Saffron City, Fighting Dojo. The stream was still live.
[Lorelei: The League wants to send you a new Pokémon as a reward. Got time to accept it soon?]
[Grey: Hm? I'm free enough. Why the sudden gift?]
[Lorelei: The League recognizes your outstanding contributions—when it comes to rewards, the more the merrier.]
[Grey: Then thanks to the League. Mind telling me what Pokémon?]
[Lorelei: You'll know in a minute. Keeping it secret for now~]
[Grey: OK.]
Putting his phone down, Grey stood before the transfer unit. Once his link with Lorelei's side established, a Poké Ball popped into existence.
"Hm? It's this one?"
Aura washed over it. With a sweep of waveguiding sense, he knew exactly who was inside.
The Dratini Petrel had captured earlier.
Didn't expect our fates to be tied like this.
"Everyone, we've got a new teammate."
Grey called over all of his Pokémon except Articuno and Zapdos, then tossed the Poké Ball in front of them.
"Mii?" (Where am I?)
Dratini uncoiled. It had thought life would be easy once the League took custody—only to be transferred again to somewhere new.
"Mii!" (Mud Shot!)
When those gemlike eyes opened, Dratini noticed Grey standing not far off and flicked its tail in greeting.
The aura coming off him felt gentle—easy to trust at a glance.
[Wwww—how did Gym Leader Grey suddenly get a Dratini!]
[So cute! I'm melting!]
[Huh? Isn't Grey a Fighting specialist? Why catch a Dratini?]
[Time to bring up Kanto's Elite Four.]
[We Sinnoh folks would like Gardenia to weigh in!]
[Okay okay—so even Sinnoh netizens roast their own Gym Leaders!]
Chat rolled with regional Elite/Gym Leader jokes; by comparison, Grey picking up a Dratini wasn't a big deal.
"Good baby, good baby—let me pet you~"
Grey stepped over, scooped Dratini up, and bent down.
This little one was even friendlier than he'd expected. He'd braced for a withdrawn temperament after Team Rocket, ready for a long trust game at first sight—
Only for Dratini to accept him right away. It practically "self-cleared" the capture flag and marked Grey as safe.
"Mii~" (Okay okay~)
Dratini coiled up Grey's arm and looped his neck, nuzzling his cheek—then flicked out its tongue for a quick lick, memorizing his scent.
"What an adorable Dratini! Let me pet—"
Green's girlish heart was instantly conquered.
She'd been planning to hand Silver over to Grey, head out to challenge Gyms for the Indigo League, then come back as an apprentice.
And Grey goes and brings home a super cute Dratini the moment she's about to leave!
What was that supposed to be?
Pure temptation!
"Mii~" (Nope~)
Dratini slid along Grey's arm and settled at his nape, then swished its tail to politely refuse Green's outstretched hand.
"Uuuu—Grey, why won't it let me pet it?"
Green stared up, pitiful, fingers frozen midair, face full of envy.
"Maybe… it's shy."
After a beat, Grey offered that explanation.
["Shy," my foot. Streamer, don't lie with your eyes open—look at how it's wrapped around you at first sight, and you're telling the girl your dragon is shy?]
[Why does that… sound weird?]
[Don't pollute the chat! The mods will bonk us!]
[Wait, what are you all even talking about? Why can't I understand any of this?!]
[Kiddo, go play over there. You'll get it when you're older.]
[I'm so jealous—sob—I want to raise Dratini vicariously! (sends three Ultra Balls)]
"Thanks to 'Aiming for Dragon Master' for the three Ultra Balls! If you want to 'cloud-raise' Dratini, you can swing by the stream daily—or join the fan group. I post the team's daily pics in there~"
Noticing the message, Grey slipped in another plug for the group.
[Streamer, streamer—can I get a closer look at Dratini? Could you snap a few photos for me? I just want to look, nothing else! Really!]
"Of course. DM me after the stream. I'll take some pics for you."
For a patron who just sent three Ultra Balls, this little wish was easy to grant.
Just a few photos.
A few thousand bucks for a few shots? Nice trade for Grey.
[Gifts in exchange for photos?]
[Giovanni, what are you up to? Don't tell me you've fallen for Dratini too?]
['Giovanni of the Earth' likes the base form of the Dragon/Flying pseudo-legendary? That reversal is hilarious~]
[NgL, I want close-ups of the streamer's training regimen too.]
Giovanni's line got screencapped by the peanut gallery, and the roasting began.
"Uh, if you want photos, you can actually just join the group. If you've got more… 'special' requests, toss in a small gift. I'll send a few after the stream."
At that, wallets flew open like Grey was robbing them; cash turned into gifts in a flood.
Their enthusiasm even startled Grey.
The gifts were piling up—way more than he'd expected.
[Bro, one Dratini pic, please.]
[I want a feeding pic of Riolu—the little Riolu.]
[Got any 'Dojo Ape' throwdown shots?]
"Alright, DM me after the stream. I'll try to meet requests, but I can't promise everything~ Rest assured though, they'll all be actual photos, not pre-made stock."
[Heck yeah—thanks, streamer! Can't wait!]
[It's fine—even any photos are satisfying~]
The stream rolled on.
While Grey waited for a challenger, three figures appeared outside Saffron Gym.
"Huh? Saffron Gym isn't done yet?"
"Pika?"
Ash and Pikachu scratched their heads at the reconstruction site.
They'd planned to challenge Saffron first; after all this time, the Gym was still under rebuild.
"Yeah. Two weeks ago, terrorists hit Saffron Gym—supposedly Team Rocket," Brock said, stepping up and clapping a hand on Ash's shoulder, voice grave.
Blowing up Saffron Gym in Saffron City—Team Rocket really didn't care about the League at all.
"Yeah, Team Rocket's the worst!"
Ash nodded, then started toward the Fighting Dojo. "We're here anyway. Let's go say hi to Gym Leader Grey! This time, I'm getting that badge!"
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