Splaaash—
The rampaging Red Gyarados was slammed back into the water, sending waves splashing everywhere.
A gust of wind swept through, and as if controlled by unseen hands, the scattered water droplets obediently returned to the lake.
"Oowu~~"
Having completed its job, the Dragonite, which had previously been admiring flowers in the field, casually flew back to its favorite tree. Picking up a flower, it resumed sniffing with serene satisfaction.
This Dragonite's power...
"This Dragonite was left behind by the former Blackthorn Gym Leader two generations ago, and now it serves as the guardian deity of the Dragon's Den, protecting everything here," Clair explained.
Johan nodded thoughtfully.
He had heard some rumors about this Dragonite before.
When the earlier chaos erupted, Johan's system showed three Pokémon profiles.
One was, of course, the incredibly fast Dragonite.
Another was the furious Red Gyarados Lance had captured.
[Gyarados]
Type: Water, Flying
Ability: Intimidate
Moves: Bite, Tackle, Leer, Twister, Bounce, Outrage, Whirlpool, Ice Fang, Brine, Scary Face…Mood: None (Its mind is completely scrambled; you must find a way to awaken its cognitive ability.)
Condition: Poor (Repeated injuries and starvation have left it in a weakened state.)
Friendliness: -50 (Its aggressive nature is intrinsic to Gyarados.)
This was Johan's first time encountering a Pokémon with "None" as its mood.
It could only mean one thing:
The electromagnetic fields and currents from the Lake of Rage had reduced Gyarados to nothing but primal instincts.
This was why Gyarados was so frenzied—it was simply acting on pure animalistic reflexes.
Lance had every reason to struggle with this Pokémon.
Even Aerodactyl, another ferocious Pokémon Lance had caught, still retained enough intelligence to communicate and follow commands, albeit with occasional fits of rebellion.
This Gyarados, however, had almost completely lost its ability to think or communicate.
And without communication, even a Pokémon psychologist like Johan was powerless.
How could he treat a Pokémon without establishing dialogue?
"Johan, any thoughts?" Lance asked, noticing Johan's solemn expression.
Johan pressed his lips together but didn't answer. His gaze shifted to the figure floating near the surface of the lake not far from the unconscious Gyarados.
It was a slender, snake-like Pokémon covered in pale blue scales, with a white underbelly. A small white bump adorned its forehead, while delicate fins extended from the sides of its head. Its large, round, white nose gave it an almost innocent appearance.
This was none other than Dratini, the first form of Dragonite, a Dragon Pokémon classified as a pseudo-legendary in the Kanto region.
Though not particularly small—measuring over two meters in length—it looked rather diminutive compared to the hulking Gyarados.
Yet, the little Dratini showed no fear. Its light purple eyes gleamed with sharp determination.
Johan's system displayed its profile as well.
[Dratini]
Type: Dragon
Ability: Marvel Scale
Moves: Extreme Speed, Supersonic, Wrap, Leer, Twister, Thunder Wave, Dragon Tail, Slam, Aqua Tail, Safeguard, Hydro Pump, Thunderbolt, Icy Wind…
Mood: Apprehensive (How did I get into this situation?) Determined (Only the weak rely on luck!)
Condition: Excellent (Though technically listed as "Excellent," it should more accurately be "Overnourished.")
Friendliness: 10 (You're almost as good-looking as me.)
Johan stared at the serious-looking Dratini and glanced at its internal monologue in the system.
There seemed to be a mismatch somewhere.
This Dratini had a lot of inner drama.
Its "Condition" was also a first for Johan—"Overnourished."
Clair noticed Johan's gaze and sighed, rubbing her temples.
"That Dratini is the youngest of the Guardian Dragonite's children. It's incredibly competitive."
Clair explained that the Dratini had been in the Dragon's Den for years but showed no signs of evolution.
Still, its unyielding desire to prove itself led it to aspire to guard the sanctuary alongside its father.
So whenever the Red Gyarados acted out, this Dratini would always rush to confront it. Unfortunately, its strength fell far short of its ambition.
"Competitive? Protect the sanctuary?" Johan glanced again at Dratini's "Mood", specifically the "Apprehensive (How did I get into this situation?)" entry.
If that could be remotely linked to "competitiveness," he'd believe anything at this point.
Its move set, however, was undeniably impressive.
Dratini, sensing the group's gaze, puffed up with even more determination. Turning toward the unconscious Gyarados, it let out a loud, commanding cry:
"Driii!"
When the Gyarados failed to react, Dratini discreetly exhaled in relief and slowly began swimming toward the shore.
