Chapter 246: Searching for the Magikarp's Query
After ending his call with Robert, Yuga pondered for a long time. Eventually, he decided to inform his aunt and uncle about the Young Elite Preparatory Camp. So, in the evening, Yuga went to his aunt's house.
Around the table, Yuga, his aunt, and uncle sat together.
After hearing Yuga's explanation about the preparatory camp, there was a prolonged silence. Finally, his aunt was the first to break it.
"Let her go."
"But..."
His uncle appeared worried and was about to say something when his aunt interrupted.
"As Yuga mentioned, there's not much danger involved. If she wants to go, why not let her?"
"While that may be true, what if…"
His uncle still seemed a bit concerned.
"Since she wants to become a Trainer, situations like these are inevitable sooner or later. Under these circumstances, it might even be better."
After hearing his aunt's words, his uncle didn't oppose further and sat silently.
And so, it was decided that Luna would participate in the preparatory camp selection.
To be honest, Yuga had initially expected more resistance from his aunt and uncle.
His uncle was the youngest son in the family, and Luna was born relatively late, making her the youngest on that side of the family. From a young age, she was adored by her grandparents, uncles, and aunts.
In Yuga's family, her parents also spoiled her. While she hadn't turned into a spoiled child due to the excessive attention, she did have a rather strong personality.
Typically, characters like her wouldn't survive past the third chapter in novels. Yuga thought that his aunt and uncle would object more strongly.
After leaving his aunt's house, Yuga made a quick visit to Rand's home. He believed it was best to inform Rand about the preparatory camp.
In terms of family circumstances, Rand's family was comparatively less well-off. If he could successfully enter the preparatory camp, he would be able to utilize the League's resources for better growth and reduce the burden on Uncle Kate.
Upon learning about the preparatory camp, Rand didn't hesitate and decided to participate in the selection. This time, Uncle Kate didn't oppose him.
Unlike Yuga's aunt and uncle, Uncle Kate had always respected Rand's choices. His earlier refusal was mainly because the Petalburg Woods was too dangerous for children. Now that he knew elite Trainers from the League would accompany them, there was no reason to object.
Yuga wasn't surprised by Rand's decision. Despite his young age, Rand always knew what he wanted and which path he should take. Given this excellent opportunity, there was no reason for him not to participate.
The following day, Yuga brought his Magikarp to the Pokémon Center. He wanted Nurse Joy to help identify the problem preventing Magikarp from evolving.
After a thorough examination, Nurse Joy pushed Magikarp's Poké Ball out of the examination room and addressed Yuga, saying, "Overall, this Magikarp is very healthy, and its vital signs are active."
"So why can't it evolve?" Yuga asked, puzzled.
Nurse Joy organized her thoughts and explained, "A Pokémon's evolution occurs when certain life conditions are met, triggering the evolution factors within them, leading to a transformation into a new form."
Yuga nodded in understanding, given that he had been studying as a Pokémon Breeder for quite some time.
"But the activity level of evolution factors within different Pokémon varies. Some have very active factors, while others are more stable, as exemplified by Caterpie and Magikarp," Nurse Joy continued to explain.
"If we were to express it numerically, Caterpie's evolution factor has a very high value, while Magikarp's is exceptionally low. In fact, the evolution factor in your Magikarp is probably the lowest I've ever seen in any Pokémon."
Nurse Joy then shrugged her shoulders, expressing her frustration.
"Why is it like this? Can you identify the cause behind this low level of evolution factors within it?" Yuga asked eagerly.
"I'm sorry, but we can't determine that here," Nurse Joy said apologetically.
Yuga retrieved Magikarp's Poké Ball, thanked Nurse Joy, and prepared to leave the Pokémon Center.
"I guess I'll need to find a time to let Robert take a look," Yuga thought to himself.
The Grand Festival of the Hoenn Pokémon Contest was approaching, and Robert was actively preparing for it. Yuga didn't want to disrupt him during this busy time, which is why he had held off on asking Robert about Magikarp.
"Recently, the mastermind behind the Mauville City train incident was sighted in Lilycove City and pursued by the Elite Four Member, Drake. Currently, she has fled Hoenn, and her whereabouts are unknown. We urge all citizens to contact the local police if you have any information."
As Yuga was turning to leave the Pokémon Center, a news report began playing in the lobby, accompanied by a photograph on the screen.
"She's left Hoenn? Could she be headed to Sinnoh?" Yuga wondered.
He remembered from the original story that Hunter J had first appeared in Sinnoh, though she wasn't as down-and-out as she appeared now, being chased by Elite Four Trainers.
But, in a way, it was a good thing. She was a real troublemaker, and Yuga considered her something of an enemy. Seeing her not doing well put his mind at ease.
After leaving the Pokémon Center, Yuga pushed aside thoughts of Hunter J and focused on the issue with Magikarp.
According to Nurse Joy's explanation, the reason why Magikarp cannot evolve is due to the stability of the evolution factors within its body. Does this mean that by activating these evolution factors, Magikarp can successfully evolve?
As he walked, Yuga thought about this, not even noticing when his neighbors greeted him on the street.
Yuga was also curious about why Magikarp's evolution factors are so stable.
The most common item for suppressing a Pokémon's evolution factors was the Everstone. However, Magikarp definitely wasn't holding one; Yuga had carefully checked multiple times.
He had even gone as far as to suspect that Magikarp might have swallowed an Everstone, so he contacted Unfezant, who performed a full-body scan using psychic powers to confirm that Magikarp hadn't ingested such an item.
Could it be genetic? Yuga wasn't well-versed in genetics, but according to Nurse Joy's examination, Magikarp didn't seem to have fewer evolution factors than other Pokémon—its issue lay in their extreme stability.
Suddenly, Yuga thought about Evolutionary Stones, the most common items used to activate a Pokémon's evolution factors. Many Pokémon had stable evolution factors and required Evolutionary Stones to trigger their evolutions, like Vulpix, Growlithe, Shellder, and Staryu, among others.
Of course, Evolutionary Stones didn't just activate a Pokémon's evolution factors; their primary role was to provide the energy needed for evolution.
Although there was no precedent for using a Water Stone to evolve Magikarp, who could say it wouldn't work?
With this thought in mind, Yuga quickened his pace, eager to return to the store and test his hypothesis.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone