c12: Exchange Square
Stepping into the Exchange Square, Chen Xiaoxiao couldn't help but feel a nostalgic déjà vu it resembled the bustling flower markets of her previous life. Stalls lined both sides of the walkway in orderly fashion, spaced a neat meter apart. Each booth was equipped with foldable tables and chairs, giving sellers space to rest and display their wares with surprising professionalism.
Behind every table stood a clean white writing board, slightly taller than the booth setup, where sellers could list their goods or indicate their exchange needs everything from technical machines, evolution stones, Mega evolution items, to elemental boosters. It was a smart system designed for clarity and efficiency, reminiscent of the Poké Marts' electronic displays in big cities.
The plaza operated with time-based rental fees booths charged separately for the morning and afternoon sessions. Notably, the afternoon rate was nearly 50% higher than the morning. Booth size also affected pricing, and stalls in premium spots especially those near the entrance or center were considered "golden zones," with rental costs reaching sky-high figures.
Even a modest 1-square-meter booth with a basic table could cost over ¥2,000 per afternoon roughly half a month's wage for an average worker. This reinforced a hard truth: while nearly every household in Huaxia kept Pokémon, full-time Trainers were still a luxury few could afford. Only around 5% of the population trained actively, and within that group, barely 5% ever reached Elite-level strength. Quasi-Elites and true Elites were the rare few especially outside League or Gym-affiliated families.
"Xiaoxiao, look! That booth listed a Twisted Spoon on its board. Want to check it out?" Leng Yue asked, pointing excitedly at one of the stalls nearby.
"Do you need Never-Melt Ice?" Chen Xiaoxiao replied, not answering directly but raising an eyebrow.
Leng Yue blinked, then chuckled, realizing her oversight. "Right, you're probably not lacking any Psychic-type items."
It made sense her own family specialized in Ice-types and likely had a stockpile of type-enhancing items like Never-Melt Ice, Icy Rock, and Snowball. Chen Xiaoxiao's family, known for their Psychic heritage, was probably equally well-stocked with items like Twisted Spoon, Mind Plate, and even the rarer Psychium Z.
The two girls continued browsing. They stopped frequently, examined a few stalls, but after more than half an hour, found nothing particularly impressive. Just as they turned another corner toward the south row of the plaza, they noticed a small crowd had gathered at one of the booths.
"Look! That one's selling an Elite-level Darmanitan offspring egg!" Leng Yue gasped, tugging Chen Xiaoxiao forward in excitement.
'Descendant of Elite-level Darmanitan for sale! Parent-child certificate available from certified Pokémon Center!'
Chen Xiaoxiao's eyes narrowed as she read the notice posted behind the stall.
Leng Yue spoke quickly, "Xiaoxiao, that's a Fire-type Darmanitan! If it enters Zen Mode, it gains both Fire and Psychic attributes! It's a real powerhouse. Want to take a closer look? The parent-child certificate's even certified."
Chen Xiaoxiao nodded slightly. She knew Darmanitan's stats well. In its standard mode, its base stats totaled 480, focusing heavily on physical strength—140 Attack, 105 HP, but weak 30 Special Attack and only 55 for both Defenses. Speed was a decent 95, making it a glass cannon.
However, when its Zen Mode ability triggered automatically activating when HP dropped below 50% Darmanitan underwent a radical transformation. Its base stats jumped to 540. Type shifted to Fire/Psychic. Attack and Special Attack swapped values, giving it 140 Special Attack, and both defenses climbed to 105, while Speed dropped to 55. It was risky, but under the right hands, devastating.
The concept of a parent-child certificate was also vital. Certified by the Pokémon Center, it used advanced genetic comparison to confirm biological lineage. Trainers submitted DNA samples from the parent Pokémon and the egg, and once verified, the Pokémon League's certification office registered the egg along with a strength grade based on the parent's confirmed battle tier.
With the exact IVs (individual values) of Pokémon still impossible to determine with current tech just like in the manga, where Pokémon growth potential can only be hinted at through battle experience or League assessment such certificates were one of the few reliable measures of genetic strength and lineage.
In other words, even though you couldn't scan a Pokémon for hidden stats like in the games, a verified egg from an Elite-tier parent meant high potential and these were snapped up by discerning trainers who understood breeding theory and inheritance.
