Dratini is a serpentine pokémon covered head-to-tail in light-blue scales, its belly a bright white.
It has violet eyes, a small white bump on its forehead where a horn is developing, white fins on either side of its head, and a big round white snout.
"It's here—Dratini!"
Adrian felt his pulse race and his breathing quicken.
This was a baby pseudo-legendary!!!
And right now, he could take his pick from the three Dratini before him.
"Good kids! Good kids!"
At the sight of them, the Dragon Elder set down the Dragon Flute, knelt, and gently stroked the tiny dragons.
"Yor~"
The three Dratini were different sizes, but all had sparkling eyes as they enjoyed the elder's petting, looking utterly adorable.
Clair watched quietly, memories of her own first Dratini encounter flashing past.
At the same time, she was curious: which one would Adrian choose as his partner?
After soothing them, the Dragon Elder beckoned Adrian over. "Young man, come greet them!"
"Hello, Dratini! My name is Adrian."
Smiling warmly, he stepped forward, trying his best to look friendly.
"Yor~"
But the three Dratini didn't seem very interested in him.
The one on the left was about to shed; it kept rubbing its body along the ground, revealing the tender new skin beneath.
The middle one yawned and coiled up for a nap.
The smallest on the right shrank back half a step as Adrian approached, clearly shy around humans.
"Not into me, huh?"
The setback made Adrian pout.
Clair and the Dragon Elder watched with amusement.
They trusted Adrian to solve this minor hiccup.
After all, Clair had personally seen him win over the sanctuary's guardian Dragonite with ease.
Since the previous Gym Leader of Ecruteak Gym passed away, she had never seen anyone get so close to the guardian Dragonite.
"You ignore me now; in a moment you'll beg for my attention—"
With an inward sneer, Adrian silently released an energy cube that dissolved into motes of light and slipped into the leftmost Dratini. "Go!"
"Yor~"
The instant the energy merged, the shedding Dratini jolted.
It clearly felt a foreign power surge inside its body.
"Dur~"
Yet the energy felt tingly and wonderful.
Nourished by the cube, the little dragon began to grow rapidly.
Skin that normally had to be scraped off against rock now slipped off like a coat, coming away in one perfect piece.
"What a flawless shed!"
Clair exclaimed, picked up the cast-off skin, and handed it to the Dragon Elder for inspection.
Dratini hide is top-grade leather; boots made from it fetch sky-high prices on the market.
Because Dratini usually rub against rough stone, the skins are normally scratched or torn—an intact one like this was almost unheard of.
"Dur~"
Neither Clair nor the Dragon Elder could sense the energy cube; only the benefiting Dratini knew the source of its bliss.
Right then, it gazed at Adrian with longing, its cries turning soft and coaxing.
Human, can I have another?
"Hmph!"
Adrian lifted his chin in feigned aloofness, ignoring the left Dratini's pleading eyes, and fired two more energy cubes into the remaining pair.
"Yor~"
In moments, the sleepy one was wide awake and brimming with excitement.
The timid little one became bold and affectionate, nuzzling Adrian's arm with teary eyes begging for his favor.
The situation flipped from cold shoulder to "Pick me! Pick me!", leaving Adrian firmly in control.
The reversal was so swift the Dragon Elder's eyes nearly popped.
In mere breaths, why had the Dratini done a complete one-eighty?
Perplexed, the elder glanced at Clair, who merely shrugged.
Maybe he's just a dragon-type succubus!
In short: incomprehensible, yet utterly astounding!
"Heh! Think I can't handle you little guys?"
Delighted with his energy cube triumph, Adrian beamed.
After calming himself with a deep breath, the Dragon Elder chuckled, "So, what will you choose now? These three Dratini all come from the Dragon's Den, but their talents differ—"
Adrian had a ready answer, grinning, "To tell you the truth, Elder, I love fishing. I always say, 'Let the willing fish take the hook.' Since all three like me, I'll fish for my fate!"
With that, he set down his backpack, assembled a rod, and cast a line.
Clair's mouth twitched in speechless disbelief.
This hopeless angler!
This is a Dratini—pseudo-legendary Dratini!!!
Yet he's fishing for one by 'destiny'; to Clair it felt absurdly random.
The Dragon Elder, however, watched with keen interest.
Soon Adrian baited the hook and dangled it before the three dragons.
"Yor~"
The Dratini knew nothing of human fate; only nature's law of the strong.
Since the human would pick the strongest, each rushed to Bite first, fearing to lag behind.
"All right, stop fighting—"
Seeing them tussle, Adrian laughed and called, "No need to rush; each gets one turn. Starting from the left!"
He pointed to the newly molted Dratini and lowered the bait beside its ear.
"Yor~"
The other two drooped but didn't dare protest, afraid to lose favor.
Snap!
The little dragon bit the bait, beaming with joy.
[Dratini caught—reward: Speed Booster x1.]
[First-ever Dratini caught—bonus: Special Bait Recipe x1.]
The cheat ability prompts appeared, followed by the Dratini's stat panel.
[pokémon: Dratini]
[Type: Dragon]
[Ability: Marvel Scale—Defense rises if afflicted by status.]
[Moves: Dragon Dance, Draco Meteor, Scale Shot, Rain Dance, Sunny Day, Haze, Mist, Safeguard]