Yozora froze for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.
Using Dig in front of a Dig expert?Wasn't that just asking to be defeated?
Smiling, Yozora shouted,"Alright, Poochyena, you dig into the ground too—and finish it off!"
"What?!" Aki's eyes widened in shock as Poochyena burrowed underground. At this point, all he could do was pray.
Unfortunately, prayers never worked in battle.
Moments later, Poochyena re-emerged, gripping Nincada in its jaws. With a flick of its head, it tossed the Bug-type aside with casual grace.
Nincada had lost the ability to fight.
"Ah… Nincada…" Aki sighed helplessly. He hadn't expected that his spur-of-the-moment tactic would end up backfiring so badly.
"Come back, Nincada. Then it's all up to you… Go, Combusken!" Aki sent out his third Pokémon—likely his last.
Combusken, the evolved form of Torchic, stood on two legs in humanoid fashion. Compared to its pre-evolution, it now had arms with sharp claws, though its strength still lay in its powerful kicks.
[Combusken](Fire + Fighting)Senior-level Elite, potential reaching Elite Four.
"Shoo-shoo-shoo…"The moment it appeared, Combusken began striking rapid kicks into the air, honing its waist and leg strength.
Clearly, this was a hard-working and battle-hungry Pokémon.
But so what?
"Poochyena, use Dig again," Yozora ordered, repeating his strategy.
"Seriously?! Again?" Aki's frustration boiled over. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed across his mind.
"Combusken, aim for the hole and use Flamethrower!"
Combusken darted toward the opening and unleashed scorching flames deep into the tunnel. Soon after, Poochyena scrambled out, its rear singed black, looking utterly miserable.
"Not bad. You're starting to grow a little," Yozora said with a small smile.
"Combusken, Double Kick!" Aki barked.
In an instant, Combusken dashed forward, delivering two fierce kicks that struck Poochyena hard, sending it flying before it crashed heavily onto the ground.
With Poochyena taking hit after hit, Aki's confidence surged. His aura grew sharper."Now, the finishing blow—Combusken, Flamethrower!"
BOOM!
A torrent of flames engulfed Poochyena, finally knocking it out.
"Impressive."
Yozora praised calmly as he recalled his fainted Pokémon. Then he tossed another Poké Ball forward."Your turn—Jade!"
"A Shiny Miltank?!" Aki's eyes widened. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected Yozora—who looked so ordinary at first glance—to own a Shiny Pokémon!
Of course, that was just his imagination. In reality, Yozora wasn't ordinary at all—he was strikingly handsome.
More importantly, beyond his looks, he was an unbelievably powerful trainer.
And this Shiny Miltank? Not his only one. It just happened to be the only Shiny he had brought along this time.
"How interesting… How very interesting. You actually own a Shiny Pokémon too…"
Aki grinned, eyes blazing with renewed fighting spirit."Combusken, Double Kick! Go!"
"Block it!" Yozora ordered immediately.
BAM! BAM!
Combusken's muscular legs slammed into Jade twice in quick succession—yet the Miltank didn't budge an inch.
Its unyielding defense left Aki completely stunned.
Before Yozora could even give another command, Jade countered. Its fist shot forward with tremendous force, carrying a surge of compressed air that blasted into Combusken, hurling it across the field. The Fire-type crashed down with a pained cry, badly injured.
"That's Dynamic Punch! Jade actually learned Dynamic Punch on its own?" Yozora's eyes gleamed with excitement.
The sheer power of the blow was immense—enough to gravely wound Combusken in a single strike.
"Combusken, are you alright?!" Aki called out anxiously.
With its trainer's encouragement, Combusken staggered back onto its feet… but it was too late.
"Jade, finish this with Rollout!"
Obeying, the Shiny Miltank tucked into a ball of green energy and rolled forward like a boulder, slamming Combusken away once more.
This time, Combusken had no strength left. It collapsed completely.
"Combusken… I lost…? I actually lost…?" Aki fell to his knees, eyes hollow, unable to accept the truth of his defeat.
Yozora recalled Jade with a smile."Don't worry, young man. For a Rookie, you've already performed very well."
Those words gave Aki a small measure of comfort. He slowly stood up again."Senior… your Shiny Miltank is incredible. I'd like to trade my Rattata and Nincada for it. Would that be acceptable?"
Yozora gave him a strange look. The boy wasn't stupid—he understood Shiny Pokémon were precious.
But clearly, Jade's value far surpassed the worth of both Rattata and Nincada combined.
"No. Jade is my precious partner. I would never trade it away. But you… if you're willing, I'd like to buy your Nincada instead." Yozora replied.
"Buy it?"
Aki blinked, brushing back his silver bangs with a smirk."Do I look like someone strapped for money?"
"Not really," Yozora admitted with a shrug. "But what about this?"
He took out a shimmering item and set it before Aki.
"This is… Never-Melt Ice?!" Aki gasped.
"You recognize it, huh? Rare stuff. Even with money, it's hard to find," Yozora said lightly.
Aki nodded repeatedly."It is a good item… but it's useless for me. If it were a Fire Stone, then maybe."
A Fire Stone could have boosted his Combusken's growth and potential. But Never-Melt Ice? He didn't even have an Ice-type Pokémon.
"I see. Then never mind." Yozora put the item away without pressing the issue.
So he couldn't get the Shiny Nincada. No big deal. He could always catch an ordinary one.
"My name's Yozora. Let's battle again next time." After parting ways with Aki, Yozora moved onward.
