Mother Xue had no choice but to abandon her plan of buying out all of Lorze's research results, but that didn't an she was giving up on the boy himself.
Moving forward, recruiting Lorze remained one of the Snowhide Corporation's primary strategic objectives. To achieve this, she needed her daughters to attempt to "date" him.
She already had a plan for Xue Yi. Once Lorze's private research laboratory was established, she would appoint Xue Yi as his personal assistant. The two would have endless opportunities to interact.
Now, she just had to assign a mission to her eldest daughter.
Mother Xue pulled both daughters into a private discussion group, issuing orders like a general briefing her troops.
Mother Xue: "I assu you're both here. I have a critically important mission for you."
Xue Yi poked her head out imdiately: "What kind of mission?"
Mother Xue: "It's about that boy, Lorze. You've both seen his potential. Whether as a Trainer or a researcher, his performance is flawless. He is destined for greatness. I need you to find a way to keep him by our side—keep him in the Xue family."
Mother Xue: "Specifically you, Xue Tong. The boy showed a clear affinity for you in the group chat earlier. He likely has a thing for you. If the opportunity arises, go and date him."
Xue Tong: "?"
Xue Tong: "Mother, I think you've misunderstood. The reason he seems close to is likely because of Gardevoir."
Mother Xue: "You an... he has a fetish for your Gardevoir?"
Xue Tong: "I'm not sure about his fetishes, but my Gardevoir and his Ralts are biological sisters. He's likely paying attention to because of that connection."
Mother Xue: "Sisters? How do you know that?"
Xue Tong: "Gardevoir confird it. Their ntal signatures originate from the sa mother."
Mother Xue: "To think such a coincidence exists... That's even more reason for you to be with him. Besides, his Ralts also has the Trace Ability. You two should have plenty to talk about in bed, right?"
Xue Tong: "You can't just calculate romance like a business deal, Mother."
Mother Xue: "Do you dislike him?"
Xue Tong: "Not necessarily."
Mother Xue: "Then there's no problem. Go and give it a shot."
Xue Tong: "...Fine."
Xue Tong went silent for a mont before reluctantly agreeing.
Refusal was pointless. She knew her mother well enough to know the lecturing wouldn't stop until she said yes. It was easier to just agree than to deal with the nagging.
Besides, her impression of Lorze wasn't bad. Combined with the special bond between their Pokémon, she had started to view Lorze as a sort of "younger brother" figure.
But just a younger brother.
Whatever. I'll take it slow. There's no deadline anyway. Maybe Xue Yi will seal the deal before I have to do anything.
...
Lorze had no idea he had been targeted by the Xue won. All he knew was that revealing the Umbreon evolution had paid off massively.
Beyond the stable 20-million-dollar annual salary, his status as an official Snowhide researcher granted him a treasure trove of hidden perks.
For instance, previously he was only allowed to pick one item and one Move Tutor lesson as a prize.
But now, with researcher clearance, he had the authority to browse the entire vault and take items out for "study."
This ant that those high-tier Move Tutor videos on the internet—the ones that cost 100,000 bucks just to view—were now completely free for him.
He specifically had his eye on Focus Punch. It was a high-risk, 150-power ultimate move, but when it landed, it was a guaranteed one-hit kill.
Moves of this caliber usually don't even have tutorials online. Even if soone offered a million dollars a month, they'd struggle to find a teacher. These moves were treated like family heirlooms.
Lorze targeted this move because his Ralts could learn Focus Blast. Both moves relied on the manipulation of "Qi" or inner energy. If she could master the energy for one, she should be able to convert it to the other, right?
Ga chanics might have restrictions, but reality didn't.
Even if they didn't translate perfectly, mastering Focus Blast was still a huge win.
Lorze imdiately opened the digital warehouse link Mother Xue had sent him and began his "shopping spree." He added everything from Calm Mind to Swords Dance to his cart. Even if Ralts couldn't use them, his future Pokémon certainly would.
With his current salary, raising a full team of six elite Pokémon would be a walk in the park.
He even planned to fulfill his mother's dream.
His mother had always desperately wanted a Swablu. Because of their finances and the cost of raising Lorze, it remained a dream.
Don't let the "bird" in its na fool you; once Swablu evolves into Altaria, it becos a majestic Dragon-type. Because of its beauty and power, a single Swablu egg cost at least a million bucks.
Lorze made a note in his mo. Once the first paycheck hit, he'd buy that egg. His mother would be ecstatic.
Shifting his gaze from moves to items, Lorze searched for a Life Orb. If he could get one for Ralts, she could use it to safely study the manipulation of life energy.
Unfortunately, a quick scan revealed nothing. However, his eyes landed on several stones that looked strangely familiar.
The stones were only slightly larger than marbles, with a double-helix DNA pattern etched inside.
Lorze's eyes nearly popped out of his head. ga Stones!
He had been stressing about where to find ga Stones for research, and here they were, just sitting in a warehouse.
Is the world already full of these? Even a single corporation has a collection?
It seed research on ga Evolution was non-existent. Snowhide had them labeled simply as "Objects of Unknown Utility." They didn't even require high-level clearance to request.
It made sense. ga Evolution required a Key Stone, the correct Pokémon, and a deep emotional bond. Without "Emotional Energy" being discovered yet, these were just pretty rocks to the world.
To be fair, even Lorze didn't know which Pokémon these specific stones belonged to.
The gas only featured a handful of ga Evolutions for balance, but in reality, every species likely had the potential—if you found the right stone.
ga Stones were all different colors, and Lorze hadn't morized the exact patterns for every species. He only vaguely rembered the color of the Gardevoirite; these stones didn't match.
A sha. If I could get a Gardevoirite, she'd be a true Queen~.
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