Before long,
the swaying Steelix arrived near Meteor Falls.
To avoid drawing too much attention, she tried her best to skim just above the treetops. Unfortunately, this tactic backfired—it only served to terrify the wild Pokémon in the sky before scaring the living daylights out of the ones on the ground.
Imagine you're a wild Pokémon, peacefully picking Berries, when you look up and see a mountain-sized metal serpent soaring ten meters over your head.
It's basically the same feeling as a Boeing 747 buzz-cutting your backyard.
Realizing this, Kashiwagi immediately ordered Steelix to fly higher, all while worrying that Officer Jenny might show up to give him a ticket for reckless flying.
Luckily, the area around Meteor Village seemed to be outside her jurisdiction.
"Phew... almost got invited for tea at the station,"
Kashiwagi muttered as he hopped down at the familiar cave entrance. He patted Steelix's massive, spade-like teeth.
"Steee-lix? ⛓️"
She tilted her head, clearly not understanding a word he said.
"Ha... it's okay if you don't get it. Anyway, thanks for the lift. Take a good rest." Kashiwagi thanked her. He had originally intended to spend some quality time with her, but realized that summoning her lately felt more like calling an Uber than hanging out with a partner.
He'd have to make it up to her with a gourmet feast tonight.
He recalled Steelix into her Luxury Ball and stepped inside the cavern.
Having been here a few times now, the route was etched into his memory. It was hard to get lost. What was stranger, though, was the wild Pokémon: they didn't run away anymore. At most, they'd give him a sideways glance before going back to their business.
"Is it possible they can see a 'Member of the Draconids' title floating over my head?"
Kashiwagi pondered the thought for a few seconds before dismissing the fantasy.
They probably just recognized his scent.
As he passed the thundering Dragon's Gate Waterfall, the Ball containing the Shiny Feebas vibrated slightly. She seemed to want to come out and challenge the falls again.
"Not so fast. Take a break," Kashiwagi said, tapping the ball gently.
Yesterday, during her climb, she had been so focused that she collided with a stray Magikarp falling from above, losing quite a few scales. It had broken Kashiwagi's heart.
The Feebas herself, however, hadn't reacted at all—as if she couldn't even feel the pain.
He realized that conquering the Dragon's Gate had become her sole purpose in life, to the point where even injury didn't register.
That was why he'd mandated this rest day.
Having a dream was good; being fanatical to the point of self-destruction was not.
He walked past the territories of Solrock and Lunatone. Their habits were fascinating—one set came out when the sun was up, the other when the moon rose.
On cloudy days, they all just stayed in bed. It was an ecological quirk you rarely saw in the games.
Finally, the Dragon's Den came into view.
Kashiwagi slowed his pace as he stepped out of the tunnel, immediately catching the attention of two Shelgon resting near the entrance.
They stared at him with their wide, beady eyes, then wordlessly laid back down and looked away.
"...I seriously don't have a name tag over my head?"
He glanced up. Just blue sky and white clouds. Nothing.
This was only his second time at the Den, yet these Dragons already acted like they knew him. It was uncanny.
Kashiwagi had been prepared to call out for Hydreigon, but seeing the peaceful atmosphere, he suddenly felt like "sneaking in" to see what his dragon was up to.
He followed the riverbank along the edge of the Den, searching for that familiar silhouette.
As he walked, he was watched by an audience of various Dragon-types.
No one charged him or bit him, but the silent staring was getting a bit creepy. What, do I have something on my face? he wondered.
Fortunately, the silence didn't last. Kashiwagi soon heard a familiar, gravelly voice. It was that distinct "Husky Dragon" tone—hoarse yet somehow overflowing with boundless energy. Only his Hydreigon sounded like that.
He ran toward the sound, only to witness a scene that nearly made his jaw hit the floor.
Hydreigon was being swarmed. A variety of female Dragon-types were clinging to him, dragging him around, and rubbing against all over his body. Some were even doing strange belly-up displays in front of him.
"Hy-drei... g-on? 😵💫"
Hydreigon looked utterly overwhelmed, his three heads wearing expressions of pure confusion and bewilderment.
"Courtship?!"
Kashiwagi, a man of culture, recognized the behavior instantly. After a stunned silence, his face turned bright red with protective fury. He sprinted toward them, screaming at the top of his lungs:
"He's a minor! Stop! Absolutely not! Let go of my dragon, you shameless hussies!"
Hydreigon was barely over a year old!
Sure, he was fully evolved, but he was still a baby!
Finding a mate? Out of the question!
Not until he was at least five!
Kashiwagi could not accept his underage dragon being "seduced" by the older females of the Den. This wasn't just "cougar" territory—this was a crime! One hundred percent a crime!
Hearing his Trainer's voice, Hydreigon's faces lit up with joy. He let out a celebratory roar, shook off the clingy female dragons, and flew over as if he were crying tears of relief.
"Hydrei-g-o-n! 😭"
He used his left and right heads to gently "clamp" onto Kashiwagi's hands while nuzzling Kashiwagi's face with his center head, acting like he'd just escaped a nightmare.
Ever since Aggron and the others had banned him from play-biting the Trainer's head, this was his new way of showing affection. It actually felt quite nice.
