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Inside the dark confines of his Poké Ball, Kael was curled up, a faint, almost smug smile tugging at his lips as if he were in the middle of a pleasant dream.
After an unknown amount of time, his eyelids fluttered. The black-and-pink tip of his tail twitched, sending faint yellow sparks dancing through the darkness.
"Mmm~"
A soft groan escaped him as he stretched lazily.
In his past life, Kael had a habit of checking his phone for a while right after waking up. Even now, reborn as a Pokémon, that routine remained except now, the "phone" was his system interface.
With a thought, his focus shifted to the semi-transparent Poké Ball icon at the bottom right of his vision.
Shhhk!
A crisp sound echoed in his mind as the icon expanded into a rectangular data frame, filling most of his view.
[Species: Flaaffy]
[Level: 24 (73/100)]
[Moves: Tackle, Growl, Thunder Wave, Hidden Power (Dragon), Thunder Shock, Cotton Spore, Charge, Thunder Punch, Magnet Rise, Take Down]
[Evaluation: A Flaaffy with immense potential]
He'd reached Level 24 slightly below his target. Kael had expected to surpass Level 25 thanks to the intense battles in the Battle Tower.
Unfortunately, after several trainers were soundly defeated, the rest seemed to lose confidence. Challengers stopped coming, and his room grew so quiet that by the end of the event, he sometimes went an entire day without a single battle.
He could've held back in fights to keep opponents from losing too badly, thus encouraging more attempts but this mission was his chance to prove himself. As a new Pokémon in the organization, with only one mission under his belt, he needed to showcase his true power.
That meant sacrificing easy experience now for long-term gains.
Still, he was satisfied. The mission had sharpened his battle instincts, allowed him to test skill combinations he'd only theorized before, and, most importantly, likely boosted his reputation with the higher-ups.
In Dark Star, promising Pokémon were never ignored.
Bzzz!
His Poké Ball trembled, a bright white glow pulsing at the top.
"…Another mission?" Kael frowned.
From what Kaise had told him during training, Dark Star was a highly selective black organization that prized quality over quantity.
They gave their elite Pokémon generous rest periods between missions. His first mission had proven this so this sudden activation was strange.
Before he could puzzle it out, a strong pull seized him.
Thud!
Kael landed lightly, quickly scanning his surroundings. Instead of a battlefield, he found himself in a plain room.
In front of him stood a young man in a white lab coat, smiling warmly. In one hand, the man held Kael's standard red-and-white Poké Ball. In the other, a different Poké Ball one Kael had never seen before.
It resembled a high-grade ball from his past life's games, but with a greater portion of bright yellow, deep black replacing the usual gray, and a small lightning emblem on the button.
"What's that…?" Kael wondered.
The researcher tossed it toward him slightly off target, clipping his tail. But it was still a Poké Ball. With a crisp click, inky black mist burst from it, wrapping around his body.
His sparks flared inside the dark energy, looking like lightning churning inside a storm cloud.
Kael didn't resist he'd noticed the Dark Star insignia on the man's coat.
The mist coiled back into the ball like a serpent swallowing its prey.
The man exhaled in relief, tucking the ball away before making a quick phone call.
"Hello? Aya, it's done… Yes, the Thunder Stone's already inside the ball."
The voice on the other end was distinctly feminine, with a lazy confidence.
Ending the call, the researcher glanced at the ball in his pocket, his eyes betraying a trace of envy.
What kind of background did this Flaaffy have to warrant the Combat Division Minister's personal secretary clearing the way for him and using the Research Department's newly developed Electric-Type Special Poké Ball?
These were rare, expensive, and type-specific. But they were worth every credit offering healing, energy restoration, and even potential boosts. Only top-tier elites ever received them.
This time, instead of the usual dizzying disorientation, Kael felt a gentle vibration before opening his eyes to see… something that left his mouth hanging open.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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