rage calmed and alleviated after consuming a Silver or Golden Aroma Berry, granting those Primeape whose excessive anger has put them in life-threatening danger a chance to catch their breath. PS: It may contain some new and unknown sedative component; due to the small sample size, systematic component analysis cannot be performed to reach a conclusion.

Silver/Golden Pecha Berry: According to research, the original Pecha Berry tasted sour; the Golden/Silver Pecha Berries have also completed an evolution in flavor, shedding the astringent sourness that originally required large amounts of honey to mask, thereby highlighting the original flavor without the sour astringency.

Effect unknown.

However, the luck of Pokémon or researchers who have consumed it seems to have strangely improved somewhat; research demands evidence, so a mere feeling cannot serve as proof.

PS: In the distant Alola region, there is a beverage called Pecha Juice, said to be made from Pecha Berries, Combee honey, and certain plants unique to the Alola region; unfortunately, the samples are too precious to experience Pecha Juice pressed from Silver/Golden Pecha Berries, which must be extremely delicious.

Compared to an authoritative guide, this section of data reads more like a researcher's notes.

Luo Mu maintained a thoughtful expression.

The Gold and Silver Razz Berries in "Go, Pikachu" and "Go, Eevee" could increase the probability of catching Pokémon, but now they have become a subtle means of improving Pokémon friendship.

The effects of the Gold and Silver Aroma Berries are similar to those in the game, both serving to calm Pokémon's emotions.

The effect of the Gold and Silver Pecha Berries is the most abstract; in the game, they increase the probability of Pokémon dropping items, but now, based on the records in the manual, Luo Mu strongly suspects that the effect of consuming Gold and Silver Pecha Berries might truly be an increase in luck.

As expected of the Pokémon world, even crops possess extremely bizarre effects.

While thinking this, Luo Mu turned to the last page of the manual.

Compared to the printed text in the preceding pages, this page consisted entirely of handwriting.

Reading the sloppy handwriting and understanding its meaning, Luo Mu frowned slightly.

That must be a researcher's casual notes.

【Why, among dozens of berry varieties, did only these three berry trees mutate and exhibit special effects? Is there some similarity between them? If one continuously consumes all three types of Golden and Silver berries, will some brand-new change occur?

I really want to research the mysteries within, but I cannot; there simply aren't enough samples to sustain continuous supply.】

Luo Mu: "."

Why do these few lines read like they were written by a mad scientist?

However, this researcher's question did alert Luo Mu to something.

A single type of Gold or Silver berry already has such miraculous effects; if two, or even three types of Gold and Silver berries are combined, will their effects conflict, compromise, or cooperate and fuse to produce a brand-new effect?

Luo Mu is not a researcher, so he decided to toss the question to the System.

At his inquiry, the System seemed to crash for a moment before finally providing an answer.

【The effects of the three types of Gold and Silver berries complement each other; if certain specific Pokémon continuously ingest them and undergo reasonable training, there is a probability that, through post-natal cultivation, they will become Partner Pokémon.】

League Calendar Year 798, August 16.

Paldea Region, Cortondo Town.

One day had passed since Luo Mu departed from the Indigo Plateau and returned to the farm.

Without needing Lei Guan Wang's help, thanks to the combined Effort Field of the Comfey and the plowing of the Mudsdale, three saplings successfully transplanted and survived in the specially demarcated planting area for Gold and Silver berry trees.

With no classes this morning, Luo Mu, as usual, attended to farm matters before heading to the Pokémon Center in Cortondo Town to receive medical instruction from Young Lady Joy.

At that moment, a figure extremely familiar to Luo Mu burst into the Pokémon Center in a panic.

It was a bob-cut girl in a classic Switch color scheme, along with a huge Eevee backpack on her back that one could hardly imagine she had the perseverance to carry throughout this sweltering summer.

The newcomer was none other than one of Luo Mu's students, Peony.

Clutching a Flareon with extremely weak breath, Peony burst into the Pokémon Center, paying no heed to the sweat constantly sliding down her pale face, and shouted, "Is Young Lady Joy here!?"

"I am!"

Young Lady Joy, who had been teaching Luo Mu to identify medicinal herbs, stood up with a swish, her gaze falling on the anxious Peony; judging by her expression, she instantly discerned that an emergency patient had likely arrived, and immediately shouted toward the deeper rooms of the Pokémon Center.

"Chansey, prepare a stretcher and the emergency room!"

As soon as she spoke, Young Lady Joy nimbly vaulted over the reception desk, hurried to Peony's side, took the Flareon, and placed it steadily on the ground.

Luo Mu also put down his book and rushed over; looking at the anxious Peony and the Flareon, he frowned and asked, "What happened?"

Upon seeing Luo Mu, Peony acted as if she had seen a savior; grabbing his hand, she said with a trembling voice, "I don't know... After attending the video game exhibition, on the way back to the academy, the Flareon suddenly collapsed."

At this point, Young Lady Joy also made a judgment based on her experience.

She touched a certain part of the unconscious, weak-breathing Flareon's body, her expression turning somewhat grim, her voice heavy.

"Preliminary diagnosis: it should be 'Yan Dai Yan'."

"Yan Dai Yan?"

Hearing this unfamiliar disease name, Luo Mu exchanged a bewildered glance with the anxious Peony.

Just then, Chansey came rushing over, pushing a stretcher and a first-aid kit.

While administering preliminary treatment, Young Lady Joy said, "Many Fire-type Pokémon rely on an organ inside their bodies called the 'Flame Sac' to spit fire; Yan Dai Yan is a disease unique to them."

"Most Fire-type Pokémon are almost never burned by their own flames, but once this disease occurs, if flames are generated within the Flame Sac, it will simultaneously cause burns both inside and outside the body."

Speaking thus, Young Lady Joy and Chansey worked together to gently and steadily place the Flareon onto the stretcher, then hurried toward the emergency room.

Luo Mu and Peony followed directly behind.

As she ran, Young Lady Joy said, "This disease generally appears in Fire-type Pokémon whose Fire-type aptitude is too high, but whose Flame Sac development has encountered problems."

Peony asked anxiously, "Young Lady Joy, can Yan Dai Yan be treated?"

Young Lady Joy glanced at her, her voice sounding somewhat helpless.

"Currently, there are no good methods to alleviate the symptoms; causing the Flame Sac to undergo secondary development is extremely difficult... The only method to eradicate it stably is to perform surgery and remove the Flame Sac."

"But this also means the Flareon will be unable to use the vast majority of Fire-type moves in the future and will be unable to regulate its own body temperature."

Young Lady Joy's voice exploded in Peony's ears like thunder on clear ground; she covered her mouth, her emotions suddenly becoming turbulent.

At this moment, she completely failed to understand why the Flareon had suddenly fallen ill.

Luo Mu, standing aside, wore a somewhat grim expression; this was the first time he had heard of such a disease.

But if one considers the signs, upon careful thought, perhaps they had existed before.

The effects of the Gold and Silver berries had undergone a certain degree of magical modification.

Somewhat curious, I want to ask: how acceptable do you all find Pokémon other than Pikachu and Eevee becoming partner Pokémon? (End of Chapter)