Leon rode his Ursaluna around the castle grounds for a full circle. After satisfying his excitement, he returned to the castle entrance.
As soon as he arrived at the castle gates, he saw the stunned expressions of the players.
This made Leon feel somewhat embarrassed. In his earlier excitement, he hadn't cared whether the players were nearby or not—he had just mounted the bear and dashed off, even letting out some strange shouts along the way.
Now he wasn't sure how to face these players.
Would the dignified and steady persona he had worked so hard to build collapse?
No, he had to divert their attention.
So Leon, still seated on the bear's back, addressed the players:
"As you can see, some Pokémon can be ridden. You can gallop freely on their backs."
"Beyond land-dwelling Pokémon, there are also those in the sky and sea that can be ridden. With them, you can reach any corner of this world!"
Sure enough, the players' attention was immediately captured by the idea of rideable Pokémon.
For days, they had been traveling solely on foot. Though the distances weren't great, it still wasted a lot of time, and walking too much was exhausting.
Especially after farming—their legs would feel like they were filled with lead, yet they still had to walk back to the castle. The sensation was downright miserable.
If they could also have rideable Pokémon, not only would they save time on travel, but they could also conserve some stamina, leaving them with more energy for farming!
Most importantly, riding a Pokémon was just plain cool. While others were still trudging along miserably, you could zoom past them on your Pokémon, leaving behind nothing but a dashing silhouette.
The mere thought of this scene made the players giddy with excitement. They couldn't wait to go catch a rideable Pokémon right away.
Seeing the players' exhilaration, Leon understood perfectly. Back when he played browser games, just having a mount would make him happy for half a day—let alone this being a virtual reality game.
"Lord Leon, what kind of Pokémon can be ridden?"
"Do you think my Caterpie will be rideable after it evolves?"
The players raised their hands one after another, bombarding Leon with questions about rideable Pokémon.
The attention diversion seemed a little too successful—the players were so focused on rideable Pokémon that they stopped caring about evolution.
"Ahem, let's put the topic of rideable Pokémon aside for now. Once you grow stronger, you'll naturally be able to catch Pokémon you can ride."
"Tonight's theme is evolution. You all just saw Ursaluna's evolution. Do you have any other questions?"
Leon tried steering the conversation back to Pokémon evolution.
"What conditions must be met for a Pokémon to evolve?"
Ethan Carter wasn't particularly interested in rideable Pokémon. To him, evolution was the more pressing topic, so he was the first to raise his hand.
"Most Pokémon will evolve once their strength reaches a certain level. The required level differs for each Pokémon."
"For example, your Oddish needs to reach around level 20 before it can evolve. Meanwhile, that Caterpie next to you can evolve as early as level 7 or 8."
Upon hearing Leon's answer, the player beside Ethan lit up with joy. He hadn't expected his Pokémon to evolve so soon.
Ethan, however, frowned. Level 20 wasn't easy to reach. His Oddish had only gained one level after that intense battle earlier.
And just like with players, leveling up Pokémon would only get harder the further they progressed.
If most Pokémon evolved at level 7 or 8, he and his Oddish would be at a severe disadvantage compared to other players.
Leon noticed Ethan's concern and explained:
"Pokémon like Caterpie that evolve at level 7 or 8 are rare exceptions. They're Bug-types, which grow faster."
"Most other Pokémon evolve around level 20, then evolve again around level 40."
"Pokémon can evolve twice?"
Ethan sighed in relief upon hearing this. So level 20 was the norm—that meant he wouldn't fall behind in competition.
Then Leon mentioned Pokémon could evolve a second time, which took him by surprise.
"Correct. Generally speaking, Pokémon can evolve twice. For example, my Ursaluna first evolved from Teddiursa into Ursaring, then finally into Ursaluna."
"Of course, some Pokémon can only evolve once, and a few can't evolve at all—like Leaf's Heracross."
"Wait, no, it technically can evolve... just not right now."
Leon mentally scolded himself—why had he used another Mega Evolution-capable Pokémon as an example?
Fortunately, the players didn't notice anything odd about his words. They were more concerned about whether their own Pokémon could evolve.
"If Heracross can't evolve, won't it be weaker than evolved Pokémon?" Leaf asked.
"Not at all. Even without evolving, Heracross is about as strong as most evolved Pokémon—even stronger than some final forms."
"That might be why they can't evolve. They're already strong enough and don't need evolution to grow stronger," Leon replied.
Leaf relaxed at this. So his Heracross was still plenty powerful.
"My turn! I saw you gave Ursaring some black lumpy thing before it evolved. What was that? Do our Pokémon need something like that to evolve too?"
Bell jumped up and down, afraid Leon wouldn't see her.
"That was peat. It's a special evolution item for Ursaring. Most Pokémon evolve naturally when they reach the right level, but a few require certain items to evolve."
"May I ask—"
"Alright, that's enough questions for tonight. I have matters to attend to. You should all return to the castle and rest—you'll be patrolling again later."
Leon cut off the next player's question. Good grief, they just wouldn't stop.
His original intention was just to give them a basic understanding of evolution. As for other questions, they could figure those out themselves through exploration.
The players didn't press further. They'd already absorbed a ton of information tonight and needed time to process it.
"I think there's a beast saddle in the warehouse. With some modifications, it should fit Ursaluna."
Leon's mind was still fixated on riding his bear more comfortably. Ursaluna's fur was too coarse—it poked his butt painfully. He needed to equip it with a saddle.
He was setting off tomorrow, so there was no time to craft a new saddle tonight.
But modifying an existing one was doable.
With that thought, he hurried toward the warehouse, planning to work through the night on the saddle adjustments.
Back in the castle's resting quarters, the players launched into lively discussions.
They had learned too much tonight and were eager to share their thoughts.
But while the others chattered excitedly, Dylan had nothing to contribute.
Of the eleven players, he was the only one without a Pokémon. He couldn't even join the conversation.
Frustrated, he stepped outside the castle, hoping to stroll around and clear his head.
But he regretted it almost immediately.
"Damn, it's so dark out here. Maybe I should head back."
Just as he turned to leave, a faint sobbing sound came from behind him.
Dylan shuddered.
"Don't tell me it's you again..."
Mustering his courage, he turned around and saw a dark green figure.
"You just won't leave me alone, will you?!"
(End of Chapter)