Elf: Start your slow-paced life after becoming a farmer.

After all, the little guy was only born recently, and even if it is very energetic, it still needs sleep to grow quickly.

Looking at the Gible in his arms, whose eyelids were starting to droop, Carl hummed a gentle melody while softly patting the little guy's back: "The dark sky hangs low, the bright stars follow..."

To the gentle melody from another world, the Gible in Karl's arms finally succumbed to sleepiness and slowly closed its eyes.

Standing not far away, Martial Arts Master Xiong's eyes flashed with a hint of nostalgia when he heard Karl humming the familiar melody.

When Karl was young, he used this melody to lull his former apprentice, the bear, to sleep.

Standing among a group of Pokémon, Tirion and Serperior exchanged a glance, both sensing the same emotion in each other's eyes.

'Another formidable opponent.'

Hakron simply looked tenderly at Carl, who was coaxing Gible to sleep, a slight smile playing on his lips.

'As expected, Karl is still as gentle as ever.'

……

The next morning, Carl was awakened by a dampness. He opened his eyes and saw a round Gible standing at the head of his bed, looking at him excitedly.

Carl stared at the Gible for a while, then sighed before getting out of bed to wash up.

Throughout this process, Gible followed Carl like a little tail, never leaving his side.

At this moment, Winged Hair, which was in Karl's shadow, peeked out and glanced at Gible. Gible, after noticing Winged Hair, blinked at it.

"Winged Hair, you need to keep an eye on the Gibles." Karl crouched down and ruffled Winged Hair's hair. "As the eldest sister in the team, you need to be nicer to your younger sisters, okay?"

“Huh? (Sister?)” Zhenyi looked at the dumbfounded, completely naked giblet, and then at himself covered in soft, long fur.

“Anyone who joins the team is family.” Carl said, reaching out to pick up the Gible from the ground, and then he felt the rough texture of its skin.

"I never imagined that after just one night, this little guy's skin would start to get rough." Carl, holding Gible, turned to look at the bowl of "soft sand" in the room, then reached out to touch the little guy in his arms. "Hmm? You don't happen to have a hidden ability, do you?"

The Garchomp in Carl's arms waved its little paws and cried out, "Shark~ (Hungry~)"

Perhaps because Carl had been taking care of Gible when it was still an egg, Carl was able to understand the meaning of Gible's calls as soon as it was born, something even Garchomp couldn't do.

"Alright, alright, I'll take you to eat now." Karl smiled helplessly, putting all his special abilities out of his mind. More than the arduous training, Karl hoped that the little guy in his arms could have a happy childhood.

After all, given the long lifespan of Dragon-type Pokémon, this little guy might live for hundreds or even thousands of years. Carl wanted this little guy to have a wonderful memory when he looked back on his childhood in the future.

Chapter 176 Carl: How did you know I have a Gible?

As the familiar bell rang, in a battle arena within Orange Academy, Carl announced the end of get out of class to the students before him, then slowly walked over to Piper and the other two.

"Hey, Pipa, how did you know I have a Shiny Gible?" Carl asked Pipa and the others casually, holding the Gible that had just hatched three days ago.

“Karl, you’ve already sent us over a dozen photos the day before yesterday. It’s hard for us not to want to know.” Pipa looked at Karl speechlessly. “And do you really need to bring it to class?”

"Heh, what do you know?" Carl said, kissing the Gible on the forehead. "This is a Shiny Gible, you know. Do you even understand the value of hatching a Shiny Gible?"

“Exactly!” Nemo chimed in, “That’s a Gible, you know! Pipa, you’re such a noob.”

"Hey, Nemo, why are you talking to me like Karl?" Pipa said with her hands on her hips, sounding exasperated. "You don't actually think imitating Karl's tone will improve your strength, do you?"

"Eh, is that not allowed?" Nemo blinked, looking very innocent.

Listening to Piper and Nemo's conversation, Shinji looked enviously at the Odd Gible in Karl's arms.

While theoretically, Shiny Pokémon's talents aren't necessarily stronger than those of regular Pokémon, this is a Shiny Gible!

