Dragonair was stunned for a moment.
She raised her head and looked at Roy, a trace of bewilderment flashing in her eyes.
Then she shook her head and let out a few low cries, her voice sounding somewhat embarrassed.
"I... I don't really know how to fight."
"Humans capture Pokemon for the sake of battling, right?"
This book was first published across the entire network.
"I've been hiding in this lake all these years, and I've almost never fought other Pokemon. My combat ability is very poor, and my potential isn't high either."
As Dragonair spoke to this point, her voice lowered further, carrying a sense of self-consciousness.
"And... I eat quite a lot."
"I have to eat so many aquatic plants and berries every day, much more than my daughter. I consume too many resources."
"A Pokemon like me, with low combat power and a huge appetite... I'll only be a burden to you."
After Dragonair finished speaking, she retreated a bit, sinking slightly into the water until only half of her head was visible.
She was waiting for Roy to say, "Well, alright then."
Roy looked at Dragonair, and when he heard the phrase "I'll only be a burden to you," he couldn't help but smile—a gentle smile tinged with a bit of helplessness.
"Dragonair."
"The relationship between Pokemon and humans isn't just about battling."
Dragonair blinked her eyes.
"To me, Pokemon are our partners."
"Regardless of whether you're strong or not, or how much you eat, you can become an indispensable member of our group."
"Battling is one part of being a partner, but it's not everything."
"Companionship is also a part."
"Living together is also a part."
"Growing together is also a part."
"How can there be any talk of being a burden?"
"Battling isn't necessarily the only path for a Pokemon, is it?"
At this point, Roy turned his head to look at the Pikachu beside him. "Besides, in my team, there are quite a few gluttons, aren't there?"
Pikachu extended a short little paw and pointed at the little Eevee nearby, implying that she was the real foodie!
Little Eevee was rolling around on the grass. Seeing Pikachu pointing at her, she tilted her head, puffed out her cheeks, and cried out twice...
"Aren't you a foodie too! How can you have the nerve to point at me?"
Pikachu let out a cry, indicating that he ate less than she did.
The two little fellows began to shift the blame back and forth, their voices rising and falling in turn, sounding like they were arguing yet also like they were acting spoiled.
Roy watched their rowdy behavior, and the corners of his mouth curled up again.
"See?"
"There's more than just one or two foodies in our team, and more than just one or two with big appetites."
"But look, aren't they all doing just fine?"
"Since you're so good at eating, you could completely be Delia's assistant. You can taste the new delicacies and feed Delia researches, give her suggestions, and be the food critic for our team."
As Roy said this, he reached out and pointed toward Delia nearby.
Delia was crouching by the shore, still holding a bag of feed in her hand. Hearing Roy suddenly mention her name, she was stunned.
"Eh?"
Roy turned his head to look at Delia, a smile in his eyes and a somewhat formal tone.
"Delia has been researching Pokemon food and feed formulas. She needs a Pokemon that's very good at eating to taste them."
"And I noticed just now that she wanted to reach out and pet you; she likes you too."
"So, if you follow her, the two of you would be the perfect partners in the field of food."
"Work hard together and make progress together on the path of Pokemon gourmet food."
Delia's eyes widened, and the bag of feed in her hand almost fell to the ground.
She opened her mouth, her voice a bit stuttery.
"Roy... are you saying... you want me to capture Dragonair?"
"But... this is a Dragon-type Pokemon, something so rare... You should have been the one to capture it... This is much more precious than what we originally planned."
Delia's voice trembled slightly, and a sudden warmth welled up in her eyes.
Dragonair, a Dragon-type Pokemon.
Extremely rare in the entire Kanto Region, an existence that countless trainers dream of.
If Roy captured it himself, it would definitely be a massive boost to his team's strength.
But he just gave it to her so casually.
Simply because when she saw Dragonair earlier, there was that tiny bit of longing in her eyes—just for that.
Delia was so moved she was about to cry.
She bit her lower lip, her eyes red, her gaze toward Roy filled with tears.
In that watery gaze, besides gratitude, there was something else. Something she usually hid deep in her heart and didn't dare to show.
"Roy..."
Delia's voice was soft and raspy, with a hint of a nasal tone.
"You're too good to me..."
Roy met Delia's eyes, and the shimmering light within them made him pause for a moment.
The corners of Delia's eyes turned up slightly; she usually looked dignified, but now, because her eyes were red, she added a touch of soft charm.
Her lips were slightly parted, and she had bitten a shallow tooth mark into her lower lip, which was rosy and quite moving.
Roy's gaze lingered on her face for a second before he looked away as if nothing had happened.
Misty, watching this scene from the side, chuckled and said:
"Oh my~ Sister Delia~ you're about to cry~ This is the first time I've seen this~"
At Misty's words, Delia's face turned even redder. She quickly lowered her head, pretending to tidy the hair by her ear, but the flush spread all the way down her neck, even making her collarbones glow a faint pink.
