The battle was brief. Gible's claws caught the Krabby's shell, scraping against the hard carapace but failing to penetrate completely.
The crab retaliated with Vice Grip, its massive claw clamping down on Gible's arm.
The dragon snarled in pain but didn't back down.
"Dragon Rage!"
The flames erupted at point-blank range, cooking the Krabby inside its own shell. It released Gible immediately, staggering backward before collapsing.
[VICTORY!]
[KRABBY DEFEATED - Level 10]
[EXP GAINED: +104]
[Current EXP: 259/290]
[+1 FREE EV]
[Free EVs: 8]
I checked Gible for injuries. His arm showed bruising where the Vice Grip had connected, but nothing serious. A Potion spray would handle it easily.
"Good work," I told him, applying the healing medicine. "Take a breath. We've got more coming."
And I was right. The scent of battle—of blood and burnt scales and defeated opponents—was drawing even more wild Pokémon to our location.
It was like ringing a dinner bell for every predator and scavenger in the area.
A Tentacool floated forward from the surf, its tentacles trailing in the sand.
I was beginning to recognize the species' attack patterns now—they relied on poison and physical strikes, nothing that could seriously threaten Gible's Steel-typing.
"Dragon Rage!"
One shot. The jellyfish collapsed immediately.
[TENTACOOL DEFEATED - Level 10]
[EXP GAINED: +95]
[LEVEL UP!]
[GIBLE: Level 11 → Level 12]
[Current EXP: 64/320]
[+1 FREE EV]
[Free EVs: 9]
Level 12. Gible's form shifted again, growing slightly larger and more solid. His scales gleamed brighter red, and the metallic sheen from his Steel-typing became more pronounced.
I pulled up his status screen to check our progress:
POKÉMON: Gible
Level: 12
Type: Dragon/Steel
HP: 34
ATK: 22
DEF: 27
SP. ATK: 15
SP. DEF: 15
SPEED: 19
Moves: Tackle, Sand Attack, Scale Shot, Dragon Rage, Metal Claw
Ability: Rough Skin
Free EVs: 9
Current EXP: 64/320
We were getting close. Just a few more battles and we'd hit the target numbers I needed.
But the Pokémon approaching now were different.
Smaller.
Weaker.
The Level 10 threats had been driven off or defeated, and what remained were the opportunistic scavengers hoping to steal scraps.
A Wingull landed near the fire, eyeing the cooked fish with obvious hunger. The seabird Pokémon was tiny compared to the evolved forms we'd been fighting—maybe Level 3 at most.
"Gull! Wingull!" It hopped closer, emboldened by desperation.
Gible looked at me questioningly.
"Go ahead," I said. "Quick fight. Dragon Rage."
The flames were overkill against such a small opponent. The Wingull collapsed immediately, unconscious but alive.
[WINGULL DEFEATED - Level 3]
[EXP GAINED: +19]
[Current EXP: 83/320]
[+1 FREE EV]
[Free EVs: 10]
Ten Free EVs.
Enough for a stat allocation.
But before I could make that decision, more low-level Pokémon emerged from the darkness. The strong had been driven away, but the weak sensed opportunity.
A Swinub—a small pig-like Ice and Ground-type covered in brown fur—snuffled at the edges of our camp.
Its presence made sense given the snowy environment, but it was clearly desperate for food to venture this close to a fire.
"Swinub!" It squealed when it noticed us.
Gible dispatched it with a single Metal Claw, the Steel-type move cutting through its fur easily.
[SWINUB DEFEATED - Level 3]
[EXP GAINED: +23]
[Current EXP: 106/320]
[+1 FREE EV]
[Free EVs: 11]
A Snorunt appeared next, the Ice-type's conical body shivering in what might have been fear or cold. Its facial structure gave it a perpetual smile, but I could see wariness in its eyes.
"Snorunt..." It backed away when Gible turned toward it.
"Dragon Rage."
Another one-shot knockout.
[SNORUNT DEFEATED - Level 3]
[EXP GAINED: +22]
[Current EXP: 128/320]
[+1 FREE EV]
[Free EVs: 12]
The pattern continued.
The smell of food and battle drew low-level Pokémon, each one providing minimal experience but contributing valuable EVs to our total.
A small Tentacool, barely a foot across. Dragon Rage.
[TENTACOOL DEFEATED - Level 3
[EXP GAINED: +26]
[Current EXP: 154/320]
[+1 FREE EV]
[Free EVs: 13]
A juvenile Krabby with a shell still soft from recent molting.
Metal Claw.
[KRABBY DEFEATED - Level 3]
[EXP GAINED: +28]
[Current EXP: 182/320]
[+1 FREE EV]
[Free EVs: 14]
A Shellder that had wandered too close to shore.
Dragon Rage.
[SHELLDER DEFEATED - Level 3]
[EXP GAINED: +23]
[Current EXP: 205/320]
[+1 FREE EV]
[Free EVs: 15]
And finally, a small Staryu that floated curiously toward our fire, its core pulsing with faint light.
Metal Claw shattered it, sending the pieces spinning across the sand before they reformed and the Pokémon fled.
[STARYU DEFEATED - Level 3]
[EXP GAINED: +26]
[Current EXP: 231/320]
[+1 FREE EV]
[Free EVs: 16]
I checked the time: 9:03 PM.
The tide was at its lowest point now.
The cave entrance, submerged earlier, was fully visible.
A dark opening in the cliff face, large enough for a person to enter, led into shadows my firelight couldn't penetrate.
And scattered around our campfire were the unconscious or fleeing forms of over thirty defeated Pokémon.
Some had recovered and retreated. Others still lay on the sand, too injured or exhausted to move.
The beach looked like a battlefield.
Gible stood in the center of it all, crimson scales gleaming, Metal Claw still active and shimmering silver-white in the darkness.
He looked every bit the predator he was.
A dragon who had defended his territory against all challengers.
I pulled up his final status for the night:
POKÉMON: Gible
Level: 12
Type: Dragon/Steel
HP: 34
ATK: 22
DEF: 27
SP. ATK: 15
SP. DEF: 15
SPEED: 19
Moves: Tackle, Sand Attack, Scale Shot, Dragon Rage, Metal Claw
Ability: Rough Skin
Free EVs: 16
Current EXP: 231/320
Sixteen Free EVs ready for allocation.
Level 12 with substantial combat experience. Metal Claw learned and tested in real battle.
We were ready.
And right on cue, I heard movement from the cave entrance.
Something was emerging from the darkness.
Something that had watched our entire display of strength and decided we were worth approaching.
I turned toward the cave, and Gible positioned himself at my side, ready for whatever came next.
The firelight caught movement.
Small, blue, quadrupedal.
A Totodile stepped into the light.