Looking at Ampharos, who was enveloped in dazzling electricity, Silas couldn't help but frown.
Although Zero's analysis had determined the cause of this situation, it couldn't provide an answer as to whether it would succeed or fail.
After all, even Zapdos hadn't expected something like this to happen, let alone Zero, which relied entirely on data analysis.
If Ampharos' physical data hadn't been continuously recorded and updated, Zero probably wouldn't even have been able to determine the cause.
So should he stop it?
As Ampharos' trainer, Silas fell into thought.
Stopping it would be simple. He only needed to have Ampharos use Discharge and exhaust all the Electric-type energy in its body.
Once its own Electric-type energy was depleted, this so-called fusion would naturally come to an end.
Although doing so would place some strain on Ampharos' body, the presence of the crystal in the lake meant that Ampharos would quickly recover in this environment.
At the very least, it would be better than its current state.
After all, the impact caused by the fusion of three different powers wasn't something the body could easily endure.
The blinding electrical light made it impossible to see Ampharos clearly.
But Silas knew his Pokémon well.
Ampharos was enduring this entirely through sheer willpower.
"So, what will you choose?"
Standing nearby, Cynthia silently watched Silas.
Haruto and Brock also remained silent.
Normally, a "qualified" trainer would stop their Pokémon in a situation like this.
Because nobody knew how much damage it might ultimately cause.
But that was merely common sense.
Ampharos' current behavior made one thing clear:
It didn't want to give up this opportunity.
As an Electric-type Pokémon, it understood better than anyone how much this change within its body could benefit it.
If that weren't the case, Ampharos wasn't stupid, it could have released all its energy long ago.
"Hang in there."
Before he realized it, Silas had unconsciously clenched his fists.
In the end, he chose to trust Ampharos' own decision.
From the perspective of traditional trainers, this might seem irresponsible.
After all, a Pokémon's instincts weren't always correct.
A trainer's role was to act as an observer, preventing their Pokémon from making mistakes or at least minimizing them, just as they did during battles.
Between two Pokémon of equal strength, one commanded by a trainer would undoubtedly be stronger than one relying solely on instinct and experience. The trainer's role was indispensable.
While the fusion of Electric-type energies might allow Ampharos to take another step forward, it also carried the risk of causing irreversible damage.
However, ever since he had begun raising Pokémon, Silas had always respected his Pokémon's own wishes.
To him, Pokémon were family, companions who would always stay by his side and beings he could trust completely.
And the feeling was mutual.
If he ordered Ampharos to release its electricity, he knew Ampharos would obey without hesitation.
But…
Would Ampharos truly accept that outcome?
Despite its cute, pink appearance, Ampharos was one of the most competitive members of Silas' team.
Otherwise, as the last Pokémon to hatch, it wouldn't have progressed so quickly that it was already beginning to catch up to Togekiss.
After several new Pokémon joined the team, Ampharos had become even more hardworking.
Not only did it complete its daily training, but it frequently trained extra on its own.
If it lost this opportunity, who knew when this Ampharos, with only Elite-level potential would experience another transformation?
Seeing that Silas had made up his mind, the others understood his decision.
"I hope it can pull through," Brock said.
Honestly, if it were him, he might make the same choice.
This was one of the biggest differences between the new generation of trainers and the previous ones.
"It definitely will."
Silas' response was unwavering.
As if responding to his determination, the electrical currents surrounding Ampharos surged dramatically.
Time slowly passed.
"I think it succeeded."
Zapdos, who had been watching Ampharos the entire time, suddenly noticed that the restorative energy flowing from the crystal at the bottom of the lake had undergone a fundamental change.
This change meant that the electricity inside Ampharos had become something entirely new.
It turned and relayed this information to Silas.
"Not quite yet."
Silas tightened his grip on the item in his hand and immediately threw it toward the sphere of electricity.
That's right.
After such a long accumulation of energy, the currents surrounding Ampharos had formed into a giant spherical field of electricity.
Earlier, he had tried using ordinary insulated gloves, but before he could even get close, they had been charred black.
The current had already surpassed what ordinary materials could withstand.
Even so, the object Silas threw in melted into the electric sphere as though it had turned to water.
Zapdos immediately recognized the familiar aura.
"That's Raikou's Electric Seed? It actually gave that to you?"
