Chapter 86 (Patreon)

When it came to training a team, learning new moves tended to follow a natural progression. Pokémon would learn a weaker attack before moving onto stronger ones. For something like the Electric Type, the progression path would be something like Thunder Shock, into Spark, into Thunderbolt, and then into Thunder. Each move required more energy and a better mastery of the Type than the previous, but each one was stronger as a result.

Redi liked to skip ahead.

She didn’t always have her Pokémon follow the general path of things. When Ursaring was still a Teddiursa, she had him leap right into Fire Punch without him figuring out other, easier physical attacks first. And Hyper Beam was one of the strongest moves out there, but she hadn’t even blinked at teaching him the move before earning her fourth Gym Badge.

Coming to the edge of the city, Redi wanted to distract herself. She didn’t want to think about anything else that might be going on. Ursaring had already skipped ahead to pick up Swords Dance, and their current, ongoing goal was to learn Thrash. However, Redi wanted to push herself. She wanted to take on a harder goal.

So, she changed gears. If Ursaring already knew Hyper Beam, why not try to convert that sheer power into something more physical?

Their goal for today was to pick up Giga Impact, the strongest physical Normal Type move out.

Giga Impact was essentially just a physical Hyper Beam. Ursaring needed to figure out how to turn Hyper Beam’s massive amount of Normal Type energy into something that enhanced a slam. That meant he needed a better familiarity with that laser beam move. That meant he’d be practicing that attack instead of something easier like Thrash.

The public training fields set up at the edge of Blackthorn had been unexpected but welcome. Redi practically skipped to them once she learned of their existence. There, Ursaring used Hyper Beam after Hyper Beam, and for their goal, she had him try to hold in the energy of the attack and memorize the feeling of bringing out that energy.

They had a bit of success, but it wasn’t exactly going the way she wanted. Even holding it back, the Hyper Beam still had to be released each time, and Ursaring still had to recharge after each use.

That Dragonite from the other day didn’t have to get stuck recharging. It didn’t use Hyper Beam back to back, but it wasn’t going through a cooldown period between uses.

Redi frowned as Ursaring unleashed a scorching laser beam that turned a line of dirt black.

She wanted a similar power for her Pokémon, but she couldn’t help to feel that she was way behind.

“Pay close attention to how Ursaring uses his energy,” she said, watching her Pokémon use the attack. “You know Tri-Attack. You’re great at figuring out new moves once you understand them. I think you should be able to learn Hyper Beam pretty quickly if you can figure out what Ursaring is doing.”

Porygon didn’t nod, but they did keep staring. It hurt Redi to see how they still lacked visibly emotions. Silently, she desperately hoped she’d be able to help them evolve soon. As a Porygon2, there was the possibility that Porygon would learn how to act more independently.

Ursaring’s practice continued, but it didn’t come quickly due to the ongoing need to recharge between each attack. As Hyper Beam was such a draining move, most Pokémon could only use it about five or so times per battle, but this wasn’t a battle. It was practice. In a more relaxed environment like this, he was able to unleash the attack more times thanks to the lack of pressure restricting his attempts at control.

Redi expected them to continue like this for a while, eventually moving onto some basic body training once Ursaring became too tired to use any further attacks. However, after seven Hyper Beams, her plans suddenly changed.

“Gastly.”

A voice from a nearby shadow spoke up, and Porygon tilted up to the sky. Frowning, Redi glanced upwards only to see a blue blur racing their way.

“Back!” Redi shouted.

Ursaring jumped, but the bolt of lightning that struck landed nowhere near him. Within the flash of the move, a blue serpent half-coiled with its head raised high. Dark eyes glimmered with excitement.

“Nair!” the Pokémon called out.

The voice was melodic yet cheerful. Wings on the sides of the Dragon Type’s head flapped excitedly. Its mouth wasn’t visible, but its smile was obvious.

“...Dragonair?” Redi asked.

The smaller one that Clair had been training eagerly nodded at her recognition.

