Gible

Heiduo finished his breakfast under the scrutiny of a group of officers.

Unlike the looks Team Rocket members gave him, the gazes of these officials carried righteousness, representing justice.

And at this moment, the expressions in the eyes of these righteous people were mostly extremely complicated.

Quite a few of them were hostile.

That was perfectly normal. A man who had escaped the law was right in front of them; no matter which Police officer it was, their expression would not be pleasant.

The one thing Heiduo found somewhat unbearable was the sympathy mixed in among those looks.

He turned his head, wanting to know which saint would sympathize with a criminal like him.

It was Officer Jenny.

And most likely the Officer Jenny who had interrogated him earlier.

Because there was only one Officer Jenny in the entire police station. The rest were nameless extras who had appeared for only a few minutes—or even seconds—in the anime.

Why was she looking at him like that?

Could it be... could it be that Lorelei had told her about the bet?

Heiduo thought it was very possible. After all, other than that, what else could make an Officer Jenny who hated evil sympathize with a criminal?

She must have thought he was destined for twenty years in prison, right?

She must have thought Heiduo was incredibly stupid and wildly overestimating himself, right?

Sorry, but three years from now, I'll show you what it means to be—

UN! DER! FEAT! ED!

There was a wild horse in his heart, and everywhere was grassland~~~

Heiduo placed his tray into the automatic dishwasher, picked up his backpack, and strode out of the police station with his head held high.

He had retrieved his backpack a long time ago, and he had also seen the Present Lorelei mentioned.

It was a small card printed with his name, hometown, and a string of other information.

Though it was not valuable, it meant a great deal to Heiduo.

With this card, he could enjoy free lodging and Pokémon treatment at the Pokémon Center.

That was because his current identity was—a rookie Trainer.

This was a benefit granted to every Trainer recognized by the Pokémon League. Of course, if Heiduo failed to become an Elite Trainer before turning twenty-five, his rookie Trainer Card would become invalid.

At that point, he would learn what it meant to pay if you did not work hard.

So once again, thank you, Santa Lorelei. What was a lifesaver? This was a lifesaver.

You're the best, bro!

Heiduo touched the Poké Ball at his waist, just about to check where he was.

When someone stopped him.

"...Shuangye."

Heiduo held a device resembling a touchscreen phone, his expression somewhat complicated. Standing before him was that cute girl with white hair and a single dyed streak.

A born actress.

Shuangye stood there prettily, but unlike her previous innocent liveliness, her face now wore an expression so calm it was cold.

Disdainful, as if he were beneath her notice.

To be honest, Heiduo had disliked her at first, because she had betrayed the trust he placed in her and had nearly sent him to prison.

If Heiduo's original body had not been so damn capable, and if he had not had connections with Lorelei of the Elite Four, he really might have spent seven years in prison!

But now, the triumphant Heiduo had no interest in Shuangye anymore. She could do whatever she wanted.

The road was wide; each would go their own way.

"In the days ahead, I will be your monitor, to prevent you from committing crimes again." Shuangye spoke coldly, like a soldier carrying out a mission.

A monitor?

Heiduo froze on the spot. Why would there be a monitor?

"Let me explain!"

The Officer Jenny who had interrogated Heiduo earlier stepped out from behind him. She coughed softly twice and said, "Although you are currently free, given your record of buying and selling Pokémon, the Johto Police have decided to send Shuangye to monitor you! With Miss Lorelei's tacit approval, Shuangye will not leave your side until three years from now!"

Holy shit!

Heiduo was dumbfounded. How was he supposed to do anything with someone monitoring him at his side? He would not be able to act freely at all!

"Don't worry! Shuangye's role is only to monitor you. As long as your actions are legal, she will not step in to stop you!" Officer Jenny added, "Please believe in the professional integrity of us Police officers!"

Professional integrity, my ass!

"...Fine." Heiduo had no choice but to accept it passively. He only hoped Shuangye would not start meddling in everything he did.

Shuangye turned her head away from Heiduo. There was none of her previous closeness left on her face, only what seemed like endless indifference.

After saying that, she did not speak another word.

Heiduo glanced at her. He was not so cheap that he would press a warm face against someone else's cold ass. Not everyone had some possessive desire toward beautiful members of the opposite sex. A little girl like Shuangye, flat as a board and wearing such an annoying expression, could be handed to Heiduo for free—

Well, if she were free and let Heiduo do whatever he wanted, he could reluctantly accept.

Don't get him wrong. Heiduo merely wanted to give her ass a good spanking!

He opened the "Navigator" in his hand. He had spent a small part of his budget on this thing specifically so he could find his way while escaping.

"New Bark Town!"

A simplified map appeared before Heiduo, and the three large words marked on it stunned him.

Heiduo looked at the endless crowds around him, the bustling traffic, the beautiful environment, the cafés, office buildings, restaurants, and other towering structures, the noisy and thriving city.

