Fierce and rciless flas spewed from Gible's massive jaws, the torrent carving the shape of the Subarashi " 大きい" (great) into the river's surface. The searing heat turned the water beneath into vapor, and from above, the fiery character looked like a hole burned into the river. Only after the blaze died down did the flowing river refill the gap, smoothing the surface once more.
The early morning is the best ti to train—when both humans and Pokémon are at their peak energy. This was especially true for Gible. Every day at dawn, Logan seized the opportunity when Gible brimd with vitality, pushing it to train hard, focusing on skill execution and precision.
"Converting Dragon-type energy into Fire-type for such a powerful move really is asking a lot. And in terms of accuracy, you're still a bit off. I told you to center the move on that floating log in the river, but you missed by a whole ter."
Logan criticized without holding back. Gible's little tail drooped like a scolded puppy, its head hanging low.
"Alright, don't get too down about it," Logan said, patting Gible's head gently, a soft smile forming on his face. "You're still young and not strong enough yet. Mistakes like this are expected. But that doesn't an you can slack off—you've got to keep training."
Logan had always been fond of animals. Before he ca to this world, he had raised both cats and dogs. Though Gible was neither, its intelligence and emotional depth easily won over his heart. That was also why Logan didn't dare capture other Pokémon lightly—he feared forming bonds he wouldn't be able to let go of, even if sending them to Professor Oak was the logical thing to do.
[You really don't need Gible to take night watch duty. I can easily handle it. Even a whole week without rest wouldn't be a problem for .]
That clear, lodious voice, soft as a blooming flower brushing one's ear, instantly lifted the morning mood.
[I know you're capable, wtwo. But Gible also needs this kind of experience. For Pokémon, skipping a night of sleep or two isn't a big deal. See? It's still bursting with energy.]
After a brief exchange with wtwo through their ntal link, Logan turned away from the river.
Just then, the calm waters rippled. Without giving any warning, a Goldeen burst out of the river like a missile, its sharp horn aiming straight for Logan's back. But Gible reacted in a flash, leaping forward and biting down on the airborne Goldeen mid-jump with perfect precision.
It landed smoothly, clamping down hard until blood trickled from its jaws. Then, with a flick of its head, it hurled the injured Goldeen back into the river.
"Nice reaction. Hitting a surprise attacker mid-air that cleanly—that's impressive. Alright, let's go train your other moves over there."
Logan pointed toward a rocky hill not far away. Gible, shedding its earlier gloom, perked up instantly. With excitent, it dashed toward the rocks, stopping in front of one and, without waiting for a command, unleashed Dragon Claw. After a month of training, it already knew what ca next.
"These Pokémon in the depths of Viridian Forest are ridiculously aggressive. Goldeen in other regions might be ornantal pets, but here they'll literally launch themselves at you for no reason."
Logan glanced back at the river and shook his head. He rembered how startled he'd been during the first surprise attack—he hadn't even felt safe fetching water. But now, both he and Gible had grown desensitized to ambushes. They'd developed reflexes fast enough to respond before their minds even had ti to think. Their bodies simply acted.
"Just as long as a Gyarados doesn't pop out, we'll be fine."
Logan jogged slowly around the rocky area as Gible continued its drills. A trainer shouldn't just rely on their Pokémon—if the trainer's reflexes and stamina were lacking in life-or-death situations, they'd beco a liability.
After an hour of continuous training, they finally took a break. Logan wiped the sweat from his brow and washed his face. In the wild, especially a dangerous forest like this, expending too much energy was risky—it could cost lives when real danger appeared.
From theory and experience, Logan had begun to formulate his own conclusions about Pokémon growth. A Pokémon's strength ca down to three main areas: reflexes and evasion during battle; skill mastery, including accuracy and speed of execution; and the most elusive factor of all—what Logan called "battle will" or fighting spirit.
