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With the System and Gaia's will guiding him, the only true limit on Kael's growth was time.
These past six months have been the most efficient period of advancement since he first arrived in this world.
Under Gaia's guidance, he hunted Ultra Beasts and destroyed Phantom Order bases.
He leveled up, He took revenge.
Each step forward filled him with purpose.
Since leaving Whiteleaf Town, Kael had reached the astonishing level of 73.
Seventeen levels gained in just over two hundred days.
For a Pokémon already in the late stages of growth, it was nothing short of extraordinary.
Back when he faced Guzzlord, even after activating his Crowned Shield form, his strength had only barely surpassed level seventy.
Now, things were different.
Even without using Zamazenta's Heart or entering his Crowned Shield form, Kael was confident he could fight Guzzlord on equal footing.
With luck, he might even win.
And with his Crowned Shield form…
He suspected his raw physical strength had already reached Champion-tier, based on the standards of his previous world.
With his equipment and abilities, he might even be capable of challenging certain lesser legendaries.
However, the truth was that he didn't know his exact limits.
There were too few worthy opponents left.
The Ultra Beasts, once terrifying, had long since stopped pushing him to his limits.
The Phantom Order's destroyed bases had offered no meaningful resistance either.
But that wasn't what troubled him most.
What mattered was evolution.
After defeating Pheromosa, he had clearly felt it.
The barrier had returned.
Another evolutionary threshold.
At first, he had been excited. He assumed it was only a matter of leveling up.
He had been wrong.
Now, at level 73, he still hadn't evolved into Machamp.
Even across the entire Pokémon world, such a high evolution requirement would be almost unheard of.
Still, there was progress.
The barrier had become clearer.
He knew exactly what he needed.
Level 75.
Just two levels away.
It sounded simple.
It wasn't.
At his current strength, ordinary Pokémon gave him nothing.
No experience.
No progress.
Only Pokémon at the peak of King-tier strength or higher could provide meaningful growth. Or extremely rare natural treasures infused with immense energy.
Both were rare.
In this ruined world, they were nearly nonexistent.
That left only one reliable path.
Ultra Beasts.
Which was exactly why Kael had come here.
And exactly why he was frustrated.
The stronger he became, the less experience each Ultra Beast provided.
At first, defeating one had given him five or six levels of experience.
Then three or four.
Now…
One or two at most.
He had expected Stakataka to grant enough experience to push him directly to level 75.
But he hadn't accounted for type advantage.
His Focus Punch had been too effective.
Too decisive.
Too efficient.
He feared the result even before opening the System.
The faint increase in energy within him confirmed his suspicion.
Still, he had to know.
He opened the System interface.
Ding.
A clear notification echoed in his mind.
Defeated: Stakataka
Experience gained: 82
Kael sighed softly.
As expected.
Less than usual.
Not insignificant.
But not enough.
He opened his status panel.
Species: Machoke
Level: 74
Ability: Steadfast
So close.
So frustratingly close.
He closed the panel without reading further.
Aside from Sacred Sword becoming fully unlocked as a usable skill, little else had changed in recent months.
At his level, new abilities were rare.
His growth now lay in refinement, not acquisition.
Kael stood silently in the empty field.
"…Damn it."
"Where am I supposed to find thirty-three more experience points?"
Normally, he wouldn't care.
He would simply hunt another Ultra Beast.
But this time was different.
Time was running out.
He hadn't crossed the continent just for experience.
There was something else.
A feeling.
A warning.
Gaia's will stirred deep within him, urging him forward.
Something was coming.
Something that would accelerate the collapse of this world.
And he had made a promise.
A promise to Tapu Koko.
He would stop it.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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