Chapter 23: Level Up! Potential Beyond S+!
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have completed the Newbie Mission! Distributing rewards!]
[Ding! You have received: 1x Random Prismatic Hex Core Draw!]
[Ding! Do you wish to draw now?]
A barrage of system notifications exploded in Kenji's mind.
Faced with the sudden prompt, Kenji didn't hesitate. He chose to decline. True to his cautious nature, he decided it was better to wait until he was home to investigate this new reward properly.
With the assessment over, there was no reason to linger at the gym. Kenji was itching to get home and figure out what a "Hex Core" was. The thought made his hands tingle with anticipation. He said a quick goodbye to Melody, turned, and walked out of the Edgecliff Gym.
He found a public rental bike and rode it home.
The moment he stepped through his door, he eagerly summoned the system interface again.
This time, he selected 'Yes'.
The instant he made his choice, another series of system prompts rang out.
[Ding! Drawing Prismatic Hex Core...]
[Drawing...]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have received the Prismatic Hex Core: Level Up!]
At the same time, a familiar icon appeared before Kenji's eyes, giving him a strange sense of nostalgia, as if he were looking at something from a past life. Below the icon was a description.
Prismatic Hex Core: Level Up!
Effect: Choose one Pokémon. Its potential will be raised to its absolute maximum, and its growth rate will be increased by 100%!
Reading the description, Kenji sucked in a sharp breath.
Raise any Pokémon's potential to its absolute maximum.
Didn't that mean... S-Rank potential?! And on top of that, its growth rate would be doubled. A Pokémon's ultimate level cap was directly tied to its potential. An S-Rank Pokémon was practically guaranteed to reach the Champion Class—level 90 and beyond.
The value of a Champion-Class Pokémon was something that couldn't be measured in money.
After the initial wave of excitement passed, Kenji slowly took Beedrill's Poké Ball from his belt.
"Come on out, Beedrill."
He tossed the ball. With a soft pop, Beedrill appeared in the middle of his room.
"Bzzzt?" It tilted its head, its crimson compound eyes looking at Kenji with confusion. It wasn't mealtime yet.
Kenji reached out and stroked one of Beedrill's sharp stingers. He looked up, meeting its gaze, his expression serious. "Beedrill, are you willing to join me on the path to becoming the strongest Pokémon Trainer in the world?"
"BZZZT!"
Beedrill nodded without a single moment of hesitation.
Kenji smiled faintly and focused his thoughts.
[Ding! Are you sure you want to use the Level Up! Hex Core on Beedrill (3-Star)?]
Yes! Kenji confirmed internally.
[Ding! Target confirmed!]
[Ding! Beedrill's potential is increasing!]
[Ding! Congratulations! Beedrill's potential has increased to C-!]
...
[Ding! Congratulations! Beedrill's potential has increased to A+!]
[Ding! Beedrill's potential has reached A-Rank. 4-Star fusion criteria met!]
[Ding! Congratulations! Beedrill's potential has increased to S-Rank!]
[Ding! Congratulations! Beedrill's potential has increased to S+!]
[Ding! Congratulations! Beedrill's potential has reached [ULTIMATE]!!!]
As the system notifications bombarded him, a brilliant white light erupted from Beedrill's body. The light grew more and more intense until it formed a solid white cocoon, completely enveloping it. The phenomenon was identical to the light of evolution.
Kenji finally snapped out of his daze from the flood of notifications, his attention immediately locking onto his Beedrill's final potential rank.
Ultimate? What the heck is that?
S+ was supposed to be the highest possible rank for a Pokémon's potential, the known limit of what was achievable. But the system had clearly pushed his Beedrill beyond that, to a level of potential that humanity had possibly never witnessed before.
The thought made Kenji's breathing heavy with anticipation. Unfortunately, with his Beedrill encased in light, even his data-scanning ability was temporarily blocked. All he could do was wait.
His eyes then caught another notification he had missed in the barrage. He had previously asked the system if a 4-Star fusion was possible, and it had told him the conditions weren't met. He had guessed it would require a special item or another Hex Core. He never imagined the condition was simply reaching A-Rank potential. This meant that in the future, he would need to find Pokémon whose potential could reach A-Rank after three fusions.
The seconds ticked by. After nearly half an hour, a soft crack echoed through the living room.
The cocoon of light shattered, dissolving into shimmering motes that faded into the air. At the center, Beedrill's wings began to beat again. It stretched its body, revealing its new form to Kenji.
Kenji took a few steps back, his eyes wide as he took in the changes.
The black stripes on its body had been replaced by a deep, scarlet red. Its pale-yellow sections now shone with the brilliant luster of polished gold. Its body was more streamlined and elegant, and its twin lances remained a stark, intimidating white. Even its ruby-red compound eyes had changed, now sparkling with a brighter, more regal light.
Looking at it now, there was no way anyone would mistake this for a common "regional bug."
As the light faded completely, Kenji's data-scan reactivated.
Beedrill (3-Star)
Gender: Male
Level: 13
Type: Poison / Bug
Base Stats: 515
Abilities: Swarm, Huge Power
Moves: …
Held Item: Last Whisper, Quick Claw
Potential: [ULTIMATE] (The very pinnacle of Pokémon potential!)
The very pinnacle of Pokémon potential!
That description was so... damn... cool! The simple words sent a thrill of pure excitement through him.
Aside from its potential, nothing else on its stat sheet had changed. But its new appearance was a problem. Anyone with eyes could see this was no ordinary Beedrill. Kenji suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. A treasure like this would only attract unwanted attention.
And how was he supposed to explain this sudden transformation to Melody and the others?
After thinking it over, he sighed. There was only one plausible explanation. He would have to blame it all on his "special ability."