Pokemon: Reborn Rich Alternate Earth

If it was an ordinary item, Mason would have definitely refused. But the Venom Pearl was different. His Arbok had excellent potential, tested as Blue-grade.

Right now, Arbok was at the peak of pseudo-Elite level. Even without the Venom Pearl, it could break through to Elite within half a year.

With the Venom Pearl though, that time could be shortened to just a few days.

And that wasn't even the main point. The Venom Pearl was a sub-Ultimate Poison-type treasure. After Arbok consumed it, its foundation would grow deeper, and its future achievements would be even greater.

That was why Mason found it impossible to refuse.

"Thanks," Mason nodded to Julian.

Then, right in front of Julian, he handed the Venom Pearl to his Arbok, which was already drooling profusely.

Its shameless display made Mason a bit embarrassed.

'Haven't I given you plenty of good things before? How can you be this greedy now?'

Arbok: 'All those "good things" you gave me are nothing compared to this'.

Julian had his reasons for giving Mason the Venom Pearl.

First, they were classmates, and from what he'd seen, he felt Mason was a decent guy.

Second, Mason's sister was likely going to marry into the Cavendish family, and his grandmother was an elder of the Cavendish family.

Third, it was an investment.

Anyone who could enter the Special Recruitment Class of Imperial University was guaranteed to reach at least the Elite-level in the future. For someone like Mason, a direct descendant of a major family, the probability was even higher.

Since Julian had no use for the Venom Pearl himself, investing in Mason was a sure bet.

The moment Arbok swallowed the Venom Pearl, its aura surged wildly. Within a few seconds, its level broke through from peak pseudo-Elite to the Elite-level.

Julian was a bit surprised. He had thought it would take a few days for Arbok to break through even with the Venom Pearl, but it happened instantly.

It seemed Arbok had only been one step away from breaking through.

"Sssss—" Arbok flicked its tongue, its eyes burning with fighting spirit as it stared at Garchomp.

Garchomp: 'I should follow Boss Metagross's path and challenge an Elite while still at pseudo-Elite.'

After all, it had heard many legendary stories from Dragonite about Metagross defeating opponents across ranks.

But the next second, Arbok was recalled into its Poké Ball by Mason. The freshly advanced Arbok needed time to stabilize its power.

Besides, Mason didn't believe even an Elite Arbok could win against Julian's pseudo-Elite Garchomp.

As classmates, he knew better than most how monstrous Julian's Pokémon were.

Other than that Metagross, even Julian's "non-aces" were far beyond what their so-called main Pokémon could compare with.

After all, who in the Special Recruitment Class hadn't been beaten by Julian—more than once? When it came to Julian's undisputed top ranking, they had zero objections.

The commotion caused by Arbok's breakthrough to the Elite-level was not small, immediately drawing out Evelyn, the Cavendish family head, Mason's parents, and the other elders who had been discussing the engagement details.

"Patriarch Adder, what great fortune—you now have such a young Elite in your family. Your clan truly has a worthy successor," the Cavendish family head said, unable to hide his envy.

He had three sons. Aside from his youngest, who had decent talent, the other two were average. Even his most talented son likely wouldn't reach the Elite-level until his thirties.

Becoming an Elite trainer in one's twenties versus one's thirties were two entirely different matters. Achieving it in one's twenties made one a prodigy; in one's thirties, one was merely talented.

Someone like Julian, who had reached Pseudo-Champion level with Champion-level combat power in his twenties, was a monster—a freak of nature unprecedented in the history of Drakoria.

"Hahaha, you flatter me. He earned it himself—daring to venture into the core region of the Serpent Pit to obtain a high-quality Pokémon egg," the Adder family head laughed, his eyes unable to hide his pride.

"The Serpent Pit?!"

The Cavendish family head couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, his gaze toward Mason growing noticeably more intense.

The Serpent Pit was the Adder family's exclusive forbidden ground. As the name suggested, it was filled with serpentine Pokémon.

Whether direct descendants or branch relatives, every Adder family member started with a serpent-type Pokémon.

The term "serpent-type" might sound broad, but in reality, it primarily referred to the Ekans-Arbok line, as well as the Seviper line—these were the two main serpent-type Pokémon families.

The Adder family's tradition required new trainers to enter the Serpent Pit to acquire their starter Pokémon's egg.

Eggs found in the outer areas tended to have lower potential, while those closer to the core offered higher potential—but at much greater risk.

Every year, many of the Adder family's younger generation ventured deeper, seeking high-quality eggs, only for most to perish inside. A handful managed to escape, often poisoned and barely alive.

This brutal selection process, while harsh, ensured that each generation of the Adder family produced exceptional talents capable of upholding their legacy.

Mason was one of only two individuals in decades to enter the core region of the Serpent Pit, acquire an egg, and return alive.

The other was Paul Adder, Mason's grandfather and the second-strongest Poison-type expert after the current Poison Elite, Brad.

Because of the engagement with the Adder family, the Cavendish family head knew this history well. He knew exactly how extraordinary anyone who survived the core region could become.

Perhaps Mason himself would be the next Poison Elite.

And since his youngest son was marrying Mason's sister, this marriage alliance was worth its weight in gold.

As Mason approached them, his father, the Adder family patriarch, declared loudly:

"Son, your position as heir is now secure."

Several elders from the Adder family were present, each holding significant influence within the clan. Now that they had witnessed with their own eyes Mason's breakthrough to the Elite-level, how could they not support him as the heir? If they still refused, they might as well donate their eyes to someone in need.

Although Mason had started with a Blue-grade potential Ekans, giving him a considerable advantage over his peers, that didn't mean he lacked competitors.

Given how brutal the Adder family's process was for obtaining starter Pokémon, it wasn't hard to imagine how fierce the struggle for the heir position must be.

"Dad, it was all thanks to Julian giving me a Venom Pearl," Mason explained.

Upon hearing this, the Adder family head's gaze toward Julian shifted noticeably.

The Venom Pearl, a sub-Ultimate Poison-type treasure, was something their family did possess—but they only had two. And they were reserved for peak Elite Pokémon attempting to break through to the Pseudo-Champion level.

So there was no way Mason would have been allocated one. Though even without it, his Arbok's breakthrough to the Elite-level was virtually guaranteed.

"Young friend from the Walker family, you must visit our Adder family sometime. The girls of our family are very hospitable," the Adder family patriarch said, clapping Julian on the shoulder with a force that would have sent an ordinary person stumbling.

"I'll definitely visit when I have the chance," Julian replied with a smile.

The city where the Adder family resided also happened to host a National-level Poison-type Gym—and of course, its Gym Leader was none other than the very patriarch before him.

So sooner or later, Julian would indeed be going.

The Adder family head's intention was to invite Julian as a guest.

But if he knew Julian's real reason for visiting was to challenge his Gym, who knew what he would think.

*****

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