Grinding Levels and Evolving

Ever since Giant Dragonite had damaged the lighthouse, the place had drawn even more attention.

More and more people came to visit and take in the sights. As for the landmark lighthouse, repairs were already underway.

It wasn't quite what it used to be, but it still looked good.

"Wow, there are so many people! What are they all doing here?"

Sen Anxiang was curious about everything, looking around and touching whatever caught her eye.

This was where Ito Hei stepped in to explain. "Apparently, Giant Dragonite felt bad about damaging the lighthouse, so it comes back every so often and leaves something valuable behind."

"It's something different each time, but it's always precious enough for powerful trainers to fight over."

Something like that happened here? No wonder there were so many trainers. They had probably all come for the treasure Giant Dragonite would leave behind.

Sen Anxiang was more excited than either of the others. "What kind of treasure? What is it?"

"Why don't we stay and try to grab it? I'm really curious."

Liu Xin pressed a hand to his forehead. "You're no good at anything else, but when there's excitement to chase, you're first in line."

"So how often does Giant Dragonite come here?"

Ito Hei rubbed his chin. "I'll ask around. Besides, this place has grown quite a bit. There's plenty of fun stuff to do."

"We can stay a while and see what happens. There's no rush to get to Vermilion City."

Liu Xin looked up at the enormous Bill's Lighthouse and finally nodded.

Then the system issued a mission in his mind: Ding! Host has triggered a mission: obtain one treasure left behind by Giant Dragonite.

Mission reward: Giant Dragonite's blessing and 50 points.

What was Giant Dragonite's blessing?

Liu Xin couldn't figure that out for now, but one thing was certain: he couldn't leave before Giant Dragonite left its treasure.

That suited Sen Anxiang perfectly.

Liu Xin let out a long breath and gave in. "Then let's enjoy ourselves here while we wait for Giant Dragonite to appear."

Sen Anxiang beamed. "Great! There looks to be a museum over there. Let's go inside!"

"These souvenirs are so cute! Should we each buy one?"

The two of them wandered from place to place, playing and looking around.

By the time Liu Xin was exhausted, Sen Anxiang was still bursting with energy. If Ito Hei hadn't come to his rescue, Liu Xin would have collapsed.

"I asked quite a few people. They all said Giant Dragonite should appear in a week."

"Even if it isn't exactly a week, it'll be around then. We got lucky with the timing, give or take a little."

Sen Anxiang rolled up her sleeves. "If we have a week, let's do some brutal training!"

"We'll train our Pokémon and make them strong enough for the tough fight ahead."

What determination.

Liu Xin and Ito Hei stared at her. Was this really Sen Anxiang?

She had actually suggested training on her own. Of course, the two men had been thinking the same thing.

They were near White Cape, and the sight of waves crashing against the rocks fired up Liu Xin and the others even more.

Ito Hei said excitedly, "There must be plenty of strong Pokémon around here. We've got to train hard."

"And it's about time I caught more Pokémon."

Liu Xin sent out Super Gible and checked his level. He was only two levels away from evolving into Gabite.

Super Gible roared, already looking ready for a fight.

He would take on however many came his way.

"Your eagerness to fight is a real help right now. Let's see who our first opponent will be."

"There's a level 20 Corphish over there. Go fight him."

"Gible!"

With a roar, Super Gible charged toward the Corphish sunning himself nearby.

Most of Corphish's upper body was orange, his belly was white, and three pointed protrusions rose from his head.

Those large pincers were his main weapons.

His half-closed eyes snapped open. Both pincers came down, smashing straight at Super Gible.

They were evenly matched in the first exchange. Corphish's reactions weren't bad.

His physical attacks were strong. Liu Xin figured it would be best to keep some distance.

But Super Gible had already gotten carried away and charged in head-on.

He hadn't the slightest idea what he was up against. Without his Violet Aurora, he would already have been knocked flat.

"Corphish."

His opponent looked thoroughly unimpressed. This Super Gible wasn't much after all.

How could Super Gible stand that?

His temper flared, and he snarled at Liu Xin.

Liu Xin sighed helplessly. "What does him looking down on you have to do with me? Don't roar at me."

"But you're the one who insisted on fighting him up close. Why not use a move?"

"Start with Sand Tomb."

Corphish suddenly sensed something was wrong. Sand from all around the beach gathered, slowly coiling around him and binding him tight.

Bubble Beam!

Countless bubbles poured from his mouth, striking the sand closing in around him.

Liu Xin shouted, "Use Bulldoze, then charge in with Tackle!"

The two attacks came one after the other while Corphish was still focused on dealing with Sand Tomb.

Bulldoze shattered the ground beneath Corphish, sending countless Ground Spikes shooting up.

A one-two punch!

Corphish reacted quickly. His two large pincers turned silver, taking on a metallic sheen.

He struck rapidly with tremendous force.

Bang, bang, bang!

He smashed through every attack in front of him. None of them seemed to do him any real harm.

But he couldn't defend against Super Gible's Headbutt.

The straightforward blow slammed into him, sending him flying over a meter before he came to a stop.

But it was far from over.

Super Gible planted his feet and drew a deep breath, drawing in the air around him and blending it with the power within his body.

A dragon's roar rang out as terrifying power gathered.

Dragon Breath!

Super Gible followed up with his strongest move, giving Corphish no time to react.

Corphish barely managed to use Harden, but it was no use.

In just one minute, Corphish was defeated. It was a clean victory.

Ding! Super Gible used Dragon Breath against Corphish. It was highly effective.

Ding! Super Gible defeated Corphish. Level increased. Points +20.

With the experience he had gained from earlier battles, it was no surprise that Super Gible had reached level 19.

But the jump from level 19 to 20 was a huge hurdle. The amount of experience required was staggering.

Liu Xin took a deep breath. "Then it's time to grind. I'm getting you to the next level before tomorrow!"

"Come on. I'll take you somewhere we can grind for levels."

Over the next day, Super Gible tore through the Corphish and the other Pokémon sunning themselves across the beach. It was terrifying!

Of course, the rewards were enormous.

Under the setting sun, golden light flashed across Super Gible's body. He had reached level 20.

He was beginning to evolve!