Pokemon : The Master of Dragon-Types

Chapter 464 464: 464. Ghost Gym

North Bay suburbs.

Dragapult shot through the air like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, trailing a streak of blue-white light across the open sky. Its speed was breathtaking — a sharp reminder of just how much had changed since its evolution.

Since evolving, Dragapult had begun to fully embrace its potential, demonstrating not only its remarkable speed but also a growing command of Ghost-type energy. Though it had only recently reached the Quasi-King level, its overall strength was already on par with a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon at the peak of that same tier.

Even so, Jacob wasn't fully satisfied. Dragapult was a Pseudo-Legendary with Master aptitude, and on top of that, it had absorbed a significant amount of Dragon-type energy from various items, as well as the Ghost-type energy released when the Prison Bottle shattered. By any measure, that gave it a foundation most Pokémon its level couldn't match.

Jacob expected more because of it.

"That's not enough, Dragapult," he called out, his voice steady and firm. "You can still push further. Keep going!"

Dragapult let out a sharp cry and surged forward again.

The rest of Jacob's team had picked up on the mood. There was something different about Jacob today — a focus that was sharper than usual, a seriousness in his voice that left no room for distraction. Being perceptive as they were, each of his Pokémon quietly doubled down on their own training without being told. No one slacked off. No one tested his patience.

Train. Rest. Train. Rest.

The cycle repeated, and before long, the day was gone.

Jacob recalled his Pokémon into their Poké Balls one by one and made his way back to the apartment.

"You're back?"

A knock at the door, and Nina appeared from the kitchen doorway, wearing an apron, her hands still occupied with something she'd been preparing. When she saw Jacob, a warm smile spread across her face.

Jacob smiled back. He stepped inside, changed into slippers, and walked over to the kitchen, wrapping an arm gently around her shoulders. "What are you making? It smells great."

"A new recipe I tried today," Nina said, leaning slightly into him. Then she caught a whiff of something else entirely — sweat — and pulled back with a mild frown, waving her hand in front of her face. "Go shower. You're a mess."

"Yeah, I will," Jacob said. He paused. "I'll be heading out again after."

Nina's brow furrowed. "This late? You still have things to do?"

She didn't say it aloud, but Jacob could hear the concern underneath the question. He really had been running himself thin lately — training sessions, lab work, and now the situation with Dawson Braddock and the school forum post on top of everything else. Nina had seen all of it, and she had been watching him quietly, trying to read how much of it was getting to him.

Jacob smiled. "I'm going to the Ghost Gym."

"The Ghost Gym?" Nina tilted her head, curiosity breaking through the worry. "At this hour? Can't it wait until tomorrow? You should rest."

"It's important," Jacob said. "I'm going to challenge Dawson."

Nina stared at him.

"...What did you just say?"

She wasn't sure she'd heard him right. Jacob — a freshman — challenging Dawson? Dawson was an experienced King-level Trainer with two or three Pokémon at the King level, and his ace, Houndstone, was said to be pushing close to the Champion threshold. By any reasonable measure, the gap between them was enormous.

Had the situation finally gotten to him? Had he let it make him rash?

"You're really going to challenge Dawson?" Nina searched his face, looking for some sign that he was joking or venting.

She didn't find one. Jacob looked perfectly calm.

"Are you sure about this?" she pressed.

"Yes." Jacob headed for the bathroom, speaking over his shoulder. "Don't worry — I know what I'm doing. It'll be a 1v1."

A one-on-one battle was both the most straightforward and the most unpredictable format in competitive Pokémon. Without the option to switch, type advantages became everything, and unconventional strategies could turn a losing fight around in a single move — Cursed Body, Perish Song, and dozens of other tactics that only revealed their teeth in a format like this.

In a 2v2 or 3v3, Jacob knew he'd have little chance with the Pokémon he had available. But in a 1v1, with Dragapult at the Quasi-King level, he had at least a fighting chance — slim, but real.

"But it's late," Nina said, still working through it. "Will Dawson even be there?"

"Ghost-type Trainers tend to do their best training at night," Jacob explained, his voice carrying from down the hall. "That's just the nature of Ghost-type Pokémon — their energy is sharper after dark. Most serious Ghost-type Trainers keep late hours, and Dawson is no different. He usually trains at the Ghost Gym around this time. Tonight's as good a time as any."

Nina was quiet for a moment. Then: "Do you want me to come with you?"

She said it carefully, trying to keep the hope out of her voice. She wanted to go — she wanted to be there — but she was also aware of how it might look. The two of them, out together late at night.

Jacob came back around the corner, one look at her face telling him everything. He waved a hand dismissively. "Come if you want. I'm Master's last disciple and you're my Senior Sister — don't overthink what other people might say."

Nina's expression brightened immediately. "Okay. Go shower first, then eat something before we leave."

"Deal."

An hour later, Jacob stepped out in a black trench coat, black high-top sneakers, and a scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. Between the sharp outfit and his already striking features, he looked less like someone heading out to pick a fight and more like he'd just stepped off a photo shoot.

Nina had changed as well — an off-white trench coat that, unintentionally, complemented Jacob's perfectly. Her face was bright and easy, the kind of warmth that made people look twice. Jacob noticed, not for the first time, that her style had been shifting lately. The cool, composed look she used to favor had softened into something more relaxed and natural. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but he liked it either way.

"Alright," he said. "Let's go."

Imperial City. Ghost Gym.

The Ghost Gym operated on a different schedule than any other Gym in the city. Most Gyms wound down as the evening came on; this one woke up. The later the hour, the busier it became — Trainers filtering in through the night to work with their Ghost-type Pokémon under the ideal conditions that darkness provided. It ran twenty-four hours a day, every day, practically a landmark institution among the city's Gyms.

Jacob and Nina stepped out of the car, and within moments, the quiet murmurs started. A few sharp-eyed bystanders near the entrance recognized them, and word began to spread in low voices.

A staff member hurried over, clearly having recognized both of them.

"Good evening — is there something I can help you with?"

Jacob barely slowed. His eyes swept across the lobby as he replied, "Looking for someone," and kept walking.

He didn't have to look far.

Dawson was already in the lobby, dressed in training clothes, and wearing an expression somewhere between puzzled and guarded as he watched Jacob approach. Whatever he had expected from tonight, this wasn't it.

He hadn't gotten a word out before Jacob's voice cut through the ambient noise of the Gym.

"Dawson Braddock."

Dawson's eyes narrowed slightly. "What?"

Jacob stopped a comfortable distance away, and a small, easy smile crossed his face. "How about a 1v1?"

There was a brief silence. Then the corner of Dawson's mouth curved upward, just slightly.

"You're challenging me?"