'Huh?'
Hearing that Axel wanted to see his useless idiot of a son, the Garchomp chief was completely dumbfounded.
He turned a resentful glare toward Brown, 'You bastard, ever heard of turning your phone to silent?'
He had finally decided to hide his son away, leaving only his excellent and adorable younger kin out front.
And now, thanks to this guy, he'd been exposed.
Letting out a helpless sigh, the Garchomp chief still honestly walked toward his dwelling cave.
At first, he'd hidden his son because he didn't want Axel to look down on the Garchomp tribe because of him.
But deep down, he did kind of hope Axel would take a look.
After all, this was such a powerful breeder, maybe he could solve his son's problem?
The Garchomp chief lowered his body and entered the cave. Before long, he came out carrying a Gible.
The little Gible blinked, his small eyes filled with confusion, clearly just woken from sleep.
"Roar?"
His thoughts were simple, so simple that even Axel could sense his meaning with his half-baked psychic power.
'Dad, is it mealtime?'
As he opened his mouth, a chunk of rock, clearly already bitten, fell out, landing on the ground with a clack.
The Garchomp chief: "..."
'Damn it, still a miscalculation!'
'You just ate not long ago, how are you hungry again?'
Axel's expression, however, was entirely different.
As he looked at the Gible in Garchomp's claws, his eyes lit up with excitement.
'As expected of something hatched by Gold. This little guy is insane.'
'Stronger than many divine beasts!'
The moment the Gible appeared, Axel's panel automatically displayed his information.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
— Gible: Level 20 (Ground Shark Pokémon. It makes small holes in caves its home. When prey approaches, it swiftly emerges to attack.)
— Type: Dragon + Ground
— Ability: Sand Veil (Evasion increases during sandstorms)
— Moves: Outrage, Double-Edge, Metal Claw, Twister, Dig, Rest, Sleep Talk
— Held Item: Leftovers (Gradually restores HP when held)
— Potential: Ordinary (Divine)
— Tags: Gluttony (Gold), Sharp Fangs and Pointed Teeth (Gold), King of the Ground (Gold), Dragon King (Gold)
• Sharp Fangs and Pointed Teeth: Can bite through almost anything. Bite-type moves +50% power.
• Gluttony: Can digest any substance. Energy reserves can exceed normal limits—the more eaten, the stronger it becomes.
(Other Tags omitted.)
[System Evaluation: The offspring of Garchomp and Tyranitar, whose form was altered by some mysterious power.]
[Most important note: This child is about to starve to death.]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
After seeing this Gible's panel, Axel's breathing quickened slightly.
The potential wasn't the issue, after all, potential was more like a lower limit.
As long as he had enough training skill and invested the proper resources, Axel could ensure that none of his Pokémon had a low upper limit.
What really caught his attention was that Gluttony tag.
It could break through its own limits to a certain extent.
Simply put, for most Pokémon, once they reach a certain level, no matter how much energy they consume, they can't keep improving rapidly. At best, the extra energy is stored.
Just like humans, you can't become fat in one meal; you have to keep eating steadily over time.
But this little guy was different.
As long as he ate more, even at level 20, he could convert that energy into attacks that hit like level 30, or even level 40.
'And if that tag is trained to perfection...'
Could it be possible for Axel to train a Pokémon with a true level 100, but with physical power surpassing level 100?
"Ahem~", Through Gardevoir's translation, the Garchomp chief awkwardly introduced his offspring to Axel.
["He eats a lot, moves little, and is a bit food-possessive. He often fights other little sharks over food."]
["Originally, I didn't want you to see him, but since you already have, I hope you can help solve his problem..."]
'Solve his problem?'
Axel chuckled.
This little shark was starving like this purely because of his tag.
Even without asking, Axel could imagine how the chief must have been feeding him, strictly according to the recommended resource guide for his level.
Not too much, not too little.
In breeding standards, that was the best way to maintain perfect physique and optimal battle readiness.
Most professional breeders followed that handbook precisely.
But the problem was, this little guy's energy consumption was massive.
He was constantly starving, how could he train like that?
And when others came to snatch his food, of course he got mad.
No wonder he'd been starved from divine potential down to ordinary.
Axel could only think, sometimes, professional issues are best left to real professionals like himself.
"Don't worry, I'll fix it right away," Axel floated slightly, patting the Garchomp chief's shoulder with a sage expression.
"You know... sometimes, sons need to be raised generously."
He thought for a moment, if this kind of tag appeared on a Dragonair, she'd never end up starving.
With Dragonite's doting personality, even if she had to secretly sell off Professor Oak's house, she'd still make sure her daughter could eat until she was stuffed.
The Garchomp chief looked at Axel blankly, not understanding what he meant.
But soon, he did.
Axel rummaged through his bag and pulled out a large box of cookies rich in dragon and steel-type energy, the ones he'd prepared for his Archaludon, and placed them before the Gible.
The sleepy Gible's eyes instantly widened, drool running down uncontrollably.
'Dad... is this my last meal?'
Crunch after crunch echoed as the hard cookies were crushed and swallowed one after another.
By the time he finished the whole box, the faint, listless aura around him had completely vanished. His entire shark body was now radiating sharpness and vigor.
His eyes gleamed as he turned toward a nearby fish pond, and without hesitation, dove straight in.
Gone to catch fish to eat.
Seeing his son so different from before, the Garchomp chief stood there stunned, staring at Axel in disbelief.
He was utterly puzzled, what miraculous item had Axel used on his son?
Was it something grown on the sacred healing grounds of Mt. Silver? A feather from Ho-Oh? Or perhaps a blessing from Xerneas?
Watching the Garchomp chief's wild imagination spin out of control, Axel sighed helplessly.
"Have you ever considered the possibility," he said, "that your little shark was simply starving to death?"
"With such a good family background, and you still managed to starve the poor kid like this... impressive, really..."
The Garchomp chief: "???"
He had thought of every possible explanation, even planned to travel across regions seeking divine aid, and now Axel was telling him the kid was just hungry?
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.