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Results: Espeon (8 votes), Sylveon (5 votes) Umbreon (1 vote)

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While rereading the description of his Pokemon Master ability, Kay's eyes landed on the sentence: (This ability can evolve.)

His heart skipped a beat. Growing abilities were incredibly rare and among 100,000 trainers, only one might receive a growing ability.

"A growing ability… I’ve hit the jackpot,"

A week after Growlithe hatched, Kay decided it was time to start training Growlithe.

Growlithe was a strong fire-type Pokemon, and Kay wanted to bring out its full potential.

He decided to focus heavily on training Ember, as it was Growlithe’s primary offensive move.

However, Kay didn’t overlook Double Kick, Growlithe’s Egg Move. Double Kick was a rare and valuable move for a Growlithe, so he included it in their training plan, though Ember remained their main focus.

At the same time, Kay didn’t stop training Eevee. Their routine training remained the same: Training on Dig, Wish, and, Quick Attack.

For the next two weeks, Kay followed a strict schedule:

In the morning Attacking an F-rank dungeon, and in the afternoon after returning home training both Growlithe and Eevee in their designated moves.

Kay made sure to bring Growlithe with him into the dungeons, but he never asked Growlithe to fight. The little Pokemon was still too small and inexperienced for real battles.

Instead, Kay let Growlithe observe Eevee during fights, hoping it would learn from watching Eevee's movements, attacks, and reactions.

"You’re still too young to fight, little guy. But soon, you’ll be ready. Watch Eevee carefully, and you’ll grow strong in no time."

Through these two weeks, Kay began noticing growth in both of his Pokemons.

Eevee's movements became sharper and faster, and its Quick Attack was becoming harder to predict.

Growlithe's Ember started to burn brighter, and its Double Kick was showing better coordination and strength.

After two weeks of intense training, Kay noticed that Eevee was close to breaking through to the Superior Steel stage.

This was a crucial moment in any Pokemon's growth, and Kay knew he had to prepare carefully.

Power Stones are required to stabilize and fuel a Pokemon's growth during the process.

The breaking-through operation required a lot of energy, so trainers gave their Pokemon Power Stones to provide them with the needed energy.

Kay then remembered the rules surrounding the use of Power Stones. During a substage breakthrough, the Power Stone consumed must not exceed the Pokemon's current substage by more than one level; otherwise, it could cause serious harm.

Also, for a stage breakthrough, the Pokemon shouldn’t consume a Power Stone more than two substages higher than it.

Additionally, for evolution, the Power Stone could be up to three substages higher, but pushing beyond that limit would be extremely dangerous.

The quality of the Power Stone was equally important, as higher-quality Power Stones increased the chances of improving the Pokemon's potential during the breakthrough process.

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Determined to give Eevee the best possible chance, Kay decided to visit the Trade Market to buy suitable Normal-type Power Stones.

The Trade Market was a bustling hub filled with trainers, merchants, and collectors.

The air buzzed with chatter, bargaining, and the occasional cry of Pokemons.

Stalls showed many Power Stones, rare items, and specialized equipment for trainers.

As Kay navigated through the crowded aisles, he kept looking at the different items displayed by merchants.

Eventually, he stopped at a stall run by an older merchant. "Looking for something special, kid?" the merchant asked as Kay approached.

Without hesitation, Kay explained his needs. "I need a Superior Steel stage Power Stone for a Normal-type Pokemon."

The merchant nodded knowingly and reached under the counter, pulling out seven white glowing Power Stones.

“These are the Superior Steel stage Power Stones I currently have, take your pick, young trainer. But remember, their prices depended on the potential of the Pokemon when it was alive.”

Kay's eyes scanned the stones carefully. The merchant began listing them one by one: White Potential Persian stone, Yellow Potential Raticate stone, Yellow Potential Pidgeot stone, Yellow Potential Tauros stone, Orange Potential Raticate stone, Orange Potential Fearow stone, and Red Potential Persian stone.

Kay took a deep breath and told the merchant to eliminate the stones with Yellow and White Potential without hesitation.

Every trainer knew that using stones with lower potential during a breakthrough was a waste.

If Eevee was to grow stronger and possibly improve its potential, it needed a stone at least equal to its own potential.

That left Kay with only three real choices: the Orange Potential Raticate stone, the Orange Potential Fearow stone, and the Red Potential Persian stone.

He turned to the merchant and asked about the prices. The merchant smirked slightly as if he had been waiting for that exact question.

“The Orange Potential Raticate stone is 1000 Pokedollars, the Orange Potential Fearow stone is 1200 Pokedollars, and the Red Potential Persian stone... well, that’ll cost you 2000 Pokedollars.”

Kay was shocked when he heard the prices. The gap between buying and selling prices was shocking.

He couldn’t help but think about how much time and effort he had spent earning his current savings.

Two thousand Pokedollars, an amount equal to ten days of relentless dungeon exploration would vanish in a single purchase.

Kay’s eyes moved back and forth between the three remaining Power Stones: the Orange Potential Raticate stone, the Orange Potential Fearow stone, and the Red Potential Persian stone.

He quickly ruled out the Fearow stone. While the Fearow stone had good potential, it had Flying and Normal-type energy.

Eevee needed pure Normal-type energy for the breakthrough to be as effective as possible.

That left only two stones: the Orange Potential Raticate stone and the Red Potential Persian stone.

The merchant, noticing Kay’s hesitation, leaned forward slightly and spoke calmly yet persuasively. “Take your time, kid. Decisions like this aren't easy. But remember, quality stones like these don’t stay on shelves for long.”

“Power Stones of this level are always in high demand. Trainers from every corner of the city are searching for them. And a Red Potential Power Stone? That’s even rarer. You might not see another one for weeks.”

Kay knew the merchant wasn’t just trying to pressure him. There was truth in his words. Red Potential Power Stones were rare among trainers.

Without allowing himself to overthink or second-guess, Kay said, “I’ll take the Red Potential Persian stone.”

The merchant’s lips curved into a satisfied smile as he carefully picked up the glowing white stone and placed it in a protective case.

Kay handed over the money, took the case, and left the shop returning home.

While Kay was walking back home with the Red Potential Persian Power Stone carefully tucked in his bag, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

He pulled it out and saw an unfamiliar number on the screen. Hesitating for a moment, he answered, “Hello?”

“Mr. Kay, this is the Pokemon League Investigation Department. We’ve completed the investigation regarding the Arcanine Dungeon incident. You are requested to come to the league facility tomorrow morning. The report is ready, and we need you to verify the findings.”

The moment Kay heard the words “Arcanine Dungeon,” his chest tightened. The screams, the smoke, the overpowering heat, and the silence that followed came rushing back.

The memory of his fallen teammates and the sheer terror of being the sole survivor flashed in his mind.

But instead of fear, determination flooded his chest. He needed answers. He couldn’t let their deaths go unanswered. “I’ll be there first thing in the morning,” Kay replied before ending the call.

The next morning, Kay arrived at the league facility as the sun was still rising. The towering building stood imposingly in front of him, reflecting the golden light of dawn.

Near the entrance, two men in dark suits stood waiting. The moment they noticed Kay, one of them stepped forward.

“Mr. Kay, follow us please,” he said in a neutral tone, gesturing toward the building’s grand staircase.

Kay silently followed the two men up to the second floor, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.

They stopped in front of an office door, and one of the men knocked firmly. From inside came a deep voice, “Who’s there?”

“It’s us, sir. Mr. Kay has arrived,” one of the men answered.

“Let him in,” the voice replied.

The door opened, and Kay stepped inside...

See you in the next chapter ...

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