Chapter 107: The Surprise Brought by the Water Stone Belt

Xiaoguang looked up in confusion, but Zhao Fang sensed something odd about her expression—her face had flushed even more. Before Zhao Fang could say anything, Mr. Qianli spoke up.

“My relationship with your father is one of both rivalry and friendship, and it has brought us great growth. This kind of intense rivalry has helped us develop rapidly as trainers. So, if you don’t have a clear goal yet, why not set your goal as defeating your rival? Zhao Fang is a very skilled and talented trainer, and I have high hopes for both of you,” Mr. Qianli said with a warm smile. Zhao Fang pinched the bridge of his nose, realizing his earlier intuition had been right.

From the moment Mr. Qianli mentioned sending Xiaoguang on a journey to talking about his relationship with Xiaoguang’s father, Zhao Fang had felt uneasy. Now, his suspicion was confirmed. What was this about? If Zhao Fang didn’t already know that his own father in this world was the middle-aged man who liked to say, “The power of science is truly astonishing,” he might have suspected he was reading from Youshu’s script.

“I... I will try my best to defeat... Zhao... Zhao Fang...” Xiaoguang shyly covered her face, her large, watery eyes peeking at Zhao Fang through her fingers.

Zhao Fang’s mouth twitched involuntarily, but given how much Mr. Qianli had helped him, he couldn’t refuse. He nodded in agreement and exchanged Pokédex contact information with Xiaoguang. He also took the opportunity to have her download WeChat, adding another brick to his WeChat empire.

After Xiaoguang added him on WeChat and left, saying she needed to tell her father about this, only Zhao Fang and Mr. Qianli remained in the reception room.

“Zhao Fang, I apologize. Xiaoguang is a bit too introverted and shy. To encourage her to embark on this journey, I borrowed your name... This is compensation for you. Please accept it,” Mr. Qianli said apologetically, then pulled a small pouch from his chest pocket and handed it to Zhao Fang.

“Uncle Qianli, there’s no need for that. You’re too kind,” Zhao Fang said, seeing the serious expression on Qianli’s face. Knowing he was sincere, Zhao Fang accepted it with a wry smile.

But the moment he took it, Zhao Fang froze as he read the item's description.

[Intermediate Water Stone: Can evolve certain Pokémon and has magical effects on Water-type Pokémon.]

“This is a Water Stone. Although it’s not the best quality, it’s a valuable item for your Gyarados. You can have your Gyarados hold it to enhance its understanding of Water-type moves. Of course, if you encounter the right Pokémon, you can use the Water Stone to evolve it,” Mr. Qianli explained earnestly. Zhao Fang nodded eagerly; of course, he intended to keep it carefully.

He also entertained a bold idea. He had previously thought that the quality of berries seemed to significantly affect a Pokémon’s base stats. But was this unique to berries? Could other rare items like the Water Stone or Miracle Seed have similar effects?

However, compared to berries, items like the Water Stone and Miracle Seed were far more expensive—on an entirely different level—so Zhao Fang had never dared to purchase them for experimentation. Now that he had a Water Stone right in front of him, he admitted he was tempted.

After bidding farewell to Mr. Qianli, Zhao Fang returned to the hotel, eager to test the item. However, after preparing today’s meals for Gyarados and Frosmoth, he realized he couldn’t handle the Water Stone just yet.

After all, the Water Stone was a crystal with remarkable hardness. Even a kitchen knife couldn’t break it, let alone cooking it. Zhao Fang concluded there were only two ways to make it usable in cooking: either try melting it with high heat or shatter it with great force to break it into pieces small enough to mix into the food.

“Shatter it?” Zhao Fang’s eyes lit up as he waved his hand to call Gyarados over.

Though confused, Gyarados obeyed Zhao Fang’s command and used Iron Head to strike the Water Stone with full force. Thanks to the magical power of the Pokémon’s move, the Water Stone shattered. While this was exactly what Zhao Fang wanted, he admitted feeling a pang of regret.

Once broken, the Water Stone’s hardness seemed to drop significantly, making it much easier for Zhao Fang to handle. He used tools to grind the fragments into powder, then mixed the powder with other ingredients to prepare a steamed pork dish.

[A delicious steamed pork dish. Consuming it increases base stats by 3 (Gyarados) and 0.9 (Frosmoth).]

Zhao Fang’s eyes brightened. Just as he had suspected, Pokémon food made from rarer items could indeed boost base stats more substantially. An increase of 3 points at once—he was tempted. With this, Gyarados’s stats could be greatly enhanced.

But the thought of the Water Stone’s high price gave Zhao Fang a stomachache. This was far beyond what he could currently afford. Given his income, feeding such expensive meals once a month would be extremely difficult.

“I must improve my strength as quickly as possible! Only then can I promote WeChat extensively. Pokédexes are rare, but smartphones are the future,” Zhao Fang clenched his fist. Once he was strong enough and WeChat started generating income, he could afford such lavish expenses.

After feeding Gyarados and Frosmoth, Zhao Fang found himself gazing toward the direction of the Mandarin Forest. Though he had only been away briefly, he admitted he missed Dragonite.

[Bianca: Zhao Fang, I’ve arrived at the Celestic Town Pokémon Center. Get your luggage ready and come find me.] Zhao Fang received the message on WeChat. He slapped his own cheek to wake up, then hurried to pack his belongings.

When Zhao Fang arrived at the Pokémon Center, he saw Cynthia standing at the entrance in casual clothes, impatiently scanning the surroundings. Upon seeing Zhao Fang, she happily waved.

“Scholar Bianca, how do we get to the Sinnoh region?” Zhao Fang followed Cynthia and asked curiously.

“By airship, of course. Although taking a ship is possible, it’s too slow. We need to head to Canalave City now to board the airship. Come on,” Cynthia smiled, then pulled out a Poké Ball. A Togekiss flew out gracefully.

Zhao Fang looked at Cynthia with a hint of envy. Togekiss was truly a Pokémon with both strength and beauty.