The table went silent. Even Garchomp stopped mid-chew.
"Leo," Arthur said slowly. "You better not be joking."
"Ancient Pokémon?" Martha asked, her brow furrowed. "You mean like fossils? We have those in the museums, Leo. They're rare, sure, but the revival technology is still in its infancy and incredibly expensive."
Leo leaned back, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "I'm not talking about rocks, Grandma. I'm talking about living, breathing Aerodactyl, Kabutops, and Omastar. A hidden canyon tucked away in the Kanto region that time literally forgot. No fossils required."
He was, of course, talking about the "Valley of the Ancients." In this world's timeline, Steven Stone had only just started making a name for himself as a powerhouse, and Ash Ketchum was probably still a toddler in Pallet Town. The valley hadn't been discovered yet.
As a transmigrator, Leo held the ultimate cheat sheet. He wasn't a researcher or a billionaire; he didn't care about "developing" the site. But for a family like the Stones? The owners of Devon Corp? A valley full of pre-historic Pokémon would be like finding a mountain made of diamonds.
"Kanto?" Arthur traded a long, hard look with Martha. "If this is real... the value of that information is astronomical. A shiny Beldum would be a drop in the bucket compared to that kind of find."
"I know," Leo said, waving it off indifferently. "That's why I want more than just the Beldum. I want the full breeding manual for the line the one the Stone family keeps under lock and key plus a lifetime supply of the specific ores those guys need to grow. If I'm gonna raise a Metagross, I'm doing it right."
Arthur nodded slowly. "I can reach out to Joseph Stone. We've been friends for a long time. If you can provide proof of the location, he'll definitely bite."
"Sweet," Leo said, then turned his attention to his little green shadow. "But first, we have a bigger project. Grandma, do we still have any of that top-shelf Calming Potion in the lab?"
Martha's eyes widened. "The emerald-grade stuff? Why?"
Leo reached into his jacket and pulled out a small, silk-lined pouch. Inside were five high-grade Dragon Gems and five Ghost Gems, shimmering with concentrated elemental energy.
"Dreepy's on the edge," Leo explained, his voice turning serious. "He's been level forty-nine for three months. He's got the experience, but he's missing the raw energy spark to push through. I want to flood his system with these gems and trigger a forced evolution, but I need the Calming Potion to make sure the energy surge doesn't tear him apart."
Dreepy stopped eating immediately. He flew over to the table, his eyes locked on the gems with a mix of hunger and awe.
"Gardevoir," Martha said, turning to her partner. "Go to the lab. Grab the No. 36 medical kit and the stabilizing gear. Quickly."
The elegant psychic Pokémon nodded and vanished in a flicker of blue light. Seconds later, she was back, placing a specialized medicine box and the requested gems on the table.
"Thanks, Gardevoir," Leo whispered.
Dreepy couldn't wait. He drifted over to the gems, his ghostly body already beginning to absorb the ambient energy. He let out a low, intoxicating trill, looking like he'd just found paradise.
"Leo, give him the potion now," Arthur warned. "That much energy from high-grade gems... if he hits the limit before his body stabilizes, it's gonna be a disaster."
Leo didn't hesitate. He cracked the seal on the emerald-green bottle, but before he handed it over, he stopped. He looked Dreepy straight in the eyes.
"Dreepy, listen to me," Leo said, his voice dropping. "Are you ready for this? Once you evolve, the 'carefree' days are over. You won't be just a little guy riding on my head anymore. You're going to be a fighter. The training is going to be brutal, the battles are going to be painful, and the pressure is going to stay on. Do you really want this?"
The farm grew quiet. The other Pokémon stopped eating, their gazes fixed on the little dragon.
Dreepy looked at Leo, and for the first time, he didn't look like a mischievous prankster. Memories flashed through his mind the year of being the "cute" one while Swampert took all the hits. He remembered the humiliation of the Caterpie incident. He remembered the way Leo had shielded him with his own body during a rockslide in Mt. Coronet.
He was tired of being protected. He was tired of being a spectator. He wanted to be the one standing in front. He wanted to bring Leo the trophies. He wanted to be the legend Leo always told him he would be.
Dreepy gave a firm, determined nod. He snatched the potion with a tiny claw, downed it in one gulp, and dove headfirst into the pile of attribute gems.
The reaction was instantaneous.
A violent surge of purple and blue energy erupted from the table, swirling around Dreepy in a miniature hurricane. The Dragon and Ghost gems began to crack and dissolve, their essence pouring into his body. A blinding white light filled the porch, and Dreepy's silhouette began to stretch and grow.
He didn't scream. He didn't flinch. He just gritted his teeth and absorbed every ounce of the power.
I'm going to protect everyone.I'm going to win for you.
When the light finally faded, a new figure hovered where the little dragon once stood. He was nearly seven feet long now, with a wide, flat head that looked like a sleek stealth bomber. His scales were a brilliant, shimmering green-gold, and his eyes burned with a new, sharp intelligence.
"Drak-loak!"
The roar was deeper, echoing with the resonance of a true predator.
Leo pulled up his stats, his heart thumping against his ribs.
Pokémon: Drakloak (Shiny) Level: 53 (Gym-Rank) Aptitude: Legendary Ability: Infiltrator New Moves Learned: Sucker Punch, Dragon Dance, Phantom Force, Dragon Rush, Shadow Ball...
"Congratulations, buddy," Leo whispered, his voice thick with pride.
Drakloak let out a happy trill and immediately pounced on Leo, rubbing his massive, flat head against his trainer's chest. He was a lot heavier now, nearly knocking Leo off his chair, but Leo didn't care.
"Alright, alright! You're a big boy now, I get it!"
The rest of the team Swampert, Florges, Leafeon, and Togepi all crowded around, offering their own versions of congratulations. Even Garchomp gave a respectful nod. The "wet noodle" was finally starting to grow some teeth.
Leo looked at his grandparents, who were both wearing expressions of pure shock. Level 53 on a first evolution? That was practically unheard of.
"Well," Arthur said, breaking the silence with a dry chuckle. "I guess I better make that phone call to the Stone family. We're gonna need a much bigger training field."