At the sudden exclamation, Dragonair's entire body gave a violent shudder. Its tongue was still extended, licking the powder, but it was so startled by the shout that it choked, letting out a series of low, cough-like cries from its throat.
Reacting almost instinctively, its body jerked back, and its tail slapped the water's surface with a 'pa', sending up a massive spray of water.
Dratini was also badly frightened. Its small head retracted from Roy's palm with a 'sou', and its entire body froze in place, eyes wide and round.
Dragonair reacted even faster. With a curl of its tail, it pulled Dratini back to its side, then its entire body vanished into the lake water with a 'sou', leaving only half its head and a pair of eyes exposed, looking warily in the direction of the voice.
But it didn't flee far.
It subconsciously swam to the waters near Roy. Its body was hidden in the water, but its position was very close to him, as if it instinctively believed that being near Roy was safe.
Misty was currently clinging to Roy, acting with Charm, and was nearly startled into jumping by the shout. Reflexively, she shrank behind Roy, clutching his clothes with both hands, only her eyes peeking out toward the woods.
"Who is it!"
Misty's voice carried obvious displeasure. The sweet, clingy tone from a moment ago was completely gone, replaced by the irritability of having a good moment interrupted.
She had just been forcefully dragged out of that mushy state; she was feeling a bit prickly, her face was still flushed, her heart was still racing, and her chest was still slightly heaving, only for everything to be ruined by someone's shout.
So annoying.
Misty bit her lip, her fingers gripping Roy's clothes even tighter.
Roy, however, remained calm as usual. He turned his head and looked toward the source of the sound.
A figure came stumbling out of the woods.
It was Kaiser.
The manager of the Wild Area, Kaiser.
He was running so hard he was covered in sweat, his hat was crooked, and his clothes were stained with leaves and mud. He looked like he had sprinted all the way from his office without even looking at the path.
His expression was complex.
Anxiety, panic, fear, and an indescribable hint of sourness.
The story goes back to a moment ago.
After being intimidated by Roy's abilities in the office, Kaiser had slumped in his chair for a long time to recover. His mind was a mess, filled with images of that young man defeating a powerful enemy with his bare hands.
Too strong.
Ridiculously strong.
Kaiser had been the Wild Area manager for so many years and had seen countless Trainers, but he had never seen one of this caliber.
Then a question suddenly occurred to him.
What was someone this strong doing in the Wild Area?
They certainly wouldn't be interested in ordinary Pokemon.
So, what were they after?
A lake surfaced in Kaiser's mind.
Lake in the Mountain.
And the legend within that Lake in the Mountain.
Dratini.
Kaiser had seen Dratini once thirty years ago—just once—but that single memory was enough for him to savor for a lifetime. That tiny blue Dragon-type Pokemon, that existence regarded as a dream by countless Trainers.
He had waited for decades.
Every month he went to the Lake in the Mountain, bringing fruit and food, carrying a music player, sitting foolishly by the lakeshore waiting, just to see Dratini one more time.
Decades had passed.
He hadn't waited for a damn thing.
But he never gave up, always harboring that hope in his heart, feeling that one day Dratini would appear again, and then he would...
Then he suddenly sprang up from his chair.
Those three people!
Could they be going after Dratini?
At that thought, Kaiser completely panicked. Without even taking the time to straighten his hat, he bolted toward the Lake in the Mountain.
He ran until he was gasping for breath, his lungs feeling like they were about to burst, but only one thought remained in his mind.
He couldn't let someone else capture Dratini.
Absolutely not.
That was his obsession, his wait, his decades of youth.
Why should someone else reap the rewards of his labor?
Kaiser ran faster and faster. When he was halfway there, he instinctively reached for the gun at his waist.
But as soon as his hand touched the holster, he remembered the image of that young man in the office defeating a powerful enemy with his bare hands.
Kaiser's hand retracted.
Forget it.
Guns were useless against that kind of monster.
When he finally reached the lakeshore, the scene he saw made him feel completely unwell.
Dratini was nuzzling its head into Roy's palm.
That young man was stroking Dratini's head.
And Dratini had its eyes squinted, a look of pure enjoyment on its face.
Kaiser's heart felt as if someone had grabbed and twisted it.
It was sour.
So very sour.
How to describe that feeling?
It was like a man who had bitterly pursued a goddess for decades without even getting a second glance, only to meet her again and find she had become someone's wife and was being intimate with another right in front of him.
Kaiser's eyes were nearly turning red.
But as he ran closer, he saw Dragonair in the water.
Dragonair also saw him.
Dragonair had an impression of Kaiser.
Thirty years ago, Kaiser had camped here for over a year, bringing fruit and food every day and playing music for it. Although Dragonair had never really paid him much attention, it remembered the frequency of that person's voice.
