Live treasure appraisal: You are such an elf!

Chapter 495 Growlithe evolves into Arcanine! The Flame of Protection plus the Heart of Justice, a catalytic and synergistic reaction!

"Mr. Kirby, you called for me? Is there something wrong with Growlithe?"

The voice on the other end of the phone sounded both nervous and longing.

Anxiety is worry; Growlithe's condition is not good.

The longing is the desire to get more information about Growlithe, since Growlithe is the Pokémon that I've been longing for.

Are you free right now?

"Yes, Mr. Kirby..."

"If you have time, let's have a video call, I'd like you to witness it."

After a while.

The video call connected, and a thin delivery guy appeared on the screen, standing upright, holding his phone, looking somewhat reserved.

“Mr. Kirby…”

"Take a good look at your Growlithe."

Ye Yinchuan picked up Growlithe. This little Pokémon is relatively light, not to mention the power of the Pokémon's energy feedback. He could easily hold it in his arms, feeling its fluffy texture and body temperature. The joy of having a cute pet was tangible.

Who could resist an adorable puppy with bright, sparkling eyes and a wet, wet nose?

Originally, this Growlithe dog had almost been drained of nutrients due to cancer, and its body was weak and emaciated. However, after being fed and nourished by Ye Yinchuan for a period of time, it has recovered its vitality. Not only is it a bit chubby, but its fur has also become oily and shiny, and its eyes are quite bright.

"Is this...is this still my Growlithe?"

The deliveryman's online name was Hope, and his real name was Zhou Zuwang. It wasn't that he couldn't recognize his own Growlithe, but the changes and differences in Growlithe before and after were so great that he was overjoyed and couldn't contain his emotions.

That kind of emotion is something that others might find hard to empathize with.

But to him, Growlithe was already a family member who had shared his joys and sorrows. Even the reason Growlithe got cancer was because it was helping him bear the suffering. This Pokémon, which was originally about to lose its life because of him, was saved from the brink of death...

And Zhou Zuwang was genuinely happy to see his health restored; it's no exaggeration to say he was so overjoyed he cried tears of joy.

"Wow..."

Growlithe sensed its trainer's emotions, and its eyes became watery.

"Mr. Kirby, I'm sorry, I couldn't control my emotions..."

"It's alright, it's only natural."

It took Zhou Zuwang a while to calm himself down. He had a relieved smile on his face. He had no other wish than to see Growlithe healthy and lively again!
But Ye Yinchuan wasn't just there to show him this; he petted the Growlithe:
"See the evolutionary glow on your Growlithe? It's still very faint, but once catalyzed, evolution will begin..."

“Mr. Snorlax, I don’t care about Growlithe’s power. It doesn’t matter whether it evolves or not. It’s fine as it is now.”

"I don't think you understand. This isn't about whether you pursue it or not; it's about your Growlithe becoming stronger..."

Do you think your cancer is cured, or that the cancer in your body is cured? The cancer cells in your body are extremely stubborn; even with special abilities like the Flame of Plague Repellency, they cannot be completely cured…

At least with its current strength, it's not enough. As long as its vitality and strength don't continue to grow, the cancer will continue to grow until it erupts and overwhelms it!
Only by constantly becoming stronger and honing one's true abilities can one suppress the cancer cells until one day becomes powerful enough to completely eradicate them from the body!

"what?"

Upon hearing the word "cancer cells," Zhou Zuwang felt a surge of fear, especially when the other party mentioned that cancer cells were lurking in his and Growlithe's bodies, making him even more uneasy.

This is the torment of cancer: its recurring nature can easily extinguish a person's hope. In the final stages, cancer patients often have no light in their eyes, not only due to physical ailments but also because of psychological trauma.

"But streamer, this is such a great opportunity, for your streaming career..."

"My live streaming career is already very stable. If it were the early stages of a startup, I might need your Growlithe for content, but now... I don't need one more, and there's no need to bring everything to the forefront."

Your Growlithe is special. After evolving, or even Mega Evolving, it might perform even more amazing feats. Although I'm not afraid of trouble, Growlithe will still need to live after it returns to your side...

Some people might not dare to touch me, but that doesn't necessarily mean they won't dare to touch you...

Ye Yinchuan clearly explained the pros and cons, which was the result of his previous reflection. Only by putting it into action can it be considered a true reflection.