Its tone was full of surprise.
"The last time I asked for some, it wouldn't give me any. It wouldn't even trade them for tail feathers. Stingy as ever."
Zapdos sounded rather disgruntled.
It wasn't that Electric Seeds were particularly useful to it.
Rather, the pure Electric-type energy inside them made for an excellent snack.
And that was exactly why Raikou refused to trade.
As if he'd hand over more than a dozen Electric Seeds so easily.
Did Zapdos think producing them didn't cost energy and effort?
Raikou had practically said that even if Zapdos pulled out its own beak and offered it as payment, it still wouldn't agree.
Feeling the rhythm and fluctuations of the electrical currents, Zapdos swayed its head.
"Now it'll definitely be fine. Raikou may have a terrible temper, but the energy inside those Electric Seeds is perfect for us Electric-types."
Silas already knew that.
The newly formed current inside Ampharos, created by the fusion of the three energies, was undoubtedly stronger than its original electricity.
However, because there was initially so little of it, the new current had been canceled out by the old one before it could fully develop.
That was what caused Ampharos' pain and made the entire process drag on for so long.
But every situation had its limit.
The change in the crystal's power that Zapdos had sensed was proof that the limit had been reached.
It meant the new current had finally surpassed the old current inside Ampharos.
The Electric Seed that Silas had thrown in merely accelerated that process.
After all, the pure Electric-type energy inside the seed had no will of its own.
It would naturally transform into whichever current held the advantage inside Ampharos—the new one.
As one side grew stronger and the other weakened, Ampharos' body was quickly transformed.
"Amphaaaaros!!"
More than ten minutes later, Ampharos' energetic cry rang out from within the sphere of electricity.
The tension that had been on Silas' face for several hours finally disappeared.
"You're done? Then hurry up and get out here. Looking for a beating or what?" he said irritably.
"Amph~"
The electrical sphere vanished instantly.
Every strand of electricity was drawn back into Ampharos' body.
Its round black eyes curved into happy crescents.
Smack!
Silas walked over and promptly bonked it on the head.
"You're still smiling? Let's see if you dare pull something like this again!"
"Wuuu~~"
Ampharos waved its short little arms and repeatedly rubbed its head against Silas' chin.
"Get off me."
Silas pushed it away with one hand, looking utterly disgusted.
Even so, he still gave Ampharos a simple full-body massage and performed a quick physical examination.
[Ampharos (Shiny)
Category: Light Pokémon
Type: Electric
Height: 1.66 m (average: 1.4 m)
Weight: 82 kg (average: 61.5 kg)
Ability: Static
Hidden Ability: Plus
Moves: (omitted)
Level: 59 (Pseudo-Elite)
Potential: Champion
Condition: Excellent, slightly fatigued.]
The simplified status panel appeared in Silas' mind through Zero.
He immediately came to a conclusion.
"So its height and weight increased a bit.
Its level also rose by two levels, reaching the limit of the Pseudo-Elite stage.
There's probably still plenty of room for improvement.
After this, it should be about time to start preparing for its breakthrough into the Elite Four level.
Hmm… though once we get back, Togekiss is definitely going to make a fuss. It won't be happy at all about Ampharos catching up to it."
Of course, none of that was the main point.
Silas focused his attention on Ampharos' potential.
From Elite Four to Pseudo-Champion and then all the way to Champion potential…
That was an incredibly dramatic increase, even by legendary Pokémon standards.
The weakened Zapdos definitely couldn't have accomplished that by itself.
Even if Ampharos had already been close to Pseudo-Champion potential before this, having originally possessed Elite Four-level potential and evolved using a high-quality Thunder Stone, the electricity from Zapdos shouldn't have been effective enough to cause such an enormous leap.
Most likely, the mysterious crystal's power had played a crucial role.
"Well? How is it?"
After Silas finished checking Ampharos, the others immediately gathered around him, including Cynthia.
They were all curious about Ampharos' changes.
"There's nothing wrong with its body. As for the specifics. Ampharos, could you give us a demonstration?"
Naturally, Silas didn't mention the increase in potential directly.
There was no way he could explain how he could judge aptitude at a glance.
So he simply had Ampharos put on a little performance.
Besides, the little guy's condition was excellent.
Having gained new power, Ampharos nodded excitedly.
