Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Game Freak.

Hi all,

Here's the next chapter. Lucas spends a lot of time in the battle arena, and Brock has discovered Lucas' secret about the potion.

Chapter 30

Lucas didn't immediately proceed to the Battle Arena after leaving the Silph Company. Before he began battling trainers and gaining experience, he wanted to make some preparations. First, he examined his team's parameters to gain a better understanding of their current capabilities. He hadn't checked them since leaving Viridian City, so a few surprises awaited him.

His team's primary affinities steadily increased as they spent more time in their habitats. As a result, Saphira and Meowth learned new moves by meeting specific requirements. Saphira learned Dragon Breath, whereas Meowth learned Covet and Charm. Meowth had no interest in participating in battle, but Lucas wanted to get a feel for Saphira's new move before he put it to use in the Battle Arena.

Before that, he went shopping for some technical machines. He bought two copies of Work Up and Double Team for Icarus and Icaria. The former was a status move that increased both attack and special attack by one stage. Because these two offensive stats were pretty even, and had moves that were both physical and special, it was a good move to start a fight.

Double Team would help them avoid attacks, which was important given their average defence. The user was able to create illusionary copies of themselves to confuse their opponent. If their opponents are unlucky, they may destroy several copies before discovering the genuine one. There was one flaw, however, and it was dependent on the opponent's synergy stat, accuracy, which Lucas hadn't unlocked yet as his bond with his team was still too low. When the Pokemon work together with their trainer, the accuracy stat determines whether they can see through the illusion and render the move useless.

Lucas purchased Light Screen and Fire Punch for Max. The former would increase his special defence for a set period of time, which usually depended on the user's hidden stat, energy. Unfortunately, Max's energy was below average, so the effects wouldn't last very long. Nonetheless, it would be useful in short battles. He also chose Fire Punch because it provided Max with more attacking options.

Max wouldn't be using the moves anytime soon. Both moves required psychic and fire-type affinity at a certain level, so it was more of an incentive for him to improve his affinities to learn them. Once Vulpix hatched, he would have access to a fire habitat, which would help Max develop one of those affinities. At some point, he needed to get a psychic-type Pokemon so he could also acquire its habitat. The psychic type had many useful moves that required training in its affinity, such as Agility. He would also like a Pokemon with the ability to teleport.

He purchased Protect for Saphira because he wanted a move to strengthen her defences. He wasn't sure which path he wanted her to take, so he held off on purchasing more moves for the time being. But judging from her stats, she was like Icarus and Icaria, in which she was a glass cannon with high offence and low defence. That might change as she evolves, though.

The technical machines cost him a total of sixty-five thousand pokedollars, which was a significant sum. He also visited a bookstore to learn more about the world's understanding of effort values. From what he understood, people knew that their Pokemon could become stronger by battling other Pokemon, but the concept wasn't completely understood.

One hour later, Lucas booked a training room at a nearby gym for his Pokémon to practise their new moves. Icarus and Icaria engaged in an aerial battle, while Saphira practised her Dragon Breath on targets he had set up. As Saphira unleashed her attack, a dragon-like energy beam shot forward and destroyed the target. Lucas noted that the attack lacked strength, most likely because it was still in its early stages of mastery.

Dragon Breath was a valuable addition to any Pokemon move set due to its fast attack speed, and a thirty percent chance to paralyse opponents.

"Give it another try!" Lucas said and Saphira responded with a trill.

He returned his focus to the book he had purchased earlier, satisfied that his Pokemon were training properly. He started reading one particular entry that caught his attention.

The trifecta of progression—the pursuit of power.

People have long understood that a Pokemon becomes stronger the more it trains and battles. People invented measuring devices to detect a Pokemon's energy capacity, enabling them to estimate their strength and assign a level accordingly. As a result, it has ensured a more level playing field among the various gyms and leagues. But how exactly do Pokemon become stronger?

Although we don't fully understand it, research and observation allow us to draw some conclusions. There are three methods for increasing Pokemon's strength.