“Mr. Kirby, thank you for your kindness. You have really done so much for us... Actually, I don’t plan to take Growlithe back anymore.”

Beneath Zhou Zuwang's calm tone lay immense reluctance.

"Woooo..."

The Growlithe seemed to understand human speech; its ears drooped down, turning into airplane ears, making it look utterly pitiful. Did its owner not intend to come on its own? Did the Growlithe do something wrong?

Seeing this, Ye Yinchuan comforted the Growlithe and asked:
"What are you saying? Are you planning to completely give up on Growlithe? Or are you planning to completely give up on yourself? You might not survive without Growlithe! You clearly want to be with Growlithe, right? Why not listen to your heart?"

Zhou Zuwang clenched his fist, as if he had made up his mind:
“Mr. Kirby, didn’t you make it very clear? Growlithe is safest with you, and you can give it a better future... It has no future if it stays with me.”

Ye Yinchuan slowly typed out a question mark:
"A way out? What way out do you want? Since you don't look down on Growlithe and don't mind its mediocrity, Growlithe won't look down on you either... As for safety, I only have one thing to say: come work for me, and I will do everything I can to protect you!"

Zhou Zuwang remained silent.

"What's there to be so upset about with your lousy delivery job? If you come to me now, it'll be a good thing for you, for Growlithe, and for me."

"If you enjoy delivering food so much, you can do the same for me, and you'll be delivering food to Pokémon! My Snorlax Paradise is short-staffed right now!"

Ye Yinchuan had tolerated Zhou Zuwang's previous rejection of his invitation, but this time, he couldn't stand it anymore and decided to be more assertive and take him on directly!

"I'm afraid I won't be able to do your job well. I haven't had much education..." "The most important thing in life is never your education. You have a sincere heart for Pokémon, and that's enough! As long as you're willing to learn, there's more room for error than you think!"

Ye Yinchuan could sense that Zhou Zuwang was the kind of person who, even when an opportunity was presented to him, would give it away because of his timidity... He didn't know what was going on in his mind.

The claim that Kirby Park is short-staffed is false. Backed by the Hong Group, how could it possibly be short-staffed? Besides, people who want to work at Kirby Park would try their hardest and still not get in, but arranging a job for someone else is just a matter of a word.

After much persuasion, Zhou Zuwang finally agreed:

"I'll submit my resignation to our station manager tomorrow. If I'm busy these next few days, I might have to run around for a couple more days. The station manager has been very good to me; he helped a lot when I was raising money for Growlithe's surgery..."

Ye Yinchuan finally understood. It turned out that there was a bit of brotherhood involved. People who like Pokémon are mostly loyal and sentimental!
Having agreed with Zhou Zuwang, Ye Yinchuan didn't plan to let Growlithe evolve on the spot. After all, if it was something controllable, it was better to let Zhou Zuwang witness it in person.

"You should bring it up with him today. It's bound to happen sooner or later anyway. If it's convenient, come find me as soon as possible and arrange for Growlithe's evolution. Every minute Growlithe evolves earlier increases our chances of suppressing the cancer cells. Have you thought this through?"

Ye Yinchuan added fuel to the fire.

In reality, the situation does exist, but the difference is not that exaggerated. Saying this is just to put some pressure on Zhou Zuwang and push things forward.

Sure enough, Zhou Zuwang contacted him that afternoon.

When his station manager received the news, his first reaction was reluctance, but after less than five minutes of silence, he scolded him for being stupid. Such a good job opportunity, and he still had to think about it? If it were him, he wouldn't even bother to notify the station manager, he would just run away!
The implication of these words was clear: Zhou Zuwang's resignation application was approved, and he could leave on the spot without even having to go through any formalities!
Ye Yinchuan happened to have some free time, so he asked Zhou Zuwang to come find him immediately to evolve Growlithe.

Everything went smoothly, and Growlithe's evolutionary potential was successfully unleashed. It grew larger and more powerful, evolving from a puppy into an adult, and from Growlithe into Arcanine. Patterns also appeared on its body...

"This is……"

Ye Yinchuan immediately recognized that this Growlithe's evolved form was unique. Of course, this wasn't news, since this Growlithe's trait "Flame of Repelling Plague" had already been revealed before. Once it evolved, its extraordinary nature would become even more apparent.

Growlithe, no, perhaps it should be called Arcanine more appropriately...