"Misty, stop it, I'm already sensitive when it comes to Roy..."
Delia's voice was tiny and soft, lacking any confidence.
Misty giggled, walked over to Delia's side, gave her a light nudge with her elbow, and leaned into her ear.
"Sister Delia, your face is this red, it's not just from being moved, is it?"
Delia was nudged off balance. She bit her lip and glared at Misty, but her gaze wasn't fierce at all; instead, it held the bashfulness of someone who had been found out.
Misty saw through it but didn't say it. She gave a little giggle and stepped back.
Roy paid no mind to the two's little antics. He turned back and looked at the Dragonair in the water again.
"What do you think, Dragonair?"
Dratini also chimed in from the side.
She swam to her mother's side, nuzzling her mother's chin with her little head, and cried out, "Mama, Mama, let's go together!"
"Don't you always say it's dangerous here? I hear you say every day that there are many bad people and many trainers outside. I'm not worried about you being here by yourself."
"Let's go together and see what the outside world really looks like, okay?"
Dratini's voice was soft and sweet, like a child acting spoiled. Her tail splashed on the water's surface as she looked at her mother with sparkling eyes.
"And Mama said there's lots of yummy food outside. Didn't you just taste it? There's definitely even more and even better food outside!"
Hearing the word "yummy," Dragonair's ears twitched slightly. The memory of that pile of feed in Delia's palm, which smelled of honey, floated into her mind.
It was indeed delicious.
She had eaten aquatic plants and ordinary berries in this lake for thirty years and had never tasted anything like that.
Dragonair lowered her head, looking at her daughter's expectant gaze, and then looked at Roy.
Then she looked at Delia again. This brown-haired woman had been looking at her the whole time, her gaze very gentle.
Now her eyes were still red, but the corners of her mouth were slightly tilted up, offering her a friendly and warm smile.
That kind of smile made Dragonair feel very relaxed.
There was one more thing, Dragonair added silently in her heart.
This woman named Delia and this young man named Roy seemed to have a very close relationship.
If her daughter followed Roy and she followed Delia, it would be the same as always being together with her daughter.
Dragonair was silent for a few seconds, then raised her head and let out a soft cry toward Roy and Delia.
She nodded, saying yes.
Misty was the first to react.
"Yay!! Captured!! Both mother and daughter dragons captured!!"
Misty jumped straight up from the ground, raising both hands above her head and cheering loudly.
"A Dratini and a Dragonair!! This trip to the Wild Area is just too profitable! No one would believe it if I told them!!"
Misty's laughter echoed through the woods, startling a flock of Pidgey into fluttering away.
She ran to Roy's side and hugged his arm, her body pressing against him, soft and bouncy.
"Roy, you're amazing! You're practically a god! No one has been able to capture a Dratini in the Wild Area for so many years. Not only did you get one yourself, but you also helped Sister Delia get a Dragonair!"
Misty's voice was full of admiration, her eyes shining like little stars.
She was also incredibly excited.
After all, one was her sister and the other was her man; she could pet these dragons whenever she wanted in the future!
Delia finally stepped forward as well, crouching by the water and extending her hand toward Dragonair.
Dragonair looked at Delia's hand, then at Delia's eyes.
Dragonair lowered her head and gently touched Delia's fingertips with her forehead.
Delia's eyes turned red again, her lips pressed into a line as she tried desperately not to cry.
Roy walked to Delia's side and reached out to take her hand.
"Capture her."
Roy held Delia's hand, pressed a poke ball into her palm, and then helped her close her grip.
"She's willing to go with you."
Delia looked down at the poke ball in her hand, then glanced at the Dragonair in the water.
She took a deep breath and gently pressed the poke ball against Dragonair's forehead.
The poke ball opened, and a red light flashed. Dragonair turned into a beam of light and was pulled into the ball. The ball wobbled in Delia's palm once, twice, three times—ding!
Delia stared at the poke ball in her hand, and her tears finally couldn't be held back anymore.
"I've captured Dragonair..."
Delia's voice was as quiet as a whisper to herself.
Misty bounced over and slapped Delia on the back.
"Sister Delia, why are you crying! This is a good thing! Be happy!"
Delia was slapped into a stumble. She quickly wiped her tears and smiled through them.
"Right, right, happy... I'm happy..."
She clutched the poke ball; this was the most precious treasure in the world, given to her by Roy.
After the capture was complete, Roy and Delia released both dragons to let the mother and daughter have a proper talk.
Dragonair lowered her head, nuzzling Dratini's little head with her nose, calling out again and again in an incredibly gentle voice.
Dratini also nuzzled her mother's chin. The image of the two dragons snuggling together was so heartwarming that Delia's tears, which she had just wiped away, started to well up again.
Misty finished speaking with a smile, then ran over to Dragonair in a few steps and reached out to touch the smooth scales on her neck.
