Julian Veyne pressed the stopwatch and recorded Jangmo-o’s Dragon Dance time.
From start to finish: 1.53 seconds.
"Jangmo-o, again!"
1.42 seconds.
"One more time. Dragon Dance!"
1.37 seconds.
"Keep going!"
1.34 seconds.
...
1.30 seconds.
After five Dragon Dances, Jangmo-o had improved slightly compared to yesterday.
After four repetitions to build up speed, the fifth Dragon Dance had finally gone from 1.31 seconds to 1.30 seconds.
It looked like a tiny step.
In reality, it was also a tiny step.
A difference that small would be impossible to notice in an actual battle.
Julian watched as Jangmo-o’s body moved lightly, blue-violet draconic light blooming around it. The energy nourished its body, making it stronger and more agile. Even its scales seemed to shine more brilliantly.
Seeing that, Julian could not help thinking of the online friend he had met on a Trainer forum five years ago.
KingGarchomp used to complain, half-seriously, about why his Garchomp could not learn Dragon Dance.
Five years ago, Julian had gone to the forum to ask about Dragon-type Pokémon evolution.
He had been raising Jangmo-o for three years, but there had not been the slightest sign of evolution.
That made Julian wonder whether there was something wrong with his training method.
Jangmo-o had been the grand prize at the Veilstone Game Corner, so there should not have been anything wrong with the Pokémon itself.
Which meant the problem could only be him.
After asking around, he finally learned the truth.
Dragon-type Pokémon were just like that.
They devoured time.
They devoured money.
They ate more, grew slower, and only paid off late.
They were the definition of delayed gratification.
And if it was something like Dratini, Bagon, or Gible, then the wait was even more painful.
There had been a time when Julian genuinely wanted to go to Galar and catch a Duraludon, just to show these slow-growing dragons what early achievement looked like.
As for why he never went?
It was not because he could not afford a plane ticket to Galar.
If he could not afford a plane ticket, he could buy a ferry ticket.
If he could not afford a ferry ticket, there were always shipping containers.
Container there, container back.
Perfect.
The real reason was much simpler.
Jangmo-o could not beat a Duraludon.
Back then, KingGarchomp had been very patient on the forum. He introduced Julian to all kinds of knowledge about raising young Dragon-type Pokémon and helped him avoid many of the mistakes he had already made himself.
He said his grandmother had given him a Gible when he was six.
It was only when he turned ten and set out on his journey that Gible finally evolved into Gabite, after nearly a year of travelling and countless battles.
In the end, it had taken five years for Gible to become Gabite.
But from Gabite to Garchomp, it had only needed three.
KingGarchomp once said that ever since talking to Julian, he and Garchomp seemed to have improved faster.
Apparently, Julian had become their good luck charm.
What could Julian do after hearing that?
He could only read every Dragon Dance guidebook he could find and push Jangmo-o to train harder.
When Julian was fifteen, Jangmo-o successfully learned Dragon Dance.
After that, whenever KingGarchomp casually showed off his Garchomp, Julian could end the conversation with one sentence:
Jangmo-o knows Dragon Dance
"Jangmo-o, Noble Roar!"
A powerful roar burst from Jangmo-o’s small body, loud enough to shake the air.
"Jangmo-o, Iron Defense!"
A metallic gleam flashed across its dragon scales, strengthening its defence.
"Jangmo-o, Dragon Tail!"
Dragon Tail was the only offensive move Julian had focused on training.
Dragon Dance, Noble Roar, Iron Defense, and Dragon Tail were currently the most suitable moves for Jangmo-o’s growth.
Move training did not only improve a Pokémon’s proficiency with the move itself. It also strengthened different aspects of the body.
Dragon Dance improved attack power and speed.
Iron Defense improved defense.
Noble Roar trained lung capacity, vocal control, and projection.
Dragon Tail trained Jangmo-o’s tail.
From Jangmo-o to Hakamo-o, and then from Hakamo-o to Kommo-o, the tail remained one of the species’ most important weapons.
After training ended, Julian fed Jangmo-o a full bowl of Pokémon food designed for muscle growth and bone strength, then recalled it into its Poké Ball to rest.
He returned to his room, lay back in his recliner, and opened the Sinnoh Trainer Forum on his phone.
