Sixth day at the Gym. Clear skies.
Reiji woke up to Darkrai shaking him.
"What is it, Darkrai?" he mumbled, blinking himself awake and yawning hard.
"Kingler's gone. Only the shell is left," Darkrai said, pointing at the spot where Kingler had been sleeping. A clear, empty husk lay there like a hollow mould.
Reiji rubbed his forehead and sat up. "Relax. It just molted."
The discarded shell on the floor was a mess—scraped, cracked, and scarred all over. Those weren't fresh breaks either. They were the marks Kingler had picked up in battles and training, the kind it couldn't really "heal." If it wanted the damage gone, it had to shed and start over. Reiji clicked his tongue. This thing really did work itself to the bone.
Still, once it molted, where had it crawled off to?
He scanned the room and came up empty, then reached for the bag by the bed. As long as Kingler took some calcium, it would bounce back fast. He'd bought a whole case of tablets on Kinnow Island, so he should still have plenty.
"Kingler… Kingler…" he called, digging through the bag.
Back then, he'd bought ten thousand tablets. With more than twenty little troublemakers eating with him every day, "a case" had stopped sounding like a lot. What was supposed to last three Pokémon for ages had been steadily demolished by the whole crew.
His fingers finally found the bottle. He pulled it out, gave it a shake, and heard a sad little rattle. When he opened it, only a few tablets stared back at him.
So he was buying more again.
Poliwhirl and a couple of the others didn't need this stuff, but anything with a shell, a horn, thick armour plating, or blade-like limbs did. Kingler, Hanhan, Scyther—if he wanted them to stay solid, calcium wasn't optional.
He'd swing by the town supermarket after work. For now, the last few tablets would go to Kingler so the new shell could harden properly. Give it a quiet morning, and it would be back to normal.
It was learning a new move right now anyway. No heavy training. Just copy what the other Kingler did and take it slow.
"Kingler," Reiji called again.
A moment later, Kingler crawled out from under the bed at a leisurely pace, as if it had been there the whole time.
"So that's your hiding spot." Reiji tipped out the remaining three tablets and flicked them straight into its mouth. "Eat those. They'll help your shell harden faster. And get in your Poké Ball to rest—stop wedging yourself under furniture. While you digest, use Iron Defense, got it?"
Kingler crunched the tablets obediently, and Reiji recalled it.
He glanced at Kingler's status screen—and paused.
Its potential had gone up.
Every time Kingler molted, it didn't just grow taller and tougher. Its potential crept upward too, little by little. That was a species talent, something other Pokémon simply couldn't copy. Every species had its own gifts. Gengar could slip through walls and hover like it belonged there. Hanhan could chew rocks like they were snacks. The trick was always the same: it depended on what the Trainer noticed, and how they chose to develop it.
Reiji closed the screen and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Darkrai had dragged him out of bed at seven on the dot, and it showed—he yawned so much he nearly bit his own tongue. By the time the food was ready, the Pokémon were all awake too.
While they ate, he reached over and patted Mudkip's slick little head. Its baby phase had been over for a while now. It was time to start proper Water Gun basics.
Mudkip had practised in the dream training, and Reiji had coached it here and there after work, but this was different. Today he was leaving Mudkip at the lakeside cabin with Butterfree. Butterfree would watch it—and make sure it trained.
[Mudkip]
[Type: Water]
[Gender: Male]
[Potential: 56%]
[Level: 8.17%]
[Ability: Torrent/1.13%][Hidden Ability: Damp/3.23%]
[Moves: (Bite/1.21%) (Hydro Pump/1.11%) (Waterfall/1.14%) (Rain Dance/1.31%) (Mud-Slap/1.22%) (Mud Shot/2.23%) (Earth Power/1.31%) (Tackle/2.51%) (Growl/4.52%) (Water Gun/4.45%)]
It had been twenty days since Mudkip hatched. Its level was climbing steadily now, slow but consistent. It wouldn't be long before it evolved.
Mudkip evolved at level sixteen. At this pace, it would probably happen within two weeks. By then, he should already be on his way to Kanto.
Torrent hadn't changed much. It was the same old effect—when HP dropped, moves hit harder. Basically the Water version of Blaze.
Damp, though, had improved a lot. The lakeside cabin stayed moist year-round, and Mudkip adapted fast when it liked an environment.
Even its moves had all nudged upward. Water Gun and Growl had jumped the most, which meant the dream training—and the evening play—was actually paying off.
