Chapter 19: Su Xing Improvement Conditions

He ran dozens of meters away, Huo La slipped into a dense thicket, carefully covering his figure with branches and leaves.

He pricked his ears for a moment, confirming there were no pursuing footsteps or Pokémon cries behind him, then he exhaled, leaning against the tree trunk and breathing heavily.

Bulbasaur emerged from the nearby grass, carefully coiling the emerald Water Stone with its Vine Whip in its mouth, waddling up to Huo La, proudly chirping "Bulbasaur, Bulbasaur" twice, as if seeking credit.

"Well done!" Huo La laughed, patting it, "The feint was used perfectly; if you hadn't quietly snatched the Water Stone, we wouldn't have gotten it so easily today."

He took the Water Stone; it felt warm and delicate in his hand, its deep blue sheen swirling in the sunlight, and his fingertips could clearly sense the rich Water-type energy within, as if holding a living "source of water."

At that moment, the system's prompt sounded: "Treasure Hunt mission complete! Reward granted: Bulbasaur Su Xing improvement conditions unlocked."

"Finally unlocked!" Huo La felt a surge of joy and immediately opened Bulbasaur's Attribute Panel.

He saw that the question mark that had been in parentheses after "Improvement Count 1" had now become a clear textual explanation.

Pokémon: Bulbasaur

Gender: Female

Level: Lv15

Su Xing: B

Status: Healthy

Nature: Diligent

Type: Grass/Poison

Ability: Chlorophyll (Pokémon with this ability double their Speed in strong sunlight)

Height: 0.7 m

Weight: 6.9 kg

Carried Item: None

Moves: Tackle (Mastery 32%), Cry (Mastery 55%), Vine Whip (Mastery 50%), Poison Powder (Mastery 6%)

Improvement Count: 1 (evolve using Leaf Stone)

"Just evolve with a Leaf Stone, and the B‑rank Aptitude will go up?" Huo La twirled the Water Stone in his hand, his gaze fixed on Bulbasaur.

According to his Pokémon knowledge, Bulbasaur normally evolves naturally into Ivysaur at Lv16, but his Bulbasaur reached the evolution threshold at Lv15, thanks to prior battles with Red and the "fishing for experience" tactic by the creek, so its level rose faster than ordinary wild Bulbasaurs.

But after the excitement, a hint of concern rose in his mind.

In the storylines he'd seen in his past life, Pokémon that evolved using Evolution Stones were mostly the result of "forced catalysis"; for example, some Trainers, eager to boost combat power quickly, used Evolution Stones prematurely, which ended up harming the Pokémon's potential.

Although the system said this was a "Su Xing improvement condition," does forcibly using an item to skip natural evolution truly not affect Bulbasaur's future growth?

"System, if we evolve Bulbasaur with a Leaf Stone, will it have a negative impact on its future potential?" Huo La still decided to ask clearly, since this concerns Bulbasaur's long‑term development and he can't risk it just for a temporary Su Xing boost.

System: "......"

A moment later, the system listed a detailed explanation: "Evolving with an Evolution Stone is one of the normal evolution paths for Pokémon, not 'forced catalysis.' The innate special energy contained in the Evolution Stone merges with the Pokémon's internal energy during evolution; it not only does no harm but also nourishes the Pokémon's body, strengthens its basic abilities, and provides a positive boost to subsequent growth."

Hearing the system's explanation, Huo La's lingering worry completely settled.

Although the system occasionally issues baffling quests that make him feel it's unreliable, on second thought— a system is a standard feature for a transmigrator, it wouldn't sabotage him on such a critical issue.

After all, with the "Transmigration + System" combo in place, if he isn't the protagonist, then who could be?

He looked down at the Bulbasaur at his feet and saw the little creature's round, bright green eyes curiously fixed on the Water Stone in his hand; the seed atop its head swayed gently, and its leaf brushed the stone's surface, clearly intrigued by the energy within.

"This isn't for you." Huo La laughed, rubbing Bulbasaur's head, then carefully placed the Water Stone deep inside his backpack, wrapping it in a soft cloth. Though the stone isn't needed right now, it might fetch a good price in Viridian City, enough to buy a Leaf Stone.

"Let's go, we'll find Iron Shell Kun first; it should be nearby." He patted the Pokéball at his waist, feeling a faint vibration inside.

It's the Pokéball's linked function; he hadn't forgotten to activate it when he fled, so as long as Iron Shell Kun is nearby, the ball will emit a signal.

Bulbasaur seemed to understand vaguely and nodded, gently tapping the Pokéball at Huo La's waist with its Vine Whip. A flash of red light flickered, and the little one voluntarily slipped back into the Pokéball; the earlier tense theft of the Evolution Stone had indeed drained a lot of its stamina.

Huo La stroked the Bulbasaur's Pokéball, feeling a warm sensation at his fingertips; he said nothing, merely giving the ball a gentle pat, as if soothing a weary companion.

Then, he grabbed Iron Shell Kun's Pokéball and hurried in the direction of the sensed vibration.

After only a few steps, the TianQiong above darkened suddenly.

Huo La looked up; the sky, which had a few scattered white clouds, was now rapidly covered by heavy black clouds, the wind picking up, rustling the leaves "whoosh," and the air was thick with humidity—clearly a torrential rain was imminent.

"We need to find Iron Shell Kun quickly, or we'll get drenched," Huo La quickened his pace, scanning the grass and trees ahead.

Fortunately, Iron Shell Kun's signal grew stronger, and soon he spotted the familiar brown‑yellow cocoon in a low thicket. Iron Shell Kun lay quietly beneath a broad leaf, the cocoon dusted with grass fragments but otherwise intact.

Hearing Huo La's footsteps, it swayed gently, as if responding.

"Found you." Huo La exhaled, crouched, and gently cradled Iron Shell Kun, "You're okay? In the melee earlier, you hid just in time."

Iron Shell Kun's cocoon glowed faintly, as if answering Huo La's concern.

Huo La carefully lifted it, pressed the Pokéball's button— a flash of red light surged, and the brown‑yellow cocoon was instantly drawn into the ball; the ball swayed twice before settling calmly.

He stood, brushed the grass off his trousers, looked up at the sky; the heavy clouds hung low, wind rustling leaves, the humidity thickening, and the downpour was about to pour down.

Huo La didn't linger, turned and hurried toward Viridian City—he needed to find a safe shelter before the rain, then later consider getting a Leaf Stone for Bulbasaur.