No. 3 Breeding Zone.
The air here was humid and warm, laced with the fishy smell of aquatic plants and mud. A delicate artificial rockery rose from the center of the pool; the murmuring of running water never ceased, lending a touch of vitality to this simulated wetland. Several Water-type and Normal-type Pokémon frolicked carefree along the edge, occasionally letting out a crisp chirp.
Sunada Kaoru was patrolling the area with a few of his lackeys. His gaze swept over the lively Pokémon, filled with unabashed contempt.
"Average potential—nothing but second-rate stock." He curled his lip. He hadn't raised his voice, but it was loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
Just then, a figure strolled unhurriedly into the No. 3 Breeding Zone.
Sunada Kaoru's eyes were drawn over at once. When he saw who it was, his scorn twisted quickly into a sneer tinged with jealousy and hostility.
"Well, if it isn't Young Master Kudo."
Sunada Kaoru's mocking tone shattered the quiet.
"What's the matter? That pile of precious Dragon-types your family hoards still isn't enough for you? You've actually got time to come here and fight us commoners over ordinary Pokémon?"
Kudo Shiba's stride didn't break in the slightest, as if Sunada Kaoru and the chattering lackeys behind him were nothing but air. He walked straight through the crowd to the edge of the rockery pool.
His eyes were calm and unruffled, skimming the water's surface without stopping on any of the Pokémon that came up to him of their own accord. That gaze was deep, as if it were piercing the ripples to search for some already-identified target.
"Quit the act."
Ignored, Sunada Kaoru's face went a mottled green-white as he squeezed the words out between his teeth.
But in the next second, the derision on his face froze.
Everyone's eyes around them also went still at the same moment.
Kudo Shiba ignored the Psyduck that had come over to fawn, tilting their heads and quacking in confusion, and he paid no heed to the Poliwag that were circling his feet with wagging tails. He slowly crouched, rolled up the pristine sleeve of his school uniform, and—right then—reached his entire arm straight down into the murky zone at the bottom of the pool.
Cold, sticky silt swallowed his wrist in an instant.
"Is he out of his mind?!"
"What could be down there? Besides rocks, it's decades of rotten sludge!"
One of the lackeys couldn't help blurting out, drawing a chorus of agreement. In their view, Kudo Shiba's behavior was stupidity at its peak—pure showboating for attention.
The chatter swelled, full of puzzlement and ridicule.
Amid the noise, the arm Kudo Shiba had thrust into the muck suddenly paused.
Under his lowered lashes, the corner of his mouth lifted soundlessly—confident, knowing.
Found it.
The muscles of his arm tightened slightly. A steady strength ran from his shoulder down to his fingertips. He slowly drew his hand out of the turbid water.
Water splashed; filthy mud dripped.
A sphere completely encased in thick silt—its original look unrecognizable, only a vague ball-shaped outline discernible—lay quietly in his palm. It looked worn, even a bit battered, exuding the stench of decayed water-weeds.
Sunada Kaoru and the others stared blankly for a beat.
Then a burst of even louder guffaws exploded through the zone like thunder.
"Hahahaha! I thought he was going to fish out some peerless treasure! So after all that, he pulled out a trash ball!"
"This thing's probably something some graduate tossed in here a dozen years ago! It's practically rotted!"
"I'm dying—Young Master Kudo's taste sure is unique! Passing on lively, healthy Pokémon to pick up garbage instead!"
Amid the grating laughter, Kudo Shiba's expression didn't ripple.
He took a spotless white handkerchief from his pocket and, unhurriedly—as if performing a solemn ritual—began wiping the grime from the Poké Ball.
His movements were light and steady.
As the clotted sludge was wiped away bit by bit, the Poké Ball's signature red-and-white halves gradually emerged. Though the colors were aged and the surface was crisscrossed with fine scratches marking the erosion of time, the shell itself was perfectly intact—no structural damage at all.
Under the gazes of people waiting to see a joke, Kudo Shiba extended his thumb and lightly pressed the button at the Poké Ball's center.
"Vmm—"
A faint click-whirr sounded.
Without warning, a brilliant red light burst from the center of the sphere, stretching and expanding mid-air, condensing into an entity!
The radiance was so pure, carrying an indescribable majesty.
All laughter in the hall cut off at once.
It was as if an invisible hand had gripped everyone's throat; the expressions on their faces froze into the most ridiculous masks as they stared dumbly up at the air.
The light ebbed.
A long-bodied Pokémon hung gracefully half a meter above the ground.
Its body was a pure sky-blue; its belly, snow-white. On either side of its neck was a pair of peculiar, fin-like white ears. It measured about one point eight meters long, streamlined in form, every curve brimming with power and beauty.
Most striking of all were its violet eyes.
There was no newborn confusion in those eyes—only an innate nobility and a soul-piercing pressure belonging to a top predator!
A Dragon-type pseudo-legendary—Dratini!
Silence.
The breeding zone plunged into absolute silence.
"Dratini… th-that's… Dratini!"
Someone finally broke the hush with a trembling voice, thick with disbelief.
"No way! Are you kidding me? How could the school's breeding room possibly have such a rare pseudo-legendary!"
"This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
The smile on Sunada Kaoru's face had long since shattered, replaced by shock and envy so thick it refused to disperse. He stared at the blue figure floating in the air, his breathing turning heavy.
Why?
How could this be?
Kudo Shiba paid no attention to the onlookers standing there like wooden statues.
From another pocket he took out an energy cube exuding a special fragrance. The Kudo Family had spent many rare Berries and used a secret method to craft this special product; for Dragon-type Pokémon of exalted bloodlines, it held an almost fatal allure.
He balanced the cube on his palm and held it out to Dratini, his voice gentle.
"From now on, would you like to come with me?"
Dratini raised its head proudly, violet eyes appraising the human before it. But the next second, its nostrils flared—the strange aroma slipped into its sense of smell.
Its eyes lit up at once.
That craving from deep in the bloodline was irresistible.
It edged forward carefully, stuck out a pink tongue to lightly lick the cube, then let out a soft trill of delight.
Its proud bearing collapsed in an instant. It lowered its head affectionately and rubbed its sleek brow against Kudo Shiba's arm, expressing submission and closeness.
At that very moment, a mechanical prompt only Kudo Shiba could hear sounded clearly in his mind.
[Ding! Appraisal result: Dratini. Potential: Champion-tier!]
The smile at Kudo Shiba's lips deepened.
He took out his own brand-new Poké Ball and gave it a light sway toward Dratini.
Without the slightest resistance, Dratini turned into a beam of red light and was successfully captured.
When Kudo Shiba returned to the rendezvous point with the newly-captured Dratini, the news crashed into the campus like a boulder into a placid lake, instantly kicking up a storm that swept the entire school.
Takai Yuko had been waiting there already. At her side stood a bright-eyed, powerfully built Machop with clean muscle lines—its potential evidently at Gym-tier, likewise an excellent starter Pokémon.
Seeing Kudo Shiba's figure, joy and admiration filled her beautiful eyes as she hurried over.
"Kudo Shiba, you're amazing!"
(End of Chapter)
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