The Heart of the Sun appeared to be the size of a basketball, but that was just the external manifestation of a fireball. In reality, it was only the size of a fingernail.
The Ember Crow lunged forward, pecked it with its beak, and swallowed it whole in one go.
Instantly,
Flames blazed fiercely around its body, turning it into a moving fireball.
It swooped back and quickly devoured thirty portions of Attribute Essence.
"Caw~~~"
It let out a burp, feeling a bit stuffed.
But it dared not delay. It swiftly flew to the core of the lava zone, where the evolution site had already been prepared.
It landed in the center of the site.
A crimson radiance bloomed.
Flames roared.
A massive cocoon of light enveloped it.
Su Hao kept his eyes fixed on it.
"Absorbing the Heart of the Sun to evolve will elevate the Fire Feather Form further, and it might also change its trait."
A Pokémon's trait is like a mark etched into its body; in theory, it cannot be changed.
Just like a man can't become a woman... ahem, maybe it's possible?
But during evolution, a Pokémon's internal genes change, and its external appearance undergoes drastic transformation.
According to biological theory, it might not even be considered the same species anymore.
Since the entire body changes, the trait naturally has a chance to change as well.
But it's very difficult.
Even a Master Breeder wouldn't dare claim a one-hundred-percent success rate in changing a Pokémon's trait.
"The Burn trait, if it could be changed to Superheat, would be a significant boost to the Ember Crow's strength."
Burn allows Fire-type Pokémon's attacks to inflict a burning effect, causing continuous damage.
Superheat, on the other hand, raises the Pokémon's own body temperature to extremely high levels.
Neither trait is inherently superior, but Burn doesn't quite fit the Ember Crow's one-shot-kill style.
Only the Superheat trait can satisfy the requirements for advancing the Fire Feather Form.
Take Liu Ren's Lava Tortoise, for example. Its battle style is a defensive counterattack approach, making Burn a perfect fit.
Wear the opponent down slowly, grinding them into defeat.
At that moment,
The massive red cocoon stood silently, like a giant egg.
Die Xiaodie flew closer and pulled out her phone to take a photo.
Aqua Beast ran around, smoke gradually rising from its feet.
Electro Bear...
"Oooh?" It scratched its head and asked.
"No, I refuse. No discussion." Su Hao said. "Just watch—it'll help you with your future evolution."
Electro Bear: "???"
First of all, it was a bear, not a crow.
Second, it was an Electric-type bear, not a Fire-type.
But it looked at Su Hao, then at Die Xiaodie and Aqua Beast, and could only silently shut its mouth.
It looked as pitiful as a five-hundred-eighty-pound bear cub.
...
Three Pokémon and three people were gathered to watch the Ember Crow evolve.
Liu Ren's Pokémon hadn't come.
After all, the lava zone required tickets. Humans entered for free, but Pokémon were charged per head.
"Rich Su, the big spender, actually bought tickets for his Pokémon to sightsee."
"Did you hear that? You cost me ticket money, so pay attention."
Su Hao turned to Electro Bear and said.
Electro Bear: "Whimper (oT-T)尸"
...
Evolving from a first-stage form to a second-stage form required more accumulated energy.
It took longer.
About an hour.
Su Hao waited and waited, waited and waited, waited and...
He couldn't help but pull out his phone.
Electro Bear: "Whimper?"
"Forget it, I'll let you watch a cartoon."
He borrowed a phone from Li Songting, who was still training.
He put on a cartoon for Electro Bear.
A story about three bears and a bald-headed strongman that was a must-watch.
As a fellow bear, Electro Bear found it highly relatable and watched with great interest.
...
Time passed.
Liu Ren glanced at his phone and asked, "Is it done yet... I mean, is it almost successful?"
Su Hao stood up and looked over a few times.
That red cocoon was round and big, just like that bear was fat and chubby.
But he couldn't estimate it either.
After thinking for a moment, Su Hao silently stared at the panel.
