Pokémon: Starting with a Dragon Dance Gible [1] & Synopsis

Kaiba, 24 years old, was a student.

His job? Selling custom 6 IV Pokémon on Taobao.

He was that guy—the one known in certain underground circles as the “wizard friend” who specialized in bulk orders of illegally modded Pokémon.

“A Garchomp that knows [Dragon Dance]?”

“A Terastalized Groudon with Flying typing, and it even knows [Fly]?”

“A Gengar with the [Levitate] ability?”

“A legit-looking but totally—”

He had just landed a huge order, and hadn’t even finished working on it yet, when—

Kaiba suddenly transmigrated into the real world of Pokémon.
And with him came the freshly edited Gible...
...that already knew [Dragon Dance].

Cynthia:
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
There is no such thing as a Gible that can use [Dragon Dance]!

Groudon:
I have drifted through half my life in solitude and sorrow, regretting only that I never met a worthy lord.
If my liege does not scorn me—
then I, Groudon, would gladly take you as my adoptive father... and master the sacred art of Flight.

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[You have 15 new unshipped orders. Please confirm shipment as soon as possible…

“Whew… Fifteen, huh. Not too bad. Once I finish these, I’m off for the day.”

Kaiba, 24 years old, was a student.

…Or so he claimed.

In truth, he’d just graduated from university—only to find himself unemployed straight out the gate.

So for the time being, he’d resigned himself to the life of a full-time shut-in. His current gig? Selling custom 6 IV Pokémon on TaoBao.

He was that infamous “wizard friend” everyone whispered about—the one who specialized in mass-producing illegally modified Pokémon.

Of course, each customer had different requests.

From IVs, EVs, Natures, Moves, Abilities, Held Items, to whether the Pokémon was Shiny or not… there were countless variables to tweak.

The process wasn’t particularly difficult—but it was mind-numbingly tedious. Like an assembly line of data manipulation.

Every cent he earned was blood money (scratch that)—hard-earned money.

“A Garchomp that knows [Dragon Dance]?”

“A Terastalized Groudon with Flying type, and it can [Fly] too?”

“...‘Damn’!”

“These are the most common requests I get for modded Pokémon. I’ve already got a bunch of ready-made templates just for them.”

Kaiba confirmed the edits on Garchomp and Groudon one by one, then hit [Ship Order].

Some of these “illegals” were just lightly modified within the bounds of plausibility—handy for competitive players who wanted to get right into the action with a battle-ready team.

Others, though, were blatantly outside what Game Freak would ever allow.

Some clients just wanted to meme a little, flaunting their fandom—be it love for Champion Cynthia, or an over-the-top Groudon obsession (maybe even hate-fan levels).

Whatever the reason, Kaiba’s job was to deliver the customers their dream “modded” Pokémon.

Whether those customers tried to sneak them into official tournaments and got banned was none of his concern.

Legality? Illegality?

“This Pokémon was a gift… from my friend. Why do you care?”

Would my friend ever do me dirty?

Kaiba: That’s right. I’m that “friend.”

“Next order… let’s see—Empoleon with the [Competitive] ability? From a Piplup and Dawn fan. Cute.”

“…Wait, Game Freak already changed Empoleon’s ability from [Defiant] to [Competitive]. No need for any backend wizardry on my part.”

“Some fan. Doesn’t even keep up with Piplup’s current status.”

“Unless they’re actually a Dawn/Piplup anti-fan in disguise?”

“Next!”

“A Gengar with [Levitate]? Man, you really are a die-hard fan of the purple ghost blob, huh~”

[Ding!]

[You have 1,557 new unshipped orders. Please confirm shipment…]

No sooner had he finished one wave of orders than the next crashed down like a tidal wave.

Kaiba went momentarily blind from the sheer volume.

Sure, none of it was particularly hard, but the sheer workload? Who could handle this?

...

Hiss… my head’s spinning. Ugh. It hurts…

When Kaiba slowly came to, it was already midday the next day.

He felt like he’d just woken from a long, chaotic dream—his skull buzzing.

Looking around, he realized he wasn’t in his usual workspace. Instead, he was slumped over the desk in a small, single-bed dorm room.

Clearly, he’d fallen asleep at the computer.

The layout, the furniture, even the lighting—it all screamed “college dorm.”
There was something strangely familiar about it all.

Who first wakes from dream, alone knows the waking life;
A spring nap in the thatched cottage, as sunlight dawdles at the window…

“Damn, you’ve got guts, Kaiba. First day of university and you’re already skipping required classes and ditching electives? Only you would dare pull that off!”

Outside the door stood a guy with a buzzcut, thick black-rimmed glasses, and a face that radiated good-natured dorkiness. At his feet was a stumpy little dog that looked suspiciously like a corgi.

