Eichi happened to see information related to the Never-Melt Ice just two prior, in a book he had borrowed.
"Found it!" Eichi flipped the book open to the page on the Never-Melt Ice. Comparing it to the illustration in the book, the Never-Melt Ice looked similar to regular ice chunks. The sole difference, however, was that the chilling energy it released was countless times stronger than that of ordinary ice. Never-Melt Ice, as the name suggests, is ice that does not melt for a long time.
The effect of the Never-Melt Ice is enhancing the power of its Ice-type moves when held by a Pokémon in battle.
Essentially, the Never-Melt Ice is a piece of non-melting ice that underwent a mutation over a long period of time, giving it this effect. The older the Never-Melt Ice, the better its effect; however, Eichi could not determine the specific age of this chunk.
Based on the chilling effect he felt upon touching it, this Never-Melt Ice should not be very old.
Who should I find to examine this? Oh, right, Professor Kant should know.I'll go find him.
However, he first needed to find a container that could insulate the Never-Melt Ice's cold. Thankfully, the book also listed one such container.
Relying on Bug Force wasn't really a feasible long-term solution. If he went to find Kant tomorrow, he couldn't use the Bug Force; otherwise, it would expose his power.
The logistics department at Silver Academy should have such a container. If not, he would have to buy one in Silver Town. Regardless, he needed to prepare dinner for his Pokémon first.
The next day, as soon as class ended, Eichi headed to the Breeding major's teaching building.
He arrived at the office and knocked on the door. Since the door wasn't locked, it opened easily with his knock. Seeing that there was no one inside, he walked further in and opened the small door to the left of the office.
Professor Kant was indeed inside, currently making Pokéblocks. Eichi didn't disturb him and waited quietly by the side, observing and learning some of Professor Kant's techniques for making Pokéblocks.
About twenty minutes passed in silence before Professor Kant finished. After pressing the drying button, he stopped.
He turned his head and saw Eichi. "You're here, Eichi," he greeted.
"Professor, what kind of Pokéblock are you making?" Eichi asked.
"Me? I'm researching a new kind of Pokéblock," Professor Kant replied. "By the way, how is your progress on making Pokéblocks recently?"
"It's not bad," Eichi said. "I can make several kinds of Beginner Pokéblocks now, and the quality is quite good."
Professor Kant nodded. "That's not bad. Next, you can try making several at once to increase the difficulty a little."
"I'll try that later," Eichi nodded. "By the way, Professor, I need a favor from you."
Professor Kant smiled. "Tell me, what is it? As long as I can do it, I won't refuse."
Eichi put down his backpack, took out the box containing the Never-Melt Ice, and said, "It's not a big favor; I just need you to help me take a look at this item."
When he opened the box, the Never-Melt Ice immediately released a burst of cold air, dropping the temperature of the entire room by several degrees.
Professor Kant adjusted his glasses. "Is this a Never-Melt Ice?"
"It should be," Eichi confirmed. "I looked through a book, and it's very similar to the description. However, the book didn't explain how to determine its age, so that's why I thought of you."
"I see," Professor Kant said after listening. He began to examine the Never-Melt Ice. After a short while, he stated confidently, "This is indeed a Never-Melt Ice."
"For the specific age, you'd need a machine. However, one characteristic of Never-Melt Ice is that the older it is, the larger its volume. This piece of yours is about the size of an egg. I estimate it to be about 50 years old, but we still need to measure it with a machine."
Professor Kant picked up the box and walked over to a machine, the same one as last time.
The professor took a transparent container and a pair of white gloves from a desk drawer. As he picked up the Never-Melt Ice, he explained, "This transparent container and these gloves are specially made. They are designed specifically to isolate this immense energy."
He finished speaking just as he covered the container and pressed a nearby switch. Several infrared rays appeared out of thin air and began scanning the object from top to bottom. The machine hummed. After a moment, a stream of data appeared on the adjacent computer screen.
Professor Kant stroked his chin, looked at the data for a bit, then turned to Eichi. "The results are out. Your Never-Melt Ice is about 53 years old. That's not bad."
Professor Kant took the container off the platform. "Your Never-Melt Ice, at market price, is worth at least 2 million Pokédollars. I won't ask how you acquired it. I'm just curious about what you plan to do with it. Will you use it yourself, or sell it to someone else?"
"If you want to sell it, I can help you," he added. "After all, Never-Melt Ice is very valuable. Even our Academy only has one piece in the logistics department."
Eichi looked down, deep in thought. Professor Kant wasn't in a hurry and waited patiently. After a moment, Eichi looked up and said, "I haven't decided yet. I'll just hold onto it for now."
Professor Kant crossed his arms. "That's right. Such a matter requires careful consideration. Alright, let's put that aside. First, make a Pokéblock for me to see."
"Okay," Eichi agreed, putting the Never-Melt Ice back in his backpack. He then walked over to the Energy 10 machine. Professor Kant took four Berries from a small refrigerator and placed them in front of Eichi. Eichi adjusted the machine. Seeing the Berries Professor Kant brought, he immediately knew which Pokéblock to make. Once the Berries were in place, Eichi began his work.
His movements were completely different from the first time. Professor Kant couldn't help but nod as he watched Eichi's smooth, flowing actions. After twenty minutes, a "ding" sounded, and the Pokéblock was finished. Eichi took out the Pokéblock and handed it to Professor Kant. Professor Kant initially had a smile on his face, but the more he looked, the more surprised he became.
"Eichi, I thought you were a genius already, but I still underestimated you," he said in a tone of astonishment. "I thought you'd only be able to produce Good quality Pokéblocks by now, but I didn't expect you to be able to make Perfect ones on your own." Eichi was so complimented by Professor Kant that he didn't know what to say. I should have held back and just made a Good quality one, he thought.
After his exclamation, Professor Kant told Eichi to go back, as he still had some things to attend to. After saying goodbye to Professor Kant, Eichi returned to his room.
He took the Never-Melt Ice out on his desk and looked at it closely. Eichi still hadn't decided what to do with the Never-Melt Ice. After thinking for a while and still not deciding, he gave up. He put it back into his backpack, then took his three Pokémon out for training.