“Does Clair want something, or—”

The serpentine dragon turned around, and Redi could only watch as it began to use move after move.

Static sparked off its body to form a weak bolt that struck the ground ahead of it with a Thunder Wave.

It lowered its head and hissed, using a Leer that was decent but not as effective as Quilava’s.

It then twisted around, its body moving in a stationary spiral. Winds whipped up around it, and a Twisted pulled in and kicked up leaves from the edge of the field.

Then, two attacks at once. Dragonair zipped forward to circle around nothing, demonstrating that same Wrap that restrained the Dragonite from the other day. Finally, its tail hit the ground in an attack that could only be a Slam.

At the end of it, the Dragonair brought its head up to look at Redi, still smiling. Its eyes sparkled with excitement as it stared at her expectantly.

“Are those your moves?”

It called out its name happily and continued to wait.

Redi rubbed her chin and hummed.

“Each one is decent, and it’s clear you’re great at restricting the movements of any Pokémon you face. I think the problem is you don’t know too many of them, and your best attack is limited to Slam.”

The Dragonair’s head drooped, and something in Redi’s chest twisted.

“But that doesn’t mean you’re weak! Are you kidding me?! You evolved from a Dratini in just a couple months! If you’ve figured that out so quickly, you’re going to become super strong in no time!”

It trilled its name, raising its chin in pride. Genuine happiness crossed its face as it squirmed, unable to keep a handle on its emotions.

But then it glanced over to where Ursaring still stood. The Dragonair might have come out of nowhere, but it didn’t seem to be done just yet. It lowered its head like it had done with Leer, but instead of using the move, it locked eyes with Redi’s Pokémon.

The message was clear; when two trainers, or Pokémon, in this case, locked eyes, a battle was inevitable.

Not exactly how I expected today to go, but if we’re gonna face Clair eventually...

Redi could tell Ursaring was a bit tired from his practice, but his blood was pumping after seeing Dragonair use those moves. She didn’t even question what was going on. After all, how after would she get the chance to meet a Dragon Type in a spar.

“Let’s do this!” Redi called out. “Rock Slide harass, right into Ice Punch!”

Ursaring threw down his arms, throwing out a rain of stones that hurtled toward Dragonair. The Pokémon responded by ducking and weaving between each projectile, showing off the agility that came with its flight and serpentine form.

But by focusing on its movements, Ursaring was able to get close. He moved right up to it without it noticing, where it yelped and let electricity crackle from its scales.

Ursaring was hit by the Thunder Wave, and though he became paralyzed, the condition only made him grin. Now with adrenaline coursing through his veins thanks to Guts, his fist rocketed through the air to slam into Dragonair’s face with a super effective Ice Punch.

Redi couldn’t help but to wince when the Dragonair cried out. The power behind that punch sent it flying back, but it caught itself in the air.

“Again!” Redi shouted.

The wings on its head pulled out, giving it move control of its movements that let it duck underneath Ursaring’s extended arm. It coiled around him, using Wrap, and Redi was already shouting for a counter.

“Fury Swipes!”

He couldn’t escape, but he could at least punish Dragonair for restricting him. Claw swipes left grooves in its scales, and he even continued the attack through a Slam to his stomach that knocked the air right out of him.

Finally, the Dragonair was forced to let go or risk fainting. It flew away and turned, now beginning a Twister. Likely, this Dragon Type move was its version of a final attack, and Redi was willing to let Ursaring meet it head on.

“Hyper Beam!”

Porygon’s treads twitched next to her. A white light glowed from inside Ursaring’s throat.

The Twister was released. The spiral of air consumed him. However, Ursaring let his attack pierce through the air.

Dragonair was stuck.

The brilliant, white light forced Redi to cover her eyes, and she blinked away the blindness once the attack was over. The Twister had sent Ursaring down to recover in a kneeling position, but he hadn’t fainted.

The Dragonair, however, was lying on the ground, utterly unconscious.

“Shoot. I think we went too far.”