First, there is training. They can improve their parameters in a variety of areas by performing physically demanding tasks, such as strength, speed, and defence. It is widely accepted that a Pokemon's offence and defence are classified into two categories: physical and special. Trainers usually try to focus on parameters that are appropriate for their Pokemon, tactics, and team composition. However, a Pokemon's ability to train is thought to be limited by its level, or energy capacity. Once they reach a new level, they can receive additional training to improve their parameters further.

Second, by engaging in battles and defeating opponents, you can improve your Pokemon's parameters. Although it's still not totally understood, Pokemon become stronger as they compete in matches or battle wild Pokemon. This is why there is a focus on Pokemon leagues and competitions. People aspire to match the strength of legendaries, and they believe that constant battles will help them achieve it.

Pokemon also gain strength through the bonds they form with trainers. As this bond strengthens, it enhances the Pokemon's overall abilities. Despite our knowledge of how these bonds develop and grow, the synergistic effect they create remains a mystery.

Lucas closed the book and set it down. The book provided no additional information on effort values, which further proved that it wasn't fully understood. What if he shared the information with the public? Maybe it was more trouble than it was worth. To accomplish this, he would need to present it as a research project with evidence to back up his claims. He couldn't simply share the information casually without being ridiculed by the scientific community, unless he did so anonymously.

He noticed that the entry didn't mention using vitamins, but he assumed this was still a relatively unknown topic or something they didn't want to reveal. Furthermore, given the exorbitant costs, using this method to build up a Pokemon's stats would require you to be a multi-millionaire. It wasn't practical for most people, and he wasn't sure if there was a limit to how many vitamins could be given to a Pokemon.

Speaking of vitamins, he still had the ones he found on the S.S. Anne. Should he try it on one of his Pokémon?

"Are you sure you don't want to participate in the Battle Arena?" Lucas asked.

"Heck, no. I am the type of Pokemon who relies on his wits rather than brawn," Meowth said. "Besides, I will get some experience without any effort with this patch you stuck on me."

Lucas had distributed the ExpShare patches among his team to ensure they would receive a fifty percent bonus experience every time one of his Pokemon battled. Upon application, the patch vanished as if it weren't even there. This prevented him from having to explain their presence to anyone.

"Okay, that is enough practice for today," Lucas announced. "Gather around. I have something to show you."

Surrounded by his teammates, he placed an empty bottle on the ground and spun it around. The bottle spun several times before coming to a stop, pointing directly at Max. Lucas offered Max an iron vitamin, and he chucked it into his mouth.

"Kid!" Max made a disgusted expression.

"Don't make that face," Lucas said, grinning. "The pill slightly strengthens your defence permanently."

Max swiftly changed his opinion and begged for some more. The rest of his team joined in, urging him to give them one, much to Meowth's disdain.

"A bunch of shameless yahoos!" Meowth ridiculed them.

They turned to look at him, and Meowth fled before they could retaliate.

"I will give each of you a vitamin tonight," Lucas promised them. "I have only a few, so they will not last long."

He examined Max's parameters and discovered that the vitamin contributed to the total number of stats he could earn from EVs. It made sense because they served the same purpose in the games. With EVs, all of his Pokemon could earn up to one hundred extra stats, which was a lot. He imagined that elite trainers out there had Pokemon whose EVs had already maxed out due to the number of battles they had participated in.

Because his Pokemon can only earn one EV point per battle right now, each would need to fight a thousand battles to fully maximise their bonus stats. However, this was before taking into account the ExpShare patches. For each battle that one of his Pokemon won, the remaining team members would receive half an EV point.

"We are going to the battle arena," Lucas told them. "It's going to be a busy few day."

Lucas spent the next four days in the Battle Arena, competing in as many matches as possible. He gained a lot of experience with his Pokemon. He only used Icarus, Max, and Saphira, and he rotated them regularly to keep them as fresh as possible. He didn't use Icaria because she had the highest level among his team members and continued to receive passive experience points from the ExpShare patches. The same held true for Meowth, who was advancing quickly because he was only level eleven at the start of the marathon of matches.

