Pokémon: Master System.

Charlotte was completely bewildered. He had just spotted a few decent Pokémon eggs, but the prices had deterred him. He hadn't expected his younger brother to be so generous, picking out an egg and even wrapping it up.

However, Charlotte didn't say anything, because Xia Yu was indeed very good at identifying Pokémon eggs. His secret weapon, Blaziken, and his father's shiny Scizor were both discovered by Xia Yu.

"Then let's wrap it up." A million dollars wasn't much for Charlotte. "Miss Jiang, please take us to the treasure room."

"Okay. This way, please."

…………

The two entered the treasure room, which was much less crowded than the area outside. Besides the two Charlotte brothers, there was only another young man and a middle-aged man who had arrived about a minute earlier than the Charlotte brothers.

With fewer people, there are even fewer Pokémon eggs in the same treasure room. Each Pokémon egg is carefully cared for, and even the lowest-potential Pokémon are Totem-level Pokémon, most of them are Gym Leader-level Pokémon, and some are even near-Elite Four-level Pokémon!

Xia Yu was dazzled by the sight and couldn't help but sigh. This was the confidence of the Great Mythic+. With so many high-potential Pokémon, they could definitely train a Champion-level trainer. The fact that his brother had two slots meant the Pokémon Association was really going all out.

"The Pokémon here are all of very high quality, and they are not for sale. Only those who have made contributions to the Pokémon Association are eligible to choose," Jiang Qinglan said seriously. "Now you can choose for yourselves."

This time, the two brothers did not act alone, but instead walked together and discussed things.

“Brother, the Pokémon eggs here are all of very good quality. Just look at their size; they’re all bigger than the ones outside,” Xia Yu said.

“Indeed.” Charlotte nodded. It was also his first time being selected. He was quite curious as he walked through the treasure room, looking left and right like a curious child.

“I have a feeling this Pokémon egg has excellent potential,” Charlotte said, pointing to a Pokémon egg with an exaggerated size, a light red shell, and even faint fire patterns.

Looking in the direction Charlotte was pointing, the elf egg was indeed quite extraordinary. Not only was it large in size, but the flames that flickered inside the eggshell were also quite rare.

【Elf Egg】

Dog

Gender: male

Attribute: Fire

Qualification: Quasi-king level

Ability: Fire

Skill:? ? ?

Upon closer inspection, Xia Yu discovered that this Pokémon egg only looked impressive; it was all bark and no bite, and its true potential was only at the Quasi-Elite level.

Xia Yu discovered that since arriving in Tiandu City, his standards had risen considerably. In Starlight City, he couldn't even find a Pokémon with near-Elite Four potential, but in Tiandu City, he looked down on even Pokémon with near-Elite Four potential. He realized that he had really become arrogant.

Guilty sin.

"Excuse me, could you move aside?" Just then, a middle-aged man suddenly spoke up, interrupting Xia Yu's wandering thoughts.

"Please, please." Charlotte had obviously noticed the two luxuriously dressed people long ago, but he didn't mind. He stepped aside to let them come closer to examine the aptitude of the elf egg.

After carefully examining the elf egg, the middle-aged man turned and whispered a few words to the young man. Then he said to the guide beside them, "Help us pack this elf egg properly; we'll choose this one."

Chapter 23 Zhao Shan

The middle-aged man's actions greatly displeased Xia Luo and Xia Yu. They were the ones who had their eyes on the elf egg first, and regardless of whether they wanted it or not, they should have shown some respect for the principle of first come, first served. It was the most basic courtesy. Instead, this guy simply had it wrapped up.

Charlotte's smile faded as she looked at the middle-aged man: "Sir, everything should be done in a first-come, first-served manner. We are looking at this elf egg, and you should at least wait until we have finished looking at it before you choose. What do you mean by coming up here without saying a word and having someone wrap up this elf egg?"

"Hey, isn't this the youngest near-Elite Four level trainer, Gym Leader Charlotte?" The middle-aged man's tone was full of mockery, and his eyes were filled with jealousy and resentment as he looked at Charlotte. "Oh, I forgot, you're not a Gym Leader anymore. I heard you lost two near-Elite Four level Pokémon. What a pity. Here you are, picking Pokémon eggs? Picking Pokémon eggs is all about first come, first served. Since you didn't want any, we'll have to go first."

The middle-aged man was from the Zhao family, named Zhao Shan. He was a native of Tian Du City, a powerful and influential local family. Like Xia Luo, he was a Fire-type trainer. Although his father's influence allowed him to easily become a Gym Leader-level trainer, his talent was limited. He participated in several Gym Leader ranking battles but unfortunately lost every time, failing to become the strongest Fire-type trainer at the Gym Leader level, and therefore was not qualified to serve as a Fire-type Gym Leader.

In fact, Zhao Shan and Xia Luo did not know each other and had never fought each other in the Gym Leader Ranking Battle. However, when Zhao Shan saw that the young Xia Luo had become the strongest Fire-type Gym Leader in Xishu Province and served as the Fire-type Gym Leader of Honglian City, the narrow-minded Zhao Shan was extremely jealous and resentful of Xia Luo and held a grudge against him.

