[LV1 Drilbur ♂ — Elite-tier potential]
Gary stared at the tiny Pokémon in his hands—and then stared harder.
The Drilbur sitting in his palms was not a normal Drilbur.
On an ordinary Drilbur, the stripes running across its body were blue—dark, earthy blue, the color of deep underground minerals. Its nose was typically brown or dark gray, blending naturally with the rest of its mole-like body.
This Drilbur's stripes were pink.
Its nose was blue.
The entire color palette was shifted—subtly but unmistakably different from the standard species coloration. It was the kind of variation that a casual observer might overlook, but that any experienced trainer would recognize in an instant.
"A shiny…" Gary breathed. "It's a shiny Drilbur."
The word hung in the air with the weight it deserved. Shiny Pokémon—specimens with alternate coloration caused by an extremely rare genetic variation—occurred naturally at a rate of approximately one in every four thousand births. They were collectors' treasures, competitive curiosities, and for some trainers, the holy grail of breeding programs that could span years without producing a single chromatic specimen.
And one had just hatched in Gary's hands from a random auction egg he'd traded a Peat Block for.
"This luck…" Gary murmured, shaking his head slowly. He knew that the Shiny Charm in his system storage could influence the probability of encountering or hatching shiny Pokémon, but the effect was a statistical nudge, not a guarantee. Getting a shiny from a traded egg on the first hatch was still extraordinarily fortunate.
"Dril…~"
The newborn let out a tiny, whimpering cry—soft and high-pitched, the sound of a creature experiencing the world for the very first time. Its eyes were still squeezed shut, sealed by the biological membrane that would dissolve within a few hours. Its small, oversized claws twitched reflexively, and its blue nose swayed back and forth in the air—sniffing, searching, driven by pure instinct to find warmth and food.
It's hungry, Gary realized immediately.
He reached into his bag with one hand—keeping the tiny Drilbur cradled carefully in the other—and produced a bottle of Moo Moo Milk. The moment he popped the cap, the reaction was instantaneous.
"Dril!" The baby Drilbur's nose locked onto the scent like a targeting system. Its small body wriggled in Gary's palm, tiny claws scrabbling against his fingers as it tried to crawl toward the source of the smell. Gary brought the bottle's nipple to Drilbur's mouth, and the newborn latched on without hesitation.
It drank with the desperate enthusiasm of the truly starving—gulping down the rich, warm milk in continuous, greedy swallows. The bottle emptied in less than a minute. When the last drop was gone, Drilbur released the nipple with a satisfied pop, let out a tiny burp, and finally opened its eyes.
Two bright, newborn eyes—clear and dark, still slightly unfocused—blinked up at Gary. The first thing Drilbur saw in its entire life was the face of the trainer holding it.
"Dril~" the baby cooed softly, then promptly curled up against Gary's chest and fell asleep.
"Little guy," Gary murmured, looking down at the tiny pink-striped Pokémon nestled against him. Something warm and unfamiliar stirred in his chest—not the calculated satisfaction of a successful acquisition, but something gentler. Something that reminded him, just for a moment, of the day he'd first held Eevee as a newborn.
He shook it off. There was work to do.
Gary gently touched an empty Poké Ball to the sleeping Drilbur. The ball opened, enveloped the baby in a soft red glow, and clicked shut without so much as a wobble. The capture registered instantly—a newborn Pokémon that had just imprinted on its trainer offered no resistance whatsoever.
With Drilbur registered, Gary pulled up its full data profile:
[Pokémon: Drilbur ♂ (Shiny)]
[Type: Ground]
[Level: 1]
[Potential: Elite-tier]
[Ability: Mold Breaker — Moves can be used on the target regardless of the target's Ability.]
[Moves: Rapid Spin]
[Friendship: 200 / 255]
Gary studied the readout with sharp, analytical focus. The data told a clear story.
Elite-tier potential—exactly what the auction certificate's parental lineage had predicted. A solid foundation, though not yet at the level Gary wanted for a permanent team member.
The Ability was the real prize. Mold Breaker—Drilbur's Hidden Ability. The rarest of its three possible Abilities, and arguably the most competitively valuable. Mold Breaker allowed the user's attacks to bypass the target's defensive Abilities entirely. Levitate? Ignored. Sturdy? Bypassed. Multiscale? Irrelevant. It was the Ability of a Pokémon that didn't ask permission before hitting you.
Hidden Ability on a shiny specimen. The odds of that combination are astronomical, Gary thought. This Drilbur is going to be something special.
But Elite-tier potential wasn't enough. Not for what Gary had planned. An Excadrill with all three Abilities unlocked and enhanced needed the raw stats to back up that toolkit—and that meant pushing the potential ceiling higher.