The display of bravery earned approving looks from Haunter, Vulpix, and Tinkatuff.
This was clearly a Pokémon worthy of respect!
Buoyed by their acknowledgment, Dratini lifted its head higher, radiating newfound pride.
But as it reached the water's edge, its dampened surroundings caused it to slip.
Splash!
Dratini fell unceremoniously back into the lake, sending up bubbles as it sank.
Johan: "…"
After floundering for a moment, it managed to pull itself back onto dry land, coughing up water.
Was this really the same Dratini that had nailed a Hydro Pump three times in a row?
Suddenly, the unconscious Gyarados twitched and woke up.
"ROAR!!"
With a powerful tail sweep, it created another massive wave.
The wave dragged Dratini, who had just reached the shore, back into the water.
"Drii?! Σ(дlll)"
Caught off guard, Dratini opened its mouth in panic, instinctively firing off another Hydro Pump that smacked Gyarados square in the face, flipping the giant beast onto its back.
Another Hydro Pump lands?!
Johan pressed his lips into a thin line, a glint of realization in his eyes.
The Law of Conservation of Luck.
This Dratini likely had terrible luck in daily life, but during battle, all that bad fortune seemed to reverse into miraculous success.
Looking at the feisty Dratini squaring off against Gyarados once more, Johan couldn't help but think of Clair's description.
An overachieving Pokémon?
No.
This was a Pokémon doomed to be "overachieving."
However, there was little time to dwell on such thoughts. The priority was still the Gyarados.
Johan gestured subtly to Lance, signaling him to keep Dragonite out of the fight.
"Tinkatuff! Knock it out!"
"Chu!!"
Snapping out of its reverie, Tinkatuff tightened its Power Band and lifted its hammer.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The hammer spun like a whirlwind in its hands, building up momentum. A layer of earthy brown energy began to wrap around the hammer, solidifying into a sharp and heavy stone edge.
Leaping high into the air, Tinkatuff bent its body like a taut bowstring, raising the hammer overhead.
"Chu!"
Its gaze sharpened, and with a powerful swing, the hammer came crashing down.
"SMASH!"
The rock-covered hammer shattered on impact, the sheer force causing Gyarados to shudder violently before collapsing back into the lake with a massive splash.
Already in a weakened state, Gyarados stood no chance against the combined efforts of Dratini and Tinkatuff.
Landing gracefully, Tinkatuff twirled its hammer and gave Haunter and Vulpix a smug look.
"Didn't embarrass the Johan team, did I?"
"Ka-kah~~ (｀)b"
Haunter gave an enthusiastic thumbs up.
With Gyarados subdued once again, Johan rubbed his chin in thought.
Lance and Clair exchanged a look, hesitant to interrupt his contemplation.
After a while, Johan finally spoke:
"Gyarados has completely lost its ability to think. To heal it, we need to restore some cognitive function first. I have a risky idea…"
"What is it?" Clair asked.
"Electrotherapy."
"Electrotherapy?!"
Both Lance and Clair blinked in surprise.
Johan shrugged.
"Since electromagnetic fields and currents caused its condition, we can try controlled stimulation to revive some semblance of mental activity. Even if it only triggers fear or anger, that could be the breakthrough we need."
He didn't mention that earlier, when Dragonite
had used Thunder Punch, Gyarados's Mood in the system had briefly flickered with activity.
"Won't it make things worse?" Clair ventured cautiously.
"How much worse can it get?" Johan countered.
"…Fair enough."
"I trust your judgment!" Lance declared resolutely.
Clair offered, "Should we have Dragonite assist?"
Johan shook his head.
"Dragonite's too strong."
This was electrotherapy, not electrocution.
Lance reached for his Poké Balls.
Before he could release another Pokémon, Johan stopped him.
"Yours won't work either."
Lance's Pokémon, while powerful, lacked the fine control required for this task.
"Then who?"
Lance frowned, wondering if they needed to recruit an Electric-type specialist.
"That one."
Johan pointed to Dratini, who had just crawled back onto the shore.
"Drii?"
The Dratini froze, its face blank with disbelief.
Me?
Even Johan couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
This Dratini was truly "overachieving" against its will.
Johan crouched in front of Dratini, meeting its confused gaze with a warm smile.
"You're so amazing—I know you'll help us, right?"
"Drii…?"
Amazing? Me?
[Friendliness: 20 (Not only is this guy handsome, but he's got a silver tongue.)]
Noticing the change, Johan grinned and handed Dratini a few Pokéblocks.
Dratini happily devoured them, its eyes gleaming.
"Drii! (`)"
Delicious!
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Powerstones?
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