Thanks to Gible's excellent matchup against the common starter Pokémon,
and Serena's battle command ability—far beyond that of a beginner—
even without using the frankly overpoweredDragon Dance,
Gible tore through the preliminary rounds with unstoppable momentum.
Serena advanced with a perfect 6–0 record, officially entering the main stage of the Sprout Cup at Shanghai University.
"..."
And even then, Serena still felt that Gible hadn't battled enough today.
Late-blooming Pokémon required far more training and far more battle experience than ordinary Pokémon.
"Experience points" couldn't be precisely quantified—
after all, reality wasn't a video game—
but one thing was certain:
The more battles Gible fought,
the faster it would evolve into Gabite,
and the stronger it would become.
Because of that, Serena deliberately participated in as many Pokémon battles as possible alongside daily training.
Training and real combat—both mattered.
From the outside, it probably looked like she was pushing her little land shark too hard.
But Serena had no choice.
Her ultimate dream was to lie flat and live comfortably in the future.
And precisely because of that dream—
while she was still young, energetic, and capable—
she and Gible had to grind harder than others.
Just a little more.
"Serena, where did you get your Gible?"
As soon as the match schedule ended and Serena stepped off the battlefield,
a crowd immediately gathered, blocking her path out of the stadium.
"It's my starter Pokémon," Serena replied calmly.
When she reincarnated—and was then transported into the Pokémon world—
she had arrived together with Gible.
One trainer.
One partner.
Entering a brand-new world together.
Gible was her most important Pokémon.
"Since you're not even from the Pokémon Battle Department, isn't raising a late-blooming Pokémon a waste?"
"Why not sell it to me? I promise I'll treat it well!"
Serena frowned.
Even without revealing that her Gible knew Dragon Dance,
its identity as a late-blooming pseudo-legendary Pokémon was already more than enough to draw envy.
After all, there were trainers who had climbed all the way to League Champion status with Garchomp as their ace.
So it was natural that someone would covet her Gible.
"I'm sorry," Serena said firmly.
"Gible is my starter Pokémon. I will never sell it to anyone."
"Kapu—! (≧▽≦)!"
Gible stretched out its fins, pulled down its eyelids, and stuck out its tongue,
making a goofy face at the surrounding crowd.
In a sense, Gible and Serena were bound together—
soul and fate intertwined—since the moment they arrived in this world.
Gible would acknowledge no trainer other than Serena.
Even if Serena somehow lost her mind and sold Gible for an easy, wealthy life—
Gible would bite open its Poké Ball, sneak out in the middle of the night,
and run straight back to her.
Of course, Serena was never the kind of trainer who would abandon her starter anyway.
"Exactly, exactly~!"
Chen Lidong appeared outside the stadium with his Yamper.
He'd come earlier to watch Serena's matches, quietly cheering her on without making a scene.
Seeing her surrounded, he stepped in to help.
"Any starter Pokémon is family," Chen Lidong said seriously.
"They're not for sale.
You Battle Department folks should understand that better than anyone—
otherwise, you don't even qualify as Pokémon Trainers."
"My Yamper isn't rare or powerful," he added,
"but if anyone tried to buy or steal it, I'd lose my temper instantly."
"That's fair."
The wealthy student who had suggested buying Gible scratched his nose awkwardly,
then bowed sincerely toward Serena and Gible.
"I'm sorry. I got carried away and spoke without thinking."
"..."
Wait—what?
No arrogant provocation?
No dramatic escalation?
No forced conflict leading to a 'pretending-to-be-weak then counterattacking' cliché?
Serena was genuinely surprised.
But thinking about it—
this kind of friendly resolution was actually far more common in the Pokémon world.
Pokémon poachers and villain organizations like Team Rocket were, after all, only extreme minorities.
Most of the world operated on goodwill, cooperation, and mutual respect.
On the grand scale, there were figures like
Steven Stone, the Hoenn Champion who casually gifted Mega Stones to promising newcomers.
At the top level, even elite League officials were approachable and kind.
On the small scale, trainers traveling like Ash often encountered people willing to offer food and water for free—even in harsh environments.
If there was any "condition" at all—
it was simple.
If two trainers made eye contact,
they had to battle.
Food and water could wait until after a Pokémon battle.
An idealized world like this might seem unrealistic.
But if Serena insisted on assuming the worst of everyone—
scheming, deceit, and malice everywhere—
then maybe the problem wasn't the world.
Maybe it was her.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
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