Pokemon: Hundredfold Power Surge

019 Flash Fomantis With High Potential

Ripple hesitated for a moment this young man was incredibly composed, even in a situation like this.

"Yes, you're entitled to select one Pokémon from those the hunters captured, taking it as your own."

"However, there's a condition. You only get one chance to choose, and if the Pokémon refuses to accompany you, the opportunity is lost."

Qin Yun nodded, already aware of this rule from past enforcer cases.

"Kirlia, restore some energy first."

With the Pokémon Enforcers present, the immediate threat was gone. Still, Qin Yun remained cautious. Trust was fragile, and even enforcers had individuals who might exploit situations for personal gain.

Ripple noticed Qin Yun's wariness. She understood why corruption existed even within the Enforcers. His vigilance earned her respect.

A powerful, intelligent, and composed young trainer? No sensible person would dislike that.

"Chiru."

Kirlia was still recovering. The earlier battles against Grass-type Pokémon had drained its stamina, and the prolonged duel with Houndoom had taken its toll.

"This young trainer, are you a freshman at Jiangda University?" Ripple asked curiously. Jiangda was the closest university to this area, and she, being from Jiangcheng, naturally assumed that.

"No."

"Petalburg University, then?"

"Neither."

"Then which university are you from?" Ripple was intrigued now.

"I'm a student at Jiangcheng High School."

Qin Yun's calm response caught Ripple off guard.

"…Jiangcheng High… Wait, you're a high school student?"

Ripple had assumed Qin Yun was a university freshman most students had their Pokémon for at least a year before reaching this level. But high school students had received theirs only two weeks ago.

Yet here was Qin Yun, unfazed by a deadly battle, taking down Pokémon hunters without hesitation.

Since he didn't specify, Ripple assumed he was from Jiangcheng No. 1 High School's Rocket Class. That elite group received their Pokémon one week earlier than standard students. Regular students had only received their first Pokémon last Friday.

"Unbelievable…"

Qin Yun checked on Kirlia it had recovered somewhat, but full restoration would take longer. Not wanting to delay, he climbed into the truck.

It was late, and he wanted to finish quickly.

"What's your name?"

"Qin Yun."

Qin Yun didn't even glance back as he replied. His identity needed to be recorded for the Enforcers to process his reward.

Inside the truck, metal cages filled the cramped space, containing various Pokémon. Qin Yun's gaze locked onto a particular one.

A Fomantis with an unusual hue.

Immediately, its details appeared in front of him:

[Pokémon: Flash Fomantis]

[Type: Grass]

[Ability: Contrary (Any stat changes this Pokémon receives are reversed. Buffs become debuffs and vice versa.)]

[Strength: Beginner Intermediate]

[Potential: High-Top]

[Moves: X-Scissor, Synthesis, Growth, Leafage]

[Description: By day, it bathes in sunlight while resting. By night, it moves around, seeking a safer resting place.]

A Shiny Fomantis. Unlike the usual pink, this one had a deep violet hue, making it appear regal.

Right now, it looked weak, curled up in the corner of the cage.

"High-top potential…"

Qin Yun was thrilled.

With his hundredfold enhancement system, this potential could easily be boosted to the best tier.

That meant two Pokémon under his command had the potential to reach the highest evolutionary strength. Even most Gym Leaders didn't possess two Pokémon of such caliber.

Ripple entered the truck and immediately noticed the Shiny Fomantis. Her eyes widened in astonishment.

"A Shiny Fomantis! That's already rare… And its potential must be at least mid-tier…"

"Maybe even high-tier."

A mid-tier potential Pokémon already had a base market value of 5 million Pokédollars. A Shiny mid-tier? At least 10 million.

If it had high-tier potential, it could easily be worth over 200 million Pokédollars.

"That's insane. This kid is ridiculously lucky…" Ripple couldn't help but feel envious.

Even a mid-tier Shiny Fomantis was a priceless find. And Qin Yun was getting it for free.

Qin Yun was already planning how to utilize its Contrary ability.

If he taught it Leaf Storm, a move that normally lowers Special Attack by two stages, the ability would reverse that debuff into a two-stage increase.

That meant every time it used Leaf Storm a 130-power move it would double its Special Attack instead of reducing it.

In standard Pokémon mechanics, stat changes start at neutral (0) and can increase or decrease up to six levels.

A +1 stage is a 50% boost.

+2 stages is a 100% boost.

+6 stages is the cap a 300% increase in power.

Conversely, debuffs would cut the stat in fractions. For example:

-1 stage reduces effectiveness to ⅔.

-2 stages reduces it to ½.

-6 stages is the lowest, cutting it to ¼ of the base stat.

So, with Contrary, every use of Leaf Storm would sharply raise Fomantis's Special Attack, allowing it to become a mobile artillery cannon.

People typically underestimated Fomantis as a Physical Attacker due to its base stats. But in the real world, stats weren't absolute training and strategy made all the difference.

Qin Yun had already decided. He would train Fomantis as a Special Attacker to maximize Contrary's potential.

He turned toward the trembling Fomantis.

"Are you hungry?"

Qin Yun slowly opened the cage, careful not to startle it. He had no intention of disturbing the other Pokémon the Enforcers would handle them.

"Here. Try this."

He held out an Energy Cube, its rich aroma filling the truck.

Fomantis's eyes flickered with interest. It hesitated, reaching out instinctively, but then froze.

Memories of mistreatment flashed in its mind it had learned not to trust humans.

Qin Yun didn't rush it. He understood.

"This is good stuff," he encouraged gently. "Look, even Kirlia enjoys it."

Kirlia, sensing the situation, cooperated perfectly. It took an Energy Cube and demonstratively nibbled on it, showing delight.

Then, it turned to Fomantis and gestured, as if saying, See? It's safe!

Qin Yun watched them, bemused.

Kirlia seemed to be chatting with Fomantis in its own way. He couldn't understand Pokémon language, but something about the interaction struck him as… strange.

For some reason, both Kirlia and Fomantis had a faint blush on their faces.

Was it just the lighting? Or was Kirlia… flirting?

Qin Yun shook his head.

What was he thinking?

Instead, he focused on Fomantis, offering an encouraging smile.

Slowly, cautiously, the little Pokémon inched closer to take the Energy Cube.