"Haha! Another one!"
"That makes three Magikarp already."
Misty's fishing rod twitched again.
Yet another Magikarp was reeled up—and immediately tossed back into the lake.
Compared to Misty, who was getting bites every few minutes, Ash's fishing rod hadn't moved at all. Not a single fish in the lake seemed interested in his bait.
"Ash, could it be that your cheap roadside fishing rod just isn't good enough?" Misty teased, her bright eyes full of amusement.
She clearly remembered Ash buying that rod from a roadside stall. Naturally, it couldn't compare with her family's heirloom fishing rod.
"Fishing requires patience," Ash said calmly, resting his chin on his hand.
"A true master angler wouldn't be shaken by catching a few tiny fish like that."
"Pika pika!"
Pikachu's rod suddenly moved.
But just as Pikachu grabbed the rod, the prey slipped away.
"It's okay, Pikachu. Just keep trying," Misty comforted Pikachu before taking the opportunity to jab at Ash again.
"Look at Ash's rod—there's absolutely no movement."
If you want to catch a big fish, you have to stay calm.
Ash ignored her teasing. Rather than putting others down, it was better to improve yourself.
But after another half hour of fishing, Ash began to doubt his life choices.
Why hadn't his rod moved even once?
He was even using the same bait as Misty now. Didn't he at least get some beginner's luck?
"Squirtle, go take a look underwater and see what Pokémon are down there."
Ash sent Squirtle to scout and check whether Dratini might be hiding in the lake.
"Squirtle squirtle!"
Squirtle swam two laps around the lake before suddenly diving deep underwater.
After a while, Squirtle resurfaced, patting its shell confidently.
Dratini was definitely down there.
"Squirtle squirtle!"
Squirtle suddenly got playful and spat a stream of water right onto Pikachu's face.
Then—
A dazzling light of evolution burst from its body.
"Finally!"
Ash watched expectantly.
Squirtle was finally evolving.
Perhaps the earlier incident where the thousand-year-old Gastly transformed into a Blastoise had left Squirtle with quite a psychological shadow.
Now it was evolving too—maybe hoping that one day it could also become a huge Blastoise like that.
"Pika pika!"
Pikachu was genuinely happy for its companion. Once Squirtle got bigger, more friends could ride on its shell while surfing.
Even the surrounding wild Pokémon stopped eating and stared at the lake, watching Squirtle's evolution.
The light faded.
Squirtle had evolved into Wartortle.
Wartortle's body was a lighter indigo-blue color. On its oval-shaped head were fluffy ear fins resembling wings. Its eyes were brown, and small fangs were visible in its mouth. Dark blue oval markings decorated its cheeks.
Its body had grown larger, its color darker, and it looked much stronger.
Though it wasn't quite as cute as it had been as a Squirtle.
Even its once innocent, slightly goofy eyes now seemed far more mature.
While everyone was focused on the evolution—
Someone was quietly stealing bait.
Ash spotted a blue figure sneaking bites of the fishing bait.
"Wartortle," Ash said, giving it a look that clearly meant: go make friends with that Dratini.
Wartortle swam over and started chatting with Dratini.
After all, Pokémon matters were best handled by Pokémon themselves.
"Woo…"
Dratini swam toward Ash.
Its bright eyes stared at him, as if something about Ash was attracting it.
Heh. Looks like this fisherman won't go home empty-handed after all.
Ash reached out and gently tapped Dratini on the head.
"There really is a Dratini!" Misty exclaimed in shock as she moved closer.
That Safari Zone warden had insisted there were no Dratini here—yet wasn't this one right in front of them?
She suddenly grew excited and began scanning the lake.
Maybe there were more Dratini nearby?
They were so cute—she wanted one too.
Since they lived in water, they could probably use Water-type moves anyway.
Ash grabbed a handful of bait from Misty's bucket and successfully lured Dratini onto the shore.
Just as Ash was about to capture it—
"Wait!"
Kaiser came running over, panting heavily.
"You're planning to take the Dratini away?"
His expression was complicated as he looked at the little Pokémon.
All it took was a bit of bait to trick it onto land.
"Yes," Ash nodded.
"We didn't break any Safari Zone rules, did we?" Misty asked cautiously, instinctively glancing at the gun on Kaiser's waist.
"No," Kaiser sighed.
His gaze toward Dratini was full of mixed emotions.
"To be honest, I was worried you came here specifically for Dratini and Dragonair."
"In the past, many trainers came here hoping to catch Dratini. When they couldn't find one, they just captured random Pokémon instead."
"And then they neglected them… or even abandoned them."
"But I saw you drive away that group of poachers earlier."
"Maybe letting you raise Dratini and Dragonair is the right choice."
"I think this little one likes you too."
A faint smile appeared on Kaiser's usually stern face.
Ash suddenly felt something tug lightly at his pant leg.
Looking down—
Dratini was rubbing against it, its eyes shining with curiosity and affection.
It was nuzzling his pants.
Wait a second…
You just finished eating bait.
Don't tell me you're wiping your mouth on my pants?
Ash crouched down and gently stroked Dratini.
Why is it so affectionate toward me?
His Pokémon Affinity Reputation shouldn't be high enough for this kind of reaction yet.
If that were the reason, then why hadn't even a single Magikarp taken his bait?
It was probably because of the Ancient Dragonite scale he carried.
Even though the ancient Dragonite was from long ago, Dratini was its descendant. It might have sensed the familiar scent of its species on Ash.
Splash!
Suddenly, the water beside them surged.
A long, elegant blue Dragonair burst from the lake and hovered gracefully in the air.
A flying Dragonair.
Who still can't fly?
Right… Groudon?
"Dragonair…" Misty murmured.
Dragonair gazed gently at Ash.
Then it looked at the Dratini rubbing against Ash's pant leg—its child.
After a moment, it nodded calmly, signaling that it had no objection.
"Alright then," Ash said.
He took out a Safari Ball.
Dragonair lightly tapped the ball with its tail and allowed itself to be absorbed inside.
Dratini did the same.
"I hope you'll treat them well," Kaiser said.
He was already old and had little chance to travel with them.
Perhaps this boy could fulfill that dream for him.
"I will," Ash replied seriously.
"If all goes well, you might even see them at the Indigo Plateau Conference."
Ash had successfully captured two pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
Dratini — Lv. 26
Dragonair — Lv. 43
Their potential was still at the quasi–Elite Four level, but they hadn't learned many moves.
They had probably lived quietly in the Safari Zone and rarely experienced battles.
Tauros.
Dragonair.
Dratini.
Ash was clearly walking the path of an elite trainer.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789
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