Chapter 34: Shelgon's First Battle

Early in the morning, Ryuu stepped out of the gym, adjusting his jacket.

He had already arranged to meet Shindou Aio for their usual routine—

A morning battle, followed by a trip to scout for Pokémon eggs.

This was his daily ritual.

A morning date with his future wife (as he liked to call her) and, of course—

An opportunity to track down rare Pokémon and cut off potential rivals before they could get their hands on anything valuable.

More than just that, these battles were essential for his Pokémon's growth.

Talent wasn't enough—a Pokémon needed combat experience and the right nutrition to truly thrive.

Ryuu waited outside the gym for a while before Aio finally arrived.

She was a few minutes early, which was surprising.

Better than those people who say they'll be there in five minutes and show up an hour later.

"Ryuu, should we hit the battle center first and then go shopping for Pokémon eggs?" Aio asked, already knowing the answer.

After spending so much time with Ryuu, she had his daily routine memorized.

Every day, he fought a few matches, then spent the afternoon hunting for high-potential Pokémon eggs.

The egg-hunting part, though?

Aio still didn't quite get it.

She didn't have Ryuu's Data Vision, so she couldn't see potential the way he could.

But Ryuu?

He went to every store in the city, hoping to find a rare gem among the ordinary stock.

"Yeah, let's battle first," Ryuu nodded.

"Then we'll check out the Pokémon eggs."

Aio grinned.

"Sounds good! My Charmander has gotten way stronger this time!"

Over the past few weeks, Aio had improved a lot.

Fighting alongside Ryuu had honed her instincts.

Her win rate was solid, and when she did lose, it was only because of type disadvantages or a level gap.

Tactically?

She never lost.

It was almost like she was cheating at life.

---

The two arrived at the battle center.

Ryuu approached the counter.

"Set me up with a Gym-level opponent."

The staff member blinked.

"Gym-level?"

That was already a high-ranking trainer.

"Yeah," Ryuu said flatly.

He had a VIP card, meaning he could choose his opponents.

The staff hesitated for a second before nodding.

"Understood! I'll arrange it right away."

---

Meanwhile, in a Room at the Battle Center…

A man sat in silence, deep in thought.

Takeda Ryo.

A trainer whose Pokémon had reached the Gym-level—but then hit a bottleneck.

No matter how hard he trained, his Pokémon just wouldn't break through.

If a Pokémon's potential was maxed out, no amount of training could force a breakthrough.

Unless…

You found a way to improve its potential or got a better Pokémon.

Both of which cost money.

And Ryo didn't have money.

So he took on part-time work as a sparring partner in the battle center.

It was humiliating, but he needed the cash.

The moment his phone rang, he sighed.

Another match.

He grabbed his coat and headed for the arena.

---

Gym-Level Battle Arena

Ryo frowned when he saw his opponent.

A teenager?

A rich kid, no doubt.

No way some random student could afford to fight Gym-level trainers.

Ryuu must be loaded.

Ryo felt a twist of jealousy in his chest.

If he had that kind of money, he could have become a quasi-Elite by now.

But instead—

He was stuck here, training some rich kid.

Ryo's fingers curled into fists.

"Two competitors, please release your Pokémon!"

The referee's voice rang through the arena.

Ryo took a breath and threw his Poké Ball.

"Let's go, Mightyena!"

A vicious black wolf materialized onto the battlefield, growling lowly.

[Mightyena]

[Level: 40 (Gym-Level)]

[Potential: Gym-Level]

Ryuu didn't even flinch.

He had seen this scenario before—

A trainer who had hit their limit, stuck at Gym-level with nowhere to go.

Judging from Mightyena's size, it was already old.

It had reached its max potential and would never go beyond this stage.

"Shelgon, you're up," Ryuu said, tossing his Poké Ball.

Shelgon emerged in a flash of light, standing firm on the battlefield.

"This is your first real battle," Ryuu muttered.

"Let's see how you do."

---

The crowd murmured in excitement.

"Wait—Shelgon?!"

"Didn't Ryuu just have a Bagon last time?!"

"It evolved already?! That was way too fast!"

Clearly, Ryuu was already well-known around here.

Ryo's brows furrowed.

The moment he saw Shelgon, something inside him twisted painfully.

He knew what this meant.

A trainer with a Shelgon wasn't just a rich kid—

They were the real deal.

And the greed in his heart grew stronger.

"Why do kids like him get all the luck?"

Ryo gritted his teeth.

"Mightyena, Dark Pulse!"

The black wolf let out a snarl, sending a rippling wave of darkness toward Shelgon.

Ryuu's eyes narrowed.

"Shelgon, Dragon Pulse."

The two attacks collided midair—

BOOM!

A cloud of smoke and debris exploded across the arena.

The battlefield was shrouded in dust.

"Go in close!" Ryo ordered.

"Mightyena, Ice Fang!"

The black wolf lunged forward, its fangs gleaming with frost.

Ryuu's expression hardened.

"Bad move."

"Shelgon—Flamethrower!"

A wave of fire erupted from Shelgon's mouth, engulfing Mightyena mid-attack.

The burning flames swallowed it whole.

Ryo's eyes widened in horror.

Mightyena's pained howl echoed across the stadium.

Super effective.

And from the looks of it—

That one hit might have been enough.

====

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