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Evan had also tried asking several other Water-type Gyms in the League for help, only to be told that their workload had recently surged as well. They could not spare any staff or Pokémon to assist him, so he had no choice but to give up.
And so, finding Water-type Pokémon with suitable strength to temporarily replace the exhausted Pokémon in his Gym became his most urgent priority.
Evan had considered letting the Pokémon from his own team step in and fill the gaps for the Gym.
But after thinking it over, he still felt it was not suitable. It was not very realistic.
After all, with his current strength as a Trainer, even the weakest Pokémon on his personal team was far beyond what those rookie League Trainers, still in the middle of collecting Gym Badges, could handle.
Even if his Pokémon did not actively attack and only defended or dodged, they might still exhaust the challengers to the point of losing the ability to battle.
That was why Evan had been browsing news sites.
Partly, he wanted to take a small break.
Partly, he was also hoping to find some way online to solve his current problem.
And now, he had found something.
Looking at the agile, water-blue figure on the screen, Evan's face showed a satisfied expression.
With a reach of his right hand, he took out his phone, opened his contacts, and began searching.
"Azure Crystal Marine Park, huh."
"Hello, Genos. It's me."
"I heard you park recently."
...
Shake.
Tremble.
Kael stayed inside the Poké Ball in utter boredom, with absolutely nothing to do.
It was not that he wanted to waste time.
The environment inside this temporary Poké Ball was just terrible.
Back in the Pokémon world where he had once lived as an Ampharos, Kael had been inside Poké Balls before.
But forget the advanced Electric-type Poké Ball specially made by the Dark Star organization. Even the interior of the most ordinary red-and-white Poké Ball was far better than this crude temporary containment ball.
First of all, the space left for Pokémon inside was extremely small. Even for a little Sobble like Kael, there was barely enough room to turn around.
Second, it let in no light, and the soundproofing was incredibly strong.
In other words, while Kael was trapped inside the Poké Ball, he had no way of knowing what was happening outside at all.
He could only guess at the situation beyond the ball through the occasional faint shaking caused when the Poké Ball was moved.
"Ugh."
Kael curled up inside the Poké Ball space, silently thinking about his situation and what he might face next.
Based on the experience of his human soul, considering the nature of his attack and the fact that he had intentionally harmed a human, harsh punishment was absolutely unavoidable.
If he considered the worst-case scenario, even paying with his life would not be excessive.
Even though in this world, Pokémon held a much higher status than animals had in their original reality, that did not mean humans would be merciful to a Pokémon when their own lives were threatened.
If he really had to face death when the time came, should he rely on his weak strength to put up a symbolic resistance?
Or should he simply surrender without a struggle, wait for his life to end, and return to the reincarnation space?
Even after thinking this far, Kael still did not regret the decision he had made earlier.
Because he knew that the choice he made had followed his heart.
It did not violate the principles and beliefs he held within himself.
If he had to do it again, he would still make the same choice.
Click.
Suddenly, a violent shaking rose inside the dark Poké Ball space.
Blinding white light appeared overhead, and a powerful suction force pulled Kael's body straight outward.
Kael did not resist.
He knew that the moment of deciding the fate of this life had arrived.
Pop.
Red light burst open.
Kael was released from the Poké Ball and landed lightly on the ground.
Beneath his feet came a cool, soft sensation.
With a trace of surprise, he swept his gaze around his surroundings.
Everything in sight was green.
Fresh, tender grass covered the moist soil, full of rich vitality.
At the center of the field was a large, clear artificial pool. Although it looked slightly out of place, for a Water-type Pokémon like Kael, it felt especially comforting.
Overhead, bright white lights scattered harsh radiance downward, illuminating the entire open room.
Kael was very familiar with this kind of environment.
With a single glance, he judged that where he was right now was definitely a battle arena built for Trainers to hold Pokémon battles.
That was not important.
The most important thing right now was how he should face the enormous figure standing before him, radiating a terrifying aura.
Its deep-blue skin was like tough rubber, showing a faint sheen under the lights. Just looking at it was enough to sense its powerful defensive ability.
Black fins rose high from its back and head, surrounded by a cold, oppressive air.
Its orange eyes held no trace of emotion, like a ruthless battle machine.
Beneath its skin were thick, knotted muscles packed together in heavy layers, giving off an indescribably exaggerated sense of strength. It looked as though it could casually crush stone and twist steel with a single movement.
Combined with its massive body, nearly two meters tall, the pressure coming from it was suffocating.
Swampert.
One of the starter Pokémon from the Hoenn region in its previous life, famous for its tremendous strength.
According to legend, its power was so great that it could easily drag large ships across the sea.
With a casual swing of its arm, it could shatter solid rock.
"I can't beat it."
"There's absolutely no way I can beat it."
With just a single glance, Kael knew that no matter what he did, he could not defeat the Swampert in front of him.
That high-pressure aura, terrifying enough to make his fur stand on end and his body tremble on instinct, was not something the Skarmory in Moltenwood Forest or the Pokémon in the park security team could compare to.
Borrowing from the experience of several reincarnations, Kael could clearly judge that this opponent's strength was definitely not at the level of a Swampert that had only recently evolved from Marshtomp.
According to the system's classification, this Swampert's level was probably above 60 at the very least.
As for exactly what level of strength it had reached, his current Sobble body was still unable to determine that clearly.
But Kael was certain of one thing.
If he fought this Swampert, then with just one strike, he would be smashed into a mass of mangled flesh like the little shrimp drifting through the water.
And on top of that, hanging from the Swampert's thick neck by a steel chain was an orange-gray cat's-eye-like gem.
Kael naturally knew exactly what that gem was.
He had already come into contact with one back in the world where he had been an Ampharos.
A Mega Stone.
When carried by a specific Pokémon, it could use the power of bonds to awaken the ancient bloodline sleeping within that Pokémon's body, allowing it to undergo a short-lived ancestral evolution and obtain terrifying strength far beyond its normal state.
Only now did Kael finally notice the human figure standing behind Swampert, previously hidden by its massive body.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!