At the Chen family ranch, it had already been Chen Shi's third day back.
And today—
he had something important to do.
Something very important.
He woke unusually early.
"Togekiss, don't stay in bed. Get up—we're going to find Dragapult today."
"Cha-koiii~"
Togekiss rubbed her sleepy eyes, reluctantly wriggling out from under the blankets.
"Let's go. Leafeon, Charmeleon, Metang—come with me."
The three Pokémon followed closely behind.
They knew.
Today was the day their senior brother—
the little Dreepy who had traveled with Chen Shi from the beginning—
would finally evolve.
Today, they would witness Dragapult's rebirth.
After a quick breakfast, Chen Shi headed toward the flower garden and found Florges already tending to her flowers.
Together, they climbed the back mountain.
At Salamence's cave, Dreepy was already waiting—hovering quietly in the open space.
He knew.
Today was the day.
Beside him, Salamence and Garchomp stood calmly—wanting to witness this turning point in their disciple's life.
Then a loud rumble sounded from the distance—
Swampert burst awkwardly through some bushes, panting heavily.
Everyone stared.
Swampert scratched his head shyly, then quickly stood behind Chen Shi.
"Swamp~"
Chen Shi laughed softly.
"Dragapult, everyone's here for you."
"Chyaa~"
Dreepy looked around and called softly, acknowledging each family member.
Chen Shi didn't waste time.
He opened his spatial backpack and one by one placed several items on the ground:
Ten top-grade Dragon Gems
Ten top-grade Ghost Gems
A full set of Energy Stabilization Remedies from Grandpa
And most importantly—
the pitch-black box
Dragapult knew exactly what was inside.
He didn't move, but his eyes burned.
Unlike before, he didn't rush.
He simply hovered, waiting calmly for his Trainer.
Chen Shi picked up a vial of medicine.
"Time flies so fast…" he murmured.
"Without noticing, an entire year passed."
"I still remember carrying your egg everywhere. I only put you down to bathe or use the bathroom."
"When you hatched, we bragged about becoming unbeatable…"
"But the moment we left home, we got crushed by a Caterpie and had to run home with our tails between our legs."
A soft laugh escaped him.
Dreepy's pupils softened.
Of course he remembered.
It was embarrassing—and funny.
Chen Shi stroked the little dragon's head gently.
"In the blink of an eye, you've grown up. And now you're about to evolve into your final form."
"I can't call you Little Dreepy anymore."
He poured the medicine into Dreepy's mouth.
Dreepy swallowed obediently.
Instantly, the Dragon Gems and Ghost Gems dissolved—
their energy sucked into Dreepy like a vortex.
First slowly—
then faster—
and faster—
until swirling tides of Dragon- and Ghost-type power surged wildly into his body.
None of the other Pokémon made a sound.
They simply watched—
solemnly, reverently.
The light forming around Dreepy grew brighter.
And brighter.
And blinding.
Chen Shi opened the black box—
And threw the Giratina Scale.
Dreepy lunged and swallowed it whole.
Evolution light exploded to its peak.
His body elongated—
sharpened—
ports forming on his head for future Dreepy projectiles.
The single stomach stripe split into three, glowing gold.
His limbs stretched into proper claws.
And when the light finally dimmed—
A majestic Dragapult hovered in the air.
"Baruyaa!!"
The newborn Dragapult roared skyward—
a cry of triumph and rebirth.
The Pokémon family cheered.
Even Salamence's eyes softened with pride.
But something else was different.
This Dragapult…
Was not like ordinary Dragapult.
His head stripes were gold.
His stomach stripes were gold.
His claws were gold.
A Shiny Dragapult.
"Congratulations, Dragapult!"
"Baruyaa!"
He floated down and pressed his head into Chen Shi's chest.
Chen Shi ran a hand gently along his scales.
Sitting atop Dragapult's head, a tiny newborn Dreepy blinked curiously at Chen Shi.
Chen Shi focused—
And Dragapult's stats appeared.
Then his eyes widened.
Pokémon: Dragapult (Shiny)
Level: 60 (Quasi-Elite — Early Stage)
Potential:Second-Tier Legendary
Ability: Infiltrator
Gender: Male
Moves:Bite, Quick Attack, Astonish, Protect, Sucker Punch, Confuse Ray, Infestation, Pursuit, Hex, Agility, Shadow Ball, U-turn, Dragon Dance, Shadow Sneak, Dragon Rush, Dragon Pulse, Draco Meteor, Dragon Darts, Double-Edge, Shadow Force
Chen Shi stared.
Then he almost screamed.
Second-Tier Legendary??
What came after Legendary??
Apparently… this.
The Giratina Scale had pushed him into an entirely different category.
He scanned the moves—
At first, he felt disappointed.
Only two new moves?
But then—
He froze.
His old move Phantom Force…
Had become Shadow Force.
Giratina's exclusive move.
His Dragapult had inherited Giratina's signature technique.
He grabbed Dragapult into a tight hug.
"You're incredible, Dragapult—absolutely incredible!!"
"Baruyaa~"
Dragapult wrapped his claws gently around Chen Shi in return.
While they celebrated—
Far away, in a still pool of water—
A pair of crimson eyes slowly surfaced.
They watched Dragapult silently.
Emotionless.
Unblinking.
Then sank back into the darkness.
No one noticed.
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