Want to read ahead. You know where
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Sam leaned back in his chair, smiling as Cynthia appeared on the screen.
"Well, look at you," he teased.
"Still buried in work, or did you finally take a break?"
She rolled her eyes, but there was a faint smile.
"I was taking a break. What's going on over there? Caught any sea monsters yet?"
"Not yet," Sam chuckled.
"Though Silver keeps insisting he's onto something."
As if on cue, a familiar cry echoed from outside.
"Li li! Li li!"
Sam turned toward the door, recognizing Little Lugia's eager voice instantly.
"Silver?" he called, already getting to his feet.
"What is it? Did you find something?"
The young Lugia hovered in the doorway, wings beating with barely contained excitement.
He nodded rapidly, eyes shining.
Sam grinned.
"Let me guess… you found traces of the wild Dragonite?"
Another enthusiastic nod.
He glanced back at the phone.
"Looks like we've got a lead. I'll fill you in later."
Cynthia's smile softened.
"Go. You don't get chances like this every day."
The call ended, leaving only the hum of the yacht's engine and the distant cry of seabirds.
On the yacht's deck, Sam crouched to meet Silver's gaze.
"Alright, which way?"
"Li li~! Li li~!" he trilled.
Through their psychic link, he caught the meaning: A Dewgong had told him of an island to the north, often wrapped in mist, where a massive yellow Dragonite was sometimes seen.
Sam's eyes lit up.
"Good work."
He unrolled his nautical chart, tracing the coastline until he found an island that matched the description.
His finger tapped it firmly.
Moments later, the yacht's bow shifted, slicing through the waves toward a hazy silhouette on the horizon.
The home of the giant Dragonite.
As the yacht cut through the waves, Sam ended his quiet conversation with Cynthia and fixed his eyes on the distant, cloud-shrouded island.
Focus.
The island rose like a ghost from the mist, its jagged reefs glinting dangerously in the surf.
Each wave crashed against the stone with a hiss, as if warning intruders to stay away.
"There are a lot of reefs," Sam muttered.
"The yacht won't be able to get through."
He closed his eyes briefly, letting the combined perception of his three powers sweep across the waters.
Shapes, energy signatures, and movement patterns flickered through his mind.
"Darkrai, Lucario, return," he said, holding out their Poké Balls.
A pair of red flashes pulled them safely inside.
Only one figure remained by his side, the small, silver-scaled Lugia hovering effortlessly over the waves.
"Silver, you'll take me from here."
"Lii~"
Silver's cry was cheerful, almost playful.
Sam gave a faint, resigned smile.
"Alright. Just keep your presence hidden."
He swung onto Silver's back, and the two became shrouded in a faint psychic and aura veil, blending into the salty air.
Somewhere ahead, he could feel the presence of a Dragonite, strong, easily at the level of a lower-tier 3 Legendary.
But its temperament was unknown, and barging in unannounced could turn a meeting into a battle.
The wind pressed against his face as Silver carried him swiftly over the final stretch of water.
The island grew larger with each beat of Lugia's wings, revealing a surprisingly clear interior beneath the cloud cover.
From above, it looked no more than ten square kilometers.
They landed softly, Silver's talons making only the faintest crunch on damp earth.
A low, steady sound rolled through the air, deep and rhythmic, like distant thunder.
Sam stilled, listening.
Not thunder. Snoring.
He dismounted and moved quietly, weaving through the jagged rocks until he crested a small ridge.
His breath caught for a moment.
Sprawled across the clearing below was a Dragonite unlike any he'd ever seen.
Its massive body stretched close to thirty meters, golden scales dulled slightly with age, yet still catching stray beams of sunlight.
Its wings were relaxed at its sides, chest rising and falling in slow, measured breaths.
Sam let his "Eye of Detection" do their work, streams of data flowing into his mind:
[Pokémon: Dragonite]
[Gender: Male]
[Type: Dragon / Flying]
[Ability: Multiscale – Damage taken is reduced when at full health.]
[Level: 75 (Mid-tier 3 Legendary)]
[Potential: Peak-tier 3 Legendary]
[Moves: Hurricane, Wing Attack, Roost, Extreme Speed, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Dragon Tail, Dragon Rush]
[Egg Moves: Mist, Supersonic]
[Condition: Hungry – currently in deep sleep to conserve energy.]
[Notes: Blessed with exceptional life, this Dragonite has lived for over 1,500 years. Though immensely powerful, it carries a gentle nature.]
The sight before Sam made his eyelids twitch.
Just as he'd suspected, this Dragonite was a powerhouse, easily stronger than his Lucario, and perhaps even beyond his Darkrai.
Then his eyes lingered on a single word in its status.
Hunger.
That explained a lot.
Keeping a body thirty meters tall running had to burn through an unimaginable amount of energy.
Even for a Pokémon of Dragonite's legendary stature, food would be a constant battle.
Despite their fearsome reputation as Kanto's pseudo-legendaries, Dragonite were herbivores at heart.
It gave them a strange charm, giants with immense strength, yet a naturally gentle demeanor.
The Dragonite's rumbling snores rolled across the clearing until another sound joined them, a low growl from its stomach.
Its eyes cracked open, deep blue and a little bleary.
With a groggy groan, it sat upright, rubbing its belly with both paws before stretching its wings.
Each motion stirred the air like the flap of a sail.
With a powerful push, it took to the skies, gliding toward the shallows.
Sam followed, keeping low through the underbrush until he reached the shoreline.
The Dragonite dove headfirst into the sea.
Its enormous weight sent up a spray of water that glittered in the sun before raining back down.
Yellow scales flashed beneath the surface as it plunged deep, vanishing for several moments before reemerging with long strands of kelp clutched in its claws.
"Aw~~" it rumbled contentedly, settling onto the sand.
With something close to a human sigh, it inspected the kelp, then began chewing in slow, deliberate bites.
When the meal was gone, it dove again, surfacing with seaweed this time, then again with different aquatic plants.
Over and over, it repeated the routine.
Two hours passed like this.
By the time the shallows were stripped bare of most edible vegetation, the great Dragonite's appetite still wasn't fully sated.
It gave one last weary sigh and lowered itself onto the beach, eyelids drooping.
Within moments, the sound of steady, deep snoring returned.
Sam didn't move. He'd watched every detail, its habits, its movements, its moments of vulnerability.
By the time the Dragonite drifted into deeper sleep, he already had the beginnings of a plan.