Milestone

Kai was after a Milestone.

He didn't know about it from the start. Only the recent circumstances had made him come to face it. Selene had been hunting young Pokemon for days now. Unlike the search for the criminal, no one was searching for her. A wild creature hunting another was as common in this world as any.

Yet, he couldn't perceive any obvious changes about her. There was a time when Kai had thought that if he were to feed her enough magical flesh, it would her from grade E- to E. She must have eaten some ten Pokemon now, including the ones that Kai had given her, but she was still the same.

So Kai did what he should have done ages ago.

'Chaos, what are the ways to upgrade a growth-type magical beast?' He had asked. The answer to this question had cost him 200 Mission Credits.

There were two ways, according to the System.

First was the same as Kai had thought. Let the magical creature feed on other magical creatures. In this way, the growth would come slowly, but surely. There were no specific numbers as it depended on the size of the hunter and its prey and other crucial factors.

It was the second way that had made the blood rush to Kai's brain.

Achieve certain World-exclusive Milestones. This was not only a quick but also a clear-cut way to upgrade a magical beast.

Then, 300 more Mission Credits had told Kai what this Milestone was.

It was a milestone that had very specific and atypical requirements. Though, like most things, it demanded some effort on his part.

An effort like coaxing a Pokemon Trainer to agree to a Pokemon Battle at his Will.

And an effort like owning a magical creature who wasn't a Pokemon.

[

Milestone: Win against a Pokemon Trainer in a Pokemon Battle using a magical beast for the first time. The Trainer must battle voluntarily, without coercion. Conditions to achieve Milestone:

1. The magical beast must not injure the Pokemon over 70% of its HP

2. The Contestant or the magical beast may not attack Pokemon Trainer directly or indirectly

3. The Pokemon Trainer must accept his defeat

4. Magical Beast's grade must be less than D

Milestone Rewards: +2 to all Magical Beast's Attributes. If the magical beast is of growth-type, then +2 grade-level

Warning: Only one reward will be applicable

Note: Grade level will only increase up to the maximum limit of a Grade-group, i.e. an "E" grade magical beast will only upgrade to "E+" in this case and not to "D-"

]

At a glance, this Milestone seemed to be ready-made for Kai and Kai alone. So, Kai had been searching for a Pokemon Trainer like Ross, having a massive Pokemon. Massive didn't mean strong, but it did mean more food.

"You are at a serious disadvantage, Arlen," Ross shouted, standing on the other side of the canal, and his feet submerged to the ankles in the flooded walkway. "Even though your snake-like Pokemon can swim, Wailmer is a true water-type Pokemon."

They had positioned themselves on the opposite banks of the canal. It was Kai's idea. From this distance, Ross wouldn't hear Kai's hissing noise. And unlike Ross' shouts, Kai didn't need to hiss out loudly for Selene to hear his commands.

Hisss!

Selene flicked out her tongue, coiling around Kai's neck. Her blind eyes stared at the whale-like Pokemon with deep fascination and hunger.

-Do not attack to kill- Kai hissed out, though he shared her look for the Pokemon.

-It's edible- Selene argued.

Kai didn't deign to repeat himself. She would follow his command, he knew.

"The Ghost Serpent is an excellent swimmer," Cersei replied, standing close to Kai. "Just go all out, Ross. Otherwise, Arlen would make you regret it."

'These events seem to have enthralled her enormously,' Kai thought in amusement. 'In the last world, she didn't get to do anything other than getting her dress ripped apart by me, and using a syringe. Brute work, she had called it. Manipulating Ross has excited her too much, I am afraid.'

There was a scornful smile on Cersei's lips, looking at Ross and this situation as if none could have done it better than her. When she caught Kai looking at her, the 14-year-old almost beamed, and the anticipation in her emerald-green eyes glistened mystifyingly under the celestial moonlight.

'She is beautiful,' Kai concluded, taking his eyes off her. 'And she knows it.'

