Kaiser stood by the water's edge, his eyes fixed intently on the lake's surface.
Then, he froze.
There were two figures in the lake water.
One large, one small.
The large one had a slender, entirely blue body with two translucent crystal beads hanging from its neck. The small wings on its head fluttered slightly as it looked at him with a pair of cold eyes.
The small one shrunk back beside the large dragon, showing only half of its head. It had a tiny white bead on its forehead, and its round eyes looked timid.
Kaiser's head buzzed for a moment.
Two of them?
How are there two?
He blinked hard and looked again.
One Dragonair, one Dratini.
Kaiser's mind instantly turned into a chaotic mess.
He had no idea there were two dragons in this lake.
The little guy he saw thirty years ago was a Dratini.
But thirty years had passed; it might have already evolved into a Dragonair.
The problem was, Dratini were famously slow-growing Pokemon. Some lived for over a hundred years without necessarily evolving; thirty years might just be the time it takes for them to take a nap.
So, was this Dragonair actually the same Dratini he saw back then?
Kaiser's brow furrowed into a knot, his eyes darting back and forth between the Dragonair and the Dratini, getting more confused the more he looked.
What he saw back then was a tiny blue dragon, nothing as big as this one, but after thirty years, it would make sense if it had evolved.
But what was the deal with this small one?
Kaiser's mind was a jumble, and the more he thought, the less he could make sense of it.
He stood by the water, opened his mouth, then closed it again, his expression like a student facing a test question far beyond the syllabus, completely unsure where to start.
Roy stood to the side, watching Kaiser's conflicted state, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.
He didn't speak.
Misty, however, couldn't help herself. She poked her head out from behind Roy and whispered, seeing Kaiser's dazed look.
"What's with that face? He looks like he's constipated."
Kaiser took a deep breath and made a decision.
Whatever.
Regardless of which one was which, that Dratini had taken a photo with him and been close to him back then; that friendship was real.
If it could accept his food thirty years ago and was willing to swim to the shore to let him touch its head, then it had acknowledged him.
Since it acknowledged him then, it must still remember him now.
At this thought, Kaiser straightened his back a bit more, the conflict on his face slowly fading, replaced by an expression of deep affection.
He took a step forward, his foot stepping into the wet mud by the water. His boot sank in a bit, but he didn't care at all.
He looked at the Dratini in the water and cleared his throat.
"Dratini... do you still remember me?"
Kaiser's voice carried a deliberately forced tenderness, as if he were coaxing a child, but the pitch was a bit high, making it sound strange.
Hearing the voice, the Dratini turned its small head to look at him, its eyes full of bewilderment.
Who is this old geezer talking to?
The Dratini blinked its eyes and shrunk its head back toward its mother.
Kaiser was not discouraged and continued speaking.
"Thirty years ago, right here by this lake, I saw you for the first time."
Kaiser's voice became slow and soulful, like he was reciting a poem.
"Back then you were still very small. You swam so fast in the water. I chased you for a whole day, from the entrance of the Wild Area all the way to this lakeside."
"You hid in a rocky crevice in the water, and no matter how I called, you wouldn't come out."
"But I didn't give up."
As Kaiser said this, his eyes reddened slightly, and his voice trembled a bit.
"I guarded this lakeside for over a year, coming every day, regardless of wind or rain, summer or winter. I just sat on the rock next to the area where you are now, holding berries and food in my hands."
"I would leave the food on the shore and then back far away, fearing I would scare you."
"I left food for over a year before you were finally willing to swim out and eat the berries I brought once."
As Kaiser spoke, a nostalgic smile appeared at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes became Misty, as if he had truly returned to that summer thirty years ago.
"The way you ate the berries was so adorable, your little mouth twitching as you ate. When you finished, you even looked up at me. I still remember that look clearly to this day."
"Later, we even took a photo. You were right beside me. Although you didn't let me touch you, I was already satisfied that you were willing to be so close to me."
Kaiser took a deep breath, his gaze looking fervently at the Dragonair and Dratini in the water.
"From that day on, I came to this lakeside every month, bringing berries, food, and a music player to play the music you liked to hear."
"I waited for decades."
"I never gave up."
"Because I knew you were here. You are the friends I have guarded for a lifetime."
By the end, Kaiser's voice was a bit choked up, his eyes red, and there was even a faint glint of moisture at the corners of his eyes.
When he said these words, they were filled with genuine emotion without a hint of acting, because he truly had waited all these years; that persistence was real.
After Kaiser finished, he looked at the two dragons in the water with great expectation.
He was waiting.
Waiting for them to swim over.
Waiting for them to recognize him.
Waiting for them to be close to him like they were thirty years ago.
