Mind Bead

Yantai Bai Mu smiled as he looked at Qiang. "Sorry for the trouble again, Qiang. I brought my son here today to pick out some training equipment for Ralts."

Xinhai, following beside his father, politely greeted him as well. "Uncle Qiang, long time no see."

Qiang smiled and gently rubbed Xinhai's head, his eyes full of surprise. "Oh? You caught a Ralts too? Looks like you'll be making a name for yourself on the road of Pokémon training!"

Xinhai scratched his head somewhat shyly, anticipation in his eyes. "Uncle Qiang, do you have any training equipment specifically for Psychic types?"

"Then you've come to the right place! In all of Verdanturf Town, my Psychic type training equipment is the best!" Qiang said confidently with a grin, then led Xinhai and his father toward the store's warehouse.

Inside the warehouse, the shelves were packed with all sorts of strange-looking training equipment. The mountain of gear was almost too much to take in.

Qiang rummaged through the shelves, muttering to himself, "Strange, I remember putting it here."

Meanwhile, Xinhai curiously looked around. Ralts, who had been let out, poked out his little head as well, his big eyes brimming with curiosity as he looked about.

Suddenly, Ralts seemed to sense something. He jumped down from Xinhai's shoulder and ran toward a corner. Xinhai hurried after him and found Ralts beside a small box buried beneath clutter, calling "Ralts, Ralts" at it.

Xinhai crouched down and laboriously moved the clutter aside, pulling out the box. Inside were several small, exquisite metal marbles arranged neatly in rows.

Hearing the commotion, Qiang hurried over, and his eyes immediately lit up. "Found it, found it! This is it!" As he spoke, he excitedly took out a marble. "This is a training tool specifically for Psychic type training!"

Yantai stepped forward, picked up a marble, and examined it carefully. "How is this little thing used for training?"

Qiang smiled as he explained, "Brother Yantai, you don't know this. This is called a Mind Bead, an Advanced training tool for Psychic type. Its greatest effect is repelling Confusion—that is, Psychic type."

Hearing that, Xinhai looked at the little bead in confusion. "This thing repels Psychic type?" Ralts also picked one up and tried to use his Psychic type to make the Mind Bead float, only to find that his Confusion was blocked by something invisible before it could even approach the bead.

Qiang glanced at Ralts and continued, "Ralts can use his Inner Focus to control these Mind Beads. Because the beads repel Confusion, he has to constantly focus and adjust the output and direction of his Inner Focus while controlling them, thereby training his Inner Focus."

"Moreover, the Mind Beads interfere with one another, making them even harder to control. This box is specially made too. It cancels out the repulsive force between the beads and is used to store them."

Xinhai held the Mind Bead in his hand and smiled at Ralts. "Ralts, with this, your training problem is solved too!" Ralts moved behind Xinhai, hiding beside him as he watched Qiang.

Yantai glanced at Qiang, then picked up another Mind Bead and examined it closely. He found strange patterns engraved on it, along with a faint glow. "Qiang, these Mind Beads don't look simple. How much are they?"

Qiang chuckled and scratched his head. "Brother Yantai, these Mind Beads are complicated to make, and the materials are hard to find. There are twenty in a set, and there's also a method for training Confusion at the bottom of the box. Since I haven't given Xinhai anything as a gift for becoming a Trainer, fifty thousand League Coins will do."

Yantai Bai Mu considered it for a moment, then nodded. "All right! Xinhai, aren't you going to thank Uncle Qiang?"

Xinhai's eyes widened in surprise, and a bright smile instantly bloomed across his face. "Thank you, Uncle Qiang!" Ralts secretly watched the scene from behind Xinhai.

Qiang swiftly packed the Mind Bead back into the box and handed it to Xinhai. "Xinhai, train hard. You'll definitely become an amazing Trainer in the future!" Xinhai took it and thanked him happily.

Afterward, Xinhai picked out some ordinary training tools as well. After paying, he put all the equipment into his Spatial Backpack, held Ralts in his arms, and said goodbye to Qiang together with his father, Yantai.

