NOVEL WEB Chapter 27: Chapter 27
"I understand."
Keqing, her mind heavy with thoughts, was about to leave when Li Pan called out to her.
"Miss Keqing, would you like to try another draw?"
He placed the shop's Pokédex in front of her.
"Huh?!! Can one person really own multiple Pokémon?!" Keqing was shocked.
She had always thought that one person could only have one Pokémon.
"Of course. If you have the ability to train them, why wouldn't I let you buy more?"
Li Pan smiled.
"Miss Keqing, what do you say? Would you like to draw another Pokémon?"
"Yes!"
Keqing took the Pokédex, took a deep breath, and solemnly pressed the draw button.
Instantly, the images on the Pokédex began to spin.
Keqing stared intently, beads of nervous sweat forming on her nose. The spinning slowed, finally stopping on a yellow, humanoid creature with two vertical horns on its head. Keqing frowned.
This thing is so ugly.
"Li Pan, what is this?" Keqing handed the Pokédex back to Li Pan.
Li Pan glanced down. "Let me see… Oh, Keqing, you're quite lucky."
He looked up, meeting Keqing's eyes. "This Pokémon is called Elekid, a pure Electric-type. Its final evolution, Electivire, has even greater potential than the starter Pokémon."
Electivire's base stat total was a solid 540, while most starter Pokémon hovered around 530. It was indeed stronger, but only by a small margin.
"Stronger than the starters?!!"
Keqing's eyes lit up, her mind fixated on that statement.
She knew exactly how powerful the starter Pokémon were.
Ningguang's three little followers had each drawn one of the starters, and although Ningguang never said it outright, Keqing always felt like she was showing off.
When the Baiwen, Baixiao, and Baishi sisters trained, Keqing had watched them. Though she didn't want to admit it, the starters seemed stronger than her Shinx at the same level.
Ningguang's Larvitar was a different story, it was a pseudo-legendary, after all. But why were the starters so strong?
Keqing didn't know that one of the reasons starters were considered the best for new trainers was their smooth power progression, with a decent level of strength even in their first stage.
"Saying it's stronger than the starters isn't entirely accurate. Elekid can naturally evolve into Electabuzz, but for Electabuzz to evolve into Electivire, it requires a special device called an Electirizer. And currently, such a device can't be found in Teyvat."
Hearing this, Keqing deflated, slumping into a chair like a lifeless fish.
It was hard to imagine the usually decisive Yuheng Star showing such an expression.
"Li Pan, is there really no way to evolve it?"
Keqing asked weakly.
"It's just that it can't evolve into its final form for now. Who knows? Maybe my little shop will start selling evolution items in the future, or perhaps you'll discover a way to evolve Electabuzz in Teyvat."
Li Pan's explanation reignited Keqing's spirit.
"Alright, then I'll take Elekid!"
Li Pan smiled and walked into the backyard.
Soon, he returned with a yellow, humanoid creature that stood about as tall as his calf.
Its head was a giant plug, occasionally sparking with electricity, and its body was marked with black patterns, giving it a slightly fierce appearance.
[Elekid]
Type: Electric
[Level: 5]
[Ability: Static (The Pokémon is charged with static electricity, which may paralyze opponents on contact.)]
[The Electric Pokémon. It generates electricity by spinning its arms and becomes highly active during thunderstorms.]
[Moves: Leer, Quick Attack, Thunder Shock.]
The Pokédex's voice made Elekid jump, its eyes darting around in surprise.
Keqing smiled and walked up to Elekid, extending her hand to the cautious little creature.
"Hello, Elekid. I'm Keqing. Let's work well together from now on."
Elekid stared at Keqing for a moment before finally placing its small yellow hand in hers.
Seeing this, Keqing chuckled softly, tapping Elekid's head with a Poké Ball. In a flash of white light, Elekid was absorbed into the ball without any resistance, successfully caught.
"So, Miss Keqing, would you like to continue drawing Pokémon?"
Each person had five draw attempts per day, meaning they could purchase up to five Pokémon daily, provided they could care for them. If someone couldn't manage and kept buying Pokémon, Li Pan had the right to reclaim them.
"No, it's better not to bite off more than I can chew. As you said, Boss, I can only handle training two Pokémon at a time right now."
With that, Keqing waved to Li Pan and left Pokémon Home with her new Elekid.
After Keqing left, the shop quieted down. Li Pan lounged in his rocking chair, happily watching the task progress bar, which was now more than halfway complete.
The system required him to sell 20 Pokémon in this world before Pokémon would begin to appear naturally. So far, he had sold 11.
…
On the other hand, after leaving Pokémon Home, Keqing didn't immediately dive into her usual work. Instead, she contacted Ningguang and headed to the Jade Chamber.
"Keqing, what brings you here?"
As she entered the Jade Chamber, she saw Ningguang lazily reclining in a chair, basking in the afternoon sun. A luxurious smoking pipe rested in her hand, and her long, fair legs were crossed, creating an alluring scene.
Larvitar sat beside her, intently focused on a pile of Cor Lapis, occasionally picking up a piece and devouring it in a few bites.
"Come out, Elekid."
Without answering Ningguang, Keqing tossed Elekid's Poké Ball.
In the next moment, the wide-eyed Elekid appeared in the Jade Chamber, looking around in awe at the opulent surroundings.
The moment Ningguang saw Elekid, her eyes lit up.
"Oh? A second Pokémon? It seems you've learned something important from Boss Li."
Ningguang was pleasantly surprised. She, too, had fallen into the mental trap of assuming each person could only have one Pokémon.
"Let's not talk about that for now, Ningguang. Has the Millelith in Qingce Village sent any news?"
Keqing recalled Elekid. There were priorities, and right now, the situation in Qingce Village was far more pressing than Pokémon.
Ningguang smiled lightly and handed Keqing an envelope.
"They've sent word. Just like five days ago, everything is normal~"
Ningguang drew out the word "normal," a mocking smile on her face.
"It seems Qingce Village is in troublebig trouble."
Keqing took a deep breath, her expression grave.
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