"Gible, you've fully mastered Draco Meteor now. No more mishaps like accidentally hitting Piplup. That's worth praising."
"Gaa-gah!"
Gible chirped joyfully and suddenly sprang toward Ash, jaws wide open in play.
But Ash was ready. He raised his arm, and Gible latched on, teeth sinking into his forearm with a familiar chomp.
"We're just two levels away from your evolution. I hope you're not like those Pokémon that keep leveling up insanely fast but never evolve. Alright, Gible, let's go!"
With Gible perched on his left shoulder and Pikachu on his right, Ash headed into the forest, a confident glint in his eye.
Meanwhile, Dawn was working on building trust and synergy with her newly gifted Togekiss.
"Togekiss, take to the skies!"
"Tooogeekiss!"
With grace and elegance, Togekiss soared into the air like a ballerina taking the stage.
Known as the Jubilee Pokémon, it's said that where Togekiss appears, all conflicts and tensions naturally dissipate.
"Perfect. Togekiss, use Aerial Ace! Target that boulder ahead!"
Togekiss responded cheerfully. Though it had only recently been handed over by Princess Salvia, it already felt a bond forming with Dawn.
But…
Having grown up in a royal palace with Salvia, Togekiss had internalized a refined, aristocratic sense of movement.
It did perform Aerial Ace—but only after making two elegant loops in the sky. Only then did it descend gracefully and strike with its wings.
The power behind the move was impressive—the boulder shattered on contact, exploding into fragments.
Dawn tilted her head, puzzled. It felt... off. But she chalked it up to their being new partners. Maybe Togekiss just needed time to adapt.
"Alright, Togekiss, now use Steel Wing and shatter those flying rock fragments!"
"Toge~!"
But once again, Togekiss added its signature flair. Instead of reacting immediately, it spun in two wide, theatrical arcs before summoning its shining metallic wings.
Unfortunately, by the time it moved in to strike, the rocks had already crashed to the ground.
"Togekiss?" the Pokémon blinked innocently, puzzled by the lack of targets.
Dawn frowned. She was starting to realize the pattern—Togekiss insisted on performing stylish midair pirouettes before any move.
Could this elegant quirk be tied to its passion for Pokémon Contests?
"Dawn, you'll need to resolve this if you want to use Togekiss in an actual Contest," Anabel observed from her seat nearby, having watched the whole scene unfold.
"Yeah… I thought having Togekiss would make things easier. But it looks like we need some serious coordination work first."
Dawn sighed and sat down on the grass, frustrated. Togekiss floated down beside her, concern in its eyes.
Anabel offered a different perspective. "Have you ever considered adjusting yourself to match Togekiss? If it loves elegance and flair, you could work that into your routines. Might even boost your Contest scores."
Dawn looked up in surprise, then locked eyes with Togekiss. After a long beat, she smiled and nodded.
"Let's give it a shot!"
A new round of training began—this time, with synchronized grace as the goal.
—Meanwhile—
Deep in the forest, Ash was fully focused on his mission.
"Gible, let's go—use Dragon Claw!"
"Gaa!"
Sharp claws formed around Gible's stubby arms, glowing with raw Dragon-type energy.
The target was a wild Stunky, just minding its own business while foraging for food. But it turned its head just in time to see Gible closing in like a bullet.
With a swing of those claws, Gible sent Stunky flying before it could even raise its tail—
BOOM!
—but the tail went up anyway.
A wave of horrifyingly foul stench exploded outward.
Ash and Pikachu clamped their noses shut at once, gagging.
Ash didn't hesitate. He snatched up Gible and bolted.
"Too smelly! Not worth the XP!"
But the encounter wasn't without its reward. Ash had just activated a 6x EXP Multiplier Card on Gible.
The system chimed in promptly.
Ding! [Gible gained 3 levels—now Level 25. But evolution did not occur.]
"…Huh?" Ash blinked.
Gible usually evolved at Level 24. So why hadn't it?
"Alright, Gible, no biggie. Let's find another opponent and get you evolved this time!"
"Gaa-gah!"
Ash returned to scouring the forest, searching for a suitable battle.
No high-level opponents for now—Gible wasn't ready to take on the big leagues just yet.
After a bit of wandering, they stumbled across a lone Aron.
"Aron usually travel in herds… this one's by itself. Odd."
This one was Level 32, a solid opponent.
The Aron hadn't noticed them until Gible stepped right in front of it. The steel-rock Pokémon quickly took a battle stance.
"Let's do it! Gible—use Sand Tomb!"
With a stomp, the ground around Aron turned to swirling quicksand, locking its limbs in place. Wind and grit spun up into a miniature sandstorm, battering Aron's armor.
Aron struggled, but Ash gave no quarter.
"Time to end this—Dig!"
Sand Tomb subsided. Gible dove underground with perfect form, bursting out beneath Aron and slamming it skyward.
Four-times effective—both Ground-type moves hitting a Steel/Rock Pokémon? Even at a lower level, Aron stood no chance.
Ding! [Gible defeated Aron. 6x EXP Multiplier Card activated. Gained 26,500 EXP!]
Level 26!
Level 27!
Level 28!
Level 29!
Then it happened.
"Gaa—GAAAH!"
A brilliant light burst from Gible's body as its shape began to morph.
The long-awaited evolution… had finally arrived.
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T/N:
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