He used a combination of arena facilities and healing salves to keep his Pokemon healthy throughout the day. At the start, he was able to string together another twelve consecutive wins, continuing off from the last time he was here, which was an impressive feat and earned him a lot of points. However, in his next battle, he lost to a trainer wielding a strong Nosepass. He almost expected it at some point, as his winning streak increased and the matchups became more difficult. He lost the toss and chose Icarus first, which was a bad matchup against Nosepass.

Lucas noticed that the Saffron City Battle Arena had a lot more trainers from other regions than the Viridian City branch, which meant a much wider variety of Pokemon, many of which he was unfamiliar with. Without his Insight skill, he might not have known how to fight them. The more battles he participated in, the more obvious it became that having a full roster of at least six Pokemon was necessary because it increased his options in battle. Due to this weakness, the fights became more difficult, but he was able to win his next three battles and advance to the Experienced Trainer rank.

The higher ranks brought some new rules and perks, making battles even more exciting. First and foremost, the arena's representatives, who were generally superior to the trainers he had previously encountered, offered him the opportunity to fight. He didn't immediately choose to battle the trainer, though, and decided to wait until the end of his grinding.

Second, trainers could also use a battle enhancer potion in a match before a Pokemon stepped onto the stage. Third, each match was now worth two points, so the more consecutive fights he won, the more bonus points he accumulated. Furthermore, he could now bet up to five thousand pokedollars per match, and he always chose the maximum when the other trainer was in agreement.

Even though he was slowly improving with every battle he fought, he still managed to lose another eight times by the end of the marathon, which resulted in his current win rate of eighty-nine percent. Considering he only used three Pokemon, he wasn't disappointed with the result, and his win ratio was still one of the highest in the arena.

"You are such a monster!" Brock exclaimed as Lucas descended from the stage, concluding that he had reached his limit in grinding out matches. "Maybe I should join the Battle Arena and earn some pokedollars?"

"It's not as easy as it appears," Lucas said distractedly, his gaze drawn to a section of the audience. "Has the group grown even bigger?"

Brock followed his gaze and gave an envious nod. "You've only been fighting matches for four days and already have a fan base. The vast majority of them are also female. Life is unfair."

When the fans noticed Lucas looking at them, they stood up and cheered. He waved, and they returned the gesture by waving their banners at him.

According to a rough estimate, there were already more than seventy of his fans in the audience. They were all wearing t-shirts that featured his face and one of his Pokémon. So far, he has seen four different t-shirts featuring Icarus, Max, Saphira, and Meowth. Icaria wasn't featured because he hadn't used her in any matches yet. Saphira was by far the most popular, followed by Meowth, who appeared to be Lucas' official Pokemon mascot, given the fact that he rode on his shoulder throughout all of his matches.

Considering it had only been a few days, the level of organisation they displayed was frightening. So far, their attention was harmless, and he was slightly flattered. However, he suspected it would cause some awkward moments in the future. Perhaps he should have stuck with battling wild Pokemon.

"Can they show my face on their shirts without my permission?" Lucas questioned.

Brock shrugged. "Do you really care?"

Lucas considered it for a moment. "I guess not. Let's get out of here. I want to check out the arena shop to see what I can spend my points on."

He had amassed nine hundred points as a result of all the bonuses he received for winning consecutive matches. He wasn't able to replicate the seventeen consecutive victories in the lower ranks, but he managed to notch a streak of a respectable twelve wins at one point.

They left the arena and made their way back to the foyer.

"How many pokedollars did you make off the matches?" Brock asked.

"A little under two hundred thousand pokedollars after the arena's cut," Lucas replied, still feeling slightly stunned by the amount.