Dragonair slightly narrowed her eyes and didn't dodge.
It felt cool and smooth to the touch, like the feel of high-grade silk.
Misty gave a little giggle and then went to pet Dratini.
Dratini narrowed her eyes at the touch, her tail swishing, looking very much like she was enjoying it.
"Alright, let's go. The sun is about to set; it's time to head back." Roy stood by for a while and then clapped his hands.
The three of them packed up their things. Delia packed the remaining feed, and Misty slung her backpack over her shoulder, preparing to leave.
Before leaving, Roy looked back at the shore.
Kaiser was still kneeling there. His knees were sunk in the muddy water, he was covered in mud from head to toe, his soaked clothes clung to his body, and his wig was askew, revealing the sparse white hair underneath.
His eyes were hollow, staring at the lake's surface, his lips slightly moving as if he were saying something, but his voice was too low for anyone to hear clearly.
From the moment Dragonair and Dratini were captured one after another, Kaiser had completely collapsed.
The thing he had protected for thirty years was gone.
He thought he was Dratini's friend, only to find out that in Dratini's eyes, he was just a nuisance, a person who brought danger, the culprit who had caused her to be trapped for thirty years.
Roy looked at Kaiser's despondent state and was silent for two seconds. Then he spoke, his voice not loud, but every word was crystal clear.
"Mr. Kaiser."
Kaiser's shoulders trembled, but he didn't look up.
"Protection isn't something that can be done with just heart alone."
"You also need to have the ability."
"Protection without enough ability is just a nuisance to others."
After Roy finished speaking, he turned around and didn't spare Kaiser another glance.
A dull thud came from behind; it was the sound of knees completely hitting the mud.
Then came a muffled, raspy sob, like a wail squeezed from the depths of a throat.
"All these years... was I really just a nuisance?"
Kaiser's voice was intermittent, as if something were choking his throat.
But there was no one left to reply to him.
Roy had already led Misty and Delia away from the lakeshore, through the woods they had come from, their footsteps gradually fading away.
...
On the way back from the Lake in the Mountain, Delia was silent the whole way.
She kept her head down, her hands tightly clutching that poke ball against her chest as if she were holding the most precious treasure in the world. The ball's casing still carried a bit of the warmth from Dragonair's forehead, which she could feel even through her clothes.
Misty walked beside her, glancing at her several times with her head tilted, before finally leaning in and bumping Delia's arm with her shoulder.
"Sister Delia~ still smiling like a fool?"
Delia jerked her head up, her face instantly turning beet red.
"I-I'm not smiling!"
"The corners of your mouth are almost reaching your ears, and you say you're not smiling." Misty giggled and reached out to poke Delia's cheek. "Tsk tsk tsk, you're this happy just from capturing a Dragonair. If Roy gives you something else good in the future, won't you just faint on the spot?"
Delia was poked into speechlessness, her lips moving, but in the end, she just hugged the ball tighter.
She wasn't just happy because of Dragonair.
She was happy because Roy gave it to her.
Roy had personally pressed the poke ball into her palm.
Roy had held her hand and helped her close her grip.
Delia's heart began to accelerate again. She peeked up and stole a glance at Roy walking ahead.
Roy was walking with his back to her, Pikachu perched on his shoulder, and little Eevee hopping and skipping at his feet.
The sunlight hit him from behind, giving his entire person a golden edge.
Delia looked at that back, her lips pursed, and her eyes felt a bit stinging again.
She quickly lowered her head, afraid Misty would see.
Misty had seen it long ago.
She arched an eyebrow and leaned into Delia's ear, her warm breath hitting Delia's earlobe.
"Sister Delia, confess honestly, is your head full of Roy right now?"
"Misty!" Delia's voice changed pitch, her ears so red they looked ready to drip blood. "Stop talking nonsense!"
"I'm talking nonsense?" Misty giggled. "Then tell me, when Roy gave you the ball just now, did your legs go weak?"
Delia opened her mouth, but not a single word came out.
Her legs really had gone weak.
Not just her legs; her whole body had gone soft.
Of course, there was gratitude, but more of it was something else.
Misty glanced at her, her smile meaningful. She reached out to wrap an arm around Delia's shoulder and whispered something in her ear.
Delia's face turned completely red, the flush burning from her cheeks all the way down her neck, even the collarbones beneath her shirt collar were tinged pink.
"You, how can you be so..." Delia held it in for a long time before squeezing out, "You're the one who's thinking about it!"
"Yeah, I am thinking about it." Misty admitted it openly, shrugging. "Anyway, we've already done it~"
While Delia and Misty were talking heatedly in the back, Roy was at the front, handling the aftermath.
He took a communicator out of his backpack and dialed a number.
"Hello?"
A female voice came from the other end of the communicator, crisp, sharp, and carrying a sense of efficiency.