"Dodge, then strike it down with your claws!"
Seeing Taillow's speed slow, Yozora gave a sharp order.
Poochyena immediately sidestepped and lashed out, slamming its paw down hard on Taillow's back. With a loud bam, Taillow was knocked out of the air and crashed onto the ground.
"Ah! Taillow…"
The Youngster stared in disbelief as his Taillow lost the ability to battle. His knees gave way, and he collapsed helplessly. Never in his wildest dreams did he think his three Pokémon wouldn't even be able to defeat a single one from the opponent.
What he didn't know was that the boy standing across from him—Yozora—though also young, was already a two-time Champion of the League Conference. They simply weren't on the same level.
Defeated, the Youngster trudged away in dejection.
But at that moment, even Poochyena seemed drained of strength. Its once-sharp eyes dulled, and it flopped onto the ground like a tired pup.
"You've done great, Poochyena. You worked really hard." Yozora walked over, crouched down, and gently stroked its body.
At the same time, he pulled out a Spray Potion and treated its wounds.
After tending to it, he gave Poochyena some fresh milk, restoring its vigor. With that, Yozora set off again with Poochyena, searching for more opponents to challenge.
The next encounter was with a wild Rookie-level Poochyena.
The wild one snarled fiercely, but Yozora's own Poochyena… actually cowered, tail tucked, shivering in fear.
Yozora sighed helplessly.
He thought his Poochyena had already overcome its timid nature. Clearly, it hadn't.
During the battle with the Youngster earlier, its ferocity was only thanks to Howl. That move forced its spirit to rise.
"So it needs to open with Howl every time?"
Yozora sighed again. Accepting reality, he thought—fine. Opening with Howl wasn't the worst thing. Besides, once Poochyena evolved into Mightyena, its Ability would change from Run Away to Intimidate, and it naturally wouldn't be timid anymore.
What Yozora didn't consider, however, was this—
A timid Poochyena wouldn't evolve into Mightyena unless it first overcame its fear.
"Poochyena, use Howl!"
"Poochyena, use Howl!"
"Poochyena, use Howl!"
From then on, in every battle, Yozora commanded Poochyena to start with Howl, boosting its courage.
That move was like a switch built into Poochyena—press it, and the timid pup transformed into a brave wolf.
After an exhausting day, Yozora made camp by a riverbank with his weary Poochyena.
He patted its head, preparing dinner and rewarding it with a hearty meal. Of course, Jade and Larvitar weren't left out either.
Especially Larvitar—it circled the camp, chewing up large chunks of soil like a farmer tilling his fields.
Crunch, crunch!
The next morning at dawn, Yozora was awakened by a strange sound. Blinking, he looked over and saw Larvitar gnawing on a rock.
"You've grown teeth, Larvitar?" Yozora exclaimed with joy, quickly picking it up and checking. Sure enough, a neat row of sharp little teeth had sprouted.
It had also put on quite a bit of weight.
An adult Larvitar could weigh dozens of kilograms, sometimes over a hundred. Yozora's Larvitar, still a newborn, had only been about ten kilos until now.
"Rarrr~"
Cradled in Yozora's arms, Larvitar squinted happily, its eyes curving like crescent moons as it playfully wriggled.
After a short play, it climbed nimbly onto Yozora's shoulder, curled up at the back of his neck, and promptly dozed off.
Just like a human infant—eat, then sleep. It was all to store up energy.
Once that energy reached a certain point, it would shed its juvenile phase.
After settling Larvitar, Yozora turned his attention to Poochyena.
Thanks to yesterday's battles and Yozora's careful support, Poochyena had finally leveled up to Junior-tier.
Its aura was stronger than most Pokémon of the same rank, showing it wasn't far from reaching Senior-tier.
If one translated this into game terms, it was probably around level 15 or 16.
"Let's go, Poochyena. Give it your all again today."
After breakfast, Yozora and Poochyena ventured deeper into the forest.
A week passed.
Through countless battles, Poochyena had finally reached Senior-tier. Technically speaking, it should have evolved by now.
But Yozora's Poochyena… hadn't.
"Why? If it evolved, it wouldn't be timid anymore," Yozora muttered in puzzlement.
Even though its power had clearly grown with each level, its timid nature remained. Every battle still required a Howl at the start to muster courage.
"Could it be… it has to overcome its fear first before it can evolve?" Yozora suddenly realized. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made.
If that was the case, then he wouldn't rush. With enough training, Poochyena would eventually conquer its fear.
It was only a matter of time.
They pressed onward.
Now that Poochyena could easily defeat other Senior-tier Pokémon, Yozora began seeking Elite-tier opponents.
Two days later, Poochyena had taken down multiple Elites: a Beedrill, an Ariados, a Scyther, a Nuzleaf, and more. Each victory made it stronger, more confident.
In private moments, it no longer carried that gloomy air.
"Poochyena, use Dig!"
With Yozora's order, Poochyena burst from underground, sending a wild Persian flying.