Chen Xiaoxiao glanced at the crowd forming. "Let's go have a look."
Whether or not she bought the egg, it was still worth evaluating.
According to in-depth research conducted by Professor Liang Chuan, a renowned Pokémon genetics expert from the Pokémon League Research Institute, when both parent Pokémon are confirmed to be Elite-level based on comprehensive strength evaluation, including Species Strength, battle performance, and consistency in training the probability of their offspring reaching Elite-tier strength through regular Breeder cultivation without significant bottlenecks is estimated at 75%. The remaining 25% may only achieve quasi-Elite strength before encountering a plateau, commonly referred to by Breeders as the "Elite ceiling bottleneck."
Consequently, Professor Liang concluded that when two Pokémon with verified Elite-tier qualifications produce offspring, there is a 75% chance that the resulting egg will possess latent Elite potential.
In response to this need for reliable lineage verification, a series of advanced certifications and genetic services emerged. Among them, paternity verification and lineage certificates issued by League-authorized Pokémon Centers became standard practice in both the professional Trainer and high-end Breeder communities.
However, this does not imply that Pokémon of subpar genetic qualifications will always produce weaker offspring. There are exceptional cases where Pokémon with ordinary or even poor qualifications have given birth to genetically gifted Pokémon. Influencing factors may include unique environmental exposure during incubation, spontaneous genetic mutations during fertilization, or rare ancestral genetic activation commonly referred to as "throwback inheritance" in League literature.
In fact, Chen Xiaoxiao's own Eevee confirmed by the system to have Elite potential was born from two mid-tier, non-competitive Normal-type parents. This stands as solid proof of the unpredictable variables in Pokémon inheritance and growth potential.
Thus, the conclusion drawn from these observations is: low-grade lineage doesn't guarantee weak offspring, but high-grade lineage significantly raises the baseline a crucial distinction for those serious about competitive battling.
"Why is there only a paternity certificate but no maternal test?" a curious boy suddenly asked the vendor at the egg stall.
The man replied, "This egg was produced from breeding with another Trainer who owns an Elite-tier Darmanitan. Two eggs were laid. After that, we split them up each of us took one. We didn't plan to sell them initially, so no mother-child certificate was done. But later, I realized my team already had a Darmanitan and its typing overlapped too much, so I chose to part with this egg. That's why I only submitted the father's genetic data for paternity confirmation."
The boy frowned. "But if we don't know anything about the mother, how can we be sure this egg will even hatch into a Darumaka?"
The stall owner pointed to the incubator setup next to the booth. "This egg is already in its late-stage cycle almost ready to hatch, so I turned the temperature off for transport safety. If you're uncertain, I can let it finish hatching right here before the transaction. Remember, eggs from starter Pokémon with confirmed Elite parentage go for upwards of 80 million yuan at auction. Sure, Darmanitan isn't a starter like Charizard or Infernape, but it's still high-tier. I'm only asking 40 million, and that's because I'm in urgent need of cash. Otherwise, it'd never be priced this low."
At that moment, Chen Xiaoxiao arrived at the booth with Leng Yue and overheard the conversation. Her curiosity piqued, she discreetly activated the system to scan the egg and pull up detailed information.
> Pokémon Egg (Darumaka)
Gender: ♂
Type: Fire
Nature: Sloppy (+Sp. Atk, -Sp. Def)
Ability: Vital Spirit (Increases physical attack by 1.5×, lowers physical move accuracy to 80%)
Hidden Ability: Inner Focus (Prevents flinching under Contest conditions)
Qualification: Elite
Chen Xiaoxiao's eyes narrowed as she analyzed the stats. "Just as I thought something doesn't add up. I knew there was a catch, but I didn't expect the discrepancy to be this glaring. The qualification is barely scraping Elite. And without the mother's genetic verification, there's no way to confirm whether this is a true Elite-tier egg or simply a lucky fluke."
She also knew that Pokémon Center-issued certificates were sealed with QR-encrypted League data that could be scanned for authenticity. They couldn't be forged but they also couldn't account for unknown maternal variables if not submitted.
With that, Chen Xiaoxiao's interest in the egg vanished. She quietly pulled the eager Leng Yue aside and turned away from the booth.
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