"Aooo~"
The wild Gyarados in mid-air swallowed the bait and spat out the hook, then glared viciously at Adrian's Gyarados, looking ready to pounce at the slightest provocation.
Outsider Gyarados, no martial ethics!
Launching a sneak attack?!
But seeing Adrian's Gyarados hovering and circling in the air, and remembering it knew Thunder, the wild Gyarados ultimately chose "to follow its heart," cursing under its breath as it slunk back into the lake and vanished.
Anyway, the bait was already in its belly, so it hadn't lost out too badly.
"Scale Shot? X Speed?"
Looking at the rewards, Adrian beamed.
[Scale Shot: Dragon-type move, fires scales for 2–5 consecutive hits; raises Speed but lowers Defense.]
[X Speed: A wondrous item that greatly boosts a pokémon's Speed. Effect ends when the pokémon leaves battle.]
Scale Shot—an attack that also gives targeted buffs.
Sure, Defense drops, but in the real world higher Speed usually means better evasion.
As long as the opponent can't land a hit, the Defense drop hardly matters.
And if the foe's a special attacker, the Defense drop is even less of an issue.
Overall, the side effect is more pro than con.
Add its solid damage output and this is a rare and excellent move.
As for X Speed, that's an even rarer prize.
Like X Attack, it can save your skin at Crunch time.
"Gyarados really are generous with rewards!"
Adrian happily pocketed both prizes.
But recalling how close the Gyarados had come to snapping the rod, he resolved to buy a better one once he got back to Kanto.
Shaking off distractions, he re-baited the hook and sent Gyarados back underwater to wait.
"Aooo~"
By now two more Gyarados had arrived, keeping wary distance from each other while circling, reluctant to leave.
Adrian's bait was clearly irresistible.
Seeing Adrian's Gyarados re-enter, their caution deepened, and the stand-off became a three-way Mexican standoff.
Plop!
The bait sank again, slowly dissolving and sending its scent drifting with the current.
"Aooo~"
The aroma sent the two Gyarados into excitement, eyes gleaming with desire.
A brawl looked imminent!
But Adrian's Gyarados roared, pointing at one of them—signaling it should bite first.
"Aooo~"
The chosen one was overjoyed; the rejected one furious.
Why does it get the snack?
I object!
"Aooo~"
Adrian's Gyarados swam side-by-side with the chosen, both glaring at the sore loser.
Outnumbered, the rejected Gyarados backed down at once.
Alone it couldn't win, let alone against two.
"Aooo aooo"
With order restored, Adrian's Gyarados barked instructions: bite, but don't struggle—just poke your head above water.
"Aooo~"
The selected Gyarados nodded eagerly; easy enough.
It flicked its tail and snapped up the floating treat.
The loser glowered, indignant.
I could've done that! I'd show my head too!
[Gyarados caught: reward TM Crunch ×1.]
[Gyarados caught: reward TM Stone Edge ×1.]
With his Gyarados keeping order, Adrian's fishing went smoothly.
Only seven Gyarados lived in this stretch, and soon he'd caught them all.
Two belonged to Clair and Wille; their Gyarados yielded a Crunch TM and a Max Potion Cube.
Besides those, Adrian netted two energy cubes.
Since they came from Gyarados, both cubes were larger and purer than average.
"Still enough bait for about ten more Gyarados," he murmured.
Carefully he stowed the remaining bait in his pack.
Then, patting Gyarados's head, he grinned, "Great job! I'll teach you a few moves as a reward!"
"Aooo~"
Gyarados's eyes lit up—time to grow some brains!
[Crunch: Dark-type move, chomps the foe; may lower Defense.]
[Stone Edge: rock-type move, stabs with sharp stones; high critical-hit rate.]
After learning Crunch, Stone Edge, and Scale Shot, Gyarados's power and coverage jumped another notch.
Time flew; three days passed in a blink.
During that span the Dragon Master Family convened an emergency Council of Elders.
Adrian had no idea what was discussed.
But Clair let slip that the clan had allocated resources for her to intensify the Bounce Magikarp breeding program.
As for gifting Adrian a Dratini, some elders objected, yet the Dragon Elder had the final say and approved it.
"It's settled?"
Inside the Dragon Sanctuary, Adrian was elated.
He had a backup plan, but if he could choose, a Dragon Master–bred Dratini would be higher quality.
"Come on, I'll take you to the Dragon's Den. The Elder's already waiting."
Clair smiled. "Three Dratini are inside; picking one depends on your skill and eye."
"Three to choose from?"
Adrian grew even happier.
Most trainers would be clueless selecting an unfamiliar pokémon.
Not Adrian—check the rewards and stat panel once it's hooked; easy!
Piece of cake!
Trying to stay calm, he followed Clair into the Dragon's Den.
This time they bypassed the Dragon Shrine, twisting through pitch-black tunnels.
Before long they reached shore.
There, the Dragon Elder had been waiting.
"This cave links to the core of the Dragon Sanctuary, where dragon energy is thickest. Dratini live mainly in this area."
Seeing Adrian arrive, the Elder explained, then led him deeper into the cave.
Little Pichu played searchlight, lighting the way for the trio.
Splash!
Further in, Adrian soon heard rushing water.
Ahead lay an underground waterfall, mist swirling.
"Where are the Dratini?"
Adrian looked around—no sign of them.
"Don't worry; I'll call them over."
The Elder smiled, drew a jade-like flute, and lifted it to his lips.
The Dragon-calling Flute!
"Wuu di-di du-du~"
The melody flowed like crystal water, entrancingly pure.
Moments later three small figures slipped out from behind the waterfall.
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