Dragonair was still head-down, devouring the food. Its mouth opened and closed, cheeks puffed out to the limit, while crumbs of feed drifted from the corners of its mouth, dissolving in the water like tiny patches of golden mist.
It was eating so intently that it failed to notice the surrounding water undergoing a violent change.
Dratini, however, was the first to sense something was wrong.
Its small body suddenly stiffened.
The surrounding water...
...was rising.
It wasn't a slow, leisurely rise; rather, the entire section of water—along with the aquatic plants, silt, and those drifting feed crumbs—was being lifted upward together.
"Ma... Mama!"
Dratini's voice went up an octave.
It slapped the water surface hard with its tail, trying to warn the still-gorging Dragonair.
But Dragonair only gave a muffled "Mhm," not even lifting its head as it took another bite.
The light above the water's surface grew brighter and brighter.
That blue membrane of light supported the entire section of water, as if an invisible giant hand had scooped them up from the lake bottom—water, dragons, and all.
Splash! The water sphere broke through the lake's surface and slowly ascended into the air.
On the shore.
Misty was crouching there, one hand still poised as if to pat Roy's arm.
Her mouth slowly fell open, and her eyes widened into perfect circles.
The water sphere hung in mid-air. Sunlight passed through that thin blue membrane, refracting into a narrow rainbow on its surface.
And inside the water sphere...
...a Dragonair was frantically eating feed with its cheeks puffed out.
Beside it, a Dratini was spinning in circles, frantic with worry.
Misty looked as if her pressure points had been struck; she stood frozen there for a full three seconds.
Then.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
She let out a piercing scream, springing up from the ground and grabbing Roy's arm so hard her fingers dug into his sleeve.
"That's! That's! A Dratini!!"
Misty's voice was sharp and high-pitched. Her face was flushed with excitement, her eyes were shining, and she looked ready to jump for joy on the spot.
"Roy! That's a Dratini! A real, live Dratini!!!"
She shook Roy's arm vigorously, causing his whole body to sway from side to side.
Misty's shout had an immediate effect.
Inside the water sphere.
Dragonair was on its eighth bite and had just opened its mouth for the ninth when the scream made the dragon flinch. The feed slipped from its mouth.
It snapped its head up. The food in its mouth wasn't even swallowed yet, making its cheeks bulge as if it had stuffed two ping-pong balls inside.
Then it saw the humans on the shore.
Dragonair's gaze changed instantly.
The gluttonous, lazy appearance from a moment ago vanished, replaced by alertness and sharpness.
It reacted almost instinctively. With a twist of its body, its long, slender trunk moved rapidly, using its entire form to shield Dratini completely behind it.
Dragonair's tail curled up slightly, assuming a posture ready to lash out at any moment.
It still hadn't swallowed the food in its mouth, but that no longer mattered.
The instinct to protect its daughter overrode everything else.
Dratini poked half of its small head out from behind its mother, eyes full of panic and fear, its tiny body trembling slightly.
Delia, who had been sitting further back feeding Pikachu and Eevee, also stood up upon hearing Misty's scream.
She brushed the feed crumbs off her hands and walked over to Roy's side. Her gaze fell upon the floating water sphere, and a hint of surprise appeared on her face.
"So it's a Dragonair and a Dratini."
Delia's voice was very gentle, carrying a natural affinity.
Her gaze lingered for a moment on Dragonair's wary stance, then shifted to Dratini's small head peeking out from behind its mother. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
"No wonder you said these 'fish' were extraordinary."
Delia said softly, her tone carrying a sense of realization.
Inside the water sphere.
Although Dragonair had taken a defensive stance, it didn't flee immediately.
This was strange.
Logically, with Dragonair's power, it could have easily shattered this water membrane with a flick of its tail and dived back to the bottom of the lake to escape with Dratini.
But it didn't.
It simply shielded Dratini, eyes fixed warily on the people on shore, but its tail remained still.
From behind its mother, Dratini let out a soft cry.
The sound was faint, as if asking its mother why they weren't leaving yet.
Dragonair lowered its head and nuzzled Dratini's head with its snout, letting out a low, soothing sound from its throat.
It didn't know why either.
It clearly should have run away immediately.
The last time it encountered a human sneak attack, it had sent the attacker flying with one whip of its tail and immediately moved their habitat with Dratini.
But now.
As it looked at the black-haired youth on the shore, a thought inexplicably surfaced in its mind!
This human seemed a bit different.
There was an indescribable feeling, like the warmest current at the bottom of the lake flowing gently past—not too hot, not too cold, just right.
Dratini felt it too.
It poked its head out further from behind its mother, its round eyes staring straight at Roy as the panic in its gaze was slowly replaced by curiosity.
The water sphere began to descend slowly.
Dragonair shielded Dratini as they gradually returned to the lake's surface with the descending sphere.