Redi raced over. Ursaring stood up, but she returned him. She whispered a promise to heal him shortly. Being in a Pokéball would prevent his injuries from getting worse, but the priority was on Dragonair right now as she didn’t have a way to do the same to it.

Quickly, Redi kneeled and pulled out a potion from her backpack to spray on Dragonair’s wounds. She had to shuffle up and down the Pokémon’s body due to its length.

However, the potion was effective. The Dragonair’s eyes opened as it snapped awake.

Redi froze, suddenly realizing she was right next to a Dragon Type after being it in battle. She knew how prideful Pokémon of its Type tended to be, but she had gotten inches—

Dragonair lunged.

“I... You...?”

It—she—pressed herself into Redi’s stomach, making a trilling noise that wasn’t unlike a purr. Her eyes were closed. She didn’t resent Redi for that loss at all.

If anything, Dragonair seemed thankful to have a chance to battle.

“I...” Redi laughed. “You’re welcome.”

She cautiously brought up a hand to press against Dragonair’s head, slowly bringing it down her back.

For some reason, Redi had thought a Dragonair would feel harder. The Pokémon’s scales were tough, but they bent down under her touch.

Redi wasn’t sure how long she sat there, kneeling and petting the Dragonair. She wasn’t sure if she was alive. She never expected to be in this situation with a Pokémon so impossibly rare.

“Did you just want to fight?” Redi asked, almost whispering.

The Dragonair pulled herself back and glanced up. The Pokémon then looked away, a purple blush crossing her face.

“Hah! I knew it,” Redi said. “But I... I get it. I kind of get wanting to sneak away so you can get in a good fight.”

Dragonair met her eyes, and Redi paused. She knew there was something about looking at a Dragon Type directly, except... Dragonair didn’t seem to care.

To this Pokémon, Redi wasn’t just anyone. She was Redi. She had helped her. Dragonair knew who she was, and all this time, it had been training to impress her.

“Thank you.”

Redi wasn’t sure why she said that.

Dragonair smiled and reentered the air, and Redi suddenly realized the Pokémon was about to fly away.

“Wait, do you—!”

She returned Porygon and was about to chase after Dragonair, but the the Pokémon smiled sadly and shook her head.

The gemstones on Dragonair’s neck and tail glowed as she entered the sky. Flying faster than anything Redi would have expected, and it disappeared into the blue of the sky.

She wasn’t sure how long she stared.

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“What,” Sam said flatly.

His response brought Redi’s gaze back down to earth, and her eyes widened as he stared at her in disbelief.

“You want to steal a Dragon Type,” he said.

That seemed to snap Redi out of her trance, and she hurriedly waved her hands.

“Wait, wait, wait! I didn’t mean it like that, I-I... Y-you... Shh!” She looked around in a panic but breathed out when no one else was here. “Yeah, I know what I said, but I don’t want to literally steal a Dragon Type. It’s more like...”

Redi bit her lip and seemed to struggle to find the right words.

“You wanna sit down?” Sam asked.

“...Yeah. I need a moment.”

There was a metal bench set off to the side, and Redi plopped down next to Sam.

She didn’t speak right away, which gave Quilava plenty of time to hop up and rest her head on Sam’s leg to listen in.

“Alright,” Sam said. Redi still wasn’t talking. “So you want to steal a Pokémon without stealing it. Like what happened with Porygon?”

Redi winced.

“N-not exactly. Dragonair doesn’t need rescuing. I just want her to—”

“Dragonair?” Sam interrupted.

Redi turned back to the sky. An almost wistful expression crossed her face.

“Yeah,” she said softly. “Dragonair. One of the Dratini we helped rescue, the one we saw the other day. She... came here. We fought—sparred. I think she just wanted to show off, but...”

She shook her head before turning to Sam. Her expression was hard and determined.

“I’m catching her,” Redi declared. “I don’t care that she’s being trained by Clair. I don’t care how the Blackthorn Clan might act. I want Dragonair to join me. We’re friends, and no matter what happens, we’re going to take on the world together.”

