180 The Powerful Pokémon Crowd!
"This..."
Qin Yun stared at the golden membership card in his hand, his eyes wide with surprise.
"This... this is too much."
Although Qin Yun didn't fully grasp the market value of the gold card, he instinctively understood that being allowed to use it for free meant this card held extraordinary status.
After all, this was the Rustboro Gym known across Hoenn for its sheer scale and elegance. Under Kenin's leadership, the Gym wasn't just a place for battles; it housed elite training facilities, private cultivation chambers, and exclusive labs that even professionals had limited access to.
Many elite trainers in the manga struggled for years to enter the inner sanctums of such Gyms. Some places weren't open to the public at all even if one had money, connections, or fame. The fact that Qin Yun had access, and for free, placed him in rare company.
In Rustboro, only Steven Stone now the Champion of Hoenn had ever received a similar privilege, bestowed by Kenin's own master, the previous Gym Leader.
"Just take it. Think of it as my small investment in your future," Kenin said warmly, placing the card into Qin Yun's hand.
Seeing Kenin's determined gaze, Qin Yun hesitated only briefly before nodding.
"Thank you, Senior Kenin."
"You're welcome," she replied gently. "If possible, try to make sure each of your Pokémon achieves an S rating before breaking through."
"At the professional level, maintaining an S rank across each breakthrough tier helps Pokémon maximize their potential. When they eventually reach Elite 3-star and beyond, the benefits will reveal themselves."
Qin Yun memorized her words, bowed slightly, and left the Gym with gratitude.
As he walked away, Kenin stared thoughtfully at his departing figure.
"You're not satisfied, are you?"
Though she spoke in Qin Yun's direction, Jiang Cai'er knew the words were meant for her.
Jiang Cai'er clenched her fists. Her pride wouldn't let her answer, but her silence was answer enough.
"I know you're unwilling to accept this. If you're not satisfied, then win it back."
Kenin's eyes never met her student's, as if she was talking to the air.
"Win it back...?"
Jiang Cai'er's eyes lit up.
"Qin Yun will be participating in the upcoming doubles tournament. Register for it. Defeat him there. That's how you'll clear your name."
The spark of determination ignited in Jiang Cai'er's chest. She could almost taste the rematch.
How could she, Jiang Cai'er who had trained alongside Elite Pokémon lose to a mere high school student?
"When the time comes," Kenin added, "you have my permission to fight at full strength."
Meanwhile, back at his hotel suite, a surge of psychic power awakened Qin Yun.
Flash Gardevoir had awakened from fusion.
Among Qin Yun's team, Flash Gardevoir was easily the most powerful. It made sense that she would complete her fusion and evolution first.
"Sana..."
Gardevoir's form shimmered with brilliance. Her body was more elegant, her movements fluid. She radiated extraordinary power.
Qin Yun instinctively scanned her data. What he saw shocked him.
[Pokémon: Flash Gardevoir]
[Type: Psychic + Fairy]
[Ability: Telepathy]
[Strength: Elite Peak]
[Potential: Epic One Star]
[Skills: Charming Voice, Growl, Double Team, Teleport, Shadow Ball, Psybeam, Psychic, Finger Gun, Shave, Dazzling Gleam]
[Special Abilities: Psychic Power, Shinra Tensei, Shadow Rasengan]
[Held Item: Queen's Crown]
Stats:
HP: 24,632 (SS)
Attack: 28,238 (SS)
Defense: 23,833 (SS)
Sp. Atk: 40,259 (SSS)
Sp. Def: 31,109 (SSS)
Speed: 25,641 (SS)
Overall Rating: 176,700 (SS)
Qin Yun was stunned.
A few professional-level Pokémon he had seen before only hovered around 120,000 to 140,000 in comprehensive stats. Gardevoir's strength now dwarfed them.
"Can Gardevoir already go toe-to-toe with professional trainers...?" he muttered.
He hadn't expected the fusion experiment to bear such overwhelming results. His joy was hard to contain.
Other Pokémon began to awaken too, their potential now uniformly rising to the Epic tier. Most were Epic One-Star, but not all.
Larvitar had evolved into Pupitar after fusion, with its potential reaching Epic Two-Star, surpassing the others.
The upgrade across the board lifted Qin Yun's spirits.
"Kenin said it's best for every Pokémon to reach S rank for breakthroughs… but most of mine are already SS or even SSS. Am I over-prepared?"
"But my situation is unusual..."
If SSS-level was now his new standard, then he would aim for every Pokémon to break through at that level. Why settle for less?
He didn't know if a tier beyond SSS existed, but improving a Pokémon at the SS level was already extremely difficult. To go beyond was like breaking through the sky.
He allowed himself a rare moment of rest.
"For now, let's relax a little and bring out the Mega Active Blocks. Training can wait till tomorrow."
"In ten days, the doubles match begins. I'll prep for that later."
"For now... let's chill."
Qin Yun opened his phone. He handed out a few devices to his Pokémon. It was a treat his way of rewarding their efforts.
During training breaks, his Pokémon would play games on the devices.
Gardevoir, especially, had an AI-like intelligence. The way she interacted with the phone's system was nearly human.
Blaziken even challenged Lurantis to a "King's Duel" match. Qin Yun couldn't help but chuckle.
"Sometimes I wonder... are you really just Pokémon?"
That night, Qin Yun strolled toward Rustboro's largest marketplace.
His destination: the Dewen Department Store, hoping to find high-quality berries to produce more Mega Active Cubes, particularly to satisfy the appetite of the energy-devouring food demon, Jinglin.
Although the orchard system in his farm could grow some berries, space was limited, and rarer species couldn't be cultivated there.
But as he stepped into the bustling department store, a hidden signal was sent.
"Subject located: Qin Yun has entered Dewen."
On the top floor of Dewen Manufacturing Co., in the chairman's office, a calm voice broke the silence.
Chairman Zvitch looked up from his seat, eyes gleaming.
"Qin Yun, is it?"
"Interesting… Jianmen, arrange a chance meeting."
Since their last encounter, Zvitch had been secretly monitoring Qin Yun's actions. His interest wasn't idle,it was growing.
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