Dratini is a serpentine Pokémon with a body covered in pale blue scales and a bright white belly.
It has purple eyes, a small white bump on its forehead where its horn is still developing, white fins on either side of its head, and a large, round white nose on its face.
"There they are! It's Dratini!"
Caster felt his entire body surge with excitement, his breathing quickening slightly.
These were pseudo-legendary hatchlings!
And now, these three Dratini would be his to choose from.
As the Dratini appeared, the Dragon Elder immediately set down the Dragon Flute, crouched down, and gently stroked them.
"Dra~"
The three Dratini varied in size, but their eyes all sparkled brightly as they enjoyed the Dragon Elder's touch. They looked absolutely adorable.
Clair watched the scene quietly, memories of her own Dratini capture still fresh in her mind.
At the same time, she was curious about which Dratini Caster would choose as his partner.
After soothing the Dratini, the Dragon Elder beckoned Caster over. "Young man, come say hello to them!"
"Hello, Dratini! My name is Caster."
Caster stepped forward with a smile, his expression warm and welcoming as he tried to appear as friendly as possible.
"Dra~"
But the three Dratini seemed rather indifferent to him.
The one on the left appeared to be shedding soon, constantly rubbing its body against the ground to reveal the fresh new skin underneath.
The middle one yawned and simply coiled up, closing its eyes.
As for the one on the right, it was the smallest and looked rather shy. When Caster approached, it actually backed away half a step, seemingly uncomfortable with interacting with humans.
"Not interested in me, huh?"
Caster's opening gambit having failed, he couldn't help but purse his lips.
Clair and the Dragon Elder watched with interest.
However, they believed Caster could handle this minor setback.
After all, Clair had witnessed firsthand how easily Caster had won over the Dragonite guardian of the sacred grounds.
Ever since the previous Blackthorn Gym Leader passed away, Clair had never seen anyone get so close to the guardian Dragonite.
"So you're all too good for me now? Just wait till I make you realize you can't reach this high..."
Smirking internally, Caster quietly activated an Energy Orb, which dissolved into points of light and merged into the leftmost Dratini's body. "There you go!"
"Dra~"
The moment the Energy Orb fused with it, the Dratini that was about to shed suddenly shuddered.
It clearly sensed an unfamiliar energy that didn't belong to it suddenly appearing in its body.
"Dra~ tini~"
But surprisingly, this energy made Dratini's body feel tingly and incredibly comfortable.
Nourished by the Energy Orb, Dratini's body began rapidly growing, albeit by a small margin.
The skin that normally required constant rubbing against the ground or rocks to shed now peeled off like removing a piece of clothing, coming away in one complete piece.
"Such a perfect shed!"
Clair's face showed surprise as she stepped forward to pick up Dratini's discarded skin. After spreading it out, she handed it to the Dragon Elder to examine.
The skin shed by Dratini was premium leather. After tanning, boots made from it were luxury goods, highly sought after and extremely expensive in the market.
But because Dratini had to constantly rub against stones and the ground to shed, the skin usually had scratches or even holes and other flaws. A perfect specimen like the one she now held was virtually unheard of.
"Dra~ tini~"
Clair and the Dragon Elder couldn't feel or see the Energy Orb, so they had no idea what Caster had done. But as the beneficiary, Dratini knew exactly where this came from.
At this moment, it looked at Caster with longing in its eyes, and even its calls had become much softer.
Human, can you do that again, please?
"Hmph!"
Caster held his head high, putting on an aloof act, forcing himself not to look at the leftmost Dratini's pleading gaze.
Instead, he activated two more Energy Orbs and applied the same technique, infusing them one by one into the remaining two Dratini.
"Dra~"
Soon, the Dratini that had been napping couldn't sleep anymore. Not only was it wide awake, but it was actually somewhat excited.
The previously shy, reserved Dratini had now become enthusiastic and proactive.
It even crawled over to Caster on its own, nuzzling its head against his arm, then looking up at him with big, pleading eyes, begging for his attention and affection.
The situation had completely flipped from "ignoring him entirely" to "pick me, pick me!" The initiative was now entirely in Caster's hands.
"This..."
The reversal happened so fast that the Dragon Elder's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
In just those few breaths, why had the Dratini's attitudes done a complete one-eighty?
The Dragon Elder was completely baffled and turned to look at Clair, who simply shrugged.
Maybe this was what it meant to be a dragon-type charmer!
In any case, she didn't understand it, but she was thoroughly impressed!
"Heh! What do you know? Like I couldn't handle you guys!"
Seeing the Energy Orb strategy work spectacularly, Caster's mood soared.
After taking a deep breath to compose himself, the Dragon Elder glanced at Caster and said with a chuckle, "So then, what will your choice be? Although these three Dratini all come from the Dragon's Den, their talents and potential are not the same..."
Caster had long prepared for this, grinning as he replied, "To be honest, Elder, I've loved fishing since I was young.
I've always believed in letting the willing take the bait and taking the fish that's meant for me.
While all three Dratini seem to have taken a liking to me, I'll still need to 'fish' for them first before deciding which one to choose!"
With that, Caster set down his backpack and pulled out his fishing gear to assemble it.
Clair's mouth twitched violently, her face full of exasperation.
This fishing fanatic was beyond help!
This was choosing a Dratini, a pseudo-legendary Dratini hatchling!
But Caster was using fishing methods, talking about some nonsense about fate. Clair felt it was too mystical, too arbitrary.
The Dragon Elder, however, continued watching Caster's performance with interest.
Before long, Caster had baited his hook and dangled it in front of the three Dratini.
"Dra~"
The three Dratini didn't understand anything about fate. As Pokémon, they only knew the natural law of survival of the fittest.
Now that Caster was obviously going to choose among them, following their instincts, he would surely favor the strongest Dratini.
So they all scrambled to bite the hook, each afraid of falling behind and being eliminated.
"Alright, stop fighting..."
Watching the Dratini tangle together, none willing to back down, Caster smiled and called out to stop them.
"You don't need to fight or compete. Each of you will get a chance to bite the hook. So let's start with the one on the far left!"
Caster pointed at the Dratini that had just finished shedding, its skin now pristine and smooth all over, and placed the bait near its mouth, signaling it to bite.
"Dra~"
The other two Dratini felt disappointed but didn't dare defy Caster, afraid of losing points in his eyes and being eliminated.
Snap!
That Dratini bit down on the bait, its face full of joy.
[Caught "Dratini." Reward: "Speed Enhancement" x1.]
[First time catching "Dratini." Bonus reward: "Specialized Bait Formula" x1.]
The cheat ability's reward notification appeared, followed immediately by Dratini's status panel.
[Pokémon: Dratini]
[Type: Dragon]
[Ability: Marvel Scale (If afflicted with a status condition, Marvel Scale activates and Defense increases)]
[Moves: Dragon Dance, Draco Meteor, Breaking Swipe, Rain Dance, Sunny Day, Haze, Mist, Safeguard]