The water membrane dispersed silently upon touching the lake, as if it had never existed, and the mother and daughter fell back into the clear lake water.
But Dragonair did not dive to the bottom.
It floated on the surface, tail swaying gently to maintain balance, its eyes still fixed on Roy.
Dratini swam out from behind its mother.
Dragonair's tail immediately tightened, wanting to pull its daughter back.
But Dratini looked back and gave its mother a soft cry, a sound filled with an inexplicable sense of trust and curiosity.
It turned its head and slowly, bit by bit, swam toward the shore.
Its tiny body cut a thin ripple across the water's surface.
Roy crouched down, his right hand resting lightly on his knee, palm facing up, reaching toward the water.
His movements were very slow and gentle, without any aggressive posture.
Dratini swam to his hand and stopped.
Man and dragon were inches apart.
Dratini tilted its head, using its large, deep-blue eyes to carefully observe the human before it.
Its little head swayed slightly as it let out a thin cry.
The sound was very light and soft, as if it were talking to itself, or perhaps asking Roy a question.
"Ne-ne... ne-ne-ne...?"
Why does this human give me such a different feeling?
Other humans who approached this lake either brought strange machines or nets, and their entire bodies emitted an aura that made dragons uncomfortable.
But this human didn't have that smell; instead, there was a very comfortable feeling.
Roy understood Dratini's cry perfectly.
Aura circulated within his body; it was a connection more fundamental than language.
No translation was needed, no thought required. The emotion and meaning contained in every one of Dratini's tones were directly reflected in Roy's mind.
He reached out, his movements very light and slow.
His fingertips first touched the smooth skin on top of Dratini's head.
It was cool and slippery, like the feel of fine jade that had been soaked in mountain spring water.
Dratini's body trembled slightly, but it didn't pull away.
Roy's palm pressed against the top of its head, stroking it gently and tenderly.
"I'm not here to hurt you."
Roy's voice was very calm, like a mountain breeze—neither hurried nor slow, devoid of any aggression.
Dratini perked up its ears.
"I want to invite you to come and see the world outside together."
Dratini's pupils dilated slightly.
The outside world?
It had grown up in this lake since it was small; the furthest it had ever gone was the other side of the lake. It hadn't even entered the forest by the shore.
What was the outside world like?
Dratini couldn't figure it out.
Roy's hand continued to stroke the top of its head gently, his fingertips sliding down its smooth skin to lightly scratch the side of its neck.
Dratini's tail swayed involuntarily.
It felt so good.
It really felt so good.
Were human hands always this warm?
Didn't Mama say humans were all bad, that they would tie them up with ropes, lock them in tiny balls, and force them to fight?
But this person's touch felt so wonderful.
And that feeling of reassurance he gave off wasn't fake.
Dratini squinted its eyes, unable to resist nuzzling its head into Roy's palm.
But its mind was still a jumble of confusion.
It couldn't understand.
Why did this human make it feel so good?
Even though Mama said humans were terrifying.
But this human clearly wasn't scary at all.
Dratini was enjoying the petting, but the questions in its head were multiplying. Finally, it couldn't hold back anymore.
It turned its head and called out toward Dragonair.
"Ne-ne~!"
However, at this moment, Dragonair had already leaned in close to the backpack Delia used for feed and was sniffing around, seemingly completely captivated by the food.
When Dratini had first swum toward Roy, Dragonair had been following nervously behind.
But halfway there, its nose twitched twice, and then its direction shifted.
Because Delia was standing on the shore with a backpack on her back.
And inside that backpack was an aroma that made Dragonair's very soul tremble.
The scent was delicate and rich, carrying the fragrance of various plants and berries mixed together—it was countless levels higher than ordinary feed.
Dragonair's nose moved away from Delia's backpack as it lifted its head, looking at Delia with sparkling eyes.
That look clearly said!
"What's in here? Can I have a taste? Just one bite!"
Delia looked down at the bright-eyed Dragonair and couldn't help but chuckle.
She brought the backpack to her front, unzipped it, and pulled out a small jar.
The moment the jar was unscrewed, a dense aroma exploded outward.
It was a special feed Delia had prepared herself—using healthy-growth food as a base, adding ground Pecha Berry powder, a bit of honey, and several herbal spices she had blended herself.
It was an improved recipe based on different Breeders from the Feed Street in Celadon City.
Dragonair's eyes almost popped out of its head.
Delia held the small jar forward slightly and nodded gently to Dragonair.
"Do you want to eat?"
Dragonair nodded vigorously.
It nodded so hard the dragon's whole neck was bobbing up and down, splashing water everywhere.
Delia crouched down by the shore, holding some feed powder in her palm, and reached toward the water.
"Come on, I made this myself. It's much tastier than the stuff outside."
Without almost any hesitation, Dragonair lunged forward.