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The three starter Pokémon of every region are carefully selected by their respective Pokémon Leagues. Each one possesses extraordinary potential.
Before they are given to new trainers, they are raised and inspected with great care. Their bodies are guaranteed to have no defects whatsoever.
Most of the channels through which starters are obtained are tightly controlled by the League. Wild ones are extremely rare.
But those rare wild starters that survive on their own usually become dominant figures in their territory. For example:
Ash's Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Turtwig.
Even if they are not local tyrants, they can still live comfortably. For example:
Ash's other starters besides Charmander.
But the Piplup currently in Liam's arms could be called an exception among exceptions.
At this moment, Liam felt a trace of anger. It wasn't because Piplup's potential was poor—it was because of the system's suggestion: "abandon it."
This was the first time Liam had ever felt a hint of dislike toward the system.
As expected… the system was merely a cold, emotionless thing.
"Cough—cough! Piplup!"
"Huh? Easy, easy… drink slowly, don't rush."
Perhaps because it was drinking too quickly, Piplup suddenly choked. Liam hurriedly picked it up carefully and patted its back.
"Piplup…"
After the coughing subsided, Piplup sat on Liam's lap and looked up at him. Its eyes were filled with distance and confusion, as if it were surprised by Liam's attitude toward it.
"Hehe. Little guy, from today onward, you're my partner. I'm going to train you well and turn you into someone strong. Are you willing to accept my training?"
Liam lowered his head and said with a smile.
"Piplup… Piplup!!"
After hearing Liam's words, Piplup froze for a moment. Then determination filled its big eyes. It raised its small flippers and cried out loudly.
Seeing this, Liam smiled with satisfaction. He gently rubbed Piplup's head.
"That's more like it. Let's work hard together, Piplup. You can definitely become strong! Believe in yourself! Believe in me!"
"Piplup! Piplup!"
Piplup's body was still very weak, so Liam postponed his original travel plans. The most important thing right now was to restore Piplup's health.
Liam carried quite a few medicines with him. After using some of them, Piplup regained some spirit. It was no longer as dispirited as before. Even its attributes improved slightly—though it was still far below a passing standard.
Liam tapped the air, bringing up the system's exchange interface, searching for items that could restore Piplup's potential.
But after looking for a long time, he couldn't find anything with particularly effective results.
After thinking it over, Liam suddenly remembered something. He closed his eyes and called out to Lulu within him.
"Lulu? Lulu?"
"Hm? What is it?"
Soon his call was answered. A flash of icy-blue light appeared, and Lulu's adorable figure floated in front of him with her hands on her hips.
"Lulu, can I exchange for Viridian Power in the system?"
Liam asked hopefully.
"You can… but why do you want it?"
Lulu looked at him with confusion.
"Well, Giovanni possesses Viridian Power. His Beedrill and Persian both had their potential increased through its nourishment. So I was thinking… maybe I could exchange for Viridian Power and use it to nourish Piplup's potential as well."
Since ordinary methods couldn't solve Piplup's potential problem, Liam began searching for alternative solutions.
"Uh…"
After hearing this, Lulu's expression turned strange. Her eyebrow twitched slightly before she replied speechlessly.
"Are you kidding me? If you just want to increase a Pokémon's potential, why not use your own power? The power inside your body is far more advanced than Viridian Power!"
Liam: "…Huh?"
Ever since he had fused with that drop of blood, Liam had indeed gained a mysterious power within his body.
This power created an extremely strong bond between him and his Pokémon, allowing him to feel their hearts more clearly.
At the same time, it constantly strengthened his body, giving him physical abilities far beyond ordinary humans. Although the strengthening had reached a bottleneck and stopped progressing some time ago, the power inside him still circulated on its own.
But he had never tried to actively control it—until now.
Liam opened a PokeBall and held Piplup gently in his hands. Slowly closing his eyes, he focused on sensing the power flowing within his body.
It was an extremely strange sensation.
Gradually, Liam felt as if rivers were flowing inside his body—and those rivers were the currents of that mysterious power.
Focusing his mind, he slowly guided the power toward his hands.
Threads of invisible energy began to flow out and wrap around Piplup's body.
At first Piplup looked at Liam in confusion, not understanding what he was doing.
But the moment that invisible power wrapped around its body—
Piplup and Liam's minds connected instantly!
Their spirits merged for a brief moment!
Liam felt his consciousness blur for an instant. And when he opened his eyes again—
He found himself standing in endless darkness.
"…."
Liam looked around speechlessly, then glanced at his body. It was glowing—brilliant white light illuminating the surrounding darkness.
"Is this… Piplup's inner world?"
This wasn't the first time Liam had entered a Pokémon's inner world. Though the entry had been sudden, he quickly calmed down and began walking, searching for the Piplup hiding within the darkness.
As he walked through the darkness, his own light illuminated the path ahead.
The darkness wasn't entirely empty. Occasionally, fragments of memories flickered—pieces of Piplup's past.
But all of those memories were painful ones.
From the moment it hatched, Piplup had been abandoned by its parents because of its weak constitution.
It struggled to survive alone.
Later, it was captured by a passing trainer.
But in the end, due to its poor potential and frail body, it was abandoned once again. After arriving in the Hoenn region, the trainer discarded it in the forest outside Littleroot Town.
Soon after, it was attacked by a group of wild Pokémon—nearly losing its life.
The memories that followed involved Liam himself.
The battle with Zorua. The words Liam spoke. His care and concern.
All of it seemed to bring a glimmer of light back into Piplup's once frozen heart.
In the darkness, Liam suddenly stopped.
The surrounding images faded away. Looking ahead, he saw a faint flicker of light.
Inside that weak glow was a tiny Piplup, curled up like a baby. Its blue body lay on its side, trembling occasionally.
Finally seeing Piplup, Liam smiled.
He stepped forward and gently picked it up in his arms.
"Piplup?"
Feeling the warmth of Liam's embrace, Piplup slowly opened its eyes. The first thing it saw was Liam's smiling face.
"I'm here, buddy. Let's go home together."
Those gentle words…
At that moment… bathed Piplup's wounded little heart in light.