It was December, and the river surface was already covered with a thick layer of ice.
Standing on the ice, one could see plump fish swimming below through the ice layer.
Ryan and the others were already impatient to start Fishing. After a brief night of rest, they arrived at the riverbank early the next morning.
"Hoo!"
Ryan rubbed his reddened hands and shouted, "Brothers, get your tools! We'll have fresh fish soup tonight!"
The surrounding Knights cheered.
Everyone picked up their weapons and chiseled a hole in the ice.
Before long, the oxygen-deprived fish below began to swim towards the hole.
"What a great harvest!"
Looking at the pile of fish in front of him, Ryan's face showed the joy of a good harvest.
He quickly directed the others around him to get tools for Fishing.
Perhaps because they had been under the ice for too long, these fish were somewhat oxygen-deprived, allowing Ryan and his companions to easily catch a large basket of fresh, plump fish.
These fish only realized their predicament after being placed in the basket, thrashing about continuously.
Looking at the scene of this great harvest, Ryan couldn't help but grin.
But just then, he suddenly noticed a peculiar fish among the pile: it was entirely red, with two long whiskers like a catfish at its mouth, and its dorsal and pectoral fins resembled a crown.
"What the heck? How did this guy get in here!"
Ryan discontentedly picked up the Magikarp and kicked it away.
With a splash, the unwanted Magikarp landed precisely back in the river.
"Sir Ryan, why did you throw that fish away?" a squire asked, puzzled.
"That guy is basically just bones, skin, and scales... it's not even good for eating, unless you have a strange preference for eating bones," Ryan said with disdain.
As he spoke, he turned around and suddenly noticed Draconis, who had appeared behind him at some point.
Ryan's eyes lit up. He waved excitedly while showing off the fish he had caught: "Your Highness Draconis! We'll have fish to eat tonight!"
Draconis, who had witnessed the entire process: "..."
Poor Magikarp... it was an unwanted existence even in ancient times.
"Well done," Draconis praised. He paused, his gaze fixed on the ice, and said, "If you ever catch that kind of fish again, don't kick it."
Ryan scratched his head: "Why?"
Draconis thought to himself, if the Magikarp got angry and evolved directly into a Gyarados, they wouldn't be able to handle it.
"...Just do as I say," Draconis said.
Ryan and the others were somewhat confused, but as Knights, they should obey His Highness's orders unconditionally.
A few Commoners were responsible for carrying the caught fish back to the territory.
Ryan and the others prepared to continue exploring the plains and forests around the camp.
"Your Highness Draconis, aren't you going back?"
"I have something to do; you can go ahead," Draconis said.
This place was not far from the camp, and the Knights Order had already scouted the vicinity. There were no dangerous Pokémon here, making it very safe.
Therefore, Draconis decided to test Dratini's moves here.
"Dratini," Draconis patted his chest.
Dratini, hiding inside, cautiously poked its head out: "Woo?"
"Come on, let me see your Twister. I'll make you fish soup tonight."
"Woo..."
The temperature outside was indeed a challenge for a Dragon, but hearing Draconis's words and thinking of the delicious food tonight, Dratini still gathered its courage and flew out from the cashmere coat.
"Dratini, use Twister!" Draconis commanded.
"Woo—woo!"
Upon the command, a purple Dragon-type energy surged from Dratini's mouth.
That energy continuously compressed and rotated in Dratini's mouth, then transformed into a Twister that erupted forward.
"Boom!"
The Twister struck the ice. Although Dratini's power was very weak, it easily shattered the ice.
Draconis was pensive.
It seems the power of this Twister move is quite good.
Is this the power of Pokémon?
However, what surprised Draconis was that Dratini could understand commands and react without needing any adjustment.
How did Dratini know that Twister was Twister?
Perhaps this was Arceus's factory setting for all Pokémon? Draconis couldn't help but speculate.
Ryan, who was nearby, couldn't help but widen his eyes at this sight.
What had he just seen?
His, His, His Highness was actually commanding a monster?!
"Glare and Wrap don't need to be demonstrated; with Dratini's current state, Wrap's power is limited," Draconis murmured.
This Twister move could be said to be Dratini's most powerful move at the moment.
"Alright, Dratini, come back!" Draconis called out.
Dratini, shivering from the cold, immediately burrowed into Draconis's embrace.
Draconis prepared to return to the tent, but when he turned around, he saw several Knights with shocked, dumbfounded expressions.
Draconis raised an eyebrow: "Why are you all staring blankly?"
Ryan snapped back to his senses and exclaimed, "Your, Your Highness Draconis, were you just commanding a monster?"
"Yes," Draconis asked with a smile, "What? Are you also interested in commanding monsters?"
Ryan and the others shook their heads like rattles.
They were not interested at all!
Monsters were such dangerous and terrifying creatures; countless people had died at their hands... they dared not approach them.
What surprised them was that the small monster was so obedient to His Highness Draconis... The attitude of people in this era towards Pokémon was just as Draconis had expected.
He was not surprised.
If he rashly told these people things like, "Monsters are not actually dangerous; humans can treat them as family and companions," they probably wouldn't believe him.
However... Draconis looked at Ryan and the others, lost in thought, and knew that this incident had already planted a seed in their hearts, sparking their curiosity and desire to investigate.
—Can humans really command monsters?
*
As dusk fell, night enveloped the entire territory.
People who had been busy all day huddled with their families in tents, warming themselves by the fire, eating black bread, and drinking hot fish soup.
For those who had been lost in the Blizzard for over a month, this was a long-awaited warmth and happiness.
But beyond that, there was more confusion about their future and panic about their unknown fate.
Could they really survive this winter?
Food supplies were limited, firewood was insufficient, and the temperature was constantly dropping. Perhaps soon, a terrifying Blizzard would ravage the entire camp.
The tents they were currently living in could not withstand the onslaught of a Blizzard.
More importantly, the tents offered no warmth.
Even if the Blizzard didn't arrive, they would freeze to death in this icy wilderness when the firewood ran out.