Pokémon: Above the Top-Chapter 302: Champion Potential?

Regarding the issue of Pokémon slots, Sato ultimately turned to Lance.

"You didn't know? Gym Leaders can usually apply to increase their number of Pokémon slots by two," Lance said on the other end of the phone, casually bathing his newly evolved Dragonite while turning his head in surprise.

"..."

"You're not officially appointed yet, so technically it shouldn't be allowed, but that's easy to handle. I'll ask for you later. Just make sure of not show more than six Pokémon at once in front of regular Trainers."

"Thanks, Lance!" Sato smiled and nodded.

Having someone in a high place really made things easier. This was the benefit of power... no wonder so many people chased it obsessively.

However, in the Pokémon world, strength was even more enticing than power.

Once the Pokémon slot issue was settled, Sato didn't delay any longer and officially captured Pichu into a Poké Ball.

Only then did Sato finally get a chance to check Pichu's stats.

Pokémon: Pichu

Gender: Male

Stage: Ordinary (Low)

Potential: Electric (Elite)

Known moves: Thunder Shock, Charm, Tail Whip, Sweet Kiss

Egg moves: Fake Out

TM moves: None

As a non-combat Pokémon, Pichu's potential wasn't all that important... but this was probably the lowest-potential Pokémon Sato had.

Previously, the Joy family had developed a version of the Potential Enhancement Serum suitable for ordinary-level Pokémon based on the elite-grade serum.

However, the ordinary-level version was only slightly cheaper than the elite-grade one. For the same money, one could buy several Pokémon with elite-level potential.

As a result, the market for the ordinary serum was extremely limited. The Joy family initially produced 200 units, but they still hadn't sold out.

Right now, Sato wasn't planning to have Pichu battle. As long as it could live happily, that was enough.

Unless one day, Pichu wanted to become stronger and walk the "path of combat" himself; only then would Sato go ask the Joy family for the serum.

For now, all Pichu had to do was be adorable.

After scanning Pichu, Sato casually checked Gardevoir's data as well.

Pokémon: Unknown

Gender: Female

Stage: Pseudo-Elite Four (Peak)

Potential: Psychic (Elite Four) + Dark (Champion)

Moves: Unknown

Seeing this bizarre set of data, Sato was shocked, thrilled, and confused all at once.

He was thrilled because Gardevoir's Dark-type potential had reached the terrifying Champion level.

'Could Dark Energy really be that incredible?'

A Dark-type potential acquired later in life had actually surpassed her innate Psychic-type potential. Sato felt like he was dreaming.

As for the "Pokémon:" being listed as "Unknown," it was probably because Gardevoir's transformation had been too extreme, and the analyzer had no matching information, so it defaulted to "Unknown."

All moves were marked as "Unknown" as well. Sato guessed it was likely for the same reason: with an unknown species, predictions couldn't be made, so everything was labeled as "Unknown."

But moves didn't matter, they could be figured out slowly over time. What truly caught Sato's eye was the word "Champion."

This was the first time Sato had encountered a Pokémon with Champion-level potential. Lance's Dragon-types and Steven's Steel-types weren't within the scope of Dark Energy's detection.

Even if they did have Champion-level Pokémon, Sato had no way of knowing. fгeewebnovёl.com

Even in his previous life, the only Champion-level figure he had ever seen was Giovanni, and Sato never had the chance to analyze his Ace Beedrill; so he had no idea what it felt like.

Although Sato already knew that Gardevoir's newly acquired Dark-type potential was strong, the fact that it shared the same root as Dark Energy made him suspect that his detection might not be accurately assessing just how strong it really was.

Now, Sato could clearly feel the emotional feedback from a Champion-level talent. Suddenly, he realized that Zoroark might not be far from reaching that same threshold either.

In other words, Zoroark -and Houndoom as well- had both seen notable boosts to their Dark-type potential thanks to Dark Energy: Blood Nourishment.

After a long period of accumulation, the time for harvest was finally near.

Right now, Sato felt incredibly fortunate... fortunate that he had "insisted" on capturing Gardevoir. The benefits, in hindsight, were so overwhelming it left him wanting more.

Indulging for a moment in his rosy fantasies of a brilliant future, Sato wiped the corner of his mouth and stood up to start packing.

Tomorrow, they would leave Sootopolis City and head toward the southernmost island of the Hoenn Region -Dewford Island- for a brand new adventure.

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The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, all three of them woke up, some willingly, some reluctantly. After breakfast, they headed straight for the Sootopolis City port.

At this point, Pichu was lying on Sato's shoulder, while Mark carried Togepi in his arms.

Ralts, who had reverted in form, was still pitch black all over. To avoid exposure while refusing to enter a Poké Ball, they reached a compromise.

In the end, Ralts chose to burrow inside Sato's backpack, sticking her head out when something interested her, but otherwise just staying curled up inside to sleep or meditate.

Sato had initially put up some resistance out of habit, but in the end, he gave in and allowed it.

Because Sootopolis City and Dewford Town were extremely far apart -practically in opposite directions- they opted for a luxury cruise ship with better accommodations this time.

Before they departed, Juan personally came to see Sato off. From him, they learned that Wallace had already set out on his own journey.

Perhaps influenced by Sato, Wallace had decided to head to the Johto Region to train.

After a few more parting words, the trio boarded the large ship named the S.S. Maria and settled into a three-bedroom suite.

"I'm exhausted. I'm gonna nap... wake me up for food," said Mark, who had been forced to get up early. He hugged Togepi and stumbled off toward one of the bedrooms.

Sato and Joseph, more accustomed to early mornings, were still full of energy and interested in exploring the massive ship. So they decided to head out for a look around.

They'd taken cruise ships before, and the free-trade "markets" and Pokémon trading zones had left a deep impression on them.

Although the S.S. Maria also had these two features, they were more secondary. Its central feature was a massive battle arena surrounded by rows and rows of empty seats.

A suspended massive screen displayed clearly that the S.S. Maria's Battle Tournament would be held nightly at 8 PM, encouraging capable Trainers to sign up.

What's more, every battle came with official betting odds. Aside from the staff running the betting, anyone on the ship could place wagers.

"Isn't this just open gambling?" Next to Sato, a young couple who had also come out to wander was staring at the screen. The woman frowned as she read the announcement.

"Who cares once you're out at sea? Plus, the minimum requirement to compete is Elite stage. You'll even see the occasional Pseudo-Elite Four-level match.

Most people never get close to those "high-and-mighty" Trainers. Now, for just a bit of cash, they can watch them battle live, and even bet on who wins. Tons of people would jump at the chance.

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150 Power Stones = Bonus Chap