Many of the higher-ranking trainers were willing to bet the maximum amount, which explains why it was so high. He imagined that elite trainers would find the Battle Arena to be a lucrative source of income but also a way to lose a lot of pokedollars because of how competitive it became at higher ranks. Nonetheless, despite losing bets on his losses, he made a substantial profit overall.

That wasn't the only profit he made, as he also spent some time exploring the city and gathering items. Because he didn't have much time, he didn't get very far, but he was methodical about it and could return at any time to finish it. As his wealth increased, searching for hidden items would become less important. There were some exceptions, such as unique items, recipes, and vitamins. He wished there was a way to differentiate between the various hidden items, allowing him to be more efficient in gathering the best ones.

Lucas perused the arena shop and was amazed at the variety of items on display. There were pokeballs, healing items, battle enhancers, technical machines, evolution stones, and even Pokemon Eggs. The latter contained some rare Pokemon from other regions, which were selling for tens of thousands of points. Lucas examined a few of them, and some were of excellent quality with enormous potential. If he had the points, he may have chosen to purchase one.

However, if he were to hatch another team member, it would likely be something he produced himself. Then again, he would eventually need to establish his breeding facility, which would necessitate a large number of different pairs of Pokemon, so acquiring more eggs from other sources was always beneficial.

Lucas took his time considering whether to buy something. Most of the items could be purchased elsewhere, so it might be a waste to spend the points on them.

Meowth leaned forward and looked at the items on display with a greedy expression. Lucas pushed him back, knowing exactly what he was thinking about.

"Are there any other items you stock?" Lucas asked.

The shop attendant nodded. "It all depends on availability. Most of the good stuff sells as soon as it arrives, so you have to be quick."

Lucas decided to save his points for now. Some fans stopped Lucas and Brock on their way to the exit, demanding Lucas' autograph. Having done the same thing the day before, he was unfazed and gave the fans what they wanted. A girl offered him her phone number, but he declined, claiming he had a girlfriend.

He let out a sigh of relief after the fans had left. Feeling exhausted from the busy day he had, he paid for a carriage to return to the hotel.

"When is your relationship with Sabrina going to go public?" Brock asked.

Lucas had never given this point much thought before. He'd been spending his evenings with Sabrina for a few days now, and they were becoming increasingly intimate with each other, though it hadn't progressed beyond intense make-out sessions. He hadn't even thought about being discreet when he arrived at her flat, which was a major oversight given Sabrina's public profile. Even though she wasn't the gym leader at the moment, she was well-known throughout the city because of her relationship with the prime minister.

"I'm not sure," Lucas admitted. "I am surprised it hasn't happened already. But I don't think it will be long before it gets out."

"Sabrina has a huge fan base," Brock warned. "Especially men. They will be upset when they discover she has a boyfriend."

Lucas shrugged. "Not my problem."

Brock hesitated, looking as if he wanted to say something. He opened his mouth several times, but no words emerged.

That wasn't the Brock he was accustomed to seeing. "What are you so shy about? Out with it."

"When are you heading back to Viridian City?"

"Probably in two days or so," Lucas answered. "I'd like to try my luck first against the representative. If you defeat them, it's supposed to be worth a hundred arena points. I also have some other business to attend to before I leave."

"Does that business involve selling the growth potion to the auction house?"

Lucas froze. "I have no idea what you mean."

Brock sighed. "Your reaction confirmed my suspicions."

Lucas looked towards the front of the carriage, concerned that the driver had overheard Brock.

"Don't worry," Brock said. "The carriages are sound proofed to prevent sound drivers from eavesdropping on private conversations."

Meowth, who had been looking out the window, turned around when Brock spoke. He appeared to be about to pounce on the teenager, but Lucas waved him away.

"How did you figure it out?" Lucas asked.

"There were several clues," Brock explained, counting them on his hand as he went through them. "First and foremost, I noticed on the ship how skilled you are at making potions. Second, Icarus is larger than most Pidgeottos, which are typically unable to reach that size without some external influence. Third, you spent a lot of pokedollars in the last few days, indicating that you received a sudden influx of pokedollars."

