Pokémon: Starting with a Dragon Dance Gible [7]

“Gible, use [Dragon Dance]!”

“Gible, use [Dragon Claw]!”

“Gible, use [Sand Tomb]!”

“Kapu!” “Kapu!” “Kapu!”

The little land shark responded enthusiastically to its Trainer’s commands, bouncing around with determination and flailing its tiny fins with surprising effort.

Kaiba had put together a tailored training regimen for his starter Pokémon—designed specifically for Gible’s early-stage development.

First priority: [Dragon Dance].

It was Gible’s most unique move, and its greatest competitive edge—not just over other Garchomps, but against nearly all powerful Pokémon.

Gible had to be able to use this skill on command, under any circumstance, with practiced fluency.

Ideally? It’d be able to pull off a [Dragon Dance] mid-battle while dodging or parrying incoming attacks.

Like that Scyther in the anime that used [Swords Dance] and cleaved straight through [Flamethrower].

Once the buff move was locked in…

Next came its core attack moves.

“Normally, at the baby Pokémon stage, having Gible master [Dragon Rage] is a solid pick…”

Kaiba murmured to himself, watching from the sidelines like a strict drill sergeant as Gible practiced its moves.

[Dragon Rage]:
Launches a blast of fury at the target. Always inflicts 40 HP of damage, regardless of typing or STAB. Ineffective only against immune types.

In high-level play—what some called “the top ladder,” where elite Trainers faced off in brutal tactical battles—this move had almost no value.

Fixed 40 damage? That’s a joke.

What’s that gonna kill—Kricketune? A stray Caterpie?

But in rookie brackets—low-stakes matches or beginner cups where most combatants used unevolved Pokémon—[Dragon Rage] shone.

Its simple, no-nonsense 40 damage could take out most starter-stage Pokémon in two or three hits.

And you didn’t have to worry about type matchups.

Perfect for new Trainers who didn’t want to think too hard.

But therein lay the problem.

[Dragon Rage] was fixed damage.

No matter how well Gible danced, how much it stacked its buffs— even if it maxed out Attack and Speed with +6 stages each…

[Dragon Rage] would still only deal 40.

Which meant for this Gible—
A Gible with [Dragon Dance]—
Mastering [Dragon Rage] would be a waste of time.

On the other hand— mastering [Sand Tomb]?
Now that had real merit.

Not only was Ground-type Gible’s secondary typing compatible with it for STAB damage…

But [Sand Tomb] came with a nasty side effect:
it trapped the opponent.
Prevented switches.
Locked them in.

That meant if the enemy Trainer sent out a weak Pokémon…

Gible could keep it on the field,
shut down their swaps,
and either hammer it down directly…

Or take the opportunity to freely stack [Dragon Dance] buffs.

Six full stacks of Attack and Speed?
3x power. 3x speed.

Then Gible could attack, break the trap, and continue mowing down the enemy team.

If this was gonna be a serious battle—

Then surely, just a few setup turns were fair game, right?

Gible stacking six [Dragon Dances] wasn’t cheesy—it was just cautious.
Right?

In Pokémon battles, every move is a mind game.

Becoming a top-tier Trainer wasn’t just about memorizing all 18 types and how they interacted.

That was just the beginner’s course.

The true depth of Pokémon battling went far beyond that.

“Kaaa…pu…”

After a solid half-day of intense move training, Gible was utterly wiped out.

The little dragon plopped down on the floor, panting with its tongue out, gasping for air.

“You did great, Gible. Come here and eat something.”

Kaiba called it over, setting down a big bowl of Moomoo Milk and some Pokémon kibble.

Other Trainers might’ve had better resources for their partners—

But for now, this was the best Kaiba could offer.

Thankfully, his chonky little land shark wasn’t the picky type.

Whether it was gourmet cuisine or basic kibble, if it came from its Trainer, it was all good.

Time to eat. Time to eat eat eat eat eat!
Chomp chomp chomp chomp!

“Kapu~ (≧▽≦)”

In no time at all, Gible’s cheeks puffed out from stuffing its face. It let out a happy burp and sighed in satisfaction.

Its tiny fins rubbed over its now completely rounded belly.

Buuurp~~~

Stuffed. Blissfully full.

“This can’t go on forever, though…”

Kaiba watched Gible with a wary side glance.

Sure, he was glad it had such a hearty appetite. A growing body needed fuel to get stronger.

But…

He was already worrying whether his monthly student budget could keep up with the costs of raising a pseudo-legendary “late bloomer.”

Forget high-end items like Yache Berries (Ice resistance), Pokéblocks, Dragon Scales, or Dragon Fangs—

Even basic Pokémon chow and ordinary Moomoo Milk were disappearing alarmingly fast.

At this rate, his food budget might not even make it through the month.

What was he supposed to do then?

Have both him and Gible throw open the window and drink in the northwest wind to survive?

Raising a pseudo-legendary wasn’t easy.

And for an average Trainer, it might even be unaffordable.

That’s just facts…

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This is a fan translation of 宝可梦，开局龙舞圆陆鲨 by 眼含泪光 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!