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

"What's wrong? Did you find anything?"

Seeing Xia Chen's shocked expression, Mikoli quickly asked.

Xia Chen nodded, looking puzzled, and asked, "Do you know what's hidden here?"

Michael shook his head in confusion, his curiosity growing even stronger.

Xia Chen took out a Poké Ball and released Sylveon, saying to her, "Sylveon, there's something hidden at the bottom of this crack. See if you can use the silk to get it out."

"Buyi!"

Xianbu nodded and slipped a piece of silk through the gap.

…………

A few moments.

After fiddling around for a while, Senbu excitedly exclaimed, "Bu-ee! (I found it!)"

Although the silk did not have the ability to detect things like wave guides, the hollow space inside the altar was so small that she quickly found the precious pearl.

Xia Chen's face lit up with joy. "Great! Can we take it out?"

The silk ribbon slowly retracted, growing shorter and shorter. At the last moment, however, Fairy Cloth awkwardly exclaimed, "Bu-yi (I think I'm stuck)."

Xia Chen looked down and saw that the crack was much narrower than the pearl wrapped in the fairy cloth, so the fairy cloth could not take it out.

If you want to take it out, you'll probably have to let this crack grow a bit.

Xia Chen glanced silently at Mikoli beside him, the meaning of which was self-evident.

This is, after all, the place where the people of Liuli have guarded and worshipped for generations, so their opinion must be sought before construction begins.

Michael shrugged helplessly. "It's already cracked, so it doesn't matter how big or small the crack is."

Xia Chen patted Mikoli on the shoulder and said gratefully, "I don't know if the Hoenn Alliance will give you an award, but I will definitely make you a banner after this is over."

Michael asked curiously, "A banner? What's that?"

While instructing Guletun to get started, Xia Chen explained simply, "It's a Donghuang specialty. It will probably have a slogan like 'Thank you to the good dojo owner, a new trend of helping others,' which can be hung in a prominent place in your dojo's lobby to commend your noble character."

Mikoli nodded in realization. Although it sounded a bit strange, he trusted the aesthetic sense of the Grand Contest champion and said with great interest, "That's a good idea. There's some empty space next to the painting 'The Birth of Milotic' that our ancestors painted on the wall of the hall. It would be perfect to hang it there."

Xia Chen nodded happily, "Then it's a deal."

As the two chatted, Guleton swiftly swung his claws, cutting the crack to a size just large enough for the pearl to pass through, allowing Xianbu to retrieve it.

Because it was completely wrapped in silk, the color of the pearl was not yet visible, so Xia Chen felt a sense of surprise, like opening a blind box.

Will it be red or blue?

He watched with a mixture of nervousness and curiosity as the silk gradually unfurled.

Suddenly, a faint green light flashed in the darkness.

Xia Chen was slightly taken aback. Was this a grass-green gem?

Chapter 325 How Did I Become the Matchmaker? (6k)

The grass-green gem is what Xia Chen calls it based on the game's conventions; in reality, the gem's color is closer to a darker emerald green.

The shimmering light was subtle and restrained, giving it an air of mystery and extraordinary beauty.

Like its two brothers of different colors, the grass-green orb has a very simple function in the game—to summon Rayquaza.

We don't know how effective it will be in reality.

However, it is certain that since it was hidden within the altar of the Temple of Awakening, it must have played a very important role.

So here's the question: why would something that summons Rayquaza appear in a place where Groudon and Kyogre are worshipped?

Could it be that the Cryptians and the Meteorites were truly one family a thousand years ago?

Xia Chen didn't know, and that wasn't important. What was important was to figure out how to study this bead before the Hoenn twins woke up.

With that in mind, Xia Chen dug out memories and information about the grass-green pearl from the depths of his mind.

It's quite interesting, actually. Although this thing is used to summon legendary Pokémon from the Hoenn region, the green orb actually appears in the Johto region, not the Hoenn region.

This is related to the game version. When the main series reached its fourth installment, the remake of the previous game was set in the Jin-Yin region of Chengdu.

The grass-green orb first appeared in the remastered versions of Gold and Silver, HeartGold and SoulSilver.

As a game set in the Chengdu region, the location where the protagonist can summon Rayquaza with the green orb is not in the Sky Pillar or any other place in Hoenn, but in the Buried Tower.

A place that connects the sky, the earth, and the sea, where the Hoenn Three Fools reside.

There is definitely no such place in the real-world city-state region, so naturally, Xia Chen had never imagined that such a green orb existed in this world.

So, if this precious gem can awaken Rayquaza, where should it be used?

Pillar of the Sky?

…………

"Xia Chen, what's wrong with this bead? What are you thinking about?"