At that moment, a silver-haired boy strolled up. "Your Poochyena's pretty good. How about a battle against mine?"
He looked about fifteen—likely a Rookie Trainer this year. Smiling, he pulled out a Luxury Ball and challenged Yozora.
"A Luxury Ball, huh? Interesting."
Yozora smiled faintly. A rookie using a Luxury Ball? Clearly, this wasn't an ordinary kid.
Sure enough, on closer inspection, the boy wore nothing but brand-name gear. A wealthy young master, no doubt.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aki, and I will become the world's strongest Trainer! My partner is this one—go, Rattata!"
"Rattata?"
Yozora blinked.
Seriously? A plain Rattata stored in a Luxury Ball? That was rich-kid extravagance at its finest. Or maybe… was this some new kind of flex?
He shook his head, lips twitching.
But then, when Aki's Rattata appeared, Yozora froze.
This wasn't an ordinary Rattata.
It was a Shiny Rattata. No wonder it warranted a Luxury Ball.
The silver-coated mouse gleamed among the forest's green backdrop, dazzling and rare.
[Rattata] (Normal) – Elite Mid-tier, Champion potential.
As expected of a Shiny Pokémon—even a Rattata carried Champion-level potential.
Its level wasn't low either, already Elite-tier.
In fact, at that stage, it was nearing evolution into Raticate.
"Go, Rattata—use Quick Attack!" Aki barked, eyes burning with confidence.
Whoosh!
The silver blur shot forward like lightning, slamming into Poochyena before it could react.
Poochyena was hurled backward, paws scraping furrows in the earth.
Yozora's eyes widened slightly. "Such speed… it surpasses even most Elites."
Aki smirked, clenching his fist. "Press on, Rattata! Use Extreme Speed!"
"What?! Extreme Speed?!"
Yozora's eyes flew wide in shock. A Rattata, mastering Extreme Speed? Impossible—unless it was inherited. Whoever its parent was… they had to be formidable.
Rattata's body blurred again, cutting the air so fast white streaks trailed around it. With that force, it slammed into Poochyena once more.
"Arghh!"
This time, Poochyena cried out in pain—the damage was heavy.
Fortunately, thanks to the buffs it had built up earlier against that wild Persian, its Stamina and Speed Boost traits were stacked…
Otherwise, relying only on base defense, it would have already lost to Extreme Speed.
The agony awakened something in Poochyena. Its wolfish instincts surged, eyes fierce, aura flaring.
"What? Hit by Extreme Speed and still standing?" Aki gawked in disbelief.
"Good! Poochyena, Dig again!" Yozora ordered, grinning.
Having mastered Dig over the past week, Poochyena tunneled underground in a flash, dodging the silver streak.
"Damn it—it's using Dig! Where will it strike from?!" Aki panicked, lacking the calm experience of a veteran.
His Rattata mirrored his unease, skittering nervously, eyes darting about.
Yozora chuckled. "In that state, you're a sitting duck."
Bam!
Sure enough, Poochyena burst out, hurling Rattata into the air.
It crashed down battered, eyes dim, barely holding on.
That was the combined force of Howl and Huge Power.
Aki's Rattata might have speed and strength, but its defenses were paper-thin.
"Stand up, Rattata! Don't give in!" Aki shouted desperately.
Somehow, with sheer willpower, the Shiny Rattata staggered to its feet.
Yozora's smile widened. "Dig again, Poochyena."
And down it went. Aki froze.
Extreme Speed did nothing against Dig.
Meanwhile, Poochyena's Dig hit home every time.
Bam!
The second strike landed, and this time, Rattata collapsed completely, eyes spiraling, fainting on the spot.
"Rattata!" Aki rushed forward, scooping up his beloved partner. After confirming its injuries weren't serious, he sighed in relief and returned it to its Luxury Ball.
Then he pulled out another.
"Go—Nincada!"
A golden shimmer lit the field—his second Shiny Pokémon.
Where normal Nincada was gray-white, this one gleamed with a radiant gold sheen.
"Two Shinies?!" Yozora couldn't help clicking his tongue. This rich kid was unbelievable.
Aki smirked proudly under Yozora's gaze. "Impressive, isn't it? My Nincada may not look like much now, but once it evolves into Shiny Ninjask, it'll be the coolest thing ever!"
"…That would be cool," Yozora admitted. Just imagining a golden Ninjask stirred a bit of envy.
Still, one look at Aki's smug face told him there was no way that bug was for sale.
[Nincada] (Bug/Ground) – Senior-tier, Elite Four potential.
Strong, but not quite at Rattata's level. Likely a recent acquisition.
"Charge in, Poochyena! Use Bite!" Yozora commanded.
Poochyena darted forward, speed nearly rivaling Rattata's thanks to fully stacked Speed Boost.
But Aki grinned. "I was waiting for that! Nincada—Dig!"
Shhk!
The golden bug drilled into the earth, dodging the attack with perfect timing.
(End of Chapter)