A Pixel in the Dust

Chapter 29 - Practice

Right now...

We're back on the Road.

Immediately after giving me the Necklace, Scrafty said they had to leave, and left after apologizing once more to the others. Nobody could even respond to his movements after he grabbed his Siblings and blasted into the Forest.

"But seriously... A Key Stone? I expected something else, maybe even a Mega Stone, but..."

I still couldn't stop looking at the Glistening Orb that was imbued into the Necklace around my Neck.

"What's a Key Stone?" Mina asked from my Shoulder.

"...It's a Stone that allows Mega Evolution." I explained.

"Mega Evolution!? ...What's that?" She went from Shocked to Confused.

"Hmm... Think of it like a Power Up. It not only Boosts Stats, but it can also change a Pokemon's Properties, like Typing and Abilities. ...Which reminds me..."

Reaching into my Bag...

I pull out the Gardevoirite C.

"...It's pretty..." Mina was enamored...

"You'll be able to use this soon." I said.

"...Wait, WHAT!?" She snapped out of it.

"It's a Gardevoirite C. Well... It's not supposed to Exist, but... my System says otherwise. There's only One of these in the World. ...I think."

"W-WAIT! I'M GONNA MEGA EVOLVE!?" Her eyes glistened with excitement.

"S-Sooner or later. Your Level is too low. You need to Evolve into a Gardevoir first. If I recall... Level 20 for Kirlia, then Level 30 afterwards..."

"L-... Level 30?" She was immediately disheartened.

"Is Leveling Up really that bad?"

"...Pokemon can only gain Experience through Battling. We gain Constant Experience during Fights, and we even get a Major Spike in Experience if we make the opponent Faint. But... the Rate is so slow..."

"Slow?"

Bea popped out of the ground and started walking alongside me, with Bun doing the same not long after.

"I don't think that's entirely it. I mean, I'm Level 14. If it weren't for the Candies, I'd be Level 11 still." Bea said.

"You guys know your own Level?" I asked.

"Something like that."

"When we want to know our Levels, a Number just appears in our heads. It's been like that since who knows when." Via explained from above.

"...I couldn't even fight back then, but... My Level is still so much lower than Bea's..." Mina said, slightly annoyed.

"In actuality, all Pokemon have different "Leveling Rates"." Via said.

"Leveling Rates?" Mina looked confused.

"Think of it like this. If Bea has a High Leveling Rate, and you have a Low Leveling Rate, and you both fight the Same Pokemon in the Same Amount of Time and get the Same Amount of Experience, Bea would most likely Level Up, and you might not, since your Level Up Requirement is probably Higher than Hers." Via explained.

"...Ah, I got it." Mina said blankly.

"So Mina needs more Experience than others... Would it work if you guys fought amongst yourselves?" I asked.

"It's harder that way. Similar to a Battery, the accumulated Experience of the Opponent will need time to Recharge, so even if you fought over and over again, you'll only gain minimal experience." Via explained.