Having successfully taken that infinitely promising Gible into his team, Shiba had already accomplished half of the core objective of this trip.
He did not choose to head back immediately.
The cliff beneath his feet was saturated with Dragon-type energy far denser than the outside world; even the air seemed to be filled with faint golden motes of power. The terrain here was steep and treacherous, almost untouched by humans—practically a training ground tailor-made for Dragon-type Pokémon.
Shiba decided on the spot to carry out a high-intensity boot camp right here.
Over the next few days, this secluded cliff became an exclusive battlefield for his two pseudo-legendary youngsters.
The newly joined Gible, and his Dratini that had already hit the LV20 bottleneck, began an almost brutal grinding regimen under his command.
Sometimes, it was direct sparring between the two.
Gible's fighting style brimmed with raw savagery; every lunge came with a whistle that seemed to tear through the air itself. Dratini, on the other hand, blended the softness of water with the majesty of dragons; its body weaved nimbly through the gaps between attacks, always able to find the most vexing angle from which to launch a counter.
More often, it was about challenges.
Shiba would lead them to actively seek out powerful wild Pokémon entrenched all across the cliffs, squeezing out every last drop of their potential through the most direct live combat.
Every time a fierce battle ended and the two little ones were covered in wounds and running on empty, Shiba would take out resources so lavish that any Breeder would turn green with envy.
Pokéblocks giving off a strange fragrance melted the instant they entered the mouth, turning into a flood of purest energy that repaired damaged cells. The top-grade healing spray he applied to their injuries made their hideous wounds close up at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Under this cycle of cost-no-object resource infusion and high-pressure battles, the power of the two pseudo-legendary youngsters was skyrocketing at a terrifying pace.
On this particular day, Shiba's gaze locked onto a true overlord deep within the cliffs.
It was a wild Haxorus. The armor plating on its body reflected a metallic, icy sheen under the sunlight, and the twin axe-like tusks in its jaws were still stained with the blood of some unknown creature. Its aura was overwhelmingly strong; it had clearly stepped solidly into Gym Leader class.
Faced with such a formidable enemy, there was not a trace of retreat in the eyes of Dratini and Gible—only a battle spirit that had been thoroughly ignited.
The fight was about to erupt.
"Rooar!"
Gible was the first to charge. It shot out like a small land shark, surging forward with unstoppable momentum as it slammed head-on into the Haxorus that was several times its size.
A flicker of disdain crossed Haxorus's eyes. With a casual swing of its massive axe-like tusks, it easily deflected Gible's charge, the violent power behind the blow sending Gible staggering back again and again.
But Gible had achieved its goal.
In the instant Haxorus's attention was completely occupied, a streak of blue slipped around behind it like a ghost.
Dratini!
Its lithe body kept close to the jagged rock face as it moved, slipping through every burst of wild stray energy, launching constant harassing strikes from blind spots. Each Thunder Wave it fired off caused the movements of Haxorus to hitch, just slightly, in barely noticeable spasms.
The battle situation fell into a brief stalemate.
Gible became the sturdiest of shields, using its still-immature yet unyieldingly firm body to take Haxorus's ferocious blows again and again, stubbornly pinning down this hulking behemoth.
Dratini meanwhile turned into the deadliest of spears, dancing on the knife's edge as it searched for that one fleeting opening.
Finally, the chance arrived!
After a flawless feint-and-dodge combination, Haxorus's guard opened up, revealing a fatal gap.
"Now!"
Shiba's command rang out in their hearts.
Gible let out a sky-shaking roar, channeling all of its strength into its claws. Dark-red energy flared violently around them as it slashed a brutal Dragon Claw straight at Haxorus's chest and belly!
Screeeech—!
The hardened armor split with a tearing sound, and Haxorus howled in agony.
The long-waiting Dratini pounced on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
All of its Dragon-type energy was compressed to the limit at this instant. A deep-blue sphere of energy formed in its mouth, the destructive aura it carried far surpassing any Dragon Rage it had ever unleashed before!
"Boom!"
The energy beam fired from that sphere struck the wound on Haxorus's chest with pinpoint accuracy, punching straight through what remained of its defenses!
The mighty Haxorus let out a resentful, unwilling wail and crashed heavily to the ground.
"Nice one!"
Shiba clenched his fist, a surge of indescribable exhilaration boiling in his chest.
And in that very moment, the joy of victory and the energy in Dratini's body surging up to a critical point together became the final catalyst.
Without any warning, Dratini's body erupted in a blinding white light!
The light of evolution!
Shiba's pupils shrank sharply. Even his breathing stopped for an instant.
Within that white radiance, Dratini's serpentine body stretched further and further, its lines becoming more slender, more flowing, more noble. The fin-like ears on its head and neck spread out like resplendent wings.
Most eye-catching of all was the gem at its neck: a brilliant orb slowly condensed out of the light, taking shape as it began to emit a mysterious and powerful energy fluctuation.
When the glow finally faded—
A completely new Pokémon was floating calmly in front of Shiba.
Its figure resembled a divine being from myth dwelling in the waters—noble, elegant, and poised. In its deep blue eyes, the light of wisdom and strength shimmered.
Dragonair!
[Ding! Your Dratini has successfully evolved into Dragonair. Level increased to LV30!]
The system notification chimed at just the right moment.
"Excellent, Dragonair!"
Shiba could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart. He rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Dragonair's long, sleek neck, feeling the surging new power coursing through its body.
With this crucial metamorphosis completed, the overall strength of Shiba's team underwent another qualitative leap.
He did not forget the other half of that Purple Prophecy's revelation.
Bringing along his now far stronger Dragonair, and following the faint guidance in his mind, he traversed onward until he finally arrived before a massive, thunderous waterfall.
The torrent crashed down like a silver Milky Way inverted from the heavens, its roar deafening.
Shiba did not hesitate for even a moment. He walked straight into the heavy curtain of water.
The icy cascade swallowed him instantly, but just a single step later, his vision opened up.
Behind the waterfall there truly was a dry, hidden cavern.
He proceeded deeper into the cave.
At the far end of the rock wall, a powerful and impeccably pure Dragon-type energy was tugging insistently at his senses.
There, embedded deeply in the stone, was a secret treasure emitting a faint halo of light.
Its shape was like a fang shed from some ancient giant dragon, brimming with raw, tyrannical presence.
It was none other than that peerlessly rare treasure that would drive any Dragon-type Trainer mad with desire—Dragon Fang!
(End of Chapter)
If I see that this fanfic has support, I will upload 20+ chapters to Patreon!!
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]