After breakfast, Reiji carried Mudkip out under the citrus tree. Several empty bottles hung from the branches, set up as targets for practising accuracy.
"Mudkip. Water Gun—hit that bottle."
He sat on the swing like he usually did when he played with it.
Mudkip spat out a single Water Gun and nailed the bottle cleanly.
Reiji clapped. "Nice one."
Mudkip bounced straight into his arms, delighted with itself. Reiji held it close and watched the sun crest the distant hilltops.
When it was almost time to leave for work, Mudkip had already dozed off. Reiji set it gently on the swing and spoke quietly to Butterfree.
"Keep an eye on it. And make sure it trains Water Gun."
At this point, Mudkip could hit a stationary target without trouble. The real grind would be rapid-fire bursts and moving targets, and that only came with time.
Butterfree watched Reiji climb onto Pelipper and fly off. Its tiny brows scrunched up in a deep frown, the look on its face somewhere between resignation and disbelief. It was still a kid itself, and its Trainer had the nerve to make it babysit.
And if Mudkip woke up and didn't see Reiji, would it start crying and kicking up a fuss again?
Butterfree already felt the headache coming.
…
Reiji didn't fly for long before Pelipper dropped him outside the Gym. He arrived just in time to see that young man's younger cousin swagger in, chin lifted, nostrils practically pointing at the sky. The kid didn't greet him. Didn't even look his way.
Fine. Reiji didn't bother returning the stare. As long as the guy didn't come harassing him—and didn't start tailing him—Reiji was happy to pretend he didn't exist.
Before going inside, he murmured toward his shadow, "Darkrai. Did he follow us last night?"
"No. No strangers near the cabin," Darkrai answered directly in his mind. It had spent the night in the forest messing with sleeping wild Pokémon and hadn't noticed any lurkers hiding in the trees.
"Good," Reiji thought, exhaling quietly.
He'd figured it out by now. That guy's one real line in the sand was Cissy.
As long as Reiji didn't get caught alone with her, the cousin wouldn't fixate on him. Knowing that made Reiji even more careful around Cissy. That girl was trouble, and he had zero interest in signing up for more trouble than he already had.
Inside, he greeted Cissy, nodded to Senta, grabbed his breakfast from the back kitchen, and headed for the training room. A bunch of Trainers were already waiting on him.
Sou was there with three other Trainers. Sou looked like a different person today. Clean clothes, buzz cut, and the general "trying to look sharp" vibe. More importantly, the fishy stench was gone.
He must've listened for once. Bought proper toiletries, scrubbed himself down, and actually washed his gear. The smell was faint enough now that people weren't recoiling on instinct.
Reiji released Poliwhirl and the other three he'd assigned out, then pulled the Trainer responsible for Kingler aside. "Kingler molted last night. Keep training light for now."
Once the four Trainers left with the Pokémon, Reiji turned to the group here for a teaching job. Only three or four had shown up. A single move wasn't enough to lure a crowd, apparently, but at least a few people were still willing to help.
"This time I'm looking for a Pokémon that knows Recover," he said. "Show me what you've got. If you have a Bug-type, even better. I'll prioritise that."
And then he saw the lineup.
Staryu. Starmie. Wooper. Kecleon…
"No Bug-types?" Reiji asked, scanning them again. Seven or eight Pokémon on display, and not one Bug. If that was all he had to work with, he'd just pick something and get it done.
A boy scratched his head, hesitated, then pulled out a Poké Ball. "Um… this one? Would… would Vespiquen work?"
"Vespiquen?" Reiji blinked. "You a beekeeper or something?"
Mikan Island stayed warm almost all year, and citrus trees were everywhere. That kind of place naturally produced beekeepers. When the orchards bloomed, farmers hired them for pollination, and the beekeepers harvested honey on the side. One trip, two paychecks.
"No," the boy said quickly, a little embarrassed. "Vespiquen is mine. My grandpa's the beekeeper. This Vespiquen is the child of his Vespiquen."
He'd heard Mikan Gym was paying for Trainers with Pokémon that knew Recover, so he'd come to take a look and earn some pocket money. Vespiquen was mainly used to manage a swarm, not fight. The boy wasn't much of a battler either. Maybe, one day, he'd just stay on Mikan Island and do what his grandpa did.
"That works," Reiji said, deciding on the spot. "You're the one."
After the others left, Reiji released Shelmet and introduced it. "This is my Shelmet. It's the Pokémon you'll be teaching."