"I am ready when you are," Ross called out, his eagerness reaching Kai, crossing the overflowing canal.

Selene slithered off Kai's shoulder and landed on the water underneath. The moment her tail beat against the shallow water, her speed seemed to double. Kai's eyes narrowed as he saw those illusions of black and yellow pulsating rings on her body not getting affected by the moonlight in the slightest.

-Can you sense it?- Kai asked, knowing well that her Earth Vibration Sense Skill will not work in water as effectively as on the ground.

-Yes. This food is too noisy- Selene hissed, slithering away from him, and entering the deep waters of the canal. The current tried to sway her away with it, but the powerful beatings of her tail let her maintain a straight course. Not to mention her streamlined body, even her white dragonish scales seemed to work better than her smooth scales.

"Wailmer, are you ready, buddy?" Ross asked cheerfully. "Let's show them what we are made of, huh?"

"Wailmer!" the Pokemon let out a cry, smashing its huge finger-like fins on the water. This smashing of fins had such a power that Kai felt like it could have thrown even him in a single direct hit.

"Wailmer, start with the Water Gun!"

The Pokemon lifted its mouth, lined with baleen plates that resembled teeth, and squirted out a powerful jet of water. Selene lied directly at the end of this attack.

-Dive- Kai hissed.

One moment she was shining silver over the water, and in the next, she was nowhere to be seen. The Water Gun went far, missing its target. Ross laughed from the other side.

"It was a mistake," he shouted. "Wailmer - Use Dive!"

This wasn't just going down into the water to dodge, or to attack. It was a move. And Pokemon's moves were powerful Abilities and Skills in the System's terms.

A blue light shone around the Pokemon and it plunged into the canal. Kai's eyes squinted, sensing the Pokemon rushing towards Selene. But he didn't tell her any direction to dodge. Wailmer found her, went beyond her, and then from the deep, came back, gaining speed as it swam up.

Selene had sensed it coming for her, he knew. But without his command, she wouldn't dare to move.

Bang!

Like a huge water cannon, Wailmer hit her directly, sending her flying out of the water and then into the air.

Hissss!

She hissed madly, half in pain and half in anger.

-Motherfucking…- she spat, trying to slither in the air vainly.

Kai's jaw fell open. 'Where the hell did she learn that word?' He thought with sheer astonishment.

"What happened?" Cersei asked, gazing at Kai's ridiculous expression.

But Ross was in form. "Wailmer - Use Whirlpool!"

"WAILMERRR!" the Pokemon let out its loudest cry, and a massive whirlpool appeared over its mouth, its water glistening with a blue shine. The Pokemon sent the churning mass of water towards Selene's falling figure.

Even then, Kai didn't give her any commands.

Ross was looking at him oddly from the other side, Kai could tell. But less with an accusing look and more in wonder. For all Ross knew, Kai was giving her command without speaking, and that was a matter of legends in itself.

When Selene came down, she found herself trapped at the center of the whirlpool, not able to slither in any direction. Her wild thrashing showed her anger, much like Kai's occasional impatient actions. "She's just like you," Cersei commented, sneering. Kai scowled at her, and that seemed to have shut her up.

"This match is ours!" Ross proclaimed. "Wailmer - Use Tackle!"

The monstrosity named Wailmer rushed through the whirlpool effortlessly for the trapped Selene. It was indeed as Ross had said. This match was theirs. A direct hit from the massive figure of Wailmer could break boulders, much less Selene's tiny 1 ft figure.

Selene hissed, venom dripping off her fangs, melting into the whirling water around her. A big blue mass was almost over her, intending to bury her underwater.

It was then Kai commanded.

*********

AN: Grade-group -- Three grades make one grade group. For Example: E-, E, E+ make one grade-group, and D-, D, D+ another. From 2nd Set onwards, these groups will be called with specific names. Will share them when the time comes.