Gary didn't hesitate.
"System—use Ability Expansion Stone on Drilbur."
[Ding! Ability Expansion Stone successfully applied.]
All three of Drilbur's Abilities were now unlocked: Sand Rush, Sand Force, and Mold Breaker. The full trinity—the combination that had made Excadrill one of the most feared Pokémon in competitive battling history.
"System—use Bronze Bottle Cap on Drilbur."
[Ding! Bronze Bottle Cap successfully applied.]
Elite-tier potential elevated to Champion-tier.
"System—use Silver Bottle Cap on Drilbur."
[Ding! Silver Bottle Cap successfully applied.]
Champion-tier potential elevated to Pseudo-Legendary-tier.
Gary checked the updated profile. Drilbur's potential now sat at Pseudo-Legendary-tier—the same ceiling as Pokémon like Tyranitar, Metagross, and Garchomp. When this Drilbur eventually evolved into Excadrill, it would have the raw statistical foundation to compete with the absolute best.
That's as high as I'm willing to push it right now, Gary decided. Going higher would require a Gold Bottle Cap, and those are too valuable to use on a Level 1 Pokémon that hasn't proven itself in battle yet. Pseudo-Legendary potential is more than sufficient for the Vertress Conference—and frankly, the Unova League isn't exactly known for its powerhouse competitors.
Gary allowed himself a moment of private assessment regarding the Unova League's competitive landscape. Based on his knowledge of the timeline, the Vertress Conference was… not impressive. The strongest competitors—Trip, Cameron, Virgil—were solid trainers by regional standards, but none of them approached the level of a Tobias or a Paul. Cameron had famously entered the tournament with only five Pokémon and still managed to defeat Ash, which said more about the overall level of competition than it did about Cameron's skill.
Ash's Unova team was the weakest he's ever fielded, Gary recalled. Nine Pokémon caught, and aside from Krookodile, none of them ever reached their full potential. The level gap between his Sinnoh team and his Unova team is staggering.
But that was a problem for later. Right now, Gary had a newborn Drilbur to develop—and three Abilities to enhance.
"System—use Ability Enhancement Item on Drilbur. Target: Mold Breaker."
[Ding! Ability enhancement successful.]
[EX Mold Breaker — Moves can be used on the target regardless of the target's Ability. Additionally, reduces the effectiveness of Reflect, Light Screen, and Aurora Veil against the user's attacks.]
Gary's eyes narrowed with satisfaction. The enhanced version of Mold Breaker didn't just ignore defensive Abilities—it also cut through damage-reducing screens. Reflect, Light Screen, Aurora Veil—the bread-and-butter defensive setups used by every serious competitive team—would all be weakened against this Excadrill's attacks. It was the difference between a sharp knife and a blade that could cut through armor.
"System—enhance Sand Rush."
[Ding! Ability enhancement successful.]
[EX Sand Rush — In Sandstorm weather, Speed is multiplied by 4.]
Four times Speed. Gary ran the numbers. Excadrill's base Speed stat was 88—respectable, but not blazing by competitive standards. At standard Sand Rush (double Speed), Excadrill was fast. At EX Sand Rush (quadruple Speed), Excadrill would be untouchable. In Sandstorm conditions, practically nothing in existence would outspeed it short of Teleport or priority moves. It would move first against every opponent, every time, without exception.
"System—enhance Sand Force."
[Ding! Ability enhancement successful.]
[EX Sand Force — In Sandstorm weather, the power of Rock, Ground, and Steel-type moves is increased by 60%.]
Sixty percent. Standard Sand Force provided a 30% boost. The enhanced version doubled that to 60%—a staggering damage multiplier applied to all three of Excadrill's STAB types (Ground and Steel) plus Rock-type coverage moves. Combined with STAB bonuses, an Excadrill using Earthquake in Sandstorm would hit with roughly 2.4 times the base damage. Iron Head would be similarly devastating. And Rock Slide—already a solid coverage option—would become a deletion button.
Gary leaned back and let the complete picture form in his mind.
An Excadrill with all three enhanced Abilities active simultaneously in Sandstorm:
— EX Sand Rush: 4× Speed. Outspeeds everything.
— EX Sand Force: 60% boost to Ground, Steel, and Rock moves. Hits harder than almost anything.
— EX Mold Breaker: Ignores defensive Abilities AND reduces screen effectiveness. Nothing can hide behind protection.
Combined with Pseudo-Legendary-tier potential and the Premium Smooth Rock extending Sandstorm duration while adding another 30% to Rock and Ground moves…
This Pokémon is going to be a monster.
