(A Big thanks to Jawad Choua ,Hunter Waldo and Allen Pellissery for being a Quill Club patron.)
"Whoa, is that a Gible?"
"I heard a rumor there was a freshman with a late bloomer Pokémon, I didn't think it was true!"
"But wait, he's not a Battle-major student? Why would someone like that be in Business Admin?"
A buzz went through the audience. A Gible was indeed a rare and powerful sight. Most new students were lucky to get one of the standard starters. It had been years since a freshman had started with a pseudo-legendary cub.
Silas ignored the gossip, even the whispers that he must be the illegitimate son of some Dragon-type Elite Four member. It was just human nature.
"A Gible is strong, sure," his opponent, said confidently. "But at this early stage, it can't beat my Munchlax!"
"Munchlax, use Body Slam!"
"Gible, we'll use Sand Tomb!"
Silas's command came second, but his Gible was much faster. It immediately whipped up a vortex of sand, trapping the Munchlax before it could even move.
"Don't be afraid, Munchlax, jump out of there!"
"Kabi—!" Munchlax leaped into the air, attempting to crush Gible with its heavy body. It landed a solid hit, but the moment it made contact, Gible's [Rough Skin] ability activated, scraping Munchlax and dealing recoil damage. The instant it landed, Munchlax stumbled into the sand trap, taking another hit from the ongoing vortex.
"Now's our chance! Gible, use Dragon Claw!"
Though small, the brave Gible rushed forward. A claw of pure draconic energy slammed into Munchlax's belly, knocking it back into the sand pit.
"Mu... nch..." Munchlax's eyes turned into swirls. It had fainted. It lay in the sand pit, getting a refreshing, if involuntary, sand bath.
"How? My little Munchlax..." Wang stared in disbelief.
But the logic was sound. Munchlax had taken continuous damage from Sand Tomb, recoil damage from Rough Skin, and a final, super-effective STAB Dragon Claw. The loss was not an injustice.
"Munchlax is unable to battle! The winner is Silas Gray from the Department of Business Administration!" the referee announced.
Silas recalled Gible and returned to the sidelines, where Nurse Mimosa was waiting. "Your battle strategy was an excellent choice, Silas."
She had a soft spot for the pair, having treated Gible many times over the past few days. Silas, operating under the principle that school benefits were meant to be used, had been shamelessly bringing Gible to the infirmary for "recuperation" after every training session. It wasn't about the bland medical food; it was about getting more contact with the "Angel of the Infirmary."
"I was just shouting slogans," Silas smiled. "Gible was the one who executed the orders."
"Gib~ (^▽^)" Gible grinned, seeking affection.
Silas reached out to praise his partner, subconsciously going to pat its head.
"Sizzle..." His hand scraped against its rough hide. [Rough Skin] activated. His own HP dropped by one-eighth. He shook his hand, wincing. Was this constant friendly fire a required part of being a Pokémon trainer?
"You're so careless, Silas," Mimosa scolded, frowning, before immediately opening her medical kit. As the perfect 'Infirmary Angel,' she took out a bandage and began to wrap his red hand.
If the price of creating more contact with her is constantly getting injured... Silas thought, then that's a bit too heavy a price for me to pay. From now on, Gible can be the one getting all the injuries.
Gible: o.o ??? Gib?
The qualifying rounds continued. After the surprisingly durable Munchlax, Silas and Gible faced a gauntlet of more common starter Pokémon: Charmeleon, Wartortle, Ivysaur, and even a few regional birds like Pidgeotto and Staravia.
His next match was against a student from the Battle Department, whose starter had already evolved from a Charmander into a Charmeleon. In terms of evolution, the opponent was ahead. But thanks to Silas's diligent training, Gible's actual "level" was more than comparable.
The real advantage, however, came from a fundamental truth of the Pokémon world. The Dragon-type, as the pinnacle of fantasy species, possessed an innate resistance to the four core natural elements: Fire, Water, Grass, and Electric. Unless faced with a Fairy or Ice-type, a Dragon-type Pokémon like Gible held a massive advantage over most common starters.