He was overjoyed when he heard that Charlotte had lost two near-Elite Four level Pokémon a few days ago, and he opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate.

Today, he came to the Flame Realm to accompany Zhao Zhengyi, the eldest son of the third generation of the Zhao family, to choose a Pokémon egg. Zhao Zhengyi's grandfather made great contributions to the Pokémon Association and even sacrificed his life for it. From then on, the eldest son of each generation of the Zhao family could choose a Pokémon egg.

Zhao Shan hadn't expected to run into Xia Luo. His instinct was to humiliate her and vent his pent-up anger from the past few years. As for stealing Xia Luo's Pokémon egg, that was purely coincidental. After all, no matter how much Zhao Shan resented Xia Luo, he knew what was important and wouldn't dare joke about the important matter of choosing a Pokémon egg. The reason he did this was simply because the Growlithe egg looked so good!

Seeing the middle-aged man's arrogant demeanor and overbearing tone, Charlotte was also extremely angry. Most fire-type trainers have fiery tempers, and she said directly, "I see now, you're deliberately picking a fight, aren't you? Who do you think you are, barking like a dog here?"

Charlotte's three consecutive rants made Zhao Shan's face turn bright red with anger.

"What did you say?"

Zhao Shan trembled with anger and pointed at Xia Luo, speaking coldly.

"What, you want to make a move?" Charlotte also had a fiery temper, and her voice rose.

The tense atmosphere between the two men frightened the two guides standing nearby. The junior guide next to Zhao Shan dared not speak, but Jiang Qinglan bravely stepped forward and advised, "Gentlemen, please calm down. Private fights are not allowed in the Flame Secret Realm. Otherwise, the official secret realm will revoke your quota for selecting spirit eggs."

"Mind your own business! A waitress who only sells her face dares to threaten me?!" Zhao Shan didn't dare to actually fight Xia Luo, but he dared to attack the guide. He slapped Jiang Qinglan across the face with such force that she staggered back several steps, almost dropping the Daruma Baboon egg in her hand. Fortunately, she held onto the egg tightly, preventing it from slipping out of her grasp. Jiang Qinglan's left cheek instantly became red and swollen.

"What are you doing?" Xia Yu quickly helped Jiang Qinglan up, his anger rising. This was a King-level Daruma baboon! You can hit people all you want, but what if you accidentally hurt this elf egg?! The more Xia Yu thought about it, the angrier he became, and he couldn't help but shout, "You coward, you want to fight?! Come on, let's have a spar!"

Putting everything else aside, the Xia brothers are both over 1.8 meters tall and are both young and strong. If it really came down to a fight, the two members of the Zhao family would be no match for them.

Held protectively in Xia Yu's arms, Jiang Qinglan watched as Xia Yu stood up for her, her mind in turmoil. She couldn't help but let her imagination run wild. Was he angry for her? Did he like her? Feeling Xia Yu's concern, Jiang Qinglan felt a sweet warmth in her heart, and the pain on her face lessened somewhat. Looking at Xia Yu, her beautiful eyes sparkled.

Charlotte was also surprised. He and Xia Yu had completely different personalities. He, the older brother, had a fiery temper, while Xia Yu, the younger brother, was mature, steady, calm, and very opinionated. Why was Xia Yu, who was usually mature and steady, so angry when a guide was beaten?

Could it be that Xiaoyu has really fallen for Jiang Qinglan? Although the girl is quite pretty, it's only their first meeting, and it's already love at first sight!

But recently, his father has been discussing with him about arranging a marriage for Xiaoyu, finding a powerful and influential in-law to help him get through the difficult years ahead. If Xiaoyu falls in love with this woman, then the marriage will fall through.

Xia Yu was oblivious to their wild thoughts; all he could see was the Daruma Baboon's egg. This was no ordinary Daruma Baboon egg, but a Daruma Baboon egg worth 128 million!

Xia Yu glanced coldly at Zhao Shan and said to the other guide beside him, "Call your supervisor over."

“Okay…okay,” the other guide replied in a trembling voice.

"Are you alright?" Xia Yu asked, looking at the egg in Jiang Qinglan's arms with concern.

"No...it's nothing." Jiang Qinglan blushed slightly upon hearing Xia Yu's words, her heart racing uncontrollably. Looking at the handsome Xia Yu, her heart trembled.

It has to be said that Xia Yu is really good-looking, inheriting the good looks of his parents. Back then, Xia Yong, a poor boy, was able to win over Lin Xuemei, a lady from a prestigious family, and his good looks were definitely a part of the reason.

Just then, the sound of high heels suddenly rang out from outside, and a mature and sexy woman walked in from the door. She glanced at Jiang Qinglan, whose cheeks were red and swollen, and turned to look at the group of people who were on the verge of fighting: "Young Master Zhao, Mr. Xia Luo, I am the supervisor of the Flame Secret Realm Incubation Room. You can just call me Xiao Qin. What happened? The fire energy in this Flame Secret Realm is so rich that it has made everyone very angry."

