novelraw Chapter 187 187: The Apprentice and the Reward
Chapter 187 187: The Apprentice and the Reward
"I trust you."
Such a simple answer.
Sam scratched his head, then replied seriously:
"Don't worry, Yellow. I won't let you down."
What he had expected to be a troublesome task…
Had been solved just like that.
Even Sam found it hard to believe.
---
Soon, Yellow told her uncle about the situation.
She had lost her parents at a young age, and her uncle was the closest family she had.
The old fisherman didn't say much.
Yellow was already thirteen.
By next year, she would be traveling on her own anyway.
She was no longer a child.
If it had been someone else inviting her, he might have hesitated.
After all, the Viridian Power within Yellow could easily attract unwanted attention.
But since it was Sam—
There was nothing to worry about.
The old man had met countless people in his life.
He trusted his own judgment.
---
He didn't object to Yellow joining Viridian Gym.
He was only a little curious about one thing—
How had Sam become the Gym Leader of Viridian Gym?
After all, Giovanni, the former leader, was secretly the boss of Team Rocket.
That was not something the Pokémon League wanted widely known.
Anyone aware of the truth had been strictly ordered to keep it secret.
Sam had only just taken the position.
There was no way he would risk trouble by talking about it.
After thinking for a moment, he simply gave a vague reply.
"It just… happened."
Seeing that it was a sensitive topic, the old man didn't press further.
Instead, he invited Sam to stay for dinner while he helped Yellow pack her things.
---
"Oh, right."
Sam suddenly remembered something important.
He took out a brand-new Pokédex and a Poké Ball, handing them to Yellow.
"This is a Pokédex," Sam explained seriously.
"It can provide basic information about Pokémon, and it also serves as an official Trainer ID."
"It's very important—make sure you take good care of it."
Yellow nodded and examined it curiously.
After figuring out how to use it, she pointed it at her Omanyte.
Ding!
The Pokédex activated.
> "Omanyte — A Pokémon that once went extinct but was revived from fossils by humans. When attacked, it hides inside its hard shell."
Yellow blinked in confusion.
"That's strange… my Omanyte wasn't revived from a fossil."
Sam paused for a moment.
"Well… the Pokédex isn't always completely accurate."
"You don't need to worry about it too much."
"Okay," Yellow nodded.
---
With the Pokédex and Poké Ball handed over—
The mission should be complete.
Right then—
A familiar system notification sounded in Sam's mind.
---
Ding!
"Congratulations to the host for successfully recruiting a Gym apprentice with Viridian Power."
"SSS-Level Gym Mission Completed."
"Distributing rewards…"
---
Reward: Qualification Enhancement Serum
Effect:
Increases the potential of any Pokémon below Champion level by one tier.
---
Sam's eyes widened slightly.
This reward was… terrifying.
It could directly raise a Pokémon's potential by an entire level.
There were methods in the Pokémon world that could improve a Pokémon's potential—
But they were slow, expensive, and required long-term training.
This?
Was instant.
Simple.
Absolute.
It completely surpassed those so-called "rare" methods.
If this item were auctioned—
It would sell for an astronomical price.
No Trainer could resist it.
---
But Sam had no intention of selling it.
Money wasn't as important as potential.
And potential meant power.
With enough power—
Money would come naturally.
After all, wasn't Viridian Gym itself proof of that?
If Sam weren't strong enough—
He would never have been given this opportunity.
---
Still—
There was a problem.
Who should he use it on?
Sam had quite a few Pokémon.
Some already had Champion-level potential:
Tyranitar
Gengar
Lapras
Dratini
Scyther
Charizard
These were immediately excluded.
Then there were the others:
Venusaur
Clefable
Aerodactyl
Gyarados
The answer became obvious.
Humans always had emotional bias.
Venusaur and Clefable had been with him the longest.
Naturally, he favored them.
It wasn't that he disliked Aerodactyl or Gyarados—
But timing mattered.
Those who came earlier held a different place in his heart.
---
"Come out—Venusaur, Clefable."
Having made his decision, Sam wasted no time.
He stepped outside and released both Pokémon.
Then he took out the Qualification Enhancement Serum, dividing it evenly into two portions.
He handed them over.
"Drink it."
---
The liquid…
Looked terrible.
Dark.
Thick.
Bubbling.
And it smelled awful.
If they didn't trust Sam completely—
They might have attacked him on the spot.
Venusaur and Clefable both stared at the liquid with uneasy expressions.
Clearly—
They didn't want to drink it.
---
Sam coughed awkwardly.
"Just drink it."
"This is… part of being a Pokémon."
The moment he said that—
Even he felt something was off.
That sounded way too suspicious.
For a second, he almost expected them to pull out weapons and attack him.
---
Fortunately—
That didn't happen.
Venusaur, being one of Sam's most loyal partners, hesitated only briefly.
Then it used its vines to lift the container.
With a determined expression—
It drank it down in one gulp.
Clefable followed shortly after, though with visible reluctance.
---
The effect…
Was about to begin.