Against these types, a dragon being three levels behind was considered 'balanced.' At the same level, it was a direct, overwhelming crush. This was like putting a shark in a kiddie pool.
"Gib!"
The Charmeleon's Ember attack hit Gible sporadically, but the flames barely seemed to cause any significant damage. Gible simply charged forward and kicked the Charmeleon in the face with its short, powerful legs.
Enraged, the Charmeleon retaliated with Metal Claw, its claws shining with a metallic luster.
"Well done, Gible! Use Dragon Claw!" Silas commanded.
Gible, having just landed, spun around. Purple draconic energy formed around its stubby fins as it leaped up to meet the Charmeleon head-on. On paper, it seemed like Charmeleon's attack should be more powerful. But it wasn't. Metal Claw had a mere 50 base power and received no STAB bonus for Charmeleon. Dragon Claw, on the other hand, had 80 base power and did get a 1.5x STAB bonus from Gible.
"GIB!"
Though small, Gible was incredibly brave. Its Dragon Claw shot up with force , overpowering the Metal Claw and knocking the Charmeleon out cold. Another victory.
"Gib-gib..." Gible put its hands on its hips, looking pleased and proud. That's what a true Dragon-type is, it seemed to say. You, whose name is 'fire dinosaur' but is really just a lizard, shouldn't even try to compete.
(Charmeleon: But I can learn Dragon Dance!)
(Gible: I... didn't expect this, but I've already learned Dragon Dance!)
The crowd buzzed with discussion. The so-called "weak early stage" of a late bloomer didn't seem so weak after all. Gold will always shine, it just needs the right opportunity. The Sprout Cup was proving to be the first stage for Silas and Gible on their road to becoming legends.
Relying on Gible's natural advantage against the standard starters, combined with his own superior tactical commands, Silas had dominated the preliminaries. He hadn't even needed to reveal his trump card, the Dragon Dance. With a clean 6-0 record, he advanced to the main competition of the Sprout Cup.
Even so, Silas felt it wasn't enough. The evolution of a "late bloomer" Pokémon required far more battle experience than ordinary species. While reality wasn't a game with a quantifiable EXP bar, it was undeniable that more battles would help Gible grow stronger, faster. To that end, he resolved to supplement their daily training with as many live battles as possible. It meant a grueling schedule, but it was a necessary hardship. His ultimate goal might be to live a lazy, peaceful life, but to achieve that future, he and Gible had to work twice as hard now.
As the competition ended and Silas walked down from the stands, he was immediately surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, blocking his exit.
"Hey, where did you get your Gible?" one student asked.
"Since you're not a Battle major, it's a waste for you to have a late bloomer like that," another, clearly a rich kid, declared. "Why don't you sell it to me? I'll definitely treat it well!"
Silas frowned. He wasn't surprised by the envy—Garchomp was a Champion's ace, after all. "Sorry," he said, his voice firm. "Gible is my starter Pokémon. I will never sell it to anyone."
"Gib—! (¬_¬)!" Gible stuck out its tongue and made a face at the crowd. It had traveled to this world with Silas; they were practically twin souls. It would never recognize another trainer.
"That's right, that's right!" A familiar voice cut through the crowd as Leo arrived with his Yamper. "Any real trainer knows their starter is family and not for sale! My Yamper isn't particularly rare, but if anyone tried to take him away, I'd get angry with them!"
"He's right," the rich student said, looking embarrassed. He touched his nose, then bowed his head slightly toward Silas. "I was too impulsive and spoke without thinking. I'm sorry."
"...Huh?!" Silas was genuinely surprised. He had been mentally preparing for a classic web novel confrontation, a scene where the arrogant young master makes threats, forcing him to "play dumb before revealing his true power" and have Gible counterattack.
But instead, he got a polite and reasonable apology.
He reflected on it as he and Leo walked away. Maybe this Pokémon world was genuinely just... nicer. He recalled stories of the Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone, casually giving away a precious Mega Stone to a trainer he admired, or the countless times Ash Ketchum had been helped by kind strangers in remote villages. Perhaps judging this world by the standards of his cynical old one was the real mistake.
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