Mikoli asked a question, and Xia Chen's thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

"It might be something that can stop Groudon from fighting Kyogre. But I'm not entirely sure."

Xia Chen replied somewhat vaguely.

It wasn't that he wanted to be a riddle solver, but rather that he couldn't verify the matter.

The Sky Pillar does exist, located on an island southwest of Glass Island, but Xia Chen can't possibly climb the tower now to try and summon Rayquaza, can he?

If it wasn't summoned, that would be fine; but if it was, how would I talk to it?

"I just wanted to try this thing out to see if it works. Sorry to bother you, please go back to sleep."

Let alone Rayquaza, any ordinary Pokémon with a temper would probably beat itself up, right?

Even if Rayquaza is good-natured, if Groudon and Kyogre really wake up and start fighting next time, and you come looking for it again with the green orb, will it still pay attention to you?

The boy who cried wolf is more than just a story.

Therefore, we can only wait until those two are truly awakened before trying to reach the Sky Pillar. If that fails, we can only see if the Meteor People have any other awakening measures.

After regaining his composure, Xia Chen pondered for a moment and then said to Mikoli, "Although it may be presumptuous, I would like to make a request."

Mikoli smiled slightly. "You want this precious pearl, don't you?"

Xia Chen nodded firmly and said, "That's right, I think it will play a very important role at that time."

Mikoli looked at Xia Chen with a rather meaningful gaze, and Xia Chen looked back at him firmly.

Suddenly, Mikoli smiled.

"I didn't believe in fate before, and although I still don't quite believe in it now, since our ancestors hid this precious pearl here and let it appear at this moment, I think there must be a deeper meaning in the universe."

"If the fate of the Glass People is to protect the Temple of Awakening, perhaps it is all for the sake of this moment?"

Mikoli patted Xia Chen on the shoulder and said with a carefree laugh, "Alright, it's yours."

…………

After obtaining the key item [Grass Green Orb], Xia Chen and Mikoli's exploration of the Awakening Temple was almost over.

After making a symbolic stroll around, the two people and the dragon left.

Because the exploration was quite thorough, it was nearly dusk when we came out.

Michael originally wanted to invite Xia Chen back to the manor for dinner or even to stay overnight, but Xia Chen declined, saying that he had family members who needed to be taken care of.

Xia Chen was speechless as he watched Mikoli look at him with an ambiguous, knowing gaze.

It's like he has a wife and kids waiting for him at home.

However, on the other hand, he really did treat Higana like a younger sister or daughter.

Unable to see the beautiful starry sky that Ma Xiu had described in the ancient city of Liuli, Xia Chen picked up Milotic and Gardevoir and returned to the new city before sunset.

When I got home, the house was filled with smoke.

on fire?

Xia Chen quickly summoned Milotic to help put out the fire. However, when he used his Aura to locate the source of the fire, he discovered there was no fire at all; rather, the smoke from the kitchen was so thick it had spread outside the house.

"What are you doing?"

Xia Chen was both amused and exasperated as he watched Serena and the Red Fox frantically scrambling around in the kitchen.

Serena turned her head, and her once delicate and fair face was now covered in black patches, making her look both comical and pitiful.

Seeing Xia Chen, she finally found an outlet for her pent-up grievances, and said in a slightly tearful voice, "Waaah, why is it so different from the video? Cooking is so hard!"

Xia Chen: "."

Well, here comes another case of a complete novice who watched a video and thought, "I could do it too," and then the kitchen caught fire.

Over there, the Fiery Red Fox was still stubbornly intensifying the fire, and Xia Chen quickly stepped forward to stop it, "Stop it, Fiery Red Fox, or our home will be destroyed!"

After a flurry of activity, Xia Chen finally managed to stop the farce.

…………

"Ding dong~"

A pleasant sound rang out from above the stove, followed by the whooshing sound of wind.

Xia Chen sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation, "You didn't even turn on the range hood."

Serena, her face flushed after a quick wash, looked down and twisted her fingers, saying, "You didn't say that in the video."

Xia Chen was both angry and amused. The girl's cooking skills were not very good, but she was quite stubborn.

He then asked, "What about the fire? Who taught you to let the Red Fox use flames to cook?"

Serena stopped talking and simply lowered her head even further.

Considering that Serena wasn't even a fraction as thick-skinned as he was, Xia Chen stopped criticizing her and asked while chopping vegetables, "By the way, where's Xiao Xi?"

Serena replied, "I was afraid she'd cause trouble in the kitchen, so I sent her out. She's probably watching TV or something."

Does this troublemaker not think that her behavior isn't troublemaking?