"Goooooooooooooooooo..."
The sound of the horn faded, and a series of bubbles began to appear in the center of the lake.
In the next moment, a huge head emerged from the water, and its two antennae danced gently in the breeze like strands of hair.
The creature's yellow body was round and plump, especially its tiny wings, which looked almost comically small compared to its size.
It was a Dragonite, but one twice the size of a normal Dragonite, its immense size earning it the nickname "fat."
Dragonite lifted its head out of the water, stopped floating, and silently swam to the shore, its gaze fixed on Chris.
Huh?
Shouldn't this Dragonite be the Dragon King?
Hmm, no, it's not the Dragon King—it probably couldn't grow that big if it was.
In the skies not far above, swarms of Dragonite, Salamence, Hydreigon, and Altaria arrived with their own groups.
It wasn't just in the sky—around Chris, dragon-type Pokémon gathered as well.
On his left, a massive figure, twice the normal size, appeared. It was a Garchomp, with three Gibles at its feet. Following behind were several other dragon-types, including Haxorus, Flygon, Druddigon, and Kommo-o.
On his right stood a Goodra, also huge, accompanied by its clan, along with groups of Tyrantrum and Noivern.
"So, the Dragon Kings of the East China Sea Dragon Nest are Dragonite, Garchomp, and Goodra?" Chris muttered, noticing that these three Pokémon were exceptionally large compared to the others.
The three Dragon Kings led their respective dragon clans and surrounded Chris.
After a moment, the three Dragon Kings lifted their heads and roared in unison.
"Rooaaar~"
"Garrr! Crack!"
"Guudraa~"
Suddenly, dragon cubs were pushed out of the group by their parents—but not all of them.
The three Dragon Kings inspected the thrown cubs, picking a few before placing them in front of Chris.
Before long, a variety of dragon-type Pokémon were gathered before him.
Three Dratinis, one Bagon, two Gibles, and three Axews... but the most numerous were the Goomy—seven of them in total, all blinking their big eyes at Chris, a tiny dark cloud hovering above their heads, softly raining down on them.
It seemed that at least one of each dragon-type species had been selected. Now, Chris had over thirty dragon-type Pokémon to choose from.
Wait, didn't the Dragon King say he would help me choose another me?
I'm just a passerby—why do I have so many options?
Chris suddenly couldn't decide if he should feel excited or overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, Olivia looked astonished.
"Are you really that charismatic? So many Pokémon are compatible with you."
She remembered when she had come to choose a dragon Pokémon. The three Dragon Kings had only picked three for her to select from, and two of them were the same species.
Charismatic? Yeah, right. Easy for you to say.
At least you didn't have as many choices.
Chris's gaze swept across the more than thirty Pokémon, first making sure there were no Shiny Pokémon, then focusing on Bagon, Gible, and Dratini.
He had already thought about which Pokémon he wanted to catch before he arrived.
Bagon, Gible, and Dratini were his top choices.
But now the question was, which one should he choose?
"Anyway, you can always travel to other regions later. For now, just choose one to train and catch the others in the future," Chris thought, locking his eyes on the three Dratinis, one Bagon, and two Gibles.
He compared their sizes, eyes, and overall spirit, trying to decide.
"Huh?" Chris suddenly felt a weight pressing against his backpack, as if something was pushing on it.
Looking back, he saw a Gible clinging to his bag, its mouth wide open and chewing away.
The two stared at each other for a moment, Gible looking up at him with a playful glint.
Gible: "Gible! (Hello!)"
Before Chris could greet it back, the Garchomp Dragon King stepped in, gently grabbing Gible by the back of the neck, much like a cat picking up a kitten.
Gible: *Fate grabbed by the neck.*
Chris watched, feeling slightly amused. *Wait, do Gibles even have necks?*
Gible was gently placed back at the feet of the Dragon King Garchomp, alongside its two little siblings.
"Is that Gible the child of the Garchomp Dragon King?" Chris wondered.
As soon as Gible hit the ground, it made a move for Dig, vanishing into the dirt.
Within seconds, Chris felt the familiar weight on his back again. Looking behind him, he found the same Gible had returned to his backpack, biting at it with determination.
A small hole marked where Gible had dug itself out from.
"Why is it back again?" Chris thought.
"Is there something in your bag?" Olivia asked, curious.
"Uh... just some food and clothes," Chris replied. He had packed extra clothes, some Pokéblocks for his Pokémon, and a few Poké Balls, unsure of how long he'd be in the East China Sea Dragon's Nest.
Deciding to let Gible have its way, Chris placed the bag on the ground. Gible tore into it eagerly, scattering clothes and Poké Balls everywhere. But it found what it was looking for—a box of Pokéblocks. Gible devoured both the box and the Pokéblocks in one gulp, its eyes lighting up with excitement.
Gible: ㄟ(≧◇≦)
"So that's what it was after," Chris said, surprised by Gible's keen sense of smell.
After finishing the Pokéblocks, Gible turned to Chris with sparkling eyes, running over to his feet and gazing up at him with an expectant look as if to ask, "Do you have more? Do you have more?"
"I only brought a little bit," Chris said apologetically.
"K..." Gible looked momentarily disappointed, but after taking a few steps back toward its mother, it paused, then turned around with stars in its eyes. It waved its short little arms at Chris as if to say, *"Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!"*
Chris couldn't help but smile. It was obvious that Gible thought Chris had more treats at home and wanted to come along.
If he didn't already know that Gible didn't have the Gluttony Ability, he would've thought this one surely did.
Chris glanced at the Garchomp Dragon King.
The Dragon King didn't interfere, simply watching calmly, waiting for Chris to make his decision.
After thinking it over, Chris picked up a Poké Ball and handed it to Gible.
"Alright, it's decided."
This Gible was one of the three dragon-types he had always wanted, and being the child of the Garchomp Dragon King meant it likely had exceptional potential.
Besides, gluttony could be a bonus for training—it showed eagerness, after all.