Potential Reset Card

Xiao Ye took out her Pokédex and pointed it at her Bulbasaur.

"Ding: Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokémon, Grass-type/Poison-type. Available moves: Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip."

Xiao Ye shook her head. Well, it was a beginner's Pokémon. Its moves really were limited.

"Bulbasaur, use Growl!" Xiao Ye commanded with gusto.

But her command left even Gary stunned. Was this girl serious?

Charmander was controlling the pace of the battle. Using Growl now was practically handing him a free win...

"Charmander, Ember!" Gary waved a hand. There was no point dragging out this battle between rookies.

"Char!!" Charmander opened his mouth and spat out a burst of sparks.

Bulbasaur was still grumbling away when Ember blasted him right in the face...

Watching Bulbasaur collapse and stay down, Gary shook his head. Xiao Ye hadn't even mastered a Trainer's most basic cheats: "Dodge!" and "Get up!" This girl had a lot to learn on the road ahead...

"Whew~ You really are good, Gary." Xiao Ye recalled Bulbasaur and sighed.

"It's not that impressive. They're both beginner Pokémon, so there really isn't much of a gap. Still, I'd recommend watching more battle videos. You seem unfamiliar with a lot of things," Gary suggested.

"Okay, thanks for the advice. I'll get Professor Oak to heal Bulbasaur, then head out first. I'll make up for being slow by getting an early start!" After shaking Gary's hand, Xiao Ye turned to find Professor Oak.

Gary looked at Charmander. "How do you feel? Tired? Need a rest?"

"Char~" Charmander shook his head. Being such a battle fanatic, he was still riding the excitement of his first victory.

"Here, have something to eat. There's another battle waiting for you later." Gary smiled as he fed Charmander some of the lab's specially formulated Pokémon food.

Hearing that there was another fight coming, Charmander immediately sat down obediently and dug in to conserve his strength.

While Charmander rested, Gary let his little Eevee out as well.

"Come on out, Eevee~"

"Eevui~" The moment the little fellow emerged from his Poké Ball, he leaped affectionately into Gary's arms.

Back at the Eevee Research Institute, he had always been treated as experimental material, locked in an iron cage and subjected to blood tests at any moment.

So when Gary first brought him home, his entire worldview was shattered.

He had never known Pokémon food could taste so good. That he could run freely across the grass. That a Trainer could hold him close and let him sleep beneath a soft quilt...

In Eevee's eyes, Gary was a tenderhearted god, a reward from heaven after all the suffering he had endured~

That was why Eevee loved Gary more than anyone. He wanted to stay with Gary forever and ever!

"Haha, stop licking me! That tickles~" After playing with Eevee for a moment, Gary set him beside Charmander.

"Get to know each other. From now on, you're brothers. You'll eat together, train together, and battle together. Promise me you'll protect each other, okay?" Gary told them earnestly.

"Char?" Charmander raised his head and found himself looking into Eevee's big eyes, sparkling like black pearls.

After a moment's thought, Charmander pushed his Pokémon food over to Eevee.

To Pokémon, sharing food was the most direct expression of goodwill.

Eevee was very considerate, too. He lowered his head, took a bite, then looked up with a heartwarming smile.

Eevee: (=^▽^=)~ Eevui~

Charmander: (.'▽'.)♡~ Char.

"I'm happy you two get along so well, but you're both boys. Could you dial back all those pink bubbles?" Gary teased from beside them.

The two little fellows shook hands amicably. From now on, they were family.

Gary lightly tapped his temple. Appraisal~

A six-pointed star flashed in his eyes, and the two little fellows' information automatically appeared before him.

[Eevee (Partner),

Potential: ???

Ability: Adaptability (mutated)

Level: 20

Height: 0.3 m, weight: 6.3 kg.

Moves: Sand Attack, Sweet Kiss, Quick Attack, Reflect, Ember, Water Gun, Bullet Seed, Thunder Shock, Powder Snow, Dig, Shadow Ball, Confusion, Dragon Breath...]

Eevee's stats left Gary very satisfied. As expected of his Partner Eevee, his potential was just as immeasurable as Ash's Pikachu's.

And thanks to Gary's tireless efforts over the past few years, Eevee's repertoire of moves had grown increasingly absurd.

A Pokémon who copied a hundred moves-call him Eevukakashi!

Charmander's stats came next:

[Charmander,

Potential: Gym-level

Ability: Blaze

Level: 10

Height: 0.6 m, weight: 8.5 kg.

Moves: Ember, Growl, Scratch, Smokescreen.]

Gary frowned. No wonder Xiao Chen, who had chosen Charmander in his previous life, hadn't even made it into the Indigo League.

Charmander's potential meant he wouldn't level up fast enough, and his growth ceiling was too low.

Put simply, under equal conditions, the better a Pokémon's potential, the faster they grew.

And at the same level, a Pokémon with better potential would use purer energy in battle.

For example, suppose an Elite Four-level Charizard and a Champion-level Charizard at the same level blasted flames at each other.

The Elite Four-level one would definitely lose, because the purity of their energy differed.

"Right! Didn't the system give me an item?" Gary's eyes suddenly lit up, and he silently commanded, Use the Starter Pokémon Potential Reset Card on Charmander!

Ding: A Potential Reset Card is about to be used on Charmander. The first use of a Reset Card will raise the target Pokémon's potential to the maximum for its species. Proceed?

"Use it!" Gary nodded, his eyes burning with excitement.

The species' maximum potential-Gary was curious just how high the Charizard line's ceiling was!

Whoosh~ Charmander, still eating, noticed nothing. He simply felt that today's food tasted especially good and took a few more bites.

But Gary saw something completely different.

A beam of radiant light burst from the top of Charmander's head, forming a fountain of starlight in midair!

Then the light slowly faded, all of it absorbed into Charmander's body.

Gary used Appraisal on Charmander again.

[Charmander (Max)

Potential: God-level...]

Gulp~ Gary swallowed. Whoa, so the Charizard line really did max out at Legendary Pokémon potential~ What a jackpot!

"Hello, is anyone home?" a boy called from outside.

Gary recalled both Pokémon and got up to open the door.

"Morning, Gary. I'm not late, am I?!" A little boy carrying a backpack rushed inside anxiously.

"Hmm~ Not too late, I guess." Gary shrugged. "Come on in."

"Oh, Xiao Chen, you're here." Professor Oak happened to be coming downstairs as well. "You really cut it close. Any later and all the starter Pokémon would have been given out."

"Huh?! No!!" Xiao Chen wailed, clutching his head.

"Stop howling! There's one left. If you don't go get it, I'll save it for Ash!" Gary deliberately teased him with a grin.

"No, no, no! I got here first." Xiao Chen quickly covered his mouth and followed Professor Oak upstairs.

Glancing at the steadily rising sun, Gary couldn't help thinking, My foolish rival, you really can sleep...