And someone was telling him this was the New Bark Town from the game, the one that had only four buildings including the professor's laboratory?

Sure enough, the real Pokémon World could not be viewed through old assumptions. Being self-righteous would only blind Heiduo.

Heiduo enlarged the map and found what he was looking for.

A small park.

His most urgent task now was to earn the trust of the other two Pokémon. Though he had spoken with great confidence earlier, he actually had no control over any Pokémon other than Ekans.

Heiduo walked there. It was not far, and he reached his destination in under ten minutes.

Shuangye followed behind Heiduo without saying a word.

Sitting cross-legged on the lush grass, Heiduo looked at the two Poké Balls before him and lowered his head in thought.

Ekans lay beside Heiduo, looking very healthy. Like Heiduo, it stared intently at the Poké Balls, but unlike Heiduo's concern, Ekans was somewhat wary.

"I choose you! Come out!"

Having made up his mind, Heiduo picked up one of the two Poké Balls and pressed the switch.

Bang!

A flash of white light appeared, and a small but sturdy Pokémon jumped out.

It looked like a miniature shark, with a blue-green body and a crimson belly. Two spindle-shaped protrusions sat beside its head. It had no pelvic fins, replaced instead by a pair of little claws and a pair of chubby feet. Its mouth often hung open, revealing dense teeth that made people shudder.

"Gible!"

The Pokémon called Gible, also mistranslated in some bootlegs as Baby Land Shark, tilted its head at Heiduo without moving.

Heiduo's heart leaped into his throat.

He was genuinely afraid Gible would run away the moment it came out, so he had repeatedly reminded Ekans to use Glare if anything seemed wrong.

No matter what, he could not let it escape.

But contrary to Heiduo's expectations, Gible did not flee after coming out. Instead, it stayed quietly where it was, its large eyes fixed directly on Heiduo, completely ignoring the Pokémon food Heiduo held out.

"Uh? Hello?"

Heiduo set down the food and cautiously reached out a hand.

Its skin felt somewhat rough. Though Heiduo had prepared himself mentally to be bitten, he was still nervous as he stroked its dorsal fin.

"Gible!"

Gible suddenly lifted a small claw and placed it on Heiduo's arm.

Heiduo jumped in fright and hurriedly tried to pull his hand back. Unexpectedly, Gible followed the force of his retreat and pounced into Heiduo's arms.

Ekans was shocked, its large snake eyes immediately glaring at Gible.

"Wait!" Heiduo hurriedly stopped Ekans, because Gible showed no intention of attacking. It gently wriggled its body, turned itself over, and sat in Heiduo's lap.

Gible broke into a smile, its little claws waving nonstop. "Gible, Gible, Gible, Gible!"

What was going on?

Heiduo and Ekans looked at each other, completely baffled.

This should have been his first face-to-face meeting with Gible. He did not think he possessed the imposing aura to make wild Pokémon submit, nor did he have extraordinary charm. So why was Gible reacting so strangely?

Heiduo turned his head toward Shuangye, who had been silently watching from not far away.

He received only an eye roll and a cold attitude in return.

"...Gible?" Heiduo turned back, supporting Gible's body with both hands as he turned it around to face him.

Good lord!

This thing had to weigh at least fifty or sixty pounds!

"Gible, Gible, Gible!"

Compared to Shuangye, Gible had a much friendlier attitude. Its eyes crinkled with laughter, and its slightly hoarse cries continued without pause.

Could this little guy... have only just been born? Was it a baby that knew nothing of the world?

Heiduo could not help opening the scouting system.

[Pokémon: Gible/Gender: ♂/Level: 7]

[Ability: Rough Skin/Type: Ground + Dragon/Status: Joyful]

[Additional Attributes: 0/Friendship: 100]

[Moves: Tackle lv1/Sand Attack lv1]

[Dragon Rage lv1/Outrage lv1]

100 Friendship!

Heiduo froze! When he had first obtained Gible, its Friendship had clearly been the initial seventy points!

How had it suddenly become even higher than Ekans'!

What had happened during the few hours he was unconscious?

Something he did not know about must have happened!

Heiduo felt deeply unsettled. Instinctively, he felt this had something to do with Lorelei; otherwise, there was no way to explain those extra thirty Friendship points.

Unfortunately, she had already left.

Heiduo sighed. He had learned that Lorelei was gone as soon as he retrieved his backpack.

Forget it. It was not a bad thing anyway.

He set Gible down and rubbed his slightly sore arm. How exactly had Ash casually carried Gible on his head while walking normally without changing expression?

He could barely stand holding it for a little while.

"Please take care of me from now on!" Heiduo reached out to stroke Gible's dorsal fin. "I won't let you suffer! After all, you're the Pokémon I've wanted most!"

One reason he admired and yearned for Cynthia—also known as Sister Cabbage—was that she owned an invincible, unstoppable Garchomp.

Its powerful, imposing figure was simply cool as hell to Heiduo.