Cherreads

Chapter 55 - Chapter 50 — A Headstart That Shook the World

India didn't control the evolution stone market.

Not even close.

Evolution stones were appearing in dozens—maybe hundreds—of Pokémon zones worldwide.

There were mines forming, caves mutating, forests crystallizing.

But…

Most countries didn't understand what these stones were.

They called them:

"Merge-Era Crystals"

"Elemental Geodes"

"High-Energy Luminous Rocks"

They sold them cheap because they assumed:

"Pretty stones = useless stones."

India, however—thanks to Aakash—knew exactly what they were from day one.

Evolution catalysts.

Power boosters.

The backbone of advanced Pokémon combat.

So while the world dismissed them as curiosities—

India quietly bought out every available stock from:

Local traders

International auctions

Private collectors

Loot sellers

Zone scavengers

Border smuggling busts

Airport confiscations

Black market drops

Anything labeled "Merge Crystal" or "shiny rock" was purchased instantly.

Not because stones were rare…

But because the global market had no clue of the price what they were holding.

India simply cleared the shelf before anyone else realized there was a shelf.

Foreign Intelligence Realization — Too Late

After Aakash's evolution stream, everything changed.

Poliwhirl → Poliwrath

Growlithe → Arcanine

Machop → Machoke

Millions watched evolution triggered by stones.

Suddenly, every intelligence agency in the world began connecting dots they had previously ignored.

Pentagon, USA — Emergency Briefing

"Sir, we've analyzed the footage.

The crystals India bought match the stones used in the evolution."

The Secretary frowned.

"So evolution can be artificially triggered? With those stones?"

"Highly likely."

"And how many did India buy?"

"…Every stone that was publicly or privately traded."

The Secretary froze.

"But evolution stones appear naturally, right? There must be more."

"Yes, sir. Many more. But India bought out the global stockpile before anyone understood the value."

A slow, grim realization formed on his face:

"India started ten laps ahead."

China — State Council Analysis

"They used those stones to evolve Growlithe into Arcanine on command?"

"Yes."

"And we sold them dozens of crates of these stones last week?"

"…Yes."

The room fell silent.

One advisor whispered:

"India has accelerated their military Pokémon strength by years."

Another corrected him:

"No… by generations."

United Kingdom — MI6 Situation Room

"Is this a monopoly?"

"No. Stones are appearing in many zones globally."

"But India bought every traded stone before we understood their function?"

"Yes."

"So they got a full year of evolution stones in advance… legally… because we labeled them worthless?"

"…That is correct."

The director rubbed his temples.

"This is what happens when you underestimate a country with actual Pokémon knowledge."

Japan — Pokémon Geology Committee

Unlike others, Japan didn't panic.

They studied.

"If stones trigger evolution, we must establish mining teams immediately."

One researcher pointed at the screen.

"India had knowledge.

We had none.

This is not a monopoly…It's simply preparation."

Russia — Kremlin Briefing

The atmosphere inside the Kremlin's Situation Chamber was frigid—colder than any Siberian winter.

A massive screen replayed the clip:

Growlithe touching the Fire Stone.

A blinding flash.

Arcanine emerging.

Then Poliwhirl becoming Poliwrath.

Next slide: a chart showing India's stone imports for the past 23 days.

Finally, the advisor spoke.

"They finally revealed the purpose of the stones, huh."

The Russian Security Chief rubbed his forehead.

"We misread the signs. We thought the stones were ornaments… decorative crystals. Harmless."

Another advisor—the oldest in the room—leaned forward, voice gravelly.

"India didn't deceive us. We deceived ourselves. They bought openly. We sold happily. They simply played the economic game perfectly… securing a huge headstart."

A low chuckle echoed from the head of the table.

The Russian leader steepled his fingers.

"In war, the one who moves first often wins.

And this is a new kind of war."

He tapped the table twice.

"How many did we acquire?"

Silence.

Finally, the Trade Minister replied:

"…We were only able to secure around 250.We acted too late."

A long pause.

Someone muttered bitterly:

"They purchased thousands… maybe tens of thousands. And for nearly two weeks, we thought we were selling them shiny rocks."

Another advisor added:

"Even worse—they revealed only two stone evolutions. We don't know how many more exist."

The leader exhaled, leaning back.

"Find every mine. Every cave. Every wild zone.

From this moment forward, Russia begins its own evolution arms race."

"And India?" someone asked.

He smiled.

"India is ahead. Just ahead.

We will catch up."

Global Public Reaction

As usual, public fear arrived after intelligence panic.

Trending tags blew up:

#IndiaPokémonHeadstart

#EvolutionStoneCraze

#PokémonArmsRace

#MergeEconomyShift

People argued online:

"Did our government sell India power-ups??"

"Why didn't we study the stones!?"

"Bruh India speedran the Pokémon meta."

"Relax, stones appear everywhere. India just bought them early."

Others were… jealous.

"Wish our country had someone like Aakash."

"He's basically guiding a nation."

"India's ahead because their trainer system is organized."

The True Threat — Slowking Remained a Secret

What the world didn't know:

India had also evolved Slowking.

A Pokémon capable of:

Learning human language

Assisting research

Interpreting psychic phenomena

Understanding complex strategy

This part never hit the livestream.

No footage.

No leaks.

No public knowledge.

While other nations scrambled to figure out:

"What are evolution stones?"

India quietly began using Slowking in classified research.

Now that was the real advantage.

Not the stones.

Not the Pokémon.

And so the world slowly realized:

Evolution stones were widely available.

But knowledge was not.

Zones could be mined everywhere.

But strategy was not.

Every country could evolve Pokémon.

But India was doing it first.

India was doing it fast.

India was doing it intelligently.

The race wasn't about resources.

It was about understanding the new world faster than anyone else.

And India—guided by Aakash—had already taken the lead.

__________________________

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