"That is just speculation," Lucas said, his eyes narrowing. "How would you know what my finances are like?"

"Like I said, it was only a suspicion," Brock replied. "Until your expression gave it away."

Meowth raised his paw and extended his claws. "Do you want me to silence him?"

Brock's mouth dropped open. "He can talk? Just how many secrets do you have?"

Lucas facepalmed. Why did Meowth have to speak at that moment?

Meowth ducked his head sheepishly. "Well, there's no taking it back. The Meowth is out of the bag. Now, I don't have any choice but to silence him."

Brock raised his arms. "Wait a minute. I didn't tell you this because I'm going to snitch on you. I'm not that kind of person."

"Then, what do you want?"

"I have always wanted to learn alchemy," Brock admitted. "It is an essential component of becoming a Pokemon Doctor. However, I lack the necessary funds to purchase any equipment, as I allocate all my extra pokedollars to support my family. I would like for you to train me, and in return, I can work for you."

Lucas was caught off guard. That was the last thing he expected to hear from Brock. "Why do you need to send funds back to your family? What about your parents?"

"My mother died in an accident two years ago after she left home to find her muse," Brock said, using air quotes. "My father is the Pewter City gym leader and makes a good living, but he is also a deadbeat with a gambling and drinking addiction. He seldom supports my brothers and sisters, only getting them the bare necessities."

What a loser. "How many siblings do you have?"

"Nine."

"That's a lot!" Lucas exclaimed. "Is that why you are so focused on becoming a Pokemon Doctor? To support them?"

Brock rubbed the back of his head. "Well, yes. But I'm also being a little selfish and pursuing my dream. If it wasn't for Yolanda, my oldest sibling, I wouldn't have been able to leave the gym."

"How long will it take you to become a qualified doctor?"

"A few years. I am doing long-distance learning while travelling the world and gaining experience. I find odd jobs and battle with other trainers to earn pokedollars, but keeping my Onix fed takes up a lot of that."

Lucas considered Brock's request. It wasn't a bad idea to have an assistant. He knew there was one area where the teenager could help, and that was with the mines. Both in ensuring that wild Pokemon didn't impede the mine's development and in the mining itself. The project was too big for one person alone. It was a big leap to trust Brock with such a secret, but he already knew of the growth potion. Instead of telling him, Brock could have gone and sold his suspicions to the highest bidder.

"What do you think?" Lucas glanced at Meowth.

"I don't really care," Meowth replied, returning his attention to the window.

"Okay," Lucas said, nodding decisively. "In return for your services, I will teach you alchemy, but please note that I am not a great expert at it myself. I will also cover your living expenses, including Pokemon care, and pay you a small salary. In exchange, I expect you to work hard and keep my secrets. We can work out the finer details later, after I write up an employment contract."

Brock cheered and saluted. "You got it, boss!"

Lucas realised he also needed to tell Sabrina about some of his secrets. He didn't believe she would reveal them, and it felt wrong to keep them from her, given what she had revealed about herself. Something to address later tonight.

After freshening up at the hotel, he used his time before leaving for Sabrina's place to review the progress he and his Pokemon had made over the previous four days. The number of matches he had participated in was a little insane, but he couldn't complain about the results.

He spent all of his experience and instantly levelled up to level twenty-nine, gaining four levels and eight skill points. Additionally, his Pokemon Trainer profession had reached level six.

Unfortunately, he couldn't instantly spend all of his Pokemon's experience, as he needed to train their stats at each level. However, he could predict their final level.

Icarus had levelled up twice to twenty-one. He still had enough experience in his cache to level up another three times. He received an additional six stat points from EVs, which were distributed fairly evenly across all of his stats. This was due to the diversity of Pokemon he encountered in the arena.

Lucas noticed that when he examined a Pokemon, his Insight skill revealed a new detail—the EV stat point he would receive after defeating them. This would come in handy later on, when he needed to improve a specific stat by repeatedly grinding against the same Pokemon species.

