Chapter 194 – Dratini's First Molting
The sun rose.
The first ray of morning light spilled through the window, warming the quiet room. Yozora opened his eyes and, as usual, reached his hand toward the pillow beside him.
But instead of the smooth, familiar touch he expected, his fingers brushed against something sticky.
"Hm?"
Lifting his gaze, Yozora saw it clearly—it was Dratini's shed skin, gleaming faintly with a silky luster.
This kind of naturally shed skin was very different from the brittle husks that Dratini or Dragonair sometimes discarded under the effect of the Shed Skin ability.
The natural molting was bright in color, soft in texture, and—according to rumor—if tanned into leather, it could be crafted into boots considered the height of luxury.
Which was why it sold for exorbitant prices, easily fetching thousands, even tens of thousands.
The skin of a Dragonair, being far larger, was even more valuable—astronomical in price.
So raising Dratini or Dragonair wasn't just about spending money. Once they reached a certain stage, shedding became routine… and each molt was practically a fortune.
The forced molting caused by Shed Skin, on the other hand, had little value.
"Shedding? Has Dratini finally molted?" Yozora's eyes lit up. Heart pounding with joy, he began searching for the little dragon.
"Wuu-lii~"
The cry came from the window. Dratini had wriggled its way over and was basking in the morning light.
Yozora scooped it up.
After shedding, Dratini looked a little bigger, its skin tender and fresh.
Well-fed and pampered, the little one had grown plump and healthy, with sparkling eyes and a round white nose that made it look irresistibly adorable.
If one were to judge by appearance alone, Dratini was flawless—cute enough to capture the hearts of countless girls.
Pokémon: Dratini
Type: Dragon
Ability 1: Marvel Scale
Ability 2: —
Ability 3: —
Stage: Rookie Level Pokémon
Potential: Champion-tier
Moves: Water Gun, Water Pulse
Description: A Dratini that has just undergone its first natural molting. With its infancy behind it, this Pokémon holds boundless potential, though it requires careful and patient nurturing.
…
At last.
After its first molt, Dratini had finally graduated from the infant stage to the rookie stage.
Now, it could use moves normally, begin training, and even put up a fight.
Born a champion.
This Dratini naturally possessed Champion-level potential. Though, in a race as noble as the Dratini line, that wasn't considered extraordinary.
Only those born with pseudo-legendary potential were hailed as true rulers of their kind.
Still—
For Yozora, even Champion potential was an excellent foundation. With the right traits added, its future was limitless.
And when considering new abilities, Yozora naturally didn't measure by Dratini's standards—but by Dragonite's.
Dragonite was a heavy-hitting juggernaut, capable of both offense and defense, with immense durability and damage output.
As a physical attacker, Dragonite relied far more on physical moves than on special ones—techniques like Dragon Claw, Dragon Rush, and even brute-force combos.
Thus, abilities like Huge Power and Pure Power were ideal choices.
Combine those with Speed Boost for swifter strikes and Stamina for staying power—and the setup would be flawless.
"For now, let's go with Huge Power." Yozora muttered. He only had that one ability available at the moment, lacking both Pure Power and Speed Boost, so he could only assign Huge Power first.
Once done, he checked Dratini's potential again—and, just as expected, it had risen, now reaching pseudo-legendary level.
Though it was only potential.
At this stage, Huge Power didn't provide much for Dratini. Only when it evolved into Dragonite would the ability's benefits truly shine.
"Oh? It shed already? Congratulations…"
Ryūnan had just woken up, and with one glance he instantly recognized the change—proof of his heritage as a scion of the Blackthorn Clan.
"After its first molt, Dratini enters the rookie stage. From then on, it can be trained, can battle, and will molt at intervals depending on your nurturing ability."
He spoke like an expert, confidently explaining, "Once it reaches the Senior Level, the molting frequency increases. And when it molts every day for over a month, that's the sign—it's close to evolving."
Yozora's interest piqued. "Back then, from Dratini's first molt until it evolved into Dragonair, how long did it take you?"
Ryūnan coughed. "Three… maybe five years."
"What? That long?" Yozora blinked in disbelief. "Is Dratini really that hard to raise? And you even had the Dragon Force. Isn't Dragon Force supposed to speed up Dragon-types' growth?"
Ryūnan rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Like I said, it depends on nurturing ability. Back then I was just a kid, clueless with no real experience—and no Miltank to help provide nutrition. With my skills now? I'd need at most a year to raise a Dratini from rookie stage to Dragonair."
"I see…" Yozora nodded, reassured.
He was confident in his own skills as a breeder—at least equal to, if not better than, Ryūnan's. Though he lacked Dragon Force, he had Miltank.
Ryūnan's Miltank was at Elite peak, with Elite-tier potential—already at its limit.
Yozora's Miltank, Mei, held Gym Leader potential. As she grew stronger, the nutrition she could provide would only become more abundant.
…
After washing up, Yozora and Ryūnan shared a simple breakfast, then parted ways—each continuing on their own journey.
Ryūnan had already collected ten Badges, more than enough for the Indigo Plateau Conference. With two months left, he planned to travel to Kalos in search of an Altaria's Mega Stone.
Yozora, however, only had seven Badges. He still needed to challenge his eighth Gym.
His destination: Eastlin City, Eastlin Gym.
He arrived at the Gym and made his request.
The one who greeted him was a young man, not yet twenty. "Sorry, our Gym Leader isn't here. I'm Donglei, a Gym Trainer of Eastlin Gym. If you'd like, I can take the Leader's place in your challenge."
It wasn't just Eastlin Gym, though…
That very morning, Gym Leaders all across Kanto had mysteriously vanished.
Yozora knew nothing of this, nor did he care.
He only needed one more Badge. Whoever he fought didn't matter—the important thing was securing it.
"No problem," Yozora replied with a calm smile.
Donglei nodded and signaled the referee, leading Yozora into the battle arena.
"Three-on-three. The challenger may switch Pokémon freely. Yozora, any objections?" Donglei explained the rules as per Gym protocol.
"None at all."
"Good. Then go—my first Pokémon! Electrode!"
With a flash of light, a huge spherical Pokémon appeared, its eyes sharp and gleaming.
…
…
(End of Chapter)