"Alright, everyone—back to training," Gary called out to his Pokémon, who had been watching the hatching and enhancement process with varying degrees of fascination. Rhyperior rumbled obediently and lumbered back to its training area. Electivire cracked its knuckles and followed. Eevee hopped back onto Gary's shoulder, casting one last curious glance at the Poké Ball containing the sleeping newborn.
Gary released the baby Drilbur back into the portable incubator—the newborn needed warmth and rest far more than it needed to be out in the world right now. It would be weeks before it was old enough for even basic training, and months before it could participate in any kind of battle.
But when it's ready…
The days settled into a rhythm. Gary remained in Silvercrown Town, maintaining his daily routine: morning news monitoring for any developments in Crown City, afternoon training sessions with his Sinnoh team, and evening care for the newborn Drilbur—feeding, cleaning, and gentle handling to build the bond between trainer and Pokémon.
The baby Drilbur grew quickly. Within a week, it could open its eyes fully, and within two, it was wobbling around on its oversized claws, attempting to dig into anything softer than concrete. Its pink-striped body and blue nose drew admiring looks from passersby whenever Gary took it outside for fresh air, though Gary kept its shiny status as low-profile as possible. A shiny Pokémon attracted attention, and attention attracted trouble.
Half a month passed.
One morning, Gary was having breakfast at a small café in Silvercrown Town. The television mounted on the wall was playing a mundane drama series—the kind of low-stakes entertainment that served as background noise for people eating their morning toast.
Then the screen flickered.
The drama vanished, replaced by an emergency broadcast overlay. A female news anchor appeared—polished, professional, but with an edge of controlled urgency in her voice.
"Attention, citizens of Crown City. Kodai Network is issuing an emergency announcement. We now go live to Kodai Network President Grings Kodai."
The camera cut to a man in an immaculate white suit standing behind a podium. Grings Kodai—media mogul, corporate titan, and secret future-seeing manipulator. His face was composed into an expression of carefully rehearsed concern, his voice carrying the measured gravity of someone delivering terrible news that he was secretly responsible for.
"I must take this opportunity to sincerely apologize to the people of Crown City," Kodai began, his tone dripping with false regret. "The Entei, Raikou, and Suicune that I brought to participate in the Pokémon World Cup have unfortunately been manipulated by a rogue Zoroark that infiltrated our transport aircraft. The Legendary Beasts are now rampaging through Crown City's streets, causing significant damage."
The broadcast cut to footage—dramatic shots of what appeared to be Entei unleashing torrents of flame across a downtown boulevard, Raikou discharging massive bolts of lightning that shattered windows and scorched pavement, and Suicune flooding an intersection with raging water.
Gary watched the footage with the detached calm of someone who knew exactly what he was seeing.
All fake, he thought, sipping his coffee. Every bit of it. The "Legendary Beasts" are Zoroark using its Illusion Ability to project their appearances, and the fire, lightning, and water are being generated by Kodai's hidden holographic projection devices. Zoroark's Illusion can change its appearance, but it can't replicate another Pokémon's actual attacks. If Zoroark can't use Flamethrower, then "Entei's" flames are purely holographic—no real heat, no real damage. The destruction shown in that footage is all manufactured.
The real Legendary Beasts—the shiny ones that guard Crown City—will respond to the disturbance eventually. And Celebi will appear at the Time Ripple. That's when things get real.
"I deeply regret this situation," Kodai continued on screen, his performance flawless. "We are currently working to recapture the affected Pokémon. In the meantime, for your safety, I urge all Crown City residents to evacuate immediately. Please proceed to nearby Silvercrown Town, where Kodai Network has prepared emergency supplies and shelter."
Gary set down his coffee cup.
So that's what the trucks were for.
Over the past two weeks, Gary had noticed an unusual number of supply trucks arriving in Silvercrown Town—large vehicles with Kodai Network logos, unloading crates of food, water, blankets, and emergency supplies into a newly erected warehouse on the outskirts of town. At the time, it had seemed odd but not alarming. Now the pieces clicked into place.
Kodai had been preparing for this evacuation for weeks. The supply shipments, the warehouse setup, the logistics of relocating an entire city's population to a neighboring town—all of it had been planned and executed well in advance. The "emergency" broadcast was the trigger, but the infrastructure had been built long before the first fake Legendary Beast appeared on Crown City's streets.
He's spent a fortune on this operation, Gary noted. Relocating tens of thousands of people, providing supplies, coordinating with local authorities—the cost must be astronomical. But compared to maintaining his future-sight ability for another twenty years? To Kodai, it's pocket change.