Stare—
[Pokémon: Ember Crow (Evolving)]
[Status: Evolution progress 96%, estimated remaining time: 130 seconds.]
"About 130 seconds left," Su Hao said.
"What did you say?"
Liu Ren thought he misheard.
Evolution could be timed down to the second?
"Well, I am a Senior Breeder now."
"Even a Senior Breeder can't—wait!!!!"
Liu Ren's eyes widened.
Even Li Songting, whose mind was full of muscles, paused mid-step.
They both caught the key point.
"When did you become a Senior Breeder? Isn't that the same level as the mentors?!"
Su Hao straightened his clothes and pretended to speak casually, "A while back, I participated in the Breeding Cup, and then..."
Question: What's the connection between participating in the Breeding Cup and getting certified as a Senior Breeder?
Answer: None.
Liu Ren was silent for a long moment before finally blurting out, "You fake Spirit Master!"
Su Hao: "..."
He clearly wanted to become a true Spirit Master.
But he didn't know why...
His Breeder level always stayed ahead of his Spirit Master level.
"I didn't actually go out of my way to get certified, you know."
But the Breeding Cup officials insisted on giving him the title of Senior Breeder.
He couldn't help it either ┓(′?`)┏.
Liu Ren said he didn't want to talk and just stared at the giant cocoon.
Before long...
Crack~
Crack, crack, crack, crack~!
Cracks spread across the cocoon like a web.
The next moment...
"Caw—!!!"
A sharp cry rang out as a firebird burst through the cocoon, spreading its wings and taking flight.
It was several times larger than when it was an Ember Crow.
Its wingspan stretched about two to three meters.
Its feathers, once black, had turned a dark red, with the neck, tail feathers, and wingtips glowing a vivid crimson.
Flames swirled around its body, and as it flew, it trailed a long tail of fire.
Like a ribbon of flame.
Majestic.
Noble.
It was the Fire Phoenix!
After evolution, the Fire Phoenix was like a plain chicken transforming into a phoenix—its entire aura was different.
"It looks pretty strong," Liu Ren murmured.
Su Hao looked over.
The Fire Phoenix still radiated intense crimson light.
Many of the materials it had absorbed hadn't been fully digested yet.
Especially that Heart of the Sun.
He "stared—" and opened the Fire Phoenix's panel.
The trait column had already changed to 'Superheat'.
"Excellent!"
He looked at the figure in the sky and gave the command: "Dive into the lava!"
"Caw—"
The Fire Phoenix flew high, leaving only a shadow against the sun's outline.
In an instant, it dove straight down like a meteor crashing to the ground, plunging into one of the massive lava pools.
It dove headfirst.
The scorching, boiling lava surged, swallowing its figure, and in the blink of an eye, the lava pool was still again.
As if the entire crow had melted away.
"Can it withstand that?" Liu Ren asked.
Even Fire-type Pokémon have their limits.
It can't be immune to high temperatures or flames.
The Fire Feather Form also has a critical threshold.
And the temperature of lava...
Su Hao looked over, his expression calm.
On the panel, the Fire Phoenix was using the lava's power to complete its final transformation.
The surface of the lava pool remained still for several dozen seconds.
Suddenly...
It churned violently.
A sharp cry echoed from the bottom of the lava pool.
The next moment,
Boom~!!!
The entire lava pool exploded, sending a massive pillar of flame shooting into the sky. Orange-red viscous material splattered everywhere.
It landed on the surrounding ground, hissing and emitting white smoke.
And atop the pillar of flame, a... no, a giant fireball rose into the air.
Like a small sun, radiating endless light and heat!
Within the blazing sun, a shadow with spread wings could faintly be seen, and rings of dazzling light spread outward!
It rose higher and higher, soaring straight into the clouds.
Looking up, it seemed as if there were two suns in the sky—one big, one small!
Standing side by side!
The light was blinding, making it impossible to keep one's eyes open.
Fire Phoenix!
Blazing Sun Form!