Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game.

But its silence speaks volumes; it says nothing, yet it says everything.

Xia Chen sorted through the information he had just obtained from the inquiry in his mind and said to Gu Leton, "Okay, I've finished asking. Thank you for your cooperation."

Therefore, Leighton: "."

You call this cooperation?

Oh well, let him think what he wants.

Ignoring Xia Chen, Gu Leton turned over and continued sleeping.

------

Simulated World - Xicui Region

A biting wind howled by the lake, and snowflakes drifted in the wind, tinging Gardevoir's sapphire blue short hair with a hint of icy color.

With a casual mental shock, Gardevoir dispatched the Blizzard King that was charging from the front. Golden light flashed, and a surge of energy flowed into Gardevoir's body.

Sensing the sudden and significant increase in energy within her body, Gardevoir silently said, "System, open the panel."

Gardevoir

[Sprite Level: 65]

[Simulation time: 4.2 hours (16.5 hours)]

[Item Panel: Jade Insect Slab (Fake), Emerald Slab (Fake), Clear Sky Slab (Fake)]

[Main Quest: The Red Chain (0/3)]

Finally level 65? Hopefully I can beat that guy this time.

Exiting the panel, Gardevoir gazed at the perpetually snow-covered lake before her, and thought to herself.

This is Lake Wisdom, the northernmost lake in the Seishi region, and the place where Ukish, one of the Three Sacred Mushrooms, resides.

Although the Green Wash dungeon has been open for more than half a year in real time, Gardevoir has only spent a little over ten days in the Green Wash world.

It has to be said that the gamified world is really awesome. Defeating elves can earn you experience and improve your strength. In reality, you can't find such a smooth leveling-up experience.

It is precisely because of this characteristic that she has risen from level 36 to level 65 in just over ten days.

Of course, this is just in the game. In reality, Gardevoir has only just reached the Gym Leader level, and is probably only around level 50 in the game.

In reality, a level of 65 is definitely equivalent to a Champion-level Pokémon.

When Gardevoir reached level 60, feeling that its strength was about right, it followed the guidance given by Uzi to find Uxie, who lived in Lake Wisdom, and started the main quest.

She successfully found the passage to the alternate dimension where Yukshi was on the island in the lake, but she was unable to meet Yukshi herself.

Before that, a powerful leader, Zoroark, was guarding the cave entrance. Due to type advantage and the suppression of strength, Gardevoir was unable to defeat it.

So she went outside and fought monsters by the Wise Lake for a while, and that's how she got there.

Now that Gardevoir has successfully reached level 65, she feels it's time.

…………

On the lake, a white dress swept low above the thin ice covering the Wise Lake, attracting the hunters, the Dark Tail Fish, who were lurking beneath the surface, to break through the ice and leap out of the water, attempting to tear apart this prey that had come to them.

However, they did not expect that this was a trap casually set by their prey. A series of muffled energy explosions rang out, and one after another, ferocious Darktail Fish transformed into experience and burrowed into Gardevoir's body.

Even when she was on the road, she wouldn't waste a single moment fighting monsters and leveling up, even though the experience these Ghost-tailed Mystic Fish could provide was actually quite limited.

Glided along the road she remembered with ease, and soon Gardevoir saw the small island that consisted of only a giant rock and otherwise looked unremarkable.

She stopped in front of the boulder, closed her eyes, calmed herself, and released her energy. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a space where nothingness filled her vision.

This is the alternate dimension where Kexi usually resides.

Gardevoir didn't know the relationship between this space and the Emerald World, nor did she care; she simply walked straight ahead.

There is no concept of time or space here. Count to three hundred in your mind, and then light will appear before your eyes.

Although the source of the light source was unknown, a cave-like place with decent visibility appeared in front of Gardevoir.

Having been here once before, she wasn't surprised. She walked into the cave as if she were coming home. Instantly, a pair of bright, blood-red eyes opened in the dark corner and rushed over like a gust of wind to "welcome" Gardevoir's arrival.

However, everything was exactly as the second-playthrough player Gardevoir had anticipated. Without even needing to teleport, Gardevoir gracefully dodged the pounce and then unleashed a Psychic Blast.

The effects of leveling up were immediate, and Zoroark, which was previously unkillable, finally revealed its fragile nature.

Now that their strengths are close, Gardevoir has no reason to lose. After all, she has a Zoroark in real life that she plays training matches with every now and then, so she is very familiar with this Pokémon.

Five minutes later, Zoroark collapsed, turning into specks of ghostly light and dissipating into the air. Gardevoir seemed thoughtful, realizing that this, like the "Phantom Groudon" in the previous dungeon, was an energy phantom created by Xerxes.