Raw power, as seen through skill damage and defense, depended heavily on the Pokémon's energy levels. Initially, Logan thought energy ca from physical strength, so he trained Gible's body relentlessly. But under wtwo's psychic vision, he saw that physical improvents didn't strongly correlate with energy growth.
That's when he realized he'd been chasing the wrong path. If physicality was all that mattered, naturally evolved and battle-trained Pokémon would have no difference—but they clearly did. The real source was the Pokémon's spirit—its ntal resilience, sharpened through life-or-death combat, constantly honed awareness, and unwavering willpower.
In these extre conditions, a Pokémon's mind and energy seed to rge, leading to rapid and profound energy growth. With higher energy, even ordinary skills beca devastating. wtwo once demonstrated how even non-legendary Pokémon could destroy an island, proving that such power wasn't exclusive to myths. It just required rigorous, battle-forged growth—sothing no peaceful, dostic environnt could ever offer.
No wonder elite trainers differed so drastically from everyday people.
Sotis Logan even wondered about the Dragon-type Champion who shared his last na—if one of his dragons could raze a city, it wouldn't be surprising. Against such overwhelming force, numbers beca irrelevant.
"…It's sothing to aspire to."
Logan watched Gible carving through boulders and couldn't help but dream of standing atop the world, gazing down from the skies. For soone who once lived in a mundane, ordinary world, achieving a fairy-tale dream like this was the greatest hope of all.
This also explained why most serious trainers focused on just a few Pokémon. Even the strongest of champions probably only had two or three peak-performance dragons. A human's energy, ti, and emotional bandwidth were limited. Sotis Logan wished he wasn't even human, just so he could push beyond those limits.
As Logan and Gible made their way through the forest, the atmosphere shifted. Viridian Forest wasn't always deadly, but danger could strike at any mont. The silence felt eerie, like a witch's lair in a horror story. Distant bushes would occasionally rustle, as if sothing unseen had darted by.
In such an environnt, both trainer and Pokémon had to be hyper-aware. For Logan, the ntal toll was heavy. But for Pokémon, this constant edge was the perfect tempering ground for their will and spirit.
Then it happened.
As Logan and Gible stepped forward, the hard soil beneath their feet suddenly turned soft.
They froze.
An urban dweller or an untrained Pokémon wouldn't have noticed anything unusual—but after a month of survival in the wild, Logan and Gible could read even subtle changes like alarm bells.
They exchanged a look—no words needed. Five minutes passed in complete stillness. Logan's eyes narrowed.
"…Underground. Earthquake!"
The mont the command left his mouth, Gible stomped hard into the ground. Within seconds, a ten-ter radius shook violently. Logan, protected by Gible's aura, barely felt it. But the energy rumbled through the earth like a beast's roar.
A faint screech was heard, and from just three ters ahead, the ground exploded—two Sandslash and one Sandshrew burst into the air. The Sandshrew was imdiately knocked out cold by the tremor, while the Sandslash were dazed and unsteady.
"They tunneled this close?! If we had taken even one more step forward, they would've ambushed us."
Logan glanced at the razor-sharp claws on the Sandslash. Combined with their tunneling montum, an ambush would have done serious damage. Without hesitation, Logan shouted, "Take Down!"
Gible dashed forward like a sports car from the starting line, ramming into the still-dazed Sandslash. Its sturdy skull slamd into the Pokémon's soft belly with a sickening thud, launching it into a tree.
The second Sandslash finally snapped out of its daze—but Gible was faster. Its mouth opened wide, unleashing a scorching Dragon Breath that blew the Sandslash away, its body rolling across the ground with charred scales and smoke rising from its back.
Logan opened his Pokédex—he hadn't captured a Sandslash before. He grabbed an empty Pokéball from his waist, hesitated, then pulled out two more. With swift motions, he captured both Sandslash and the unconscious Sandshrew.
"Well, a family should stay together. Wouldn't want to break you guys up now."
The three injured Pokémon were absorbed without resistance. Logan spun one of the Pokéballs in his hand and shrugged.
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