Icarus had already defeated twenty trainers to complete one of his bonus evolution conditions. If he had three affinities greater than fifty percent, he would meet another condition. Lucas was debating whether to have Icarus train his ground-type affinity or to concentrate on a new one, such as psychic or steel, for moves like Agility and Steel Wing.

Max had also levelled up twice and had enough experience in the cache to level up another four times. When Lucas returned to Viridian City, he would have Max return to the Fighting Dojo to keep on improving his fighting-type affinity while also working on the affinities for the new moves he had purchased for him. He still had a bit of work to do to obtain his bonus evolution conditions, but he was getting close.

Like Max, Saphira had levelled up twice, with enough accumulated experience to level up four more times. Because of her high aptitude, her stats improved the most among the entire team. Her favourability had also reached 'Liked' status, resulting in an increase in all of her stats. She had a lot of evolution bonuses he needed to work on, and they weren't the easiest to fulfil. Since she would be reaching level thirty in the near future, he needed to prioritise them in preparation for her to evolve.

Meowth received less experience than the others because he didn't participate, but he did level up twice. Lucas had to push the rascal to train his stats; otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered. However, given that his aptitude was only three, his stats didn't improve significantly. Meowth would level up the most over the next few days, simply because he was the lowest-level member of his team. His bonus conditions weren't particularly important because Meowth didn't want to evolve, but Lucas wanted the Pokemon to keep improving so he could defend himself.

Like Meowth, Icaria didn't participate in the matches either, but she earned enough experience points to level up twice and still had some left over. She also had a lot of tricky bonus evolution conditions, although he had already met one of them by acquiring two rare candies.

Lucas checked his watch and saw that it was time to head for Sabrina's apartment. Two men in black suits blocked his passage as he headed downstairs into the foyer.

"Is there a problem?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Greetings, Lucas Walker," the blonde-haired man said. "Shichiro Kuroi would like to speak to you. He is waiting for you in his carriage."

Lucas was caught off guard. He shouldn't be, as he had expected the prime minister to contact him at some point, given that he was dating his niece. Now that he was in his own backyard, he wasn't so naive as to believe that the man wasn't keeping a watch on him. But Lucas had been here for nearly a week, and there was no sign of the man being interested in him, so he had hoped to leave the city without ever meeting him.

"Isn't this rather short notice?" Lucas asked. "I have a previous engagement, so I must decline. Tell him to arrange a time and I'd love to meet with him."

He was about to move around them, but they blocked his way.

"We know you are about to visit Miss Kuroi," the blonde-haired man said. "This won't take up much of your time."

Lucas sighed. He knew they wouldn't leave until he complied with their demands, but he was hesitant to follow them. He was already picturing several horrific scenarios in his head. Although the men didn't appear hostile, this meant nothing to professionals like them. For all he knew, they were going to take him to a secret location and beat the living hell out of him to get him to stay away from Sabrina.

Lucas caught a glimpse of a familiar figure over the men's shoulders before disappearing. Salem was here, which gave him some confidence that nothing would go wrong. He motioned for the men to lead the way and then followed them outside to a carriage.

When Lucas entered the carriage, he saw the prime minister of the United Regions of Kanto for the first time. The man gestured for him to take a seat. Lucas sat down, uneasy, as he observed the man, who remained silent for a full minute, staring at him with cold, calculating eyes. In both appearance and demeanour, he looked more like a mafia boss than a prime minister.

Shichiro Kuroi had some of Sabrina's facial features, though one had to look closely to notice. He was a sturdy man with well-defined muscles that filled out his suit, and he sported a small scar above his left eye.

"Tell me something, Lucas Walker. What makes you believe you are worthy of my niece? I will give you five minutes to present your case."

This was going as well as he had expected.

So, what do you think? In the next chapter, Lucas has to deal with the prime minister and finish up some loose ends before he returns to Viridian City.

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Thanks for reading.