Although he was an energy being, Zoroark, whose strength was nearly equal to Gardevoir's, also provided her with a wealth of experience.

Feeling a significant increase in her strength, Gardevoir continued forward, stepping into this mysterious place.

…………

In the void, there is neither sky nor earth, neither moon nor sun.

There wasn't just one yellow mushroom; it was a sprite that looked like a yellow mushroom floating in the very center.

Is this Yukshi?

Although it was only in a simulated world similar to a game, Gardevoir, having gone through countless hardships to finally meet this legendary Pokémon, couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

But if we just walk by like this, won't it wake it up?

Looking at Uxie, whose eyes were closed as if she were asleep, Gardevoir hesitated.

"You've finally arrived."

A voice suddenly rang in Gardevoir's mind, its ethereal tone sounding as if it came from the distant horizon.

Is it Keshi's telepathy?

Gardevoir had a general idea in mind, and sure enough, Uxie, who was hundreds of meters away just a second ago, instantly teleported in front of Uxie.

Gardevoir exclaimed in surprise, "Sande? (You knew I was coming?)"

"Of course, it was all the choice of Grandmaster Sinnoh."

The yellow mushroom-headed Pokémon communicated with Gardevoir using telepathy without opening its eyes or mouth, befitting a legendary Psychic-type Pokémon.

Gardevoir ignored that and was thinking about a very strange question.

"Zano? (If you know that, why did you let a Zoroark block my way outside?)"

"This is a test. Without sufficient strength, going to find that guy will only be suicide."

Gardevoir nodded in realization. The creature that Uxie was talking about must be Giratina, the culprit that caused the spacetime shattering.

"Sa-nai? (So, I've passed the first test?)"

Gardevoir asked.

Yukshi shook his head.

"No, that was only a test of courage. As the god of knowledge, I will now test your wisdom."

It seems like this is a necessary part of the game's plot. Thinking this, Gardevoir replied helplessly, "Go ahead and ask."

She wasn't too worried about the so-called test of wisdom from Yukshi; if she really couldn't answer, she could always save her answers.

All we need to do is log off at the speed of light and then use the power of the internet to find the answer.

Gardevoir, quite confident, awaited Uxie's question.

Yuxi appeared to be pondering, and the next second, it asked telepathically, "Question: How many elves are there in the Emerald World?"

Gardevoir: "."

…………

Are you deliberately picking a fight?

Who knows the answer to this?

Why don't you ask how many grains of sand are on the ground, and how many stars are in the sky?

The moment you ask this question, dozens or even hundreds of Pokémon might be born. Are you sure this is a question with a standard answer?

Even the good-natured Gardevoir was stumped by Uxie's question.

What kind of work is this, patching up time rifts to save the world? I'm not doing that anymore!

Of course, these were just angry thoughts that could only be kept in her mind. After venting her frustrations, Gardevoir began to seriously analyze Uxie's problem.

To borrow a phrase that Xia Chen always says, "Look beyond the surface to see the essence," what is the purpose of this almost nonsensical question?

Does Yukshi not want to get the red chain?

Obviously not.

It has been said that everything is the choice of the Sinnoh Grand Master, and from a fatalistic perspective, it was inevitable that he would obtain the red chains to fight Giratina.

So this question isn't meant to be difficult, but rather like a riddle, requiring only the simplest answer?

Having sorted out her thoughts, Gardevoir suddenly understood and replied, "Sandevoir (three: a male Pokémon, a female Pokémon, and a genderless Pokémon)."

"Correct answer! Your wisdom is amazing!"

Uxie's praising tone gave Gardevoir the illusion that she had just solved one of the world's unsolved mysteries.

You're supposed to be a god of knowledge, right?

As if hearing Gardevoir's thoughts, Uxie explained, "Actually, this test has nothing to do with the problem itself, but rather with your thinking and thought process when analyzing the problem. That is true wisdom."

Gardevoir obediently nodded, accepting the teachings. "Master, I understand!"

"Well then, this is your reward for passing the test. Please accept it. We'll meet again!"

After saying these words that sounded like farewells, Gardevoir's vision went dark. When she regained consciousness, she was on the surface of the frigid Lake Wisdom.

A familiar surge of energy coursed through my body, and I leveled up again.

Then, the system's voice appeared in my mind.

[You have passed the test of Yuxi and have obtained the items Yuxi's Claw, Magical Stone Tablet (Fake), Level +1, and Simulation Time +1 hour.]

…………

Harvest!