"Goodbye, Uncle Qiang."

Xinhai waved to Qiang, then followed Yantai out of the department store.

Once outside, Yantai looked at Xinhai. "How did it feel?"

As Xinhai comforted Ralts, he replied to Yantai, "Feel what? Ralts's condition, or the other person's attitude?"

Yantai spoke earnestly. "Both. He noticed that Ralts was special and became covetous, but because I was there, he didn't dare do anything to you."

"But Ralts also sensed what he was thinking. That's why he sold you the Mind Bead for fifty thousand League Coins—as compensation and an investment. This is why I've always warned you to be careful when you're out."

Xinhai stroked Ralts's hair, comforting the little one as he spoke with a firm gaze. "I understand, Dad. I'll be careful."

Yantai said nothing more and took Xinhai home.

After they returned home, Yantai said to Xinhai, "Put Ralts's supplements in the room where we keep Pokémon food, and feed them today's Nutritional Potion while you're at it. I'm heading back to the study first. Ralts was just born, so don't make him train yet."

Xinhai nodded with a smile. "Got it, Dad. I'll go feed them now. Oh, right, Dad, send me the materials on Ralts's Calm Mind. I want to study them."

"Sure, I'll send them to you in a moment." After saying that, Yantai turned and headed for the study.

Xinhai answered, then went to the room where the Pokémon food was stored. A faint fragrance lingered in the room, and the shelves were filled with Pokémon food and medicine in every color and shape.

Xinhai picked Ralts up and placed him on a shelf, but Ralts immediately jumped down and went straight back to Xinhai's side, still looking somewhat frightened. It made Xinhai's heart ache, and he gently picked Ralts up and began comforting him.

A flash of red light appeared, and Torchic ran out of his Poké Ball on his own. "Torchic~" Torchic was furious as well after coming out, and Xinhai had to spend quite a while comforting the two little ones before their moods finally improved.

"Torchic, Ralts, come drink your Nutritional Potion." Xinhai crouched down, opened the medicine, and held it out before them.

Torchic eagerly gulped it down. Ralts sniffed it first, took a small sip, and, finding the taste quite good, began drinking in big mouthfuls too.

Before long, he had drained all three small bottles of Nutritional Potion. However, Ralts's little belly was now round and swollen, and he let out a full belch. After burping, Ralts became a little embarrassed.

Xinhai chuckled softly, then looked toward Torchic, who had finished all six bottles and was licking the bottles clean.

Xinhai patted Torchic's little head. "All right, Torchic. Stop licking them. Drink this one too." As he spoke, he opened the special medicine and placed it in front of Torchic.

Torchic immediately drank it in one gulp, then savored the taste afterward.

Ralts watched eagerly, wanting more to drink. Xinhai smiled and patted its little head. "All right, save the remaining four bottles for tonight. It wouldn't be good if your little belly burst from overeating."

Ralts became a little embarrassed at that, but nodded obediently and rubbed its round little belly.

Xinhai looked at the two adorable little ones, his heart filled with warmth. He put away the remaining medicine, tidied up a little, then held Ralts in his arms and called Torchic along as they headed back to his room.

Back in the room, Xinhai gently placed Ralts on the bed. Torchic hopped up as well, and the two little ones began playing together. Xinhai sat by the bed, teasing them with a happy smile on his face.

Just as Xinhai was immersed in the warmth of the moment, his phone suddenly chimed. It was the materials on Calm Mind that his father had sent him.

Xinhai opened the file. It contained detailed records of the methods and precautions for Psychic type Pokémon to improve their Inner Focus through Calm Mind.

He began reading intently. Ralts and Torchic were drawn in by his serious expression as well. They stopped playing and gathered around him. Since Ralts was too small, it could not see the screen no matter how much it stood on tiptoe.

Seeing this, Xinhai's heart nearly melted. He gently picked Ralts up so that it could clearly see the phone screen.

Looking at Torchic beside him, Xinhai could not help feeling a little regretful. "It's a shame Torchic can't learn Calm Mind."