The White Foal

As the light grew brighter and brighter, the Pokémon Egg finally changed from an illusion into a physical entity.

Crack!

A crisp cracking sound rang out, and fine cracks began to spread across the eggshell's surface.

Dazzling icy-blue light shone through the cracks, growing brighter and more blinding.

Inside the egg, something seemed to be desperately ramming outward. With every impact, the cracks widened a little further, and the entire egg shook violently.

Within seconds, the eggshell could no longer withstand the creature's assault and shattered with a bang.

At the very instant the eggshell broke, an indescribably terrifying energy erupted from within.

The energy condensed into an icy-blue pillar of light several feet wide and shot straight upward with overwhelming force, slamming viciously into the ceiling of the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Cave.

Boom—!

The entire ice cave shook violently, as though an earthquake had struck.

The dense icicles hanging from the ceiling snapped one after another, crashing onto the ground with thunderous cracks as shards of ice flew everywhere.

Xu Linjiu was also forced back several steps by the energy shockwave. Only when his back slammed heavily into a thick ice pillar did he barely steady himself.

"Holy shit! What the hell is that?!" Skydream Iceworm shrieked, its voice full of shock.

The impact soon subsided, and the pillar of light gradually receded, revealing a white figure.

It was a completely snow-white little horse.

Though it was still a young foal, an innate arrogance already radiated from it without restraint—a bearing unique to Legendary Pokémon.

The little white horse raised its head slightly, opened its mouth, and let out a clear neigh.

Neigh—!

The neigh echoed through the ice cave. Fine cracks burst through the ice beneath its hooves, spreading outward in every direction from it before finally stopping several yards away.

Xu Linjiu's heart jolted.

It had this kind of power right after being born?

"Th-this is really Legendary-tier?"

Skydream Iceworm's voice trembled with disbelief as it floated around Xu Linjiu. Both shocked and delighted, it said, "What kind of monster did you create, kid?!"

The little white horse turned its head, its snowy white eyes blinking as its gaze fell directly on Xu Linjiu.

It tilted its head, as though confirming something.

Then it broke into a run toward Xu Linjiu, its hooves clattering crisply against the ice.

When it reached him, the little white horse lowered its head and rubbed it against Xu Linjiu's pant leg. It snorted out a puff of white breath carrying ice crystals. Its docile appearance was completely unlike the world-shaking aura it had displayed moments ago.

It looked exactly like a little animal acting cute with its owner. Where was the majesty of a Legendary Pokémon now?

Xu Linjiu crouched down and reached out to stroke the little white horse's head.

"Hehe~ Good horse, good horse!"

Naturally, Xu Linjiu recognized the little horse before him.

It was the legendary pale shadow that ran across the Crown Tundra, Calyrex's most "loyal" mount—Glastrier!

And as long as Glastrier was paired with its exclusive item, the [Reins of Unity], along with the King of Bountiful Harvests, [Calyrex], its strength would soar directly to the level of a top-tier Legendary Pokémon, far surpassing other Ice-type secondary Legendary Pokémon.

Calyrex was Psychic-type, and I, Xu Linjiu, was Psychic-type too.

When Skydream Iceworm was sacrificed to me, it gave me Psychic and Ice types. Calyrex riding the white horse was also Psychic and Ice type.

So I, Xu Linjiu, was basically Calyrex. No problem with that, right?

Xu Linjiu spread out his right hand, and a special red Poké Ball gifted by the system appeared in his palm.

"It's even a Luxury Ball exclusive to official distributions?"

"How about it, Glastrier?" Xu Linjiu looked at Glastrier before him, his eyes filled with nothing but sincerity. "Are you willing to become my partner?"

Glastrier looked at the [Luxury Ball] in Xu Linjiu's hand, then at the incomparably sincere human before it.

Thump!

Without hesitation, Glastrier pressed its head against the button at the center of the [Luxury Ball], instantly turning into a streak of white light and entering it.

The [Luxury Ball] lay quietly in Xu Linjiu's palm without even shaking once.

"Nice! I caught a Pokémon!"

Having caught a real Pokémon for the first time in his life, Xu Linjiu uncontrollably raised an arm above his head and struck that classic pose etched into his DNA.

At the same time, the system notification sounded in Xu Linjiu's mind.

[Detected that the Trainer has caught their third Pokémon. Trainer level has advanced to Poké Ball Rank. Reward: Random TM Lottery Ticket ×1, Experience Candy M ×5]

Xu Linjiu froze for a moment. Before he could finish reading the details of the first reward, a second notification immediately popped up.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on completing the Legendary quest—Ice Gift!]

[Quest Description: The Ice-type Pokémon Egg granted as compensation has not yet condensed into a physical form and is only stored in the system space as a conceptual state. The Host must continuously provide the system with Ice-type energy in order to gradually shape it. The total amount of energy infused will determine the species and potential of the hatched Pokémon. At most, it can become a secondary Legendary Pokémon.]

[Quest Evaluation: Exceeded expectations. Energy absorbed: 100000/100000!]

[Species confirmed: Glastrier (Legendary Ice-type Pokémon)]

[Quest Reward: Glastrier (Soul-Bound), Ice-type Random TM Lottery Ticket ×1, Reins of Unity ×1, Iceroot Carrot Seeds ×10, Legendary-quality Random TM Lottery Ticket ×1.]

Another system notification followed.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on triggering and completing the hidden quest—Catch Your First Legendary Pokémon!]

[Quest Description: Catch your first Legendary Pokémon!]

[Quest Evaluation: Complete!]

[Quest Reward: Random Item Lottery Ticket ×2, Random TM Lottery Ticket ×2, Random Ability Capsule Lottery Ticket ×2, Exp. Candy XL ×10!]

Three quests, completed all at once!

There were too many rewards, and Xu Linjiu needed time to sort through them. So he first turned his attention to the information on the Glastrier he had just caught.

[Glastrier]

[Type: Ice]

[Level: Lv.1]

[Ability: Chilling Neigh: When it knocks out an opponent, it lets out an icy neigh and raises its Attack.]

[Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip]

Well, Legendary was Legendary, but a level-one stat panel was still as shabby as ever. Its two moves were both as basic as could be.

Xu Linjiu was a little speechless, but he was not worried. He had plenty of Exp. Candy, so leveling up would be easy.

"Come out!"

Xu Linjiu lightly pressed the button at the center of the Poké Ball, and the Glastrier he had just caught reappeared before him.

He held the ten [Exp. Candy XL] the system had just rewarded him with to Glastrier's mouth. As he fed them to it, he could not help muttering, "Come on, eat these. Sigh! I just sent off one Skydream Iceworm, and now another big eater of my experience has arrived."

"Hey! What do you mean by that?!"

Skydream Iceworm floated before him. Xu Linjiu glanced at it, then shifted his gaze back to Glastrier. "Exactly what it sounds like!"

After swallowing ten Exp. Candy, Glastrier's body visibly grew taller. It changed from a little foal into an adolescent horse that could barely carry a rider.

At the same time, Glastrier's stat panel updated.

[Glastrier's level has risen from Lv.1 to Lv.24]

[Glastrier]

[Type: Ice]

[Level: Lv.24]

[Ability: Chilling Neigh: When it knocks out an opponent, it lets out an icy neigh and raises its Attack.]

[Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Double Kick, Avalanche, Stomp, Taunt]