The water's surface remained quiet for a few seconds.
At this moment, Dragonair's expression changed.
Its eyes narrowed slightly, its expression shifting from cold to serious, then from serious to displeased.
Dragonair had mostly forgotten about the events of thirty years ago.
It was a foodie; as long as there was food, it could forget all its troubles. It had lived quite comfortably in this lake all these years, with plenty to eat and drink; life was very pleasant.
But Kaiser's long speech just now had forcefully dragged all its memories back.
Thirty years ago.
Back then, it was still a Dratini, very timid and knowing nothing about humans.
It originally wanted to live quietly in the Wild Area, swimming around in the water every day, eating some aquatic plants, and basking in the sun, living a carefree life.
But one day.
It was accidentally spotted by a human who had come to the Wild Area to explore.
That human was Kaiser.
As soon as the young Kaiser saw Dratini, his eyes widened, and he started chasing it, shouting something as he ran.
Dratini was terrified.
It had never seen such a crazy creature, running so fast on two legs and making piercing noises from its mouth.
It fled desperately, crossing streams, grass, and rocky shores, finally hiding in this deep mountain lake.
It thought it would be safe once it hid in the water.
But that Kaiser didn't give up.
He guarded the lakeside, coming every day, leaving food on the shore, and making strange sounds.
Dratini hid in the water for a long time, observing for a long time.
It saw that Kaiser was there every day, no matter how hot the sun was or how hard it rained; he would sit on the shore, just staring at the water's surface.
Slowly, Dratini felt that this human didn't seem to have any ill intent.
He just wanted to be close to it.
So one day, Dratini finally swam to the surface and ate the food Kaiser had left on the shore once.
The food actually tasted mediocre, but at the time, Dratini felt that since this human was so sincere, responding once was no big deal.
But it never imagined.
After that one time, everything changed.
A huge number of humans suddenly flooded into the Wild Area.
Those people were not like Kaiser; they brought all kinds of Pokemon, fighting by the lake, fighting in the water, and sometimes throwing things into the water.
Those violent battles scared Dratini to death.
It didn't dare to leave this lake at all anymore.
Its range of activity shrank from the entire Wild Area to just this deep mountain lake.
The world outside became a forbidden zone to it, full of dangerous Trainers and violent Pokemon.
It was trapped in this lake, trapped for thirty years.
At this thought, Dragonair's tail lashed heavily underwater, stirring up a string of bubbles.
It remembered.
It remembered everything.
It was this person.
It was this person named Kaiser.
He was the one who drew those humans here back then.
Although he wasn't a bad person and had no ill intent, he was the starting point of it all.
If he hadn't chased it relentlessly, if he hadn't guarded the lakeside, if its whereabouts hadn't been exposed, those Trainers would never have known there was a Dratini in this lake.
A hint of displeasure flashed in Dragonair's eyes.
It looked at Kaiser, its expression becoming more and more serious.
Now this fellow was back again.
Dragonair had stayed in the lake for thirty years and was used to it; after all, there was food and drink, so life was manageable.
But its daughter was still young.
Dratini had not yet seen the world outside.
If this Kaiser drew another huge crowd of Trainers, would its daughter also be trapped in this lake, unable to leave for a lifetime?
A scene appeared in Dragonair's mind.
A group of Trainers surrounding the lakeside, throwing Poke Balls into the water, various Pokemon fighting on the lake's surface, fire and electricity exploding over the water.
And its daughter hiding in a rocky crevice at the bottom of the lake, trembling with fear, her eyes wide, not even daring to move.
Dragonair's tail suddenly tightened, coiling Dratini even closer to itself.
No.
Absolutely not.
It couldn't let its daughter repeat its own fate.
Dragonair took a deep breath, its mind racing.
Rather than being trapped here, targeted by some annoying humans and living in constant fear, it was better to make a choice proactively.
Choose a human it liked and let its daughter leave with that person.
Dragonair's gaze turned toward Roy on the shore.
This black-haired young human.
He had an aura that made it feel very comfortable. It couldn't say what it was, but it was exceptionally pleasant.
Earlier, when its daughter nuzzled her head into his palm, the way she squinted her eyes showed she was incredibly happy.
And their food was truly delicious.
Dragonair licked the remaining powder from the corner of its mouth and glanced at its daughter.
Letting its daughter go with them might allow for better growth.
She could see a wider world.
She wouldn't have to be cooped up in this lake for thirty years like it had been.
Dragonair made a decision.
With a gentle flick of its tail, it loosened its coil around Dratini.
Then it gently nudged Dratini's body with its nose, pushing her toward Roy's direction.
Dratini, pushed by her mother, looked back at her.