After glancing around, it walked toward a small grove of trees.
The others watched from afar.
Ampharos took a deep breath and began manipulating the energy inside its body.
The sensation felt both clumsy and strangely familiar.
It was almost like returning to the time just after it had been born.
Crackle!
The next moment, violent currents of electricity erupted through the forest.
In the blink of an eye, seven or eight trees had been reduced to charred black husks.
"My goodness! What terrifying electricity!"
Haruto cried out in shock.
He knew exactly how difficult it was for an Electric-type Pokémon to accomplish something like this.
"Did your Ampharos just break through to the Elite level?!"
"No, it should still be Pseudo-Elite."
Silas shook his head.
"Pseudo-Elite and it's already this strong... Then once it reaches the Elite level, wouldn't this destructive power be completely outrageous?"
Haruto clicked his tongue in amazement.
Cynthia nodded in agreement.
"Not only that. Look carefully."
Her eyes were fixed on the scorched trees.
There, a faint trace of green could be seen emerging.
"Lightning isn't merely a symbol of destruction, it also represents new life."
Brock murmured.
For humans, the thunderstorms that accompanied lightning during midsummer often brought rain, providing crops with much-needed water. At the same time, the rain washed away dust and pollution from the atmosphere, purifying the environment.
Where lightning appeared, life often followed.
With his current knowledge and experience, Brock couldn't determine exactly what kind of changes this unique electricity would bring to Ampharos.
But one thing was certain.
This Ampharos had undergone a qualitative transformation.
"Your Ampharos can practically be considered to possess legendary-level potential."
Cynthia casually filled in the gaps in Brock's explanation.
She spoke as though she weren't discussing something tremendously important.
Haruto nearly stumbled.
"Wait, hold on. That's a lot of information. Let me process this."
He held his forehead, unwilling to believe it.
Then Zapdos' telepathy delivered the final blow.
"If by 'legendary-level potential' you mean whether it can someday become as strong as me, then this Ampharos indeed has a good chance."
"Aaaahhh—!"
Haruto finally snapped.
He rushed over to Silas and grabbed him by the collar.
"Why?! Why you?!"
"Well, that's just how luck works."
Silas shrugged with a grin, looking extremely punchable.
He knew Haruto was joking.
Of course, there was still a bit of envy mixed in.
No one could stay completely calm in this situation, not even Silas himself.
"But Suicune once told me that according to our classification system, Champion potential means a Pokémon has already reached the limits of its species."
He turned toward Cynthia.
Cynthia nodded.
"That's correct."
"Then what exactly is so-called legendary-level potential…?"
"The difference between legendary Pokémon and ordinary Pokémon isn't just their control over energy, it's also their understanding of it.
The characteristics of your Ampharos' Electric-type energy almost naturally satisfy the latter condition.
Zapdos' own understanding of electricity isn't like this, so this effect was probably caused by the crystal at the bottom of the lake."
Cynthia circled around Ampharos with great interest.
As for jealousy?
Not really.
She had complete confidence in both herself and her partners.
An Ampharos that had the potential to reach the level of a minor legendary wasn't enough to shake her composure.
If circumstances allowed, she would actually prefer to take the mysterious crystal back and study it.
Unfortunately, that wasn't possible.
Zapdos still needed it to recover.
And by the time seven or eight years passed, Cynthia doubted she would still need it.
Meanwhile, Silas was being "extorted" by Brock and Haruto, suffering and enjoying himself at the same time.
As Brock put it.
"If we hadn't all come together, you wouldn't have gotten this lucky. Shouldn't you treat your brothers to a nice meal?"
It was an utterly ridiculous reason.
Even so, the delighted Silas agreed.
"The Battle Park's special combo meals are all on me. Eat as much as you want."
He waved his hand generously.
At 3,000 Poké Dollars per meal, it didn't hurt at all.
"Do I get a share too?"
Cynthia looked at him with interest.
"Any luxury restaurant you want."
Silas answered without changing expression.
What favoritism toward pretty girls? He simply wanted to eat at a fancy restaurant himself.
As payment for saying that, however, on the trip back to the Battle Park after saying goodbye to Zapdos, Haruto and Brock joined forces and immediately got their revenge on him.
"Damn martial artist!"
The two men, pinned to the ground, were thoroughly unconvinced.
...
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