Chapter 60: The Genius of the Everstone
Kenji, of course, had no idea about the little interaction between Ekans and Larvitar outside the villa.
He quickly finished the rice in his bowl and logged into the Metropolis Academy's official website on his phone.
From there, he could schedule his exam to become a Professional Trainer.
Once he passed, he would receive his Professional Trainer license.
For students at a normal academy, this was an exam they generally couldn't even apply for until their sophomore year.
But at a top-tier institution like Metropolis Academy, students could take the exam as soon as they enrolled.
The content wasn't overly difficult, consisting of a written test and a battle test.
The battle test was a 3v3. The examiner would use three Professional-level Pokémon, all around level 25.
The written test, however, was much more comprehensive. The subjects included, but were not limited to: the National Region's laws and regulations regarding Pokémon, knowledge of Pokémon breeding, and a whole series of facts about abilities, moves, and evolution methods...
All in all, the National League's control over its trainers was extremely strict. The regulations for ordinary civilians raising Pokémon were even more absurdly numerous. There were some Pokémon civilians were allowed to keep, but the list was very short.
In contrast, some foreign regional leagues were much more liberal with their regulations.
But precisely because of those lax policies, the number of Pokémon-related crimes in those regions was far higher than in the National Region.
You could only say that each league's approach had its own pros and cons; it was impossible to say who was right and who was wrong.
...
The exam required an appointment.
The earliest available slot was one week from now.
However, because the new students had a mandatory 15-day freshman orientation, Kenji had no choice but to book his exam for two weeks out, right after the orientation ended.
After cleaning up from his meal, he walked back outside. On the lawn, Ekans was coiled up, resting in a shady spot. Larvitar was squatting nearby with its butt in the air, munching away as it shoveled dirt into its mouth.
"Huh? Little guy, you didn't eat lunch?"
Kenji crouched down and poked Larvitar's head from behind, asking in confusion.
Larvitar turned its head, still chewing on a mouthful of dirt. It shook its head, then pointed to its stomach, signaling that it had already eaten.
Kenji nodded, remembering the Pokédex entry for Larvitar.
According to the Pokédex, a wild Larvitar's egg is typically buried deep underground by its Tyranitar parent.
For a newborn Larvitar to see its mother and father again, it must eat its way back to the surface.
It has to literally eat a tunnel back to the world above.
It's said that by the time a young Larvitar has consumed an entire mountain's worth of soil, it will have stored enough energy to evolve into its second form: Pupitar.
Pupitar was somewhat similar to the second-stage cocoon forms of Bug-types like Weedle and Caterpie.
But as the second stage of a pseudo-legendary, even as a cocoon, Pupitar possessed immense combat power. Its shell was incredibly hard, and it was powerfully strong. It could compress gas within its shell and use the resulting blast to propel itself.
Legends said that a rampaging Pupitar could topple mountains.
Eating dirt, he figured, was an instinct carved into Larvitar's very genes.
Kenji patting Larvitar's head. He then took a necklace he had prepared from his pocket and fastened it around Larvitar's neck. He looked at it seriously and warned, "You have to wear this necklace, got it? And you are not allowed to eat this stone. Do you hear me?"
Larvitar looked down, fiddling with the small stone on the necklace with its short arms. It had no idea what it was and really wanted to take a bite to see how it tasted. But hearing Kenji's warning, it suppressed its curiosity and nodded.
The necklace Kenji had given Larvitar was, of course, an Everstone.
The effect of an Everstone was very simple: it suppressed a Pokémon's desire to evolve, preventing it from doing so.
Trainers rarely used them. They were more commonly seen among the wealthy. Some rich families had no interest in becoming trainers but loved to keep cute, small Pokémon like Togepi, Marill, Pikachu, or Skitty.
To prevent these Pokémon from evolving, they would have them wear an Everstone.
For one, the first-stage "baby" forms were often the cutest.
For another, after evolving, not only would their power increase, but so would the danger-factor. A single accident could attract the league's attention, and they could be prohibited from keeping the Pokémon.
As for Kenji, his reason for giving Larvitar an Everstone was also very simple.
His Newbie Gift Pack had given him a "Lesser Hero Replicator."
That meant that a "Secondary Hero Replicator" and a "Hero Replicator" must also exist.
He just couldn't obtain them yet because he hadn't become a Professional Trainer, and his system functions weren't fully unlocked.
The Lesser Hero Replicator could copy Pokémon with base stats of 200 or less.
A Secondary Hero Replicator, therefore, should be able to copy Pokémon with base stats of 300 or less.
And Larvitar, while its final evolution was a pseudo-legendary with a mighty 600 base stats... its first form had base stats of exactly 300.
If Kenji's guess about the Secondary Hero Replicator was correct... then he was going to get twenty-six of them and get his Larvitar to 4-Stars before he even thought about letting it evolve.
After all, getting twenty-six Secondary Hero Replicators was, by any measure, infinitely more realistic than catching twenty-six wild Larvitar.
If his plan worked...
A 4-Star Larvitar, once it evolved into Tyranitar, would have base stats of 780.
And if he chose to Mega Evolve that Tyranitar, its final base stats would reach a terrifying 880!!
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