Dragonair gave a low cry, its voice gentle yet firm.
Dratini understood.
Her mother meant for her to choose that young human.
Dratini turned her head and looked at Roy on the shore.
She already had a good impression of Roy.
She still remembered that warm and comfortable feeling when she was in that human's palm earlier; it was even more pleasant than water warmed by the sun.
So even if her mother hadn't pushed her, she would have chosen Roy herself.
As for the old man next to him...
Dratini glanced at Kaiser, her eyes full of confusion and distaste.
This old geezer had been babbling for a long time just now, and she hadn't understood a word.
What thirty years or forty years? Who even knows you?
Moreover, this old geezer had a scent that Dratini particularly disliked.
The smell of gunpowder from a revolver.
Dratini's sense of smell was very keen; she could smell the gunpowder from the revolver at Kaiser's waist from several meters away.
Some poachers had previously snuck to this lakeside and fired guns to scare the Pokemon in the water; Dratini still remembered that loud bang and the pungent smell of gunpowder.
Since then, Dratini had a strong aversion to the smell of gunpowder.
And this old geezer happened to have that exact smell on him.
Dratini wrinkled her nose in distaste, turned her head away, and stopped looking at Kaiser.
She flicked her tail and swam toward Roy.
Roy crouched by the shore and reached out a hand, palm open.
The aura on him that made Dragonite-line Pokemon feel comfortable to their core—a 100% species affinity boost—was like a warm net, wrapping Dratini up snugly.
Dratini swam in front of Roy, rubbed her small head against his palm, and then proactively nudged her head between his fingers.
Her eyes squinted shut.
Her tail swayed gently on the water's surface.
She looked incredibly comfortable.
Kaiser stood to the side, watching this scene, feeling as if he had been struck by lightning.
His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again, his expression looking as if he had gone through the entire process from surprise to incomprehension to breakdown in an instant.
How could this be?
How could Dratini be close to this young man who just arrived?
He had waited for thirty years!
Thirty years!
Coming every single month!
Rain or shine!
How could his sincerity not even earn one moment of closeness from Dratini?
Kaiser's eyes turned red.
How to describe that feeling? It was like a man chasing a goddess for decades, only for the goddess to turn around and run off with some pretty boy she just met, even being intimate right in front of you.
Kaiser's chest heaved violently, and his lips were trembling.
He looked at Roy, wanting to say something, but he opened his mouth only to find he couldn't speak.
At this moment, Kaiser was powerless to the extreme.
He couldn't win in an argument.
He couldn't win in a fight.
Reasonably speaking, the other person hadn't broken any rules.
He turned his head, his gaze falling back on the Dratini in the water.
His eyes became desperate and sorrowful, his voice carrying a tremor that was almost a plea.
"Dratini... how could you treat me like this?"
Kaiser's voice was hoarse.
"Thirty years ago, I was the one who guarded you, I was the one who brought you food, I was the one who accompanied you through one lonely night after another."
"I am your friend!"
"I am the one who understands you best!"
"How could you... how could you be close to a stranger who just arrived?"
Kaiser became more agitated and aggrieved as he spoke, his voice carrying a sob.
"I waited for you for thirty years, coming to this lakeside every month, bringing the berries and food you love. I never gave up!"
"I never left the Wild Area; I've spent my whole life on you!"
"Why didn't you choose me? I've been so good to you!!"
As Kaiser said the last sentence, his voice cracked, and the tears in his eyes finally couldn't be held back, rolling down his wrinkled cheeks.
Misty watched from behind Roy, dumbfounded, and whispered a comment.
"This guy... is way too deep into his own self-pity."
...
The more Kaiser spoke, the more aggrieved he felt, and the unwillingness in his heart erupted like a volcano.
He didn't believe it.
He didn't believe Dratini would really choose that young man.
It must be because he was too far away, and Dratini couldn't see his face clearly.
Yes, it must be that.
Kaiser took a deep breath, lifted his feet, and moved a few steps closer to the water's edge.
He bent down, reaching out a hand toward Dratini, forcing a smile onto his face that looked worse than crying.
"Dratini, come, come over to my side. I am your friend, I can give you..."
Before Kaiser could finish his sentence.
A sphere of water suddenly shot out from the lake's surface, heading straight for Kaiser's face.
Kaiser had no time to react at all.
With a *thud*.
The water sphere hit Kaiser squarely in the chest. The massive impact knocked him flat on his back into the mud, sending muddy water splashing everywhere.
Kaiser lay face-up in the muddy ground by the shore, his hat flown off, completely soaked. His clothes were covered in mud and water stains, and water dripped from his hair onto his scalp. He looked pathetic to the extreme.