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Inside the Poké Ball's space, a pink, a Flaaffy lay curled on a soft cushion of fluff. A faint emerald glow pulsed at its chest as its eyes flickered open, still hazy from unconsciousness.
Kael slowly regained awareness, staring up at the shimmering ceiling above. His mind was restless, weighed down by thoughts he couldn't shake.
Why had Zeraora helped him only to cast him out of the Canyon afterward?
He hadn't done anything wrong… had he?
"...Haa."
He exhaled softly, pushing down the confusion. Maybe one day, he'd return to the canyon and seek an answer. At the very least, he owed Zeraora his thanks.
Shaking his head, Kael sat upright and summoned his system interface.
Because of all the chaos earlier, he hadn't yet checked his status since eating the mysterious fruit.
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[+20 EXP]
[+18 EXP]
[+21 EXP]
…
A flood of notifications filled the screen, lines upon lines of experience gains.
Kael blinked in shock, then grinned. Clearly, the fruit had been the trigger.
"This… this should be enough for a huge level-up."
Scrolling further, his breath caught.
The notifications just kept going. Page after page, more and more EXP messages piled up. His pulse quickened.
"Four hundred points… at least."
But as he continued to scroll, his hand trembled.
"No… there's still more…"
The cascade of messages seemed endless. By the time it finally stopped, Kael slumped back, numb with disbelief.
"This boost… It's insane."
Excitement surged in his chest as he opened his status screen.
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Species: Flaaffy
Level: 30 (1263/100)
Moves: Tackle, Growl, Thunder Wave, Hidden Power (Dragon), Thunder Shock, Cotton Spore, Charge, Thunder Punch, Magnet Rise, Take Down, Electro Ball, Dragon Breath, Confuse Ray
Status: Overcharged (Electric-type move power +20%)
Duration: 14 days, 20 hours
Evaluation: This is a Flaaffy?
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Kael rubbed his eyes in disbelief. The numbers didn't lie.
Then the laughter came. First a chuckle, then uncontrollable bursts of joy.
"Hahaha! This is unreal!"
This was the single greatest power-up he had ever experienced.
His level had skyrocketed from 26 to 30 the very limit for Flaaffy, If evolution hadn't required his confirmation, he'd already be beyond it. With the stockpiled EXP waiting, he could easily push into the 40s once he evolved into Ampharos.
His finger hovered over the Evolve button. For a heartbeat, he considered pressing it then firmly pulled away.
Not yet.
Patience had gotten him this far. With so much raw energy still unsettled inside him, evolving now would waste the potential. If he let the power stabilize, he could evolve perfectly, without regrets.
Next, he examined his moves. Only one addition: [Confuse Ray]. A Ghost-type control move. Useful, maybe but not something he was eager to rely on.
His eyes shifted to the new status effect.
"Overcharged…"
He nodded to himself. It must have come from soaking so long in the plasma pool. His body had absorbed its high-density electricity, leaving him with a 20% boost to Electric-type attacks.
"Twenty percent might not sound like much, but with my current strength…"
Even opponents at his level or higher would be flattened in one hit.
Still, he tempered his excitement. The boost wouldn't last forever. Fourteen days. That was the window. If no battles came, it would pass unused.
Finally, his eyes flicked to the "Evaluation" line.
This is a Flaaffy?
He snorted. "Always mocking me, huh?"
Yet deep down, the system wasn't wrong. Right now, even an average Ampharos would struggle against him.
He had become a monster among his kind.
But a question lingered in his mind.
"That fruit… it was too powerful. Why?"
What he didn't realize was that Zeraora's brutal training, the endless cycles of discharge and recharge, had prepared his body to handle it. Without that conditioning, the fruit's raw energy would have torn any other Electric-type apart.
Even then, it was the plasma pool that had carried him through, supplementing the fruit's power with its refined energy, keeping his body from burning out.
It was only the combination of all these factors and a touch of luck that allowed Kael's power to soar to such impossible heights.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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