"You'd better be careful. I'll come back from time to time to check on its condition."
"Don't worry, Miss Lorelei," Sam promised solemnly.
After receiving Lapras, the number of Pokémon in Sam's possession had officially reached seven.
They were:
Tyranitar (still sleeping)
Gengar (Elite — Intermediate)
Scyther (Elite — Beginner)
Venusaur (Gym — Beginner)
Clefairy (Elite — Advanced)
Charmeleon (Elite — Intermediate)
And the newly obtained Lapras
The Pokémon League officially recommends that Trainers carry no more than six Pokémon. Of course, this was only a guideline, not a strict rule. After all, not every Trainer had someone like Professor Oak helping to raise Pokémon behind the scenes—unlike Ash.
After thinking it over, Sam decided to follow his original plan and temporarily send Clefairy to be fostered by Nurse Joy Xingmei at the Pokémon Center in Vermilion City.
Standing inside the Pokémon Center in Rainbow City, Sam dialed the number.
Soon, Xingmei's familiar and gentle voice came through the receiver.
"Hello, this is the Pokémon Center in Vermilion City. How may I help you?"
"Miss Xingmei, this is Sam," he said.
"Oh, Sam! Let me guess—you're sending Clefairy over, right?" she replied with a light laugh, having already guessed his reason for calling.
"Yes. I'll be troubling you again," Sam said politely.
"It's no trouble at all. Clefairy will actually be a big help here at the Pokémon Center," Xingmei replied.
"Alright, I've got work coming in. Send Clefairy over whenever you're ready."
After a few quick words, she hung up.
Sam released Clefairy and gently stroked its head while holding it in his arms.
"Clefairy, be good while you're with Miss Xingmei. I'll come pick you up after some time."
"Clefairy~"
Clefairy nodded obediently.
It had no objections at all. It liked Xingmei very much, and working at the Pokémon Center—helping to heal other Pokémon—was something it genuinely enjoyed.
In fact, it was already looking forward to its new life there.
After teleporting Clefairy away, Sam headed toward a special facility inside the Rainbow City Pokémon Center—a dedicated swimming pool for Water-type Pokémon.
It could only be said that Rainbow City truly lived up to its reputation for wealth. Most Pokémon Centers didn't even come close to having facilities like this.
Standing by the pool, Sam eagerly took out a Luxury Ball.
It was obvious how much Lorelei cherished Lapras. Not only had she used a Luxury Ball, but the ball itself was decorated with several cute stickers.
So much for her icy demeanor—she clearly had a soft side too.
"Come out, Lapras."
The young Lapras appeared shyly.
Although it already knew inside the Poké Ball that Lorelei had entrusted it to Sam, it was still a little nervous meeting its new Trainer for the first time.
"Detective Eye."
---
[Pokémon]: Lapras
[Type]: Water / Ice
[Ability]: Hydration (Status conditions are cured in rain)
[Strength]: Novice → Mid-level
[Potential]: Champion
---
Sam was genuinely shocked.
He had originally assumed that Lapras possessed Elite-level potential, but he never expected it to have Champion potential.
No wonder Lorelei had personally come to assess him.
Only after passing her test did she feel comfortable entrusting Lapras to him. With such terrifying potential, it was impossible for her to choose a Trainer carelessly.
Sam silently resolved to properly thank Professor Oak next time they met.
He and Lorelei had never even met face to face. The only reason she had agreed to hand Lapras over to him was Professor Oak's guarantee.
Without that recommendation, Sam would never have had this opportunity.
And of course, Sabrina's support had also been crucial.
Looking at the small Lapras swimming timidly in the pool, Sam fell into deep thought.
This Lapras was likely a descendant of Lorelei's main Pokémon.
If even its offspring possessed Champion potential, then Lorelei's true strength was undoubtedly far more terrifying than it appeared on the surface.
A Pokémon born with Champion potential…
It would be strange if Lorelei herself didn't possess Pokémon of the same caliber.
Thinking further, Sam suddenly realized something.
Perhaps the reason Kanto had never produced a recognized Champion wasn't because no one was strong enough—but because Lance alone wasn't enough to convince Lorelei.
There was no doubt that Lance possessed Champion-level strength. Among Champions across regions, his power was absolutely respectable.
But to suppress someone like Lorelei?
Even with type advantages, raw strength alone wouldn't be enough.
Of course, these were only Sam's personal speculations. He didn't know the truth—but his intuition told him he wasn't far off.
Just as he was lost in thought, a familiar cold mechanical voice rang out.
Ding.
"Detected Lapras. Matching with Isobu template at 99%. Fusion sequence initiating."
The long-dormant Tailed Beast Fusion System finally activated again.
This time, the template was the Three-Tails.
A 99% compatibility rate—the same terrifying match rate as when Tyranitar fused with the One-Tail.
At that level, fusion carried virtually no risk.
Sure enough, after only a few seconds, the system delivered the result.
"Fusion complete. Congratulations to the host. Lapras has obtained the Isobu template."
Sam grew curious.
What would happen when a Pokémon with Champion potential fused with a Tailed Beast template?
Would it directly evolve into god-tier potential?
Contrary to his expectations, Lapras's potential didn't skyrocket.
Aside from its strength increasing to mid-level normal, there were no drastic changes.
Sam quickly understood why.
Lapras was still in its early growth stage. Injecting too much power at once would permanently damage its body, so the system had only raised its strength to a safe level.
However, something new appeared at the bottom of the system evaluation.
---
[Evaluation]:
No one knows where its future will lead.
Perhaps the sea of stars is its true limit.
---
At that moment, Sam finally understood.
Potential alone was no longer the key to stepping into the realm of gods.
Champion potential was already the upper limit for normal Pokémon.
What truly mattered was what came after.
As for what that was…
Sam smiled wryly.
That was a problem for the distant future.
For now, he was still very, very far from that step.
---------------Author---------------
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