Pokémon: Starting with a Bound Entry System

Chapter 225: Is Gardevoir a Trainer? Gible vs. Oddish

When Gardevoir floated in front of Rochin, his mind went blank.

Then, out of nowhere, a voice echoed in his head.

"Human, battle this Gible."

The sudden telepathic message nearly scared him half to death.

A Pokémon… that could talk?!

He remembered his lessons in school.

There were only two types of Pokémon capable of communicating flawlessly with other creatures:

1. Legendary or Mythical Pokémon, possessing overwhelming power.

2. Pokémon with the Telepathy ability, enabling direct communication.

Gardevoir was obviously not a Legendary.

Which meant it was the latter.

But from its graceful posture and overwhelming presence…

There was no doubt—this was at least a Gym-level Pokémon!

First time exploring a secret realm, and he runs into a Gym-level Pokémon?

Rochin felt utter despair.

"Gaaa!" (Come on! Let's fight!)

Gible stomped toward Rochin, full of excitement.

It had grown up carefree, always eager to test its strength against anything it encountered.

So when Gardevoir gave the order, it didn't hesitate for a second.

Rochin, however, was completely confused.

A battle? With this Gible?

Wait… is Gardevoir… the Trainer?!

There was no mistaking it.

Gardevoir had issued the challenge itself.

Realizing he had no way out, Rochin could only gulp and nod stiffly. He hesitantly gestured for Oddish to step forward.

He had no choice.

The situation was out of his hands.

But… he couldn't speak.

His Oddish was determined to fight for him, yet it couldn't receive commands unless it physically turned around to look at him.

That meant their coordination was nonexistent.

And in battle, a Pokémon that constantly needs to look at its trainer is as good as defeated.

Gardevoir frowned slightly.

This human… he can't give orders?

But now that the battle had begun, it was too late to stop.

Gible had already defeated two Weedle earlier and was brimming with confidence.

It needed a stronger opponent to solidify its mindset as a battler.

Hearing Rochin's raspy voice, Oddish sprang into action, its stubby legs carrying it forward at surprising speed.

A purple mist spread around its small form—the spores of Poison Powder.

Seeing this, Gardevoir drifted lazily to a nearby tree, perching on a sturdy branch.

To it, this battle was nothing more than a child's playfight.

Besides, it had no intention of coaching Gible.

Hikaru had entrusted it with training Gible.

How to train was entirely its decision.

Gardevoir wanted to see how well Gible could rely on its battle instincts.

Watching from the shadows, Hikaru chuckled.

"These two… this is actually pretty interesting."

---

Poison Powder was dangerous.

If left unchecked, it would cover the battlefield, making poisoning inevitable.

Gible's eyes flickered as it processed the threat.

Then, without hesitation, Dragon Breath surged from its mouth.

Though it was its first time using the move, the attack showed no weakness.

After all, with Aura influence and Verdant Force nourishment, Gible's energy sensitivity and stamina had significantly improved.

It immediately recognized the danger of the Poison Powder.

A single blast of Dragon Breath swept across the battlefield, erasing the purple mist before it could spread.

Without waiting, Gible dug its claws into the dirt and began burrowing—using Dig!

Oddish hesitated, its movement faltering.

It only reacted when it heard Rochin's raspy voice from behind.

Then, with a determined push, it leapt onto a tree branch, keeping itself off the ground and out of reach.

Watching from above, Hikaru's eyes gleamed.

"This Oddish… actually has decent battle instincts."

Using Dig was a common strategy, but it had a major weakness:

Pokémon underground relied on ground vibrations to locate their opponents.

So the best counter?

1. Leave the ground entirely.

2. Suppress your presence.

By doing these two things, a burrowing opponent would lose all ability to track you.

---

But unfortunately…

Gible wasn't a normal Ground-type Pokémon.

It had been nurtured in its egg with Hikaru's Aura, giving it an innate sixth sense.

Even underground, it could vaguely sense Oddish's position.

With a loud crack, the ground split apart as Gible erupted from below, eyes locking instantly onto Oddish's perch.

Metallic energy surged over its claws—Metal Claw activated!

Oddish, startled, turned at the sound of Rochin's struggling voice.

Atop its head, its leaves trembled, launching several spinning Razor Leaves toward Gible.

But Gible was already too close.

It took the hit directly, leaves scraping its tough hide.

Yet, without flinching, Gible slashed down, its Metal Claw striking Oddish head-on.

"Oddiiiiiish!"

Crying out in pain, Oddish tumbled from the tree, crashing onto the ground.

Meanwhile, Gible landed gracefully on the branch where Oddish once stood.

Despite taking a full hit from Razor Leaf, Gible looked completely unbothered.

Its energy swelled once again, another Dragon Breath forming in its mouth.

The blast shot downward, aimed at the fallen Oddish.

But just then—

Rochin moved.

Seeing Oddish falling, Rochin rushed forward, arms outstretched.

He caught Oddish in his arms—completely exposing his back to the incoming attack!

Gible froze.

It had already fired the Dragon Breath.

There was no taking it back.

Against Oddish, the attack wouldn't have been too devastating.

But if it hit a human…

ICU guaranteed.

Gardevoir's eyes narrowed.

It wasn't going to let Hikaru's Pokémon seriously injure someone.

A single Teleport later, it materialized between them.

Its arms glowed—Protect activated.

The Dragon Breath slammed against the barrier and dispersed harmlessly into golden energy particles.

In truth, Gardevoir could've taken the hit itself.

After all, as a Fairy/Psychic type, it resisted Dragon-type attacks.

But that didn't matter.

To Gardevoir, this battle was already decided.

Gible had won.

Gardevoir floated down next to Rochin and gently placed a small container of Grass-type energy cubes beside him.

This was Hikaru's rule—if a Pokémon challenged another in the wild, they must leave a reward after battle.

With that, Gardevoir didn't spare Rochin another glance.

It simply turned and drifted toward Gible, ready to find another opponent.

But then, a voice stopped it.

"Wait…!"

---

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