A few days later, Yozora arrived at a Nincada territory—a grassy field filled with them.
He examined them one by one. To his disappointment, the strongest among them only had Gym Leader-level potential.
That wasn't bad, but after seeing Aki's Shiny Nincada with Elite Four potential, Yozora no longer cared for anything less.
Just as he was about to leave, a sudden buzzing filled the air—the frantic beating of wings.
He looked up and spotted a Ninjask.
Its golden head, black body, and massive wings gave it the appearance of a giant cicada.
[Pokémon]: Ninjask
[Type]: Bug + Flying
[Ability]: Speed Boost
[Level]: Senior Elite
[Potential]: Gym Leader
[Notes]: Possesses incredible speed far beyond its level. Exercise caution.
Yozora sighed in disappointment. Gym potential again.
If it had been Elite Four potential, he would've captured it without hesitation.
"Still, Speed Boost isn't bad. I can at least harvest the ability—my stock of Speed Boost is running low."
Most Ninjask possessed that ability. They were already naturally fast, but with Speed Boost, they became terrifyingly quick.
"Jade, your turn." Yozora released his sturdy Shiny Miltank.
Instantly, the Ninjask found its target and lunged with repeated Quick Attacks.
Its strikes were fast and sharp, but Jade's defense was too high. The attacks left only faint scratches.
What's more, with Stamina triggering, Jade's defense grew stronger with each hit. The damage grew weaker and weaker.
But the Ninjask didn't relent. It grew faster and faster, wings buzzing furiously as it continued its relentless assault.
Meanwhile, Jade simply stood still, ignoring the attacks.
First, Ninjask was simply too fast to counterattack.Second, its defense had already peaked—Ninjask's blows barely scratched it.
"Shoo-shoo-shoo…!"
Infuriated by Jade's indifference, the Ninjask attacked with all its might—until finally, it exhausted itself completely and collapsed beneath Jade's hoof.
At that moment, Yozora extracted the Speed Boost ability.
"Well done, Jade. Let's move on." Yozora recalled his partner with a chuckle and continued forward.
Not capturing a Nincada didn't bother him. After all, Nincada were common Pokémon found in many forests. If not this time, then the next.
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Poochyena had grown a lot—from 30 cm to 50 cm tall, its body sturdier and its fangs sharper. More importantly, its eyes now brimmed with confidence.
Its level had reached Junior Elite. Evolution was drawing near.
Jade remained the same—round and chubby as ever.
But Larvitar had grown the most. Its size and weight had increased significantly. Its rocky skin had hardened, proof that it had passed its infancy stage and reached Rookie level.
Though Larvitar required far more experience than most Pokémon to grow stronger, it now had genuine battle strength.
Which meant Yozora could begin training it.
"Alright, Larvitar—use Taunt!" Yozora commanded.
With a fierce glare, Larvitar intimidated a nearby Wurmple, making the small Bug Pokémon's hairs stand on end.
Despite its low level and youth, Larvitar's aura was already impressive.
"Now—Rock Throw!"
Somehow, Larvitar produced a fist-sized rock and hurled it straight at Wurmple.
Still trembling from Taunt, the Bug froze, unable to dodge. The rock struck true, knocking it out instantly.
"Wuuuh!"
In its very first battle, Larvitar had won—and it leapt into the air in joy.
But only moments later, it plopped onto the ground and began greedily devouring soil.
Without question, Larvitar had leveled up. But its appetite had grown with it.
Thankfully, it was easy to raise—plain soil was enough to satisfy it.
Of course, energy-rich ores would be better. Yozora had the means to provide them, but not the minerals on hand. He would need to buy some in the next city.
Until then, Larvitar would have to make do with dirt.
After eating its fill, the little Rock-type climbed onto Yozora's shoulders and fell asleep, snoring softly.
At around 20 kilograms now, it was still light enough for Yozora to carry with ease.
More importantly, through their time together, trainer and Pokémon had formed a bond of mutual understanding—he and Larvitar were connected heart-to-heart.
And as if in response, Larvitar's fifth ability slot had unlocked.
Currently, it had: Guts, Huge Power, Stamina,Speed Boost
The fifth slot remained empty, but Yozora was waiting for the rare ability Pure Power.
Like Huge Power, it doubled physical attack power. But Pure Power was incredibly rare—exclusive to Meditite and Medicham.
And Meditite and Medicham were native to Hoenn.
Though Larvitar had leveled up, it still slept constantly, needing long rests after every meal.
So Yozora relied mainly on Poochyena as he traveled onward.
Eventually, they reached a jungle dominated by Slakoth.
The Normal-types lay sprawled lazily on the ground, motionless even when Yozora and Poochyena walked past.
Shaking his head, Yozora had no desire to battle such creatures and pressed forward.
His Aura senses told him stronger Pokémon lay ahead—many of them at Senior Elite level.
Most likely, Vigoroth.
Unlike Slakoth, which only had the Truant ability, Vigoroth possessed only Vital Spirit. Energetic and restless, they could never fall asleep in battle—even under the effects of Sleep Powder.
And if they evolved further, they would become the mighty Slaking.
Slaking boasted incredible strength, stamina, and even speed—on par with, if not surpassing, many Legendaries.
But like Slakoth, Slaking carried the crippling Truant ability. Despite their overwhelming stats, they wasted their power by loafing around.
Thus, their levels were usually low. And in battle, they often appeared weaker than they truly were.
(End of Chapter)