"Good choice, kid."
Maverick smiled at Eric's question.
"Let's see. There are certainly many ways to go about it. Before that, you understand how to train a Pokemon's internal energy, ya?"
"A little."
"A little, huh. Well then let's start from the basics. Each Pokemon has an energy core. Those with multiple types have a multi-core, which contains both types of energy. The ratio depends on how you raise it. All energy a Pokemon has is stored inside this core. Training a Pokémon's energy is basically about developing this core.
Of course, a Pokemon can store and use energies that are not of its type as well. They just won't be nearly as strong."
Eric listened attentively. He had a vague understanding of this when he was training Gastly to improve the capacity and density of his energy. He knew something was being strengthened. Now he learned that it was the core.
"These cores have grades," Maverick continued. "The higher the grade, the better the quality of energy the core can hold. Even if you keep improving your Pokémon's energy quality, if the core can't handle it… it breaks. Improving a Pokémon's potential is closely tied to evolving the core."
"Evolving?"
"Correct. For example, a Pokemon with S grade potential has an S grade Core. Not only can it contain energy of a higher grade than a Grade A core, the Pokémon also achieves more results through training, improving much faster."
Eric could also confirm that. His Spearow and Poliwag lagged behind Gastly in training speed.
"So a Pokémon with lower potential has a hard limit on how much it can improve its energy?"
"Not exactly. This is where improving potential comes in."
Maverick's tone got a lot more serious.
"You see, a Pokémon's core is adaptive. When a Pokémon reaches the quality limit of its energy and can't improve further, continued training pushes the core to adapt. But that process is extremely slow. With regular training alone, it could take decades to see any improvement in potential."
"Decades?!"
"Fortunately, there are ways to speed it up. And keep in mind, the core isn't everything. A Pokémon's physical condition matters too. Different species have different needs. For some Pokémon, their physical body is their core."
Maverick paused, letting Eric absorb that.
"Things like advanced Pokéblocks help improve potential. It's slow, but it adds up. Then there are secret methods. Most influential families have their own private techniques. They'd never share them publicly, of course. The Drako family from Johto, for example, is famous for improving the potential of Dragon‑type Pokémon."
He paused again, then continued,
"I can't tell you their secrets, but there is one common factor across all methods: letting a Pokémon absorb rare materials that contain high‑grade energy. That includes the cores of stronger Pokémon. Still, improving potential is very hard. And it gets harder every time you succeed. That's why it's always better to start with a Pokémon that has high innate potential."
He then took a breath before continuing,
He took a breath.
"The best time to improve a Pokémon's potential, with the highest chance of success, is during evolution. When a Pokémon evolves, it undergoes a fundamental change at its very core. If you feed it high‑quality resources at that exact moment, it has a real chance of upgrading its core grade. Sometimes even jumping to the next tier."
He then held up a finger.
"Keep in mind though, that improving within a tier is much easier than jumping to the next. For example, going from A to A+ is about ten times easier than going from A+ to S‑. And the power jump from a tier upgrade is massive. So using the period of evolution for upgrading to the next level is very crucial. If you miss this chance, it becomes extremely hard to jump a tier."
Eric knit his brows when he heard that. His Gastly was just one level away from evolving. Even Spearow was about to reach level 20 and evolve. Even if Eric doesn't plan on including her in his main team, he still wants to maximize her potential.
"Are energy cores all there is to a Pokémon's potential?"
" Well their stats are also much higher than those with lower potential. Not to mention, it is much easier to cross the bottlenecks to higher levels, which will be a lot more important later on."
Maverick then got a bit serious.
" A Pokemon's strength is a combination of their level, their energy density, and their base stats. And a Pokémon's potential not only affects their energy, but also makes it easier to cross major bottlenecks. You will most likely not find a Pokemon with bad potential at higher levels. It's not impossible, but it's unlikely. But do keep this in mind..."
He spoke his next words slowly,
"No matter the quality of their energy or if they have terrible potential, If a Pokemon manages to reach the King level, do not ever underestimate them. While it is possible to jump levels and fight if you have pokemon with higher potential, you cannot do that once you get to the King level, or even the Pseudo King level. These Pokemon are a natural calamity, and thus this tier has been given such an imposing title."
"Is the gap that big?"
"It is. A Pokemon that just reached the Pseudo King level can easily annihilate an army of Peak Advanced level Pokemon, regardless of their potential. Though, it's very difficult to reach that level so it's not like you'll find Pokemon with low potential that have reached the King level. Bare minimum, they have C grade potential at least."
This was a lot of information to digest.
"Well then, I believe I've told you a lot more than you asked for. Anything else, you'll have to rely on yourself to figure out."
Eric nodded. Then he hesitated, before releasing Spearow and Gastly.
" These 2 are very close to evolving. Especially Spearow. Is it possible for you to tell me where I can find resources for them to improve their potential? I don't want to waste their talents."
"Oh? This Gastly has great potential. He must be quite close to the S grade."
" You can tell just by looking?"
" Hahaha. It's just experience. I generally don't even need to rely on a Pokedex for something like this. Still, improving from A to S grade is not easy. Your best bet is to find Ghost type resources in Lavender town. Poison type would work too, but this Gastly has a much better Ghost core. Ideally you'll improve both, but in such a time crunch, it's not bad to prioritise its Ghost Type."
He then looked at Spearow.
" As for Spearow…its potential is not great, so you'll have an easier time upgrading it to the B grade. A B grade Core should be enough to reach B- grade. Of course, you can try and find higher Level resources for even better improvement. But this little one is already very close to evolving. I doubt you'll have the time."
He then smiled mischievously and said,
" I happen to have a Core a B+ grade Core of an intermediate level Pokemon with me. But I don't believe in free handouts. So let's do it like this…"
Maverick then threw a Pokeball.
Pokémon: Deino
Gender: Male
Level: 14
Type: Dark/Dragon
Ability: Hustle
Held item: Dragon Scale
Potential: Purple
"If your Spearow beats this little guy, then I'll give you this core for free. How about that?"
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Author's Notes:
Phew. This was a very exposition-heavy chapter. But I hope you have a better understanding of how potential works.
If you want early access to the upcoming chapters or just want to support me, you can do that at:
www.patreon.com/GhostQuill407