No trainer born in Sinnoh would not want to own their own Garchomp, after all, it is the most precious Pokémon in the Sinnoh region, and Shinji is no exception.

Just then, Alexis arrived beside Karl with his initial partner, Magic Masked Cat. After taking a deep breath, he said to Karl, "Teacher Karl, you promised to have a training battle with me a few days ago. Do you have time now?"

“Of course.” Carl weighed the Gible in his arms and looked around. “Why don’t we do it here? I remember this arena is empty until noon.”

The three people standing nearby listened to Karl and Elliches' conversation and all cast curious glances at them.

"Elikis, may we watch from the sidelines?" Nemo asked eagerly as soon as Karl finished speaking.

Upon hearing this, Alex turned to look at Nemo. In his memory, this classmate named Nemo was probably the strongest trainer in the academy, of course, referring to the strongest among the students.

According to Ellich, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Nemo will likely be the first Orange Academy student in recent years to complete the Champion's Path.

“Of course.” Alex thought for a moment and then agreed, but he added, “Nemo, if it’s alright, after my battle with Mr. Carl, could you please have a Pokémon battle with me?”

"I couldn't be more excited!" Nemo's interest soared the moment she heard Alexis's challenge.

Piper watched Nemo "burning" and his lips twitched. He didn't understand why Nemo seemed to have become a completely different person the moment she received the challenge.

Shinji silently walked to a chair next to the battlefield, crossed his arms, and waited quietly for the battle to begin.

During his observations over the past few days, Shinji discovered that most of the students in the advanced combat course, Karl, were of average ability, while Alexis was one of the few who caught Shinji's attention.

However, apart from Nemo, none of the students in Shinji's class currently possess the strength to fight him.

After all, Shinji was a trainer who had traveled through the simple and honest Kanto region, and his understanding of battles was far superior to that of his "classmates".

Once Carl and Elliches were positioned at opposite ends of the battlefield, Nemo, acting as the temporary referee, immediately raised her hand and then swung it sharply downwards.

"Battle begins!"

The moment Nemo finished speaking, Carl threw out his Poké Ball first. This was the standard opening for a mentoring battle, where the stronger side would send out their Pokémon first, and the trainer receiving the mentoring would choose their next Pokémon based on the Pokémon sent out by the mentor.

As the Poké Ball opened, Ursaring appeared on the battlefield.

Standing on the other side of the battlefield, Alex paused for a moment when he saw the charging bear, then his expression turned serious.

Although Alex didn't recognize the Pokémon Carl sent, he knew how terrifying Carl's strength was. Even if Carl sent out Krillin, he would consider whether Carl had evolved Krillin into Krillman.

When the charging bear found itself in the battlefield, it was first stunned, then turned its head and gave Karl a bewildered look.

The reason why Straight Bear was with Carl today is because it wanted Carl to take it to a newly opened cake shop in Tabletop City.

After all, it dislikes fighting and would never leave the farm unless absolutely necessary.

However, since he was already there, after realizing his current situation, Straight Bear only needed to calm down and face the battle.

After a brief ten-second pause to think, Alexis ultimately decided to trust his partner first: "Magic Masked Cat, prepare for battle."

Upon hearing its trainer's command, the Magic Masked Meow, which was originally standing beside Alexstrass, immediately stepped forward and stood ten meters in front of Alexstrass.

According to the rules of the tutorial battle, Alex had the first move, so he immediately gave the command to Magic Masked Cat: "Magic Masked Cat, use Thousand Transformations!"

Thousand Transformations is a Grass-type physical attack move, and it is also the exclusive move of Magic Masked Cat. When the opponent is in the field, this move will always hit, and in most cases it can hit the opponent's vital point.

As soon as Alex gave the order, a bouquet of grass-type energy appeared in the hand of the Magic Masked Cat, and it threw the bouquet at the Rush Bear without hesitation.

Seeing the bouquet flying towards it, the bear tried to dodge, but no matter how it dodged, it couldn't shake off the bouquet that the magical masked cat had tampered with.

Just then, Carl's command reached the ears of the Charge Bear: "Charge Bear, use Dig."