“Dyson?!”

“What the hell?! Did I… reincarnate?!”

Kaiba stared at his old college buddy, who had just walked in uninvited, and shouted in shock. Then he scowled, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

“Reincarnated, my ass. You been reading too many webnovels?”

Dyson rolled his eyes with expert-level disdain.

“Or did you just black out last night and now your brain’s running on fumes?”

“Uhh…”

Much as Kaiba wanted to argue, he couldn’t find a single decent comeback.

It was annoying. But also… fair.

ʕ – ᴥ – ʔ

“Wait a second—since when are dorms allowed to keep dogs?! That’s… kind of adorable.”

“What do you mean ‘since when’? Any adult citizen can raise Pokémon. That’s basic knowledge.”

“You can hate me, but you’re not allowed to hate my Yamper!”

Dyson beamed and scooped up the chubby little dog—short-legged, round-bodied, panting with its tongue out like a walking corgi balloon.

“Just look at this cutie! (°▽°)”

“Yamp yamp~ (≧▽≦)~”

The Yamper wagged its golden lightning-bolt tail and gave Kaiba a cheerful greeting.

Only now did Kaiba notice that tail—this wasn’t some regular pet. This was a real Pokémon from Gen 8, the Electric-type Yamper.

Not just a corgi… a Pokémon corgi.

“Holy sh—”

The shock of reality finally hit Kaiba like a truck.

Then, in an instant, he went cold and still. No more flailing. No more shouting.

It was clear now—he hadn’t just reincarnated… he’d transmigrated into the Pokémon world.

Super stacked perks mode: activated.

Absurd didn’t even begin to cover it.

Absurd opened the door and walked right into my living room.

“…So your starter Pokémon is Yamper, huh? Dyson?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve raised this little guy since I was a kid. He’s it for me.”

“Yamp…”

Yamper barked joyfully, tongue out and tail wagging. Utterly adorable.

“Yamper’s super cute, yeah… but once it evolves into Boltund, the cuteness level takes a serious nosedive.”

Kaiba offered his critique without thinking.

In his past life as a custom Pokémon seller and full-time nerd, he’d developed encyclopedic knowledge of Pokémon.

Maybe not fully photographic recall—but definitely encyclopedic.

Yamper was based on a corgi. Stubby legs, roly-poly tummy, heart-melting cuteness.

But when it evolved into Boltund… it became this tall, sleek hound. A speedy hunter type.

Cool, sure. Majestic, even.

But the corgi cuteness? Gone.

“Haha, I know, I know. That’s why I’m not evolving it.”

Dyson laughed.

“I’m not in the Battle Department or the Breeding Department. I’m just a regular business major who raises Pokémon like pets—like family. Once I graduate, I’m not becoming a Trainer. I’m joining the corporate grind.”

“You’re the same, right? Skating through college with the same plan?”

“…I see.”

Kaiba nodded slowly.

Even in the Pokémon world, not everyone became a professional Trainer. Most people still worked ordinary jobs.

Same as in his old world.

Everyone was just another cog in the vast machine of society.

Only, in this world… their pets happened to be Pokémon.

And honestly? Compared to dogs, cats, or miniature pigs, Pokémon made for way cuter—and more manageable—companions.

Which meant the number of people keeping Pokémon as pets or casual partners far outstripped those raising regular animals back on Earth.

“…So what’s my starter Pokémon?”

Kaiba instinctively reached into his pocket.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t have one yet? Couldn’t afford a good one, and didn’t want to settle for a Caterpie, Rattata, or Weedle.”

That was the old Kaiba…

The current Kaiba could feel a Poké Ball in his pocket.

And inside… was a Pokémon he hadn’t yet seen.

Maybe this is my transmigration bonus? Like a starter gift from the universe?

“Come out, my partner, my soul-bound comrade… I choose you!”

Fwwip!

The Poké Ball opened with a flash of red light.

A small, rotund, shark-like creature tumbled onto the floor—mouth half the size of its body, stubby arms flailing as it blinked up with eager eyes.

“Ka-pu~!”

The Gible waved its little hands, wanting to be held.

Hug me~

At this stage, it looked like an inflated Seal plush—utterly adorable.

“Holy—what the fu—?!”

Now it was Dyson’s turn to freak out, nearly dropping his Yamper in shock.

“Didn’t you say you couldn’t afford a decent starter? What the hell’s a Gible doing here?!”

“Starting out with a hidden trump card? Playing the Secret Dragon Prodigy Son-in-Law of Sinnoh? Gonna pull a ‘Three Years in Hiding, Now the Dragon King Returns’ move next?!”

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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!