Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect-Chapter 258: FlopMaster5000

[Growlithe (Fire-Type) - Shiny ]

[LV: 18]

[Ability: Intimidate (Lowers the Attack of all opponents within range by one stage upon entry or when gaining this Ability.)]

[IV's: HP: 31, Attack: 31, Special Attack: 31, Defense: 31, Special Defense: 30, Speed: 31]

[Moveset: Leer, Ember, Howl, Bite, Flame Wheel, Quick Attack, Agility, Flamethrower, Play Rough, Bone Club]

[Held Item: Thick Club]

John stared at the screen, his brows furrowing.

A Shiny Growlithe with near-perfect stats—5V with a Special Defense of 30? Practically a pseudo-6V! That alone was ridiculous, but the Thick Club? That was the real head-scratcher.

"Did Growlithe steal this from a Marowak or something?" John muttered, trying to wrap his head around the absurdity of it. A Growlithe wielding a Bone Club? That sounded like the setup for a bizarre rivalry with some poor Marowak out there.

"Woof!" A golden-furred Growlithe wagged its tail, clutching the hefty Bone Club in its jaws. Its sharp eyes locked onto John's expectant gaze.

John extended his hand, and with a little hop, Growlithe obediently placed the club in his palm. He set it aside, but the moment he reached out again, Growlithe eagerly rested its chin in his hand, nuzzling into the touch.

"You're really something, aren't you?" John chuckled.

The Growlithe barked happily, circling his legs in excitement.

"Man, this Growlithe's loyalty is next level," Azure remarked, peering over John's shoulder. "With talent like that, no wonder it got stored in a Flame Z-Ball."

John glanced up. "Flame Z-Ball?"

Azure picked up the Pokeball from the table. "Yeah, it's a special Pokeball made by the military, meant for powerful Fire-types. It lets them gradually recover stamina and grow stronger over time. Pretty much a treasure-tier item."

John raised an eyebrow, turning the Pokeball over in his hands. It looked almost identical to a standard Pokeball, except it felt warm to the touch.

"If that's true, this thing is seriously broken," John muttered.

"Believe it or not, these are rare as hell," Azure said. "Even the big-name ranches barely have Pokemon that meet the criteria to use them."

John exhaled. "A Shiny Growlithe and a Flame Z-Ball? Caine really went overboard on this one."

Azure scoffed. "Oh, cry me a river. You just scored something people would kill for, and you're acting like it's a burden. Besides, building a good relationship with Caine means you can get any dog Pokemon you want in the future."

John waved him off. "Sure, sure. I know there are plenty of good dog Pokemon—Mightyena, Granbull, Stoutland... even that new Mastiff one that looks like it runs a crime family."

Azure laughed. "Oh yeah, the Godfather Mastiff! That thing's got serious mob boss energy."

John smirked, setting the Pokeball down. If he ever wanted to collect more dog Pokemon, he wouldn't need anyone's help—he could catch them in the Gameboy world himself.

That night, John logged into his recently verified Twitter account: FlopMaster5000. The title read: GrassmereGym Leader & Senior Breeder, John.

He quickly searched for an account named Caine, the Dog King himself.

23 million followers.

John blinked. He knew Caine was a big deal, but this was another level.

Curious, he scrolled through Caine's past posts. Aside from hardcore breeder content focused on dog Pokemon, the guy was constantly ranting.

One post tore into a soccer team for not making the World Cup.

Another blasted a country for dumping nuclear waste into the ocean.

Then there was one about some minor village dispute—Caine had no chill. He was an equal-opportunity flamethrower, going off on everything from global politics to petty neighborhood drama. Most of his posts were littered with censorship symbols and intentional typos to avoid getting flagged.

"So that's why they call him the Dog King," John muttered. "It's not just his Pokemon expertise—dude barks at everything."

He shook his head and quickly typed out a comment.

FlopMaster5000: "Thanks for the gift, Caine! Here's my analysis of Shiny Growlithe's individual stats—brace yourself."

Within minutes, a reply popped up.

Caine: "SHAKE, BULLFROG! Your stat analysis is dead-on with my own judgment!"

John raised an eyebrow. Bullfrog?

Caine: "I don't really get your IV system, but damn, your Pokemon vision is sharp!"

Below, comments flooded in from excited followers.

HotTake Hydra: "Spotted John in the wild!"

BoomerConfused: "SHAKE SHAKE! That Shiny Growlithe is insane!"

TankTopOnlyGuy: "Drooling. Someone mop up the first floor. Also, John, come home with me."

ShinyHunter69: "John just casually adding another Shiny to his collection... Forget battles, he's just flexing at this point."

ShadowPupper: "King-approved!"

John smirked. His Twitter was blowing up already. Maybe this was the start of something big.