Join my p@treon for more chapters
[email protected]/Tempest_29
The Grimer that caught Growlithe's Ember square in the face was Level 16 — and it had recently learned Sludge, the signature move of its species.
Stung by the fire, it fought back immediately, launching a glob of thick, reeking sludge straight at Growlithe.
It was far too slow. To a Pokémon as quick as Growlithe, the incoming Sludge looked almost frozen in mid-air. Growlithe simply hopped sideways and let it sail past.
Nova, standing behind it in the commander's position, was significantly less composed. A basketball-sized ball of foul-smelling sludge was hurtling directly toward his face.
Fortunately, Nidoking was paying attention.
A seasoned battler like Nidoking shifted into full alert the moment a real fight began. It understood better than anyone just how vulnerable a Trainer was in the middle of a wild Pokémon battle. A thick pillar of flame erupted from Nidoking's mouth as it used Flamethrower, catching the Sludge in mid-air and reducing it to blackened ash that scattered to the ground.
Growlithe watched its big brother light up the sky and promptly forgot about the battle it was supposed to be in. It bounced on its paws, eyes shining. It decided on the spot that one day it would use fire just as impressively as that.
Nova let out a slow breath. It was still young. It still needed work. A Pokémon stopping mid-fight to admire a fireball was not ideal.
"Growlithe!" His tone sharpened. "Use Bite!"
That got its attention. Growlithe's ears perked up, it gave a short bark, and it channelled Dark-type energy into its jaws. The energy crackled outward as a set of black, spectral teeth that closed hard around the Grimer from several metres away, taking off more than half its health in one strike.
The Grimer was starting to panic. It vented a thick cloud of Poison Gas in a desperate attempt to obscure everyone's vision and slip away in the confusion.
Nova wasn't about to give it the chance. He called out another Ember, and before the Poison Gas could spread more than a few centimetres, Growlithe's sparks caught it. The gas ignited with a sharp crack and a flash — and the Grimer at the centre of it went up like a torch.
When the smoke cleared, the Grimer had nothing left. Nova tossed a Poké Ball and added it to the bag without breaking stride.
The victory had been enough to push Growlithe past a threshold. It reached Level 12 — and with it, the move Flame Wheel became available.
Available, though, didn't mean polished. Moves that came with levelling up were closer to instinct than skill, patterns written into a Pokémon's genes that unlocked once it had grown enough. Just as a young Tauros will lower its head and charge the moment its horns are large enough, or a Shinx cub begins pouncing at shadows weeks after birth, the ability to perform a move and the ability to use it well in the middle of a real battle were two different things entirely.
For the rest of that afternoon, Nova kept the focus on Growlithe. Riolu and Sprigatito were both too young for structured battle training. That could wait until they had naturally grown to around Level 10 and could begin to keep up with the pace of a real fight.
Growlithe, for its part, had mixed feelings about the opponents Nova had arranged. Grimer had a smell that hit hard even for a Pokémon with an average nose — for Growlithe, with its exceptionally sharp sense of smell, every battle felt like an assault.
Nova talked it through patiently. He explained that if they didn't deal with the Grimer today, the area around their home would smell like this forever. Poor Growlithe would be so put off by the stench that it wouldn't even be able to come home — and end up a little stray.
That was all Growlithe needed to hear.
Motivation fully restored, it pressed its nose to the ground and got to work. The Grimer were slow on land, barely managing a crawl, and the trail of Sludge each one left behind made tracking them simple even without Growlithe's nose. Not one of them made it to safety.
Two hours later, Growlithe collapsed in the shade of a nearby tree, panting with its tongue lolling out. Nova counted his haul: all sixteen Grimer, caught. Growlithe had risen to Level 19.
Talented Pokémon levelled up fast. That much was clear. By the time they were done, Growlithe had already begun using Flame Wheel with something resembling actual skill.
Nova's plan from here was to keep training until Growlithe reached Level 30, then find a high-quality Fire Stone to trigger its evolution into Hisuian Arcanine. Any moves it would otherwise miss by evolving early — Rock Slide and Flame Charge, for example — could be covered later with Technical Machines.
There were real advantages to evolving sooner rather than later. The jump in base stats alone would make a difference in battle. And after evolving, Hisuian Arcanine could learn Extreme Speed — which meant Nova could travel in style wherever he went, covering vast distances in moments, just like Officer Jenny.
He was, however, quietly worried about Growlithe's personality. He was hoping that evolution would bring a little more stability. If it was still tearing things apart as a Hisuian Arcanine — a Pokémon the size of a tiger — then no amount of effort would save the house. There would be no walls left to worry about.
There was still time left in the afternoon. Nova decided to head to Harmony City's Municipal Centre before the day was out.
Corviknight hadn't returned yet — still off somewhere, doing as it pleased — which meant Nova was without his fastest form of transport. He would have to go on foot.
He had promised himself that morning he would not be walking the dogs today.
He walked the dogs.
Nova carried Sprigatito in his arms, and the two puppies trotted happily alongside him as he jogged the whole way to the Municipal Centre.
The staff there were clearly glad to see him. When they heard he had brought in sixteen wild Grimer, they ushered him inside immediately and put on tea.
Nova left with a Five-Star Good Citizen certificate, a fresh box of Poké Balls as compensation, and a reward of 3,000 League Coins.
He turned that number over in his head as he stepped outside.
Three thousand?
Harmony City imported Grimer from other cities every year for ecological management purposes. Surely a single Grimer cost more than that to source through official channels?
Then again — the box of Poké Balls had been given separately, on top of the 3,000 Coins. Without those, the afternoon would have barely broken even.
The Municipal Centre staff had their own arithmetic. The 3,000-Coin listing was the wholesale price paid to supplier cities — a figure that included transport fees, paperwork, and everyone along the chain who needed their cut. If they bought Nova's Grimer at the full listing price, that left rather less room for the informal bonuses the staff relied on to make their positions worthwhile.
Nova supposed that made a certain kind of sense, even if it didn't feel particularly fair.
He tucked the certificate under his arm, hoisted Sprigatito back into the crook of his elbow, and headed home.