Catching Gible!

Team Rocket's trio instantly came to a decision!

Meowth, that schemer, was grinning ear to ear.

He was always the one to suggest these things—"Let's catch that Pokémon and give it to the boss, we'll be promoted and rich in no time!"

Yeah… about that…

But one thing they weren't wrong about—this Altaria truly did have excellent potential.

Back in the peaceful mountain valley, neither Grandma Wilma nor Altaria noticed a thing.

Grandma Wilma was still lovingly praising Altaria.

"Good girl. You've mastered Draco Meteor now. Go ahead and tell the others—if any of them want to learn this move, this old lady would be happy to teach them!"

"Altaria~ Altaria~"

The fluffy Pokémon affectionately wiped Grandma's hands with the white feathers on its wings, radiating warmth and comfort.

Suddenly—

Ka-ka-ka…

From the distance, a rhythmic rumble echoed.

Grandma Wilma didn't look the slightest bit surprised. Instead, a knowing smile spread across her face.

"Gible, you little rascal, sneaking around again? How'd the eavesdropping go this time?"

She teased playfully.

A Gible popped out of the ground—turns out that noise was it digging its way over.

This little Gible, despite Grandma Wilma offering to teach it Draco Meteor, had been stubborn from the start.

It always refused help outright, preferring instead to hide nearby and spy on the training sessions, trying to pick things up by observing Altaria and the others.

And to be fair, Gible did quite well for a Pokémon with no formal instruction. It had excellent natural talent. Though it had only grasped the superficial form of the move, not its essence, it still tried its best.

All it could do was launch a blazing fireball into the sky.

But it never exploded.

It'd just go whoosh—straight up—then fall right back down again.

That was when—

"Meowhahahaha!"

The shrill laughter of Team Rocket broke the calm!

Meowth, Jessie, and James appeared with a brand-new robot and instantly snatched the Altaria!

"Ah! Altaria!" Grandma Wilma gasped in shock. She never imagined something like this would happen.

"This Altaria is ours now!" Jessie declared proudly.

"That's right! We'll take good care of it, Grandma Wilma, don't worry!" James added gleefully.

They danced with joy, imagining themselves basking in praise and rewards from their boss.

"Wait—what are you doing, Meowth?! Put it down!" Meowth protested, alarmed.

But before they could celebrate much longer, Gible suddenly charged in!

It rammed and chomped at the robot with wild energy, gnawing at its joints!

Within seconds, the robot's key systems were damaged and the entire machine collapsed!

Flustered, the trio decided to retaliate directly with their Pokémon!

"Fine! Go, Seviper—use Poison Tail!"

Jessie's Seviper whipped its tail at Gible.

James threw out his Carnivine, but immediately clarified: "Not me, not me—it's that Gible's fault! Use Bullet Seed!"

The attack hit—Carnivine's Bullet Seed pelted Gible hard. The poor thing was worn out from chewing through the robot and had no energy left to dodge.

Gible was flung aside by the blast. Seviper's Poison Tail missed, but was winding up for another strike.

That's when—

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Piplup, Bubble Beam!"

"Espeon, Psybeam!"

Three powerful attacks struck!

Thunderbolt and Bubble Beam hit Carnivine and Seviper dead on, blasting them into Team Rocket's faces!

Espeon's Psybeam shattered the cage, freeing Altaria in a dazzling flash of light.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again—!"

And once again, the notorious trio disappeared into the sky, sparkling like a shooting star.

"Thank you so much, all of you," Grandma Wilma said gratefully. "If it weren't for you, this old lady wouldn't have stood a chance."

Of course, it was Ash and the gang who'd saved the day.

After brief introductions, Ash crouched down to care for the injured Gible.

Activating his Aura Vision, he scanned the little Gible's details:

__

Pokémon: Gible

Category: Land Shark Pokémon

Type: Dragon / Ground

Ability: Sand Veil

Hidden Ability: Rough Skin (Inactive)

Potential: Purple

Level: 22

Moves: Tackle, Sand Attack, Dragon Rage, Sandstorm, Take Down, Bite, Sand Tomb, Slash, Dig, Draco Meteor (incomplete)

__

Looking at this data, Ash was pleased.

He was right to have passed on the Gible he encountered earlier. This one had everything he wanted.

Gible glanced at Ash, who was gently treating its wounds.

Ash, blessed with Aura and the Power of Bonds, had a natural affinity for Pokémon. Many were drawn to him instinctively.

And Gible… well…

It stared at Ash for a moment—and then, without warning, leapt at his shoulder!

Mouth wide open, it aimed right for his head with a playful CHOMP!

Ash quickly raised his arm, letting Gible gnaw on that instead. He smiled.

He knew it wasn't being hostile—it was just messing around.

He didn't plan on letting a Pokémon chew his head… but his arm? That was fine.

Thanks to his incredible physique, Gible's playful chomps didn't even leave a mark.

"Haha! Looks like this little guy really likes you," Dawn said, holding Piplup as she walked over. She was clearly a little jealous.

They'd only just met, but Gible already seemed deeply attached to Ash.

Ash chuckled. "Seems like it. I've been hoping to catch a Gible for a while now."

He turned toward Grandma Wilma.

"Grandma Wilma, if it's alright with you… I'd like to take care of this Gible."

Wilma nodded. "This child is a wild Gible from the nearby forest. If you're willing to be its partner, I think that's wonderful. What do you think, Gible?"

"Gaa-gaa!"

Gible nodded enthusiastically.

It really liked this guy.

Especially since he didn't mind it biting him—he was cool.

Seeing its eagerness, Ash didn't hesitate. He took out a Heal Ball, and gently pressed it against Gible's big round head.

Ping!

Gible didn't resist. It was absorbed in a flash of light.

The Heal Ball rocked once, then sealed with a satisfying ding.

Gible was caught!

"Alright! I caught Gible!" Ash grinned, holding the ball high above his head.

"Pika Pi—ka!" Pikachu leapt up beside him, flashing a victory sign with a wink!

Gible was now part of the team. So… where to next?

Well, one thing was clear—

They hadn't yet encountered Giratina in Sinnoh…

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T/N:

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