Upon hearing Carl's command, the bear's two front paws transformed into two afterimages, pawing at the ground.

In less than a breath, the figure of the charging bear disappeared from the battlefield.

Due to its unique "scavenging" talent, Digging is one of only two moves that it has mastered highly, besides Extreme Speed.

Yes, Carl's Charge Bear is born with the noble priority skill of Speed, which is probably why it has the special "scavenging" talent. As a result, it has also mastered the skill "Digging", which is extremely helpful for "scavenging".

As the charging bear burrowed into the ground, the bouquet thrown by the magical masked cat seemed to have lost its target and fell straight to the ground, creating a small crater on the battlefield.

Upon witnessing this scene, Alex's expression grew increasingly serious.

Chapter 177 Elichis's Troubles

Facing the charging bear that had burrowed underground, Alex felt somewhat troubled. None of the moves that Magic Masked Cat had learned so far could harm an opponent who was not on the field.

What frustrated Alex even more was that most Pokémon that use Dig leave some traces on the field, but Ursaring is extremely proficient in the Dig move, so he simply couldn't predict where Ursaring would emerge from.

Therefore, Alex gritted his teeth and commanded Magic Masked Cat, "Magic Masked Cat, use Sharpening Claws."

Sharpen Claws, a Dark-type status move, can increase the user's attack and move accuracy, making it a commonly used boosting move.

"Charge straight for the bear, now!" Karl shouted immediately after Alexis's command.

The instant Karl finished speaking, Straight Bear burst out of the ground from the right side of Magic Masked Cat and pounced on it.

"Magic Mask Meow, get out of the way!" Alex shouted anxiously.

Carl was stunned after hearing what Alex said. Did this kid Alex also know the three legendary moves of the Pokémon world?

Unfortunately, although Magic Masked Cat had noticed the presence of the Charge Bear after being reminded by Ellich, the distance between the two was too short. Magic Masked Cat had just taken a step when the Charge Bear had already crashed into its body.

With a loud "bang," the Magic Masked Cat was immediately knocked to the ground, and then Karl's command came again: "Charge straight for the bear, cleave it open."

The instant Karl finished speaking, grayish-white Normal-type energy enveloped the two pairs of front paws of the Bear, making the already sharp paws even sharper.

"Magic Masked Cat, use the leaves to block the line of sight of the charging bear, then create distance," Alex quickly commanded, a sudden inspiration in his mind.

Upon hearing this, the Magic Masked Cat snapped its fingers, and immediately leaves formed from grass-attribute energy appeared around it, before it surged toward the charging bear.

The straight-rushing bear raised its two front paws and swung them forward as if opening a window. The leaves, which were formed from grass-type energy, were immediately shredded and turned into green light spots that dissipated into the air. It then pounced on the magical masked cat at the same speed.

Pip, watching from the sidelines, smacked his lips: "Does that mean every Pokémon of Karl is this strong? He's been dominating Alexstrasza the whole time. Is this supposed to be a training match?"

Shinji turned to look at Pippa, who was watching with great interest. Shinji smiled slightly and then explained to him, "Actually, Alexstrasza's Magical Masked Cat is about the same strength as Master's Kuma. Otherwise, Master wouldn't have had Kuma use Dig to dodge during the first round of attacks."

“That’s right, but it seems that Elikis didn’t make good use of the Magic Masked Cat’s advantages, which is why things have turned out this way,” Nemo added casually.

What are the advantages of the Magic Masked Cat? It is its superior speed and ever-changing offensive methods. However, Alex's command rhythm cannot fully utilize this advantage, which has led to the current situation.

Just as the three were discussing, the rambunctious bear had already rushed in front of the masked cat. Its claws, which were wrapped in Normal-type energy, slashed across the cat's body without hesitation, and the masked cat immediately let out a painful groan.

"Charge straight at the bear and finish him off with a headbutt!" Carl gave the final command.

As the head of the charging bear slammed into the belly of the Magic Masked Cat, the Magic Masked Cat finally collapsed to the ground, unable to continue fighting.

Although he knew that there was a huge gap in strength between him and Karl, Alex couldn't help but feel a sense of powerlessness after his defeat.