This Arcanine's body color is different from that of ordinary Arcanines, or Fire-type Pokémon like Eevee; it's a dark purple, while the original black stripes on its body have a purplish-gold hue...

Such a unique evolutionary form is already quite extraordinary, but what's even cooler is that the stripes on this Arcanine's body shine with a flame-like luster.

"Wow, that's cool! But the difference between before and after the evolution is too big. It looks like a demonic transformation, the appearance is quite unusual!"

Ye Yinchuan sighed inwardly.

He had seen many Pokémon with various traits and mutations, so he was used to them and remained calm in the face of change.

But this kind of dark side, without being overly edgy or flamboyant, exudes a cool and sophisticated vibe that is quite rare.

Those familiar with Arcanine know that its facial features include a lot of fur gathered around its eyes, forming a clear boundary, making it look like it's wearing glasses. This feature can be quite handsome, but if it's used in a sneaky way, it can also give off a very sleazy vibe.

Especially in the real world of Pokémon, the differences between individuals are quite obvious. Pokémon of the same species can have huge differences, much like the differences between people.

"Growlithe...my Growlithe..."

Zhou Zuwang stared at the evolved Arcanine, somewhat dazed, feeling a strange yet familiar sensation that was quite disjointed.

Ye Yinchuan understood this quite well. Zhou Zuwang's knowledge of Pokémon was far inferior to his own; Growlithe was practically everything about Pokémon in his world.

"It's not your Growlithe anymore, it's your Arcanine. That's the effect of the Plague Repellent Flame. This legendary power hidden in its bloodline has only begun to show after it evolved... As for its current appearance, I also find it quite peculiar, but anyone can see how extraordinary it is now."

Ye Yinchuan explained to Zhou Zuwang.

They were in a custom-made training room, which was quite private. This was something Ye Yinchuan, as an official trainer with extremely high privileges, could easily do, which was certainly much more convenient.

"Growlithe..."

Zhou Zuwang gradually accepts his partner's new form. After all, what truly creates emotions and bonds is never appearance, but soul. That feeling can be felt once you get close to them.

Ye Yinchuan admired the Arcanine's posture and stats, and couldn't help but marvel. Its trait was still the same, and the effect was the same, but its overall appearance was completely different.

Its defining characteristic has become a heart of justice.

In the game, this trait is a hidden ability of Growlithe, and in the real world, it's even more of a hidden one; very few Growlithe possess this ability, or rather, it hasn't been discovered yet...

At this moment, Zhou Zuwang's Growlithe evolved and actually exhibited this characteristic, and the effect of this characteristic was slightly different from what Ye Yinchuan had expected.

"No...it's not that simple."

Ye Yinchuan looked back at the traits and realized that after Growlithe evolved into Arcanine, there seemed to be an additional column in the description of the effect of the Plague Repellent.

"It's a bit messy, I need to sort it out..."

Seeing Zhou Zuwang getting along harmoniously with the Growlithe, Ye Yinchuan found himself conflicted.

As a professional Pokémon appraiser, Ye Yinchuan still has his own professional ethics and qualities. These are things that cannot be ignored.

As the True Knowledge Compendium was activated and Influence Points were consumed, Ye Yinchuan felt a tickle on his scalp as he gained new knowledge.

Firstly, the "Justice" trait, in the game's setting, increases attack when taking damage of the Dark type. This trait has a rather narrow scope of application and low practicality, but it fits Growlithe's background perfectly...

In games and anime, Growlithe is a police dog, and its "Heart of Justice" trait is a perfect fit. Even the trait description mentions that the reason for its increased attack power is its strong sense of justice... How could a police dog not have a strong sense of justice?
Secondly, in the real world of Pokémon, this is an ability that can significantly influence a Pokémon's personality. Pokémon with this ability tend to have a particularly upright personality; in other words, they have an overwhelming sense of justice...

Then there's increased damage against Dark-type Pokémon and reduced damage from Dark-type attacks. When you feel something is wrong, your energy and attack power will increase!
Now, here comes the key point.

Ye Yinchuan obtained information through the True Knowledge Compendium and was able to confirm that when the traits of "Avoiding Plague Flame" and "Heart of Justice" appear at the same time, they will produce a linkage and catalytic reaction!
The effect of avoiding the flames of plague will enhance the sense of justice, resonate with the sense of justice of surrounding units, and react to the malice around them, thereby improving one's own strength. It has both short-term and long-term effects!

(End of this chapter)