Chapter 28: The 4-Star Magikarp!
Kenji was more than satisfied with this haul. He began the process of capturing the eight Magikarp that met his C+ or higher potential requirement.
Capturing a Magikarp was, needless to say, incredibly easy. If they weren't captured, their only future was as food for humans or other Pokémon. Being caught was, for them, a way to survive. The defiant one he had encountered earlier was a complete anomaly.
With little effort, he secured the eight high-potential Pokémon. Then, he simply scooped up nineteen more from the tanks to use as fusion fodder. With all twenty-seven Magikarp secured, he said a final goodbye to the fisherman, who was grinning from ear to ear. Making 20,000 Pokédollars for less than thirty worthless fish was a massive profit for him.
Back in his apartment, Kenji dumped the twenty-seven Poké Balls onto his sofa. He looked at the pile and rubbed his hands together, his anticipation palpable.
It was time to test his luck again.
He had already marked the Poké Balls containing the high-potential Magikarp. He grabbed one of the marked balls and two of the fodder balls and tossed them out. As the three fish flopped on his floor, the familiar system interface appeared.
[Ding! Please select one Magikarp as the main body. The 2-Star Magikarp will retain the main body's consciousness, abilities, and gender.]
After making his selection, the fusion began.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have synthesized a 2-Star Magikarp!]
[Ding! Magikarp has awakened a second Ability: Big Pecks!]
He recalled the new 2-Star Magikarp and immediately threw out the next set.
...
[Ding! Magikarp has awakened a second Ability: Strong Jaw!]
...
[Ding! Magikarp has awakened a second Ability: Drought!]
...
[Ding! Magikarp has awakened a second Ability: Rock Head!]
...
Fusing the eight high-potential Magikarp went quickly. Within minutes, only the last one remained—the stubborn B+ Magikarp.
Kenji took a deep breath as he released it, sending up a silent prayer for a powerful ability. He then tossed out the last two fodder Pokémon.
He selected the stubborn one as the main body, and the white light of fusion enveloped the three fish.
[Ding! Congratulations! Magikarp has been promoted to 2-Star!]
[Ding! Congratulations! Magikarp's level has increased from LV.8 to LV.10!]
[Magikarp's base stats have increased!]
[Magikarp's potential has increased to A+!]
[Ding! Magikarp has awakened a second Ability: Pressure!]
As the prompts sounded, the Magikarp on the floor stared blankly, its tail fin momentarily forgetting to flop. Its dead fish eyes were fixed on Kenji, its expression one of total shock.
What did this human do to me?! How did I suddenly get so much stronger?
To go from level 8 to 10 would have taken at least a year of training on its own.
Kenji, however, had no time to ponder the fish's inner monologue. He recalled it and released his other 2-Star Magikarp to review the results.
The new abilities were a bizarre collection. One of them, a Water-type, had awakened "Drought," an ability that would actively harm it in battle. Another had awakened "Iron Fist," which was completely useless for a Pokémon that had no fists.
In the end, only four of them had decent abilities: Strong Jaw, Rock Head, Guts, and Pressure.
From a purely game-based perspective, Kenji would have chosen the one with Guts. Its primary ability was "Rattled," which would become "Moxie" when it evolved into Gyarados. A Gyarados with both Guts and Moxie, holding a Flame Orb, would be an unstoppable sweeping machine.
But this was the real world, not a video game.
Kenji's gaze flickered between the Guts Magikarp and the stubborn Pressure Magikarp. After a long moment of hesitation, he finally made his choice.
[Ding! Congratulations! Magikarp has been promoted to 3-Star!]
Magikarp (3-Star)
Gender: Female
Level: 13
Type: Water
Base Stats: 320
Abilities: Swift Swim, Pressure
Moves: Tackle, Splash
Held Item: None
Potential: S
In the end, he chose the stubborn one.
First, it had the highest base potential. Second, the "Pressure" ability wasn't weak; in the real world, its effect was far more intimidating than just draining a few extra PP. And third, and most importantly, this was the Magikarp with the strongest desire to grow powerful.
Kenji then fused the remaining 2-Star Magikarp until he had two more 3-Stars. With all the components ready, it was time for the final step.
He released all three of his 3-Star Magikarp. The light of fusion enveloped them all, and the three orbs of light merged into one.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have synthesized a 4-Star Magikarp!]
[Magikarp's level has increased from LV.13 to LV.18!]
[Magikarp's base stats have increased!]
[Ding! Magikarp's potential has increased to S+!]
Kenji immediately checked his new Magikarp's status panel, feeling a slight pang of disappointment. Its base stats had increased by another 60 points, bringing its total to 380, but its potential had "only" reached S+, not the [ULTIMATE] rank his Beedrill had achieved.
Still, an S+ potential Magikarp with a 180-point boost to its base stats was terrifying.
He tried to imagine a Gyarados with a base stat total of 720 (540 + 180).
He couldn't. It was too insane. In the games, even the creator god Arceus only had a base stat total of 720.