Although he had made himself a new enemy, Lucas wasn’t particularly worried.
Whatever came, he would deal with it.
In this era, ferocious beasts roamed outside every human base, and Pokémon Trainers stood above all others.
As long as his Pokémon continued growing stronger, he could climb higher and higher.
The small base where he lived was merely a village-level settlement.
Above it were town-level bases…
District-level bases…
And even city-level bases.
Even the highest-ranking officials in this small city were only Three-Star Trainers.
Lucas estimated that he might not necessarily lose even against someone like that.
After spending so much time with Palkia, he had gained a rough understanding of what Legendary-tier Aptitude truly represented.
Against a Pokémon with Ordinary Aptitude, Palkia could probably fight enemies two stars above its own level.
In other words…
Even while it was only Level 6 at One-Star rank, Palkia should theoretically be capable of defeating a Level 6 Three-Star Pokémon with Ordinary Aptitude.
Of course, that was only in theory.
Actual battles still depended on elemental matchups, move effectiveness, Abilities, and countless unpredictable variables.
Nevertheless…
It also meant Lucas had nothing to fear from a spoiled rich kid like Michael.
Even if Michael brought his high-ranking father with him.
Putting the matter behind him, Lucas glanced at the more than 40,000 credits in his account.
The corners of his lips naturally curled upward.
Now that he had money…
It was time to improve his quality of life.
His first stop was to purchase Pokémon food.
After all, he now had three hungry Pokémon to feed.
Different Pokémon required different diets depending on their Types and preferences.
Palkia preferred moist, meat-based food.
Gastly, with its Ghost and Poison typing, could eat normal foods like Berries and meat, but it also benefited from absorbing poisonous gases and toxic miasma.
Doing so not only improved its health but also increased the power of its moves.
As for the newly recruited Rhyhorn…
Being a Ground- and Rock-type, its meals could be mixed with mineral supplements.
Most Rock-type Pokémon enjoyed eating minerals.
Not only did they provide balanced nutrition, but they also strengthened the rocky armor covering their bodies.
Now that money was no longer a problem, Lucas purchased only the highest-quality food available.
The bill came to nearly ten thousand credits.
After that, he browsed the Pokémon supplies section.
Here were all sorts of luxury items that ordinary people rarely bought.
Attack Boosters.
Single-use Water Gems.
Dragon Gems.
Ground Gems.
And many others.
After considering his options, Lucas purchased ten bottles of Potion, one Dragon Gem, two bottles of Repel Spray, and a Clefairy Doll.
Unlike the Potions from the games, the Potions sold here couldn’t instantly restore health or stamina.
Their purpose was simply to stop bleeding and relieve pain.
Even so, they remained essential supplies for Trainers venturing into the wilderness.
As for the Dragon Gem…
Using it would temporarily strengthen one Dragon-type move.
Lucas bought it as an emergency measure.
Since Palkia and Gastly often ventured out to battle on their own, if they ever encountered an opponent they couldn’t defeat, the Dragon Gem could hopefully turn the tide.
The Repel Spray was used to drive away ferocious beasts and wild Pokémon.
Of course, it couldn’t guarantee complete safety.
The wilderness was far too unpredictable.
As for the Clefairy Doll…
It was an item capable of drawing the attention of wild Pokémon and ferocious beasts.
In most situations, throwing it out allowed a Trainer to escape from battle.
Naturally, that still depended on how many enemies there were.
These purchases cost Lucas nearly another ten thousand credits.
Finally, he visited a shopping mall.
He bought two fashionable outfits for his mother.
Then he purchased several bottles of expensive liquor that his father would never normally bring himself to buy.
Another thousand or so credits disappeared.
Satisfied with his shopping spree, he returned home.
…
Nothing particularly noteworthy happened over the following period.
Sometimes Lucas accompanied his Pokémon while hunting around the outskirts of the base.
Other times, the three Pokémon hunted on their own.
All three experienced tremendous growth.
Palkia finally advanced to Two-Star rank.
Current Level: 12 (2-Star Pokémon) Aptitude: Legendary Types: Water, Dragon Abilities: Pressure, Telepathy Moves: Dragon Breath, Scary Face, Water Gun, Dragon Claw…
Those were all its original moves.
At the same time, it had learned several new ones.
Its Water Gun had evolved into the more advanced move Water Pulse.
It had also learned the Rock-type move Ancient Power.
Although Ancient Power wasn’t especially powerful, it was normally a move learned only by ancient fossil Pokémon or Pokémon with exceptionally ancient bloodlines.
Besides dealing damage, it also had a chance to increase all of the user’s battle stats.
It was an extremely versatile move.
When Palkia advanced to Two-Star rank, Lucas ‘s own physique underwent another dramatic improvement.
Lucas Physique: 18 Lifespan: 175 years Exclusive Skill: Eye of Insight Bond Pokémon: Palkia Pokémon Bag: Gastly, Rhyhorn Lucas discovered that every time a Bond Pokémon with Legendary Aptitude increased by one Star Rank, its Trainer gained 5 Physique and 50 years of lifespan.
Fifty years.
That was no trivial amount.
Without exaggeration…
Lucas ‘s lifespan was now more than twice that of an ordinary person.
Meanwhile, both Gastly and Rhyhorn had also become considerably stronger.
Gastly Level: 20 (2-Star Pokémon) Aptitude: Rare Types: Ghost, Poison Ability: Levitate Moves: Hypnosis, Lick, Spite, Mean Look, Night Shade, Curse, Confuse Ray Curse and Confuse Ray had both been learned naturally during battle.
Ghost-type moves could only be described with one word— Bizarre.
If Fire-, Water-, and Electric-type moves displayed their power openly, Ghost-type moves were the complete opposite.
They injured opponents without leaving any obvious trace.
Take Curse, for example.
After consuming a large amount of Gastly’s stamina, it placed the target under a curse.
A cursed Pokémon continuously lost its life force, and the effect ignored moves such as Protect, Detect, Substitute, and Magic Coat.
It was an incredibly overpowered move.
As for Confuse Ray…
It was equally terrifying.
Any Pokémon struck by its eerie light immediately fell into a state of confusion, unable to distinguish friend from foe.
It perfectly embodied the saying— “When I go crazy, I’ll even beat myself up.” Rhyhorn’s growth, on the other hand, followed a much steadier path.
It wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful like Palkia.
Nor was it as mysterious and unpredictable as Gastly.
Instead…
Like the earth itself…
It was dependable, steadfast, and reliable.