[Singing Jangmo-o: My talent finally awakened. By next year, you’ll be looking at a completely transformed me and Jangmo-o. Veilstone Gym’s next Gym Leader is basically confirmed]
[KingGarchomp:Congratulations. I’ll have to send you a gift to celebrate]
[Singing Jangmo-o:No gift needed. You’ve travelled through so many regions, right? You must know places where a tired traveler can relax and meet beautiful women...]
[KingGarchomp: You’re not talking about... that kind of place, are you?]
[Singing Jangmo-o: That depends. Can you arrange it?]
[KingGarchomp: I can arrange something...]
On the other side of the screen, a blonde woman’s face flushed.
Shameless!
How was she, of all people, supposed to arrange that kind of place for him?
[Singing Jangmo-o:Perfect! I knew I could count on you]
Cynthia rubbed her face, thought seriously for a moment, then continued typing.
[KingGarchomp: Why do you suddenly want to go somewhere like that? Are you lonely? If you want female company, you’d be better off finding an actual girlfriend]
[Singing Jangmo-o:That works too, I suppose]
[KingGarchomp: Then tell me what kind of girl you like]
[Singing Jangmo-o:High ponytail. Intelligent. Cotton blouse. Professional outfit. Ideally round black-framed glasses too]
[KingGarchomp:I understand every word of that individually, but somehow not the sentence]
[Singing Jangmo-o:You know how it is. Attraction is about instinct. Sometimes there’s no logic to it]
[KingGarchomp: Fine. I’ll try to find someone. Don’t blame me if I can’t]
[Singing Jangmo-o:Thanks. I appreciate it]
Julian spent almost every day inside Veilstone Gym.
The people coming and going were all Fighting-type specialists: either pure muscle or muscle hidden beneath a layer of bulk.
His options for meeting women were limited.
At this point, asking online was almost practical.
[Singing Jangmo-o:By the way, did you read the book I recommended last time? Evolutionary Functions of Scales in the Gible Line]
The blonde girl bit her lip and patted her warm cheeks.
She forced the image of herself dressed as an elegant working woman out of her mind.
Then she saw Julian’s question and quickly typed a reply.
[KingGarchomp: I read it. I didn’t expect Gible’s scales to help guide a Pokémon toward learning Dragon Dance, but members of the Gible line are highly adapted to their own scales]
[KingGarchomp:If you’re thinking of feeding Gible scales to Garchomp to make it learn Dragon Dance, that won’t work]
[Singing Jangmo-o:That’s not the idea. The formula also mentioned Tatsugiri and Noibat. Materials from those two Dragon-type Pokémon might be able to make up for what the Gible line lacks]
[Singing Jangmo-o:That could give Garchomp a chance to learn Dragon Dance. Last time, didn’t you say you ran into a very strong Trainer and lost? If Garchomp had Dragon Dance, you might have won]
[KingGarchomp:Thank you. I’ll take the girlfriend matter seriously]
The blonde girl rubbed her burning cheeks again.
For one dangerous moment, she wondered whether she should actually buy the outfit Julian had described.
Then, next time she went to Veilstone City...
She could take a look at him.
Secretly...
After the chat ended, Julian took a book from his shelf.
How to Cleverly Combine Berries to Create Satisfying Pokémon Food, Third Revised Edition.
He flipped to the section describing several newly discovered Berries.
Berries were similar to medicinal herbs. Depending on where they grew, the same species of Berry could have wildly different effects.
Learning how to identify their quality was a serious discipline.
Julian strongly suspected that all of these Berries had actually been discovered long ago.
Publishers were probably just releasing a few "new" ones every edition to keep selling updated guidebooks.
If you wanted to keep learning, you had to keep buying.
The difference between wild Berries and commercially bred Berries was not small. It could be enormous.
If he wanted to use Berries properly, these reference books were unavoidable.
After reading a few pages, Julian realised he could not settle down at all.
His long-awaited cheat had finally arrived.
There was no controlling the restlessness in his heart.
Meditation had failed.
In that case, he might as well begin the Pokémon simulation directly.
If you’re enjoying the story, add it to your collection, leave a review, comment and drop some power stones to support the novel!