"Woooo~"
With its round orange body and honest-looking face, the Pokémon descending from the sky was unmistakably a Dragonite.
"Dragonite? What are you doing here..." Lin Feng asked in surprise, tilting his head.
Wasn't this the Dragonite that belonged to Mewtwo? Shouldn't it have left with Mewtwo already?
"Wooo~" (It said it wanted to go traveling and didn't need me to deliver letters for now, so I came to find you!)
Dragonite explained everything clearly and directly, then gazed at Lin Feng with big hopeful eyes.
After Mewtwo let it go, the first place it flew to was Dragonite Island. But after staying there for a while, it started to really miss those delicious Pokéblocks.
It even regretted saving the last Pokéblock, only to have it stolen by Mewtwo.
Should've eaten it earlier!
The more Dragonite thought about it, the more frustrated it became but it couldn't beat Mewtwo, so all it could do was sulk.
In the end, still obsessing over that stolen last bite of Pokéblock, it returned to the East Hua League.
"I see..." Lin Feng nodded thoughtfully, looking up at Dragonite and noticing the eager look in its eyes.
"You came for a treat, didn't you? But I'm not at home right now, and I don't have anything to feed you."
"Wooo..." Dragonite drooped a little at the response but quickly perked up, scanning its surroundings.
After delivering letters for Mewtwo for so long, its understanding of the human world was surprisingly sharp maybe even better than Gardevoir's.
With just one look, it could tell there was some kind of Pokémon battle going on.
Then...
Dragonite turned to Lin Feng, raised one of its claws, sharp with a glint of battle energy, and let out a spirited roar of challenge. "Wooo!"
"Huh?" Lin Feng blinked, taken aback by the massive creature. "...You mean, you want me to catch you so you can battle for me and help me win?"
"Wooo!" Dragonite nodded firmly.
Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat.
A Dragonite this was a first-generation pseudo-legendary Pokémon. And even ignoring its rarity, it had a massive move pool. It could use Rain Dance to help Milotic water the farm. That big round belly of its also looked... really comfy. He wondered what it would be like to lie on.
Plus, it was strong and could fly, making it a great help with construction. If it had been around during the last irrigation channel expansion, it could've saved Gardevoir a ton of effort.
Then again, it wasn't too late. There might be roadwork in September, and he still didn't know how much that would cost.
If Dragonite could help, he could save a lot on labor costs...
And if he eventually established a Gym, Dragonite would be perfect for battles too.
In just a moment, Lin Feng had imagined all the possible ways Dragonite could be useful.
But then, a certain image flashed through his mind
Mewtwo in its human form.
Would Mewtwo be mad if he caught its Pokémon?
...Eh, whatever.
At worst, he'd just cook a few more meals to make up for it.
With that, Lin Feng took out a Poké Ball and looked at Dragonite. "Come on."
"Wooo~"
Without hesitation, Dragonite tapped the Poké Ball. After a few beeps, the ball went still.
"Whew..."
Lin Feng let out a breath and smiled. He felt a wave of joy and pride surge in his chest.
He was tempted to raise the Poké Ball and shout a classic catchphrase but with so many people watching, he held back the impulse.
Catching the three Beedrill earlier had been part of the plan, but this Dragonite was a total surprise bonus.
After the short exchange, Lin Feng glanced at the time. It was almost 2:30 PM the time for the King of the Hill match. But the big guy who was supposed to be up next still looked dazed. Lin Feng reminded him, "Hey, the match is starting. Aren't you going?"
"Match?" the man snapped out of it and stared at Lin Feng, dumbfounded.
What had he just seen?
A massive Dragonite, even bigger than his Machamp, flew in from the sky, chatted casually with this boy, and then asked to be caught?
And it even volunteered to battle for him and help him win?
From the speed it showed flying in, it looked even faster than that Noivern the Elite Four trainer used last year.
This... was there even any suspense left in the competition?
The man fell into a daze and stopped talking to Lin Feng altogether.
"Uh..." Lin Feng began to realize that Dragonite's appearance might've been too overwhelming. Everyone seemed to think the outcome of the match was already decided.
He glanced around and found that all eyes were on him. The astonishment in their expressions and the utter silence of the crowd said it all.
Whispers began spreading through the onlookers.
"That kid has a Dragonite!"
"No way he brought a Dragonite? Looks like this year's champion is already decided."
...
For the first time, Lin Feng started to feel a bit of a headache. He had originally planned for Blaziken and Serperior to battle, and for Bamboop and Sealeo to watch their friends fight.
But now he had just promised Dragonite a match too.
So...
He had no choice but to leave the younger Pokémon in Gardevoir's care.
He let out Bamboop and Sealeo, placing Bamboop gently into Gardevoir's arms. "Gardevoir, can you watch them for me? I'm heading into the match."
"Garde~" Gardevoir nodded and accepted Bamboop.
It had originally been planning to help Lin Feng win first place itself, but judging by the Pokémon the other trainers had brought... it didn't need to lift a finger.
Victory was already his.
Then, as the match time arrived, the other trainers hesitated, their eyes fixed on Lin Feng like they were waiting for him.
Under the weight of their stares, Lin Feng gave a small sigh and stepped onto the stage. Looking at the "challengers" below, he sent out his three Pokémon
Dragonite, Serperior, and Blaziken.
"Cha~!"
Blaziken leaped out, full of energy, eyes locked on the opposing trainers and their Pokémon.
Come on.
Let me show you the results of the special training I've gone through lately.
But after waiting a while... not a single trainer stepped forward.
Blaziken glanced at the shadow on the ground and suddenly sensed something was wrong.
Was there... some kind of huge figure standing behind it?
Besides Serperior?
It turned and saw a Pokémon towering several times higher than itself, emanating a terrifying aura.
Blaziken gulped, took a small step back, and subtly tugged at Lin Feng's pant leg.
"What's wrong?" Lin Feng looked down at Blaziken in confusion.
"Cha?" Blaziken pointed nervously at Dragonite behind it, as if to say, "That's not my opponent... is it?"
There's no way I can beat that. No way...
Lin Feng chuckled. "Of course not. It's our teammate."
...
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