He wasn't a bad person.
Just a bit annoying.
So Dragonair didn't flee; it just kept its daughter close to its side, staying in the waters near Roy, its tail swaying gently beneath the surface.
"Not allowed! To capture!"
Kaiser rushed in front of Roy, bent over and gasping for air, one hand supporting his knee while the other waved at Roy.
"Not allowed... not allowed... to capture Dratini!"
He couldn't even catch his breath to speak properly, but the anxiety and persistence in his tone were not diminished in the slightest.
Roy looked at him, his expression very calm.
"Mr. Kaiser."
Roy's voice was neither rushed nor slow.
"I only used a fishing rod and an poke ball, these two items. My Pokémon did not participate in battle."
He raised a finger and pointed into the distance.
Pikachu was currently squatting on the grass with Eevee, eating something. The two little fellows' cheeks were bulging as they ate, completely oblivious to what was happening here.
"I have not violated any rules of the Wild Area."
Roy withdrew his hand and looked at Kaiser.
"Why can't I capture it?"
Kaiser opened his mouth.
He wanted to retort.
But he found he couldn't.
He could scare away ordinary Trainers by pulling out his gun, but the young man before him couldn't be dealt with using a gun; he had to use logic.
But the problem was, he couldn't find any logic.
The man truly hadn't violated any rules.
Kaiser held it in for a long time, his face turning red, before finally squeezing out an awkward excuse.
"Dratini... Dratini is the sacred Pokémon of this Wild Area!"
His voice was a bit weak, but he spoke faster and faster, as if trying to bolster his own courage.
"They have strange temperaments! Their combat power is very strong! If you capture them, they will go berserk! They will destroy the peace of the Wild Area!"
As Kaiser spoke, his back straightened a bit.
"I... I am the person who understands Dratini best!"
"Because I... I saw it thirty years ago!"
When he mentioned this, a hint of pride entered Kaiser's tone, but it was accompanied by even more of that indescribable bitterness.
"Back then, I put in so much effort to soothe it, and I even took photos with it..."
"Only me!"
Kaiser's voice suddenly rose, as if he wanted to shout out all the frustration in his heart.
"Only I can best soothe Dratini! Keep this Wild Area peaceful! So..."
He looked at Roy, his eyes filled with a complex mix of urgency and pleading.
"For your own safety, you should leave quickly!"
"I... I will escort you!"
After Kaiser finished speaking, his chest was still heaving violently, but there was a hint of expectation in his eyes.
He was waiting for Roy to leave quickly.
To take his people and leave this place immediately.
To get far away from Dratini.
In the water, Dragonair listened to Kaiser's words, and the more it heard, the more it felt something was wrong.
When it heard Kaiser say it had a strange temperament, Dragonair's eyes narrowed.
Strange temperament?
Who has a strange temperament?
Dragonair's tail flicked under the water, creating a string of bubbles.
It let out two disgruntled cries toward Kaiser.
The sound carried obvious unhappiness.
Hearing Dragonair's voice, Kaiser froze for a moment, then the expression on his face quickly shifted from anxiety to smugness.
He thought Dragonair was cooperating with him.
He thought Dragonair was helping him demonstrate its violent temper.
Kaiser looked at Roy with a smug smile, pointing a hand in Dragonair's direction.
"Look!"
His voice even became a bit lighter.
"Dratini and the other are already angry!"
"You should leave quickly! I'll protect you as you retreat!"
As Kaiser said this, his back was ramrod straight, and his face was written all over with a smug expression.
Roy glanced at him.
Then he looked at Dragonair in the water again.
Dragonair was currently glaring at Kaiser with a face full of displeasure.
"Mr. Kaiser."
Roy's tone was still very calm.
"Dragonair seems to be angry with you."
He paused.
"It was very friendly to me just now."
The smile on Kaiser's face froze.
"How... how is that possible!"
His voice suddenly spiked, and a flash of panic crossed his face.
"How could you possibly understand Dratini!"
"I am the true friend who has waited for them for decades!"
Kaiser's voice trembled slightly as he said this, though whether from anger or panic was unclear.
Roy glanced at him, the corner of his mouth curving slightly.
"Who the true friend is."
His voice was faint.
"Won't we know if we go to the water's edge and see?"
Kaiser felt a sudden surge of panic in his heart.
But he quickly calmed down again.
He had waited for decades.
He came every month.
He had protected Dragonair for over a year back then.
Dratini would definitely acknowledge him.
Definitely.
Kaiser took a deep breath and puffed out his chest.
"Fine, let's go!"
His confidence returned as he spoke, his voice carrying a stubborn streak.
Then, he and Roy walked toward the water's edge together.