The bright stadium lights glowed overhead as Elliot clenched his fist in triumph. Deino stood at his side, panting but victorious.
Fifteen wins.
The final match had been tough, but Elliot and Deino had powered through with strategy and persistence.
As the referee announced the victory, Elliot wasted no time collecting his prize money, slipping a neat stack of bills into his pocket before disappearing into the crowd. He didn't care about the cheers or the scouters in the stands—he had bigger things on his mind.
Because at long last, his quest was complete.
Quest Complete: Win 15 Pokéball Ranked Matches at the Pokémon Stadium.Reward: 1 Ability Ticket.
Elliot smirked, feeling a rush of satisfaction.
Fusing the Ability Tickets
Back at the Pokémon Center, Elliot handed Deino over to Nurse Joy for his daily free checkup.
As he waited, he focused on the System Menu and whispered, "Fuse."
The five Ability Tickets in his inventory shimmered, merging into a single bronze-colored ticket.
Bronze Ability Ticket acquired!Spinning...
A small, glowing wheel appeared in his vision, rapidly spinning through options before landing on—
Low-Tier Aura: Grants access to a small portion of the user's Aura reserves.
Elliot blinked.
Aura.
He'd heard of it before—a mysterious energy tied to willpower and emotions, wielded by powerful trainers and certain Pokémon. And now, he had access to it.
Even if it was low-tier, this was a game-changer.
Before he could experiment, a soft chirp pulled him back.
A Chansey walked up, carefully handing Deino back to him.
"Thanks," Elliot said, reaching into his bag. He pulled out a Normal-type Pokéblock and gently offered it to the pink healer Pokémon.
Chansey's eyes lit up with delight, and she happily took the treat.
Deino rumbled, nuzzling into Elliot's hand before stiffening.
Elliot felt it too—something was off.
The Pokémon Center doors slid open, and a familiar voice cut through the air.
William.
The reckless trainer walked inside, but this time, he wasn't alone. A newly evolved Butterfree hovered beside him, its wings fluttering lightly despite the storm brewing outside.
But it wasn't the Pokémon that caught Elliot's attention.
It was what William didn't have.
Charmander was gone.
Through his newfound Aura sensitivity, Elliot could hear William mutter under his breath as he walked past.
"Good riddance."
Elliot's fingers curled into a fist.
He exhaled slowly, keeping his expression neutral. But inside, his blood boiled.
He turned to Deino.
"We gotta go find the Charmander." Deino let out a determined growl.
Without another word, Elliot stepped out into the thunderstorm, vanishing into the dark forest.