Pokémon: Growlithe
Gender: Male
Level: 1
Type: Fire
Ability: Intimidate
Held item: None
Potential: Blue (Unstable)
Pokémon: Munchlax
Gender: Female
Level: 1
Type: Normal
Ability: Thick Fat
Held item: None
Potential: Blue
Pokémon: Trapinch
Gender: Male
Level: 1
Type: Ground
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Held item: None
Potential: Blue
All 3 pokemon on the 2nd shelf had Blue Potential. And Eric liked all 3 of their final evolutions.
Snorlax, Arcanine or Flygon. You couldn't go wrong with any choice.
But what caught Eric's eye the most was that Growlithe had Unstable written next to his potential.
What did that mean?
Eric focussed on the word to see if the system gives him any more information.
Unstable: This Pokémon is in an anomalous state. Outside factors have influenced the Pokemon inside the egg, causing it to go through a mutation in its potential. Once in this state, the Pokémon's potential can either increase or depreciate after it is born. It depends on how well the Pokemon is taken care of in its early stage.
'So it's a gamble then. If I manage to raise it successfully, I'll have a pokemon of Deep Blue potential; same as Gastly.
Eric had always liked Arcanine. If given the choice, although he liked Snorlax and Flygon a lot, he would still choose Arcanine.
'Well, Iris gets to choose first. And depending on the result of the draw, Ethan might go before me as well. So let's so how that goes.'
---
"Belle Williams, come forward and take your prize!"
Blaire called out with a smirk.
Belle, who is usually overly energetic, was showing an unusual behaviour.
"What should we do, Vice Captain Sparkles? It's big sis Blaire! Should we make a run for it?"
"Pi Pichu!"
"Blaire Williams. Don't you dare try and run, or I will have you grounded for a month!"
Belle, who was about to turn away and make a run for it, stopped.
"H-haah! Why would the great Belle run? Belle is the leader of the ultimate adventure party. She isn't scared of Big sis!"
"Pi Pichu!"
"Oh? Well then why aren't you on stage yet?"
"Belle's coming. But Big sis is not allowed to scold Belle for skipping out on school! The Great Belle doesn't need school. She's already stronger than everyone there!"
"Just come on up." Blaire said as she sighed.
'Why were kids such a handful.'
If anyone heard Blaire say that, they would die from frustration. What do you mean kids are such a handful? You're the most troublesome amongst them all!
Eventually, Belle gets up and collects her egg. Her eyes instantly lit up when she saw it.
"Look Vice leader Sparkles! This will be our newest member! You won't be the youngest after this."
"Pi Pichu!!"
Pichu was even more excited at the idea that he'll no longer be the baby amongst Belle's pokemon.
Blaire looked at Belle and smiled a little before continuing,
"Alright, next. The runner up, Iris Belmont. Get over here and choose amongst these 3 eggs."
Iris went up and chose the egg in the middle. She had chosen the Trapinch egg. Of course, she doesn't know it yet.
After that, the attendant pulled out a tag from the first box. It had only 2 tags in it, one for Eric and the other for Ethan.
471!
"Looks like you get to choose first, kid"
Ethan commented as Eric walked up to the stage. After a brief hesitation, he made his choice.
He went with Growlithe!
He was confident in making sure Growlithe's potential improved instead of declining. And he preferred an Arcanine over Snorlax. He can always catch one later.
After getting Growlithe, Eric stepped back and waited for the other trainers to be done. It took about 20 minutes.
Once all eggs were taken, the mayor of Redwood came up to the stage once again.
"Alongside the prizes from the league, I would also like to give you a reward on behalf of Redwood, as a thanks for making this tournament a great success."
A few attendants carried a other box and placed it in front of the mayor.
"Inside these are energy crystals! You can choose which type you want."
The distribution was as follows:
Champion: 3 tier-2 energy crystals
Runner-up: 2 tier-2 energy crystals
Semi finalists: 1 tier-2 energy crystal and 1 tier-1 energy crystal
Quarter-Finalists: 2 tier-1 energy crystals
Top 16: 1 tier-1 energy crystal
A tier-2 energy crystal! After seeing the effects of a tier-1 crystal, Eric was excited to see what a tier-2 can do.
In the end, he chose a tier-2 Ghost Crystal, and a tier-1 Water crystal.
The mayor then stepped back, and Blaire again took the mic.
"Now that we are done with the Award Ceremony, I would like to make an important announcement on behalf of the league"
Blaire said as he looked at everyone, both on the ground and amongst the audience.
Her speech got more professional than before.
"We all know the struggles of being a Pokémon trainer. Raising Pokémon is expensive. It's dangerous. Trainers from ordinary families face an uphill battle from day one. Some take desperate risks… and don't come back."
She takes a pause to let it settle in.
"The League has been aware of this problem for a long time. And we've decided to do something about it."
She lifted her chin.
"Allow me to introduce you to the Mission Hall. A brand‑new system designed to support all trainers."
Her voice radiated enthusiasm.
"Trainers can sign up to become official League members. In return, you'll gain access to the Mission Hall, where you can take on assignments and earn real resources. It's a far safer and more reliable path than venturing into the wilderness alone and hoping for the best."
"The details will be posted in the Official League page. You can also get it in any Pokemon Center. I really encourage every one of you to consider it."
The crowd was taken aback by this news. They murmured amongst themselves, before bursting in cheers.
'Mission Hall? Assisting ordinary trainers?'
Eric looked at Blaire pensively. On paper, this is a great deal. While joining the league as members sounded like it would restrict freedom, this was overall very good for regular trainers.
However, Eric was apprehensive. It didn't make sense. Why now, after all this time?
Criminal organisations like Team Rocket have had such benefits placed for a long time. Their primary recruits are these trainers that don't have any resources and are desperate. They offer them a chance to gain strength to lure them in.
The league had known about this for a long time. They could've done this a lot sooner, but they were run by mostly elitists, according to Eric's knowledge.
So what changed? Eric felt that their was more than what meets the eye. There has to be a purpose.
His pessimistic mind and zero faith in humanity refused to allow him to think that they finally gained a conscience. There was simply no way.
What are they playing at?