Not far away, the female dragons looked at each other, their eyes filled with a very strange, judging expression.
"Scram! All of you! Shoo! Go think about something productive for once!" Kashiwagi freed one hand and tried to shoo them away.
But these wild dragons weren't about to listen to a human. Instead of leaving, they started inching closer, their eyes still fixed on the prize.
That was until a deafening roar erupted from right above Kashiwagi's head.
"HYDREI-G-O-N!!! 💢"
The female dragons shuddered and, as if sharing a single mind, retreated into the shadows.
Kashiwagi pulled his hands free and discreetly wiped them on Hydreigon's fur a couple of times. He looked at his partner with newfound surprise. "Whoa, you're actually pretty impressive! One roar and you sent the whole lot of them packing?"
"Hydrei-g-o-n! ✨"
Hydreigon puffed out his chest, looking immensely proud of himself. He wagged his tail so enthusiastically that it made a loud thwack-thwack-thwack sound against Kashiwagi's legs.
"Ow, hey! That actually hurts, stop it!"
Kashiwagi laughed, swatting at the dragon's center head before jogging over to a nearby stream to wash his hands. He needed to make sure Old Man Aoyama's custom harness didn't get corroded by dragon drool the moment he put it on.
Before he could reach for his backpack, however, a short figure emerged from a thicket, followed by a small audience of curious Dragon Pokémon.
"I was wondering who was causing such a ruckus that the dragons started shouting at me. It's you! Young Kashiwagi!"
The newcomer was none other than Aoyagi, the elderly man who had first led him into the village.
"Elder Aoyagi! What are you doing here?"
Kashiwagi asked, surprised. "Weren't you stationed at the village entrance?"
"Bah! Just came by to check on things!"
The old man beamed the moment he heard the word "Elder." His expression softened instantly. "Come to pick up your little devil, have you?"
Kashiwagi blinked. "Little Devil?"
He slowly turned his head toward Hydreigon. The dragon immediately whistled (or the dragon equivalent of it) and turned all three heads in the opposite direction, refusing to make eye contact with his Trainer.
"What do you mean by that? Did he cause trouble?" Kashiwagi asked.
"Trouble? Not exactly."
Aoyagi stroked his short white beard and chuckled. "When this dragon of yours first arrived at the Den, he was incredibly quiet. His reaction was so different from how he acts around you that I thought I'd seen the wrong dragon."
"...And then?"
"And then he got picked on, of course,"
Aoyagi said matter-of-factly. "In the Dragon's Den, every dragon has to know their place. Don't let this peaceful scenery fool you; it's only this way because the hierarchy has already been established."
Hearing this, Kashiwagi began to form a mental picture of what had happened. He checked Hydreigon's fur again but couldn't find a single scratch.
"Your dragon didn't 'pay his respects' to the big bosses when he arrived, so three young Salamence decided to give him a hard time. Those brawny fellas have been the kings of the hill around here for a while—practically every female in the Den adores them."
Aoyagi produced a tobacco pipe from somewhere and started puffing on it—though it wasn't lit.
"Your dragon is so massive that he attracted a lot of female attention the moment he stepped in. The Salamence saw it as a provocation and decided to teach him a lesson. The result? Well... look over there."
He pointed the stem of his pipe toward a cave in the distance. Three Salamence were huddled there, looking extremely awkward and out of sorts.
"They weren't even a challenge. He handled them in a single exchange." Aoyagi sighed with admiration.
Kashiwagi nodded, then eyed the pipe. "Is that...?"
"Quit years ago, but I still like to chew on the stem out of habit," Aoyagi waved him off, tucking the pipe away.
"Anyway, one after another, they kept coming. Your dragon fought ten matches in a row. Ten battles, ten victories. He looked so fierce that even the other dragons were spooked. He's officially the strongest of the young generation—at least while Zinnia's Salamence isn't around."
"But how is he not injured...?"
"There's a spring over there with healing properties. Your dragon didn't take any major hits to begin with, so he healed up in no time."
"I see!"
"By the way, I'm quite curious about this dragon's personality," Aoyagi asked, peering at Hydreigon.
"How on earth did you train him to be so terrifying? Even I found it a bit daunting to watch."
"I just... raised him normally? Is he really that scary?"
Kashiwagi looked at Hydreigon. The dragon immediately began rubbing his big center head against Kashiwagi's cheek, showing zero trace of malice.
He looked more like an oversized, goofy husky than a "Little Devil".
He couldn't help but let his imagination run wild, does this guy have a split personality or something? Kashiwagi wondered.
Aoyagi continued, "Regardless, you should be happy for him. He certainly won't have trouble finding a partner. Half the female dragons in the Den—same species or not—fell for him at first sight."
"Uh, let's... let's talk about that in the future. He's still a child..."
"A child?"
Aoyagi looked up at the "husky" dragon, who was significantly larger than any standard Hydreigon, and a giant question mark practically appeared over the old man's head.
"I mean his age! He's only a year old! One year old is way too young! This isn't even 'puppy love' territory—it's absolutely, 100% out of the question!"
Kashiwagi stood there, sounding like the world's most overprotective, old-fashioned parent.
It was a sight so ridiculous that Elder Aoyagi couldn't help but roar with laughter.