Elf: No, it's because he was made the gym leader!

A number of Pokémon were active around the crystal-clear pool: Piplup, Bibarel, Gastrodon, Swimsuit...

A family of Mook birds and Mook eagles circled in the sky.

The Pokémon in this area are all native to Sinnoh.

As the jeep continued forward, they crossed another small hill and arrived at the habitat of the Padian elves.

Lu Yuan was somewhat surprised to see four white mice, two large and two small, appearing on the grass.

"That's a family of rats."

A family rat is a unique Pokémon of the Padina region, which evolves from a pair of rats.

They often appear in pairs, looking like a married couple, but in reality, they are genderless Pokémon.

When a pair of mice evolves into a family of mice, there will be morphological differences. There is a 99% probability that they will evolve into a family of mice with four members, and a 1% probability that they will evolve into a family of mice with three members.

But whether it's a family of three or four, theoretically each family of mice is a spirit.

It's somewhat like the relationship between a kappa and a battle formation.

Professor Elm laughed and said, "Lu Yuan, you really are very knowledgeable. Even in the Padilla region, a family of rats is a very rare Pokémon."

“They are my next research subjects. I am very interested in their reproductive methods, while Dr. Yamanashi is interested in their evolutionary methods.”

Hmm... Lu Yuan is also interested in them, but not in research, but in battle.

The Technician trait enhances low-power skills, while the general attribute only has a weakness in melee combat.

Combined with a rat with a power of twenty but capable of attacking ten times in a row.

Maximum power can reach 450! (equivalent to 2.5 V of heat)

The strongest among rats, terrifying indeed.

The Cleanup skill can not only remove traps such as Stealth Rock and Sticky Web, but also enhance physical attack and speed.

The high-end version of Dragon Dance is so powerful that even Garchomp would shed tears upon hearing it.

With a base speed stat of 111, it's also a good support option. It can use Taunt, then another attack, or watch me draw enemy fire, creating opportunities for teammates to deal damage or buff themselves.

If I have the chance, I must tame a family of rats.

The jeep continued driving forward.

We passed an artificial lake, where many spirits lived.

Even the walls of the distant cave were covered with purple petals that looked like crystals.

"Jingguangya?"

“That’s right, it’s the Crystal Sprout and its evolved form, the Crystal Flower. They open their petals and release toxins whenever they sense danger,” Dr. Yamanashi explained.

"Yes, it does look rather odd." Xiao Lan nodded thoughtfully.

But when she looked at Lu Yuan beside her, she found that his eyes were shining.

Chapter 33 The Salt King

Crystal Flower is a poisonous plant!

Although it looks rather abstract, there's an unwritten rule in the gaming world.

The more abstract a Pokémon is, the stronger it is in battle.

As the champion of the Padiya region, Ye Ci is the best nail-laying player in singles, capable of laying three nails while clearing the opponent's nails.

Lu Yuan couldn't help but love it.

If my gym had a Pokémon like that... hehe.

"Lu Yuan... Lu Yuan!"

Just as Lu Yuan was immersed in his fantasy, he was pulled back to reality by Xiao Lan's sudden elbow strike.

"W-what's wrong?"

"Control your expression," Xiao Lan kindly reminded her. "What are you thinking about?"

"Ahem, it's nothing, I just suddenly thought of something happy." Lu Yuan coughed awkwardly, quickly suppressing his smile and replying with feigned composure.

Observe from the side.

Professor Elm was engrossed in his research, talking to himself as he described the Pokémon around him.

Dr. Yamanashi was carefully examining the state of the lake spirits.

Da Ye was engrossed in playing with the sea squirrel's slimy little head.

Phew, thankfully no one noticed.

At this moment, Cynthia pointed to the other side of the artificial lake, to a place made of piled-up rocks, and said:

"The Pokémon that Professor Yamanashi wanted to ask you to deal with is over there."

Not far away, there were strange-looking rocks.

Just by looking, you can't tell the difference.

Suddenly, there was a strange movement in Lu Yuan's waist pocket, and Patchlet popped out of the Poké Ball on its own.

This should be its afternoon nap time, so it shouldn't be possible for it to wake up early.

Patchlitz swayed as he stood up and walked unsteadily toward the place piled with strange rocks.

Then, without saying a word, he lay down on a large rock and started gnawing on it.

"so cute!"

Xiao Lan couldn't help but praise.

After all, girls always have an irresistible attraction to furry things.

Cynthia, who had a keen eye, seemed to notice something amiss: "Is it...sleepwalking?"

Rumbling--

at this time.

The pile of rocks emitted a slight rumbling sound.

The pile of stones swayed, scattering pebbles, and Pokémon made entirely of rock, resembling a pixelated world of stones, stood up unsteadily.

"The Salt Stone Giant!"

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

“Jipa?”

Patchlitz, who was lying on the salt rock giant licking salt blocks, suddenly woke up.

An earthquake? (?﹃??)

Cynthia's expression changed slightly as she reminded him, "It's that Salt Stone Giant with a bad temper, who's causing trouble everywhere with Salt Stone Treasure and Salt Stone Fortress."

Rock Giant, a rock salt Pokémon, is a single Rock-type Pokémon.

He is known as the "Salt King" in the gaming community.

Of course, it can also be called the "Salt Emperor".

He used salt to slap each Pokémon equally, and the Water and Steel types were hit with the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.

“Jipa (#?Д?)”

This big rock smells delicious, but I feel like I can't get down from it. Chewing and chewing...

"coax!"

The Saltstone Giant felt as if the little thing had eaten its "hairstyle" and immediately roared.

"Jipa(ノ

○

Д

○)ノ”

It scared the mouse to death, chewing and chewing...

Still eating!

How dare it?

The Salt Stone Giant was utterly enraged. It grabbed a stone from the ground, and a layer of snow-white crystalline substance quickly spread from its palm, covering the stone.

Then it hurled it at Patchlitz.

Salted!

To cause the target to become salted.

Each turn, Pokémon lose one-eighth of their HP; Steel-type and Water-type Pokémon lose one-quarter.