The Starf Berries in the bamboo baskets formed a small mountain.
Ash stood beside them, drooling despite himself:
"Five hundred thousand for just one. These Starf Berries really are incredible..."
Gengar floated over, opened his mouth wide, and swallowed the bamboo baskets along with the Starf Berries into his alternate dimension.
Watching the mountain of Starf Berries disappear into Gengar's mouth, Ash sprawled on the ground and cried out:
"That was a whole mountain of money! Gengar just ate it?!"
Misty completely lost her composure. She grabbed Ash by the collar and hauled him up:
"Ash, you idiot! Did you forget that Lu Chen's Gengar can control an alternate dimension? He obviously didn't eat them. He put them in his alternate dimension!"
Only then did Ash understand. He slapped his forehead and chuckled sheepishly.
Watching Ash and the others fool around, Lu Chen smiled, then turned his attention to Gabite nearby.
As the Pokémon who had worked hardest to grow the Starf Berries, Gabite deserved credit for both his achievements and his hard work.
It would not even have been an exaggeration to say his tireless efforts had earned him great merit.
From tilling, sowing, watering, and weeding to patrolling day and night and chasing away Wild Pokémon that stole the fruit.
Gabite had devoted most of his time and energy to this field.
However.
When Lu Chen looked at Gabite, Gabite seemed rather uneasy instead.
He lowered his head, his finlike forelimbs curling slightly, his tail hanging against the ground and gently brushing the soil.
By Lu Chen's side, Gabite had been growing stronger rapidly every day.
Not only did he have delicious meals and top-grade Pokémon Food to nurture him, but he could also occasionally ask Lu Chen or the other Pokémon for advice.
These days had been countless times better than his old life wandering alone in the wild.
But now, the task of growing the Starf Berries was over.
Was I already useless?
At a time like this, would leaving on my own be a little more dignified?
Gabite quietly turned around and took a step toward the outside of the farm.
And just then!
"Wait!"
Lu Chen's voice came from behind him.
Gabite stopped.
"Gabite, you're the one who deserves the most credit for this harvest! Where are you going?"
Lu Chen walked up to him and looked down at him:
"Did you forget what I told you? That I would give you a surprise gift?"
A surprise.
Gabite abruptly raised his head.
He remembered.
More than two months ago, Lu Chen had promised him that as long as he properly protected and cultivated these Starf Berries.
He would give Gabite a surprise, a gift that would let Gabite surpass any Garchomp of this era.
Gabite opened his mouth.
Honestly, he had already forgotten that promise.
Surpass every Garchomp of this era?
Did a gift like that really exist?
Seeing the trace of doubt Gabite could not hide in his eyes, Lu Chen sighed helplessly.
"It looks like I really am a failure as a Trainer. Even my own Pokémon doesn't believe me."
Gabite hurriedly waved his forelimbs, shaking his head like a rattle to show that he absolutely believed Lu Chen.
"All right, enough teasing."
Lu Chen smiled faintly.
"Now it's time for me to fulfill my promise as your Trainer."
That was what he said, but Lu Chen really had not prepared the gift ahead of time.
Still, that was no big problem.
Lu Chen had already gathered all the materials.
Lu Chen took a Poké Ball from his waist and called Gengar out.
Gengar opened his mouth and pulled something out of his alternate dimension.
An enormous scale.
It was dark gold, its surface gleaming with a soft luster and a ring of faint patterns along its edge.
The scale felt warm in his hand and contained rich Dragon-type energy.
This was the colossal Dragonite's reverse scale.
Lu Chen had asked Dragonite for it that night.
As the only reverse scale on the colossal Dragonite's body, it was not merely incomparably hard.
It also contained a dense aura of the super-ancient era and Dragon-type energy.
Had he not met Dragonite, Lu Chen had originally planned to grind some powder off the crown on Gouging Fire's head to use as the main ingredient.
But now that he had Dragonite's reverse scale, there was naturally no need for Gouging Fire to contribute.
Lu Chen then took out a small knife.
The knife looked utterly ordinary, wrapped in a cloth, with a dull gray blade that drew no attention.
But this small knife had been ground from a tooth taken from the remains of a Tyrantrum that might have surpassed peak Champion level.
It was incomparably sharp. Even Aerodactyl and Lapras, both at peak Champion level, would be injured if stabbed by this knife.
Using this small knife, Lu Chen gently scraped the reverse scale.
A layer of golden powder was scraped from the hard surface of the reverse scale.
The powder was as fine as sand, shimmering faintly in the setting sun.
Lu Chen scraped off a full bowl before stopping and tossing both the reverse scale and the knife back into Gengar's alternate dimension.
Then he pulled a whole assortment of bottles and jars from Gengar's mouth.
"What are all these things?"
Even the senior Breeder Brock and Professor Oak, who came over and examined the contents of those jars for quite a while, could not tell what they were at all.
There was black powder, red liquid, transparent crystals, and several pieces of dried plants that gave off strange odors.
Lu Chen poured the golden powder into a stone bowl, then added those unidentifiable materials one after another.
He stirred as he added them.
The originally golden powder gradually turned blackish gray.
Its scent also changed from a faint, rank dragon smell to an indescribably strange odor.
Finally, Lu Chen called Gabite over, plucked a scale from his body, crushed it, and kneaded it into that lump of blackish-gray mud.
At last, a fist-sized mud pellet took shape.
A blackish-gray mud pellet that gave off a strange odor.
Looking at the mud pellet before him, Gabite could not help swallowing.
Nearby, Ash, Delia, Professor Oak, and the others looked at the thing in Lu Chen's hand and suddenly had an ominous suspicion.
"Don't tell me Gabite is supposed to swallow that thing?" Ash exclaimed.
"Just what I'd expect from you, Ash. Congratulations, you got it right." Lu Chen nodded.
Hearing Lu Chen's words, Gabite's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally gave up entirely.
He walked up to Lu Chen and looked at the mud pellet, which was even larger than a fist and gave off a strange odor.
He hesitated for a while.
Gabite closed his eyes, then swallowed it in one gulp.
That strange taste exploded in his mouth, and Gabite's expression instantly twisted.
The fist-sized mud pellet lodged in his throat. He stretched his neck, struggling to swallow it.
"Gulp."
Only after an enormous effort did Gabite finally get it down.
Gabite gasped for breath, feeling as though his entire mouth and esophagus had been thoroughly pickled in that strange flavor.
Just after Gabite swallowed it.
His body began to glow.
White light poured out of him, growing brighter and more intense.
After eating that strange mud pellet, Gabite had actually begun to evolve!
"Th-this is evolution?!" Ash said in astonishment from the side.
Meanwhile, Lu Chen rubbed his chin and said.
"Looks like it also happened to be time for him to evolve. After this evolution, with my secret medicine added on top."
"Gabite will have truly leaped over the Dragon Gate like a carp."
This humble little author is begging for some reviews. For some reason, this book still doesn't have a rating. It's really strange.
I hope all you esteemed readers can leave some more reviews. If the initial rating is higher than 6, there will be four updates on October 1.
And let me quietly mutter one more thing: today is this little author's birthday. ( •̀ ω •́ )✧