Okay, so, Horsea was cute and all, but you didn't come here for Horsea. No, you came for Kingdra.
The real deal. Water-Dragon type. Dual-element chaos waiting to happen. The kind of powerhouse that runs wild on a rain team.
Caster? He's got his eyes peeled, though, pretending to keep his cool. But let's be honest, he's not.
He's buzzing inside, just looking for the next big thing, and this place? Oh, it's like the heart of paradise, or maybe that's just the field of flowers ahead, where colors burst in every direction like they're fighting for attention.
A splash of every hue you can imagine. It's like some painter's dream gone rogue.
Whoosh.
A gust of wind. Petals go flying, drifting all around like they have no cares in the world. It's almost too perfect, like a scene out of a postcard, but Caster?
He's already moving past the beauty. Why? Because something catches his eye.
Oh. There they are.
Pokémon. And not just any Pokémon. Rattata, Hoppip, Bellossom, Butterfree, Sentret, Sunflora, just... Pokémon galore. It's like a happy accident of nature where everything clicks.
Peace. Tranquility. Like, these guys are so chill they probably don't even know what fighting is.
"The Dragon Sanctuary is a freakin' gem," Caster mutters, his voice soft with awe.
But wait. He's not alone. Ayu, the Dragon Tamer kid, is standing beside him. And his eyes? Burn hot with desire. And it's not just because of the setting. It's what he's seeing.
"Aooo~"
Here it comes.
Flying in from the distance, a strange sight, a Pokémon, bulky with an orange body, waddling its way forward like it didn't quite know how to use its tiny wings. Antennae twitching.
Horn on its head. This creature is practically an emblem of, "I'm majestic, but I don't look it."
"Dragonite!" Caster gasps, eyes wide like a kid on Christmas morning. He's about one second from drooling.
And Ayu? He's not much better. His face lights up too. Not just because Dragonite is some random Pokémon.
No. Ayu's from a Dragon Tamer family, and yet… no Dratini. No Dragonite. That's practically a family tragedy.
This isn't just some cute Dragonite either. No, no. Dragonites are notoriously elusive. Not easy to breed, let alone catch. Most families only have one or two over generations.
It's a bloodline thing. And even Ayu's family? Lance and Clair have already grabbed their share of Dratini. There's no hope for anyone else.
But now, here it is. Right in front of them.
"Aooo~"
The Dragonite flaps its wings once, twice. It glides in closer, and then it looks at them. Eyes, serene, wise, almost too calm. But then, its claws wave at the field of Pokémon like it's been given a quiet command. A serious wave.
"Dragonite says you can train here, but you can't catch any Pokémon," Clair says, stepping forward. Her voice is smooth, like she's done this dance before.
Caster blinks. "Wait. What? No catching?" His heart sinks. No Dratini, no Pokémon... Is this some kind of joke? He wanted to catch something. Anything. Just not this.
But Dragonite's glare says it all, no room for negotiation. It's a guardian of peace, not some tool for catching rare creatures.
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Caster groans under Dragonite's unblinking stare, knowing he's just lost a battle he didn't even want to fight.
Clair? She's in the know. This isn't just any Dragonite. It's the one from the previous-previous Blackthorn Gym Leader, the one who was basically the sanctuary's protector.
Kind, wise, and probably incredibly naive if you could convince it that a fire in the sanctuary was just a "minor inconvenience."
"Still…" Caster muses, giving the big Dragonite another once-over. "Might want to stay on this thing's good side. You never know."
And then Ayu, the little showoff, steps up with a sparkle in his hand. A Dragon Gem. You know, just casually flaunting a 30,000 ₽ gemstone like it's a toothpick. No big deal.
"Dragonite," Ayu says, grinning like this is definitely going to work, "I'm Dragon Tamer Ayu, first time meeting you. Please accept this Dragon Gem as a gift."
Caster's blood boils. "A Dragon Gem?! Seriously? Who the hell does this kid think he is?"
He's fuming on the inside. That's all of his savings right there in a tiny rock.
But Dragonite? It's not impressed. It just shakes its head and shoves the gem back, like, "Thanks, but no thanks."
Ayu frozed. He didn't see that coming. No one did.
Caster can't resist. He grins. Now this is his moment. Forget the fancy stones. Forget the showoff act. It's time for something different.
He pulls out a Pokéblock. Nothing too fancy, but hey, maybe Dragonite's got a sweet tooth.
Ayu? He laughs. "A Pokéblock? Come on, Caster. This thing didn't want a Dragon Gem, and you think it's gonna care about your budget snack?"
But Caster's got a trick up his sleeve. A decoy. The Pokéblock? That's just for show. The real treat is an Energy Orb, which he activates and slips into Dragonite's body when no one's looking.
"Woo?"
Dragonite blinks, pauses, and then, boom. It chomps down on the Pokéblock. The moment it tastes the thing, its face melts into pure bliss.
"Woah," Ayu mutters, jaw slack. Clair, too, is staring, wide-eyed. What kind of Pokéblock was this?
Caster, meanwhile, is all smug. He's not just offering a snack. And right now? Dragonite's wrapped around his finger.
"C'mere, big guy," he says softly, reaching up to gently pet its head. "I knew we'd be friends."