Elikis was not a newcomer to combat like Piper. He could tell from the strength of the moves used by Straight Bear that Straight Bear's strength was not much different from his own Magic Masked Meow, only slightly higher.

Therefore, the reason why this battle ended so quickly was largely due to his poor command as the trainer.

After Alexstrass retrieved the fallen Masked Meow back into its Poké Ball, Karl happened to arrive in front of Alexstrass and said to him, "Let's go, Alexstrass, let's go to the Pokémon Center at school to treat your Pokémon first, and we'll review this battle on the way."

“Okay, Professor Karl.” Alexis pursed his lips and nodded in agreement.

"Elikis, what do you think was the most crucial reason you lost this match?" Karl asked Elikis first.

"Should I have attacked first and instead used my first-mover advantage to strengthen my position?" Alex pondered for a moment before weakly replying.

“No, the most crucial reason is that you know nothing about the Charge Bear.” Karl shook his head and continued, “Even if you buff yourself at the start, I can still have the Charge Bear use Extreme Speed ​​to interrupt you.”

"Lightning speed?! How is that possible?"

In Alex's memory, the move Extreme Speed ​​is very rare, and only Arcanine and Dragonite possess it.

In fact, besides the two Pokémon mentioned above, Tocogiz and Lucario can also learn Extreme Speed, and a small number of legendary Pokémon can also learn it.

“Why would I lie to you?” Carl shrugged and then explained, “If the parent of the Ursaring has Arcanine or Lucario, then it may inherit the Extreme Speed ​​move.”

"Ah, can the Straight-Charging Bear really do that?" Alexis's tone was somewhat incredulous.

“Of course.” Carl nodded. “That’s what I was saying earlier. You know nothing about the Pokémon I sent out, while I know a lot about the Pokémon Masked Meow. So this battle was unequal from the start, which is the main reason you lost to me.”

"Teacher Carl, so you mean I need to learn more about Pokémon?" Alex asked uncertainly. "But there are so many Pokémon in the world, I can't possibly memorize all the information about them, can I?"

“Of course not, even I can’t do that.” Karl said earnestly, “It’s because you can’t possibly memorize all the Pokémon’s information. So when you’re facing a Pokémon you don’t know, you shouldn’t rush in. Instead, you should probe your opponent’s Pokémon and then devise a corresponding strategy.”

“I understand, Professor Carl,” Alex said with a sudden realization.

Then, as if he had just thought of something, Alex's expression became awkward: "Teacher Karl, could you have a coaching match with me every week for the next few weeks?"

“Hmm? I do have time.” Karl said, glancing at Alex with some curiosity. “But I’m curious, Alex, why are you in such a hurry to improve your strength?”

"Well, it's a long story."

"It's alright, then just get to the point."

Chapter 178 Acupuncture Town

"So, Alexis, you actually have an older brother who goes to Blueberry Academy?" Nemo looked at Alexis with some curiosity. "Then why do you go to Orange Academy, Alexis?"

“That’s because my brother felt that the combat courses offered at Orange Academy weren’t very effective, so he transferred to Blueberry Academy.” Alexis glanced at Karl with a slightly embarrassed expression, then added, “But I think Mr. Karl’s teaching is excellent.”

Karl smiled upon hearing this: "Actually, I think what Alexis's brother said is not wrong. Before I joined the company, the combat course at Orange Academy was indeed a complete mess."

Pipa and Nemo laughed awkwardly upon hearing this. Pipa had been slacking off in his previous combat training courses and couldn't distinguish between good and bad ones, while Nemo had thought the same way before.

If Karl hadn't opened an advanced combat studies class at the academy this semester, she probably wouldn't have stayed at the academy obediently; instead, she would have gone traveling.

"So, Elichis, you want to improve your strength as much as possible before summer vacation so that you can win the next match against your brother, is that what you mean?" Karl said thoughtfully, "If that's the case, I think you can devise a strategy to counter your brother's team, which will increase your chances of winning."

Carl knew very well that a child like Alexis, who had been overshadowed by his older brother since childhood, needed a victory to get rid of the "shadow" his brother had left in his heart.