Supervisor Qin first greeted the four people, then asked another guide, "Xiao Lin, what happened?"

Another guide named Kobayashi slowly recounted what had just happened: "Mr. Charlotte and his companions first saw this Growlithe egg and were observing it, but hadn't made a decision yet. Then Mr. Zhao Shan and Young Master Zhao also took a liking to the egg. After looking at it for a while, they directly selected it. Mr. Charlotte said that everything should be done in a first-come, first-served manner, and then they started arguing and were about to fight. Qinglan went to persuade them, saying that fighting might disqualify them from the selection. Then Mr. Zhao Shan hit Qinglan."

Xiao Lin briefly recounted what had happened, then stood aside, remaining silent and waiting for Supervisor Qin to speak.

Chapter 24 Pokémon with Exceptional Talent

At this moment, Zhao Shan was no longer as arrogant as before. He restrained his temper in front of Manager Qin. After all, to be able to serve as a manager in the Flame Secret Realm, one must at least be at the Quasi-Heavenly King level, and have an incredibly profound background.

He dared to lay a hand on a lowly guide like Jiang Qinglan, but he could only act obsequiously in front of Supervisor Qin. Lacking both background and power, he could only keep a low profile. He fawned over his superiors and bullied his subordinates.

Manager Qin guessed the gist of the matter halfway through the conversation. Jiang Qinglan must have been wronged. As Xiao Jiang's supervisor, she had to stand up for her no matter what, otherwise she would alienate people and no one would want to work for her in the future: "Mr. Zhao, Xiao Jiang is right. If you were fighting in the treasure room, the Flame Secret Realm does have the right to cancel your selection quota."

Of course, Manager Qin's warning was merely to maintain the authority of the Flame Secret Realm; it was absolutely impossible to actually cancel the Zhao family's spot. Jiang Qinglan was, after all, just an intern with no background, and Manager Qin couldn't afford to completely offend the Zhao family for her sake: "Let it go this time. Since Mr. Zhao and his family have chosen their Pokémon egg, please leave the treasure room. Xiao Lin, wrap up this Pokémon egg for Mr. Zhao and his family."

Upon hearing Manager Qin's order to leave, Zhao Shan's face flushed red, but he didn't dare to argue with Manager Qin and could only leave dejectedly.

After Zhao Shan left, Manager Qin put on a smile and said apologetically to Xia Luo, "Mr. Xia Luo, I'm sorry, there really isn't a strict rule about first come, first served in the secret realm. It all depends on individual manners and upbringing. We can't do anything about someone as rude as Zhao Shan. I'm very sorry. I see that Xiao Jiang is holding a Pokémon egg that you bought in the outer area. So, within my authority, I'll give you the maximum discount, a 40% discount."

It must be said that in addition to his ability, Manager Qin is also very good at handling people and situations. He not only upheld justice for his subordinates, but also cleverly resolved the dispute between Xia Luo and Zhao Shan, allowing Zhao Shan to take the elf egg and leave, while also giving Xia Luo compensation.

"Mr. Charlotte, please continue choosing. I won't disturb you any longer. Xiao Jiang, would you like to rest?"

"It's alright, Manager Qin, I'm fine," Jiang Qinglan quickly said.

"Alright. I'll get back to work now. You'll have to work hard, but you can rest after you've finished receiving Mr. Charlotte. I'll give you half a day off this afternoon."

"Thank you, Manager Qin."

…………

"Brother, don't be angry. I just think that Pokémon egg's aptitude isn't good, and we don't like it either." Xia Yu comforted his older brother, "After we send them away, we'll take our time choosing. We'll definitely pick a Pokémon egg with better aptitude than that Growlithe."

"I'm not angry." Xia Luo suddenly sighed. If it were the Xia family of the past, Zhao Shan would never have treated him this way. Now that his strength has been greatly diminished, all sorts of strange creatures have jumped out. "Let's keep watching."

The two brothers continued looking around. The entire treasure room wasn't very large, and they finished looking at the dozens of Pokémon eggs in just a few minutes.

Xia Yu was surprised to find two Pokémon with Elite Four aptitude or higher among them: one was a Lionheart, and the other was a Shiny Charmander with the Solar Power ability!

Between the two Pokémon, Xia Yu would absolutely choose Charmander, because Charmander is the only Pokémon with near-champion potential in the entire arena.

To be honest, even Xia Yu himself was incredibly tempted by the little fire dragon's exceptional qualities.

【Elf Egg】

Little Fire Dragon

Gender: female

Attribute: Fire

Qualification: Near Champion Level

Characteristic: Solar Power

Skill:? ? ?

The Solar Power ability undoubtedly makes this Charizard more suitable for a special attack build. Under sunny skies, a Charizard with the Solar Power ability is extremely powerful.

Furthermore, Charizard can also Mega Evolve, and whether it evolves into Mega Charizard X or Mega Charizard Y, both are extremely powerful.

Evolving into Mega Charizard X, its ability changes from Solar Power to Hard Claws, transforming the Special Attacker Charizard from a Special Attacker into a Physical Attacker. It can definitely catch you off guard and is very difficult to defend against.