The boy's eyes lit up immediately. "It's so small. And cute."
He circled Shelmet, studying it like it was a treasure, then made a quiet sound of surprise. "Wait… your Shelmet looks different from the ones I've seen."
"You know Shelmet?" Reiji asked, honestly impressed. Most people didn't recognise Pokémon from far-off regions unless they looked them up on the spot.
"Of course. Bug-types are my favourite," the boy said. "Shelmet is from Unova. I've kept up with it."
He pulled out his Pokédex guide, flipped to the entry, and his confusion cleared instantly.
"Oh—so it's a shiny Shelmet. Your luck is ridiculous."
Reiji gave an awkward laugh. "I traded for it at a Bug-type swap meet. If the other guy had known what he was handing over, I wouldn't have gotten it."
"Murcott Island's Bug-type exchange?" the boy asked, excited. "I've been to that twice. I traded for a bunch of Bug-types there."
"You've been?" Reiji stared at him. "I only ran into it by accident while travelling."
The boy laughed. "I was just guessing. Didn't think I'd actually hit the mark. That's crazy—maybe we even crossed paths."
"Maybe we did," Reiji said, smiling. He nudged Shelmet forward. "Then I'll be counting on you. Shelmet—learn Recover properly from him."
Shelmet nodded, visibly energised by the idea of a new move.
"Don't worry," the boy said. "I'll teach it right."
He led Shelmet to an open area in the training room, released Vespiquen, and started the lesson.
Reiji watched them for a moment, then looked back at Poliwhirl and the other two still with him, with Pelipper waiting outside.
At this point, his five main Pokémon—Poliwhirl, Pelipper, Kingler, Scyther, and Shelmet—were finally running on a clean track.
Rhyhorn didn't need a new move. Hanhan had no real weaknesses that needed patching. At most, later on, it could learn Rock Tomb to squeeze an opponent's space and keep them from slipping away.
A brawler's worst nightmare wasn't a stronger enemy. It was a fast one you couldn't touch.
That was why he wanted Kingler learning Rock Tomb too. For Rhyhorn, Rock Tomb was stab—easy to pick up. Once Kingler had it down, it could help teach.
As for Zapdos, it was still far too early. Training that weird little bird was one thing. Teaching it a new move was a problem for the future. If he wanted Zapdos doing even casual matches, it would have to wait until after he came back from the regional tournament.
Those seven were his "on-paper" main team. Five had already stepped into the Advanced tier, which was more than enough for a rookie tournament.
If he raised all seven properly, reaching Elite Four tier would be steady and realistic. After that, the world opened up. He could go anywhere.
He still had several support Pokémon, but the only ones he truly cared about were Slowpoke and Staryu.
Staryu had to support Poliwhirl and the others during Gravity training, so its psychic powers needed to be strong.
Slowpoke could wait. Gengar had already proven that evolution could be accelerated. Once Reiji had money to burn and time to spare—when he was sitting on at least ten "big goals"—then he'd deal with evolving Slowpoke.
And if evolution really did boost potential in a way he could replicate onto Slowpoke, he'd raise more Slowpoke. More Shellder too. Pokémon like that, fully developed, could grow into Champion-level power.
If he had multiple Champion-tier Pokémon lounging in his backyard, he'd love to see who still dared try to sneak in and raid his home.
The rest—Butterfree, Wishiwashi, Farfetch'd—could just enjoy themselves. And that Magikarp that refused to leave? Fine. It could stay wild in the lake. He wasn't exactly going broke feeding one extra fish.
With everyone busy learning, only Zapdos remained at Reiji's side. Hanhan was back at the lakeside cabin, happily smashing into trees, so Reiji took Zapdos out for a run instead. It was a simple way to work those little chicken feet.
Zapdos still didn't have wings, so running was all it could do right now. At least it wasn't that Galar "ground chicken." If it had been, Reiji would've rejected it on the spot.
A Zapdos that couldn't fly—was it even still Zapdos? It had gone from two weaknesses to five.
And honestly, Reiji still thought the original looked better. When Zapdos grew up and those golden feathers came in, that was real style. He couldn't help wondering, if you sat on it, would it zap your butt?
The Gym's morning passed quietly like that—training, studying, repeating. He didn't go back at noon. He had no idea whether Mudkip cried when it woke up and didn't see him.
In the afternoon, he pulled out his book again—and his phone rang.
It was Naoki.
Naoki told him he'd arrived in Mikan Island's town.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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