Sam blinked. He remembered how excited that Dragonair had acted the other day, but he never expected something like this. He couldn’t claim to be an expert on Dragon Types, but he was pretty sure they were fiercely independent. More than that...

We were both in that warehouse that day. Why her and not me?

He pushed past that feeling of jealousy—Dragonair might have been strong, but it wasn’t a Ghost Type—and he met Redi in the eye.

“So you want to steal that Dragonair,” he said.

“I want to convince her to join my team,” Redi corrected. “Clair didn’t seem like she was attached. It felt like she was just... going through the motions of training. You saw how easily she was going to give up that Dragonite. If she could send a Pokémon to Lance, why can’t she send this Dragonair to me?”

She didn’t seem happy about giving up that Dragonite, though.

Sam did have an answer to the question, but he didn’t say it out loud. Not only was Lance the Champion of both Johto and Kanto, but Dragonair wasn’t just any Pokémon. It was a Dragon Type, and it was one that belonged to a powerful evolutionary line, at that.

From the New Pokédex, he knew not every Dragon Type species was incredibly strong, but all locally known Dragon Types carried immense power. Every Dragon Type line found in Johto, Hoenn, and the surrounding regions were either Legendary Pokémon—such as Latios or Latias—or they were part of a three-stage line that carried a similar strength.

More specifically, people referred to those species as “pseudo-legendaries.”

The term wasn’t a scientific term or even anything official, but so many people had used that term to describe species like Metagross, Garchomp, and Dragonite that it might have well been those species’ true classification.

Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon were inherently more powerful than almost every other species. Not only did they carry immense strength, but they were capable of learning a powerful array of moves. Every Champion had at least one on their team, and they were incredibly hard to obtain as well. In the case of the Dragonite line, just finding a Dratini was nearly impossible. Actually catching one was even harder, as they tended to be protected by their evolved forms or they belonged to secretive groups like the Blackthorn Clan.

But Sam could tell Redi didn’t care about any of that. Dragonair might have been strong, but Redi wanted that Pokémon to join her for who it was instead of what it was. The problem was, of course, the rarity and power of its species. He very much doubted Clair would ever consider handing it over to someone who was effectively a random trainer. The same was true for the Blackthorn Clan, but to an even greater extent.

Yet, Redi wasn’t someone to give up so easily.

“I kind of need to ask...” Sam started, “I thought you wanted to be a Normal Type trainer?”

Redi blushed.

“I do!” Redi said hurriedly, though she just as quickly looked away. “I mean, I do like the Normal Type, and I do plan to try to catch Normal Type Pokémon, but I can’t say I’m super attached to it. Not like you and the Ghost Type, I mean.

“And when it comes to the Pokémon on a specialist’s team...” She paused to consider her words before continuing. “They have exceptions all the time! Just look at Champion Lance! He’s supposed to be a Dragon Type master, but his team is full of Flying Types.”

Redi smirked, smug she had managed to point that out. Sam replied to her with a simple, flat look.

“But all of Lance’s Pokémon at least resemble Dragons,” he countered.

Redi huffed, crossing her arms and sticking out her bottom lip.

“So what? Let’s just say I specialize in strong Pokémon, then. I just have a preference for the Normal Type. I don’t have to stick to it like some League-mandated rule.”

Sam couldn’t argue against that. Even if he did, he recognized he’d be a hypocrite.

Even if I never got the New Pokédex, Quilava was always going to be on my team. She was going to be with me even if she couldn’t evolve into the Ghost Type. Trying to argue against Dragonair just because it’s not a Normal Type would be...

He shook his head.

Redi already made up her mind, and based on how Dragonair acted, I can’t say she wouldn’t be a good match, either.

Sam ran his hand through Quilava’s fur.

“I’m just hesitant,” he eventually said. “Porygon was one thing. Dragonair is...”

He breathed out.

“Trying to get a Dragon Type like Dragonair from a prideful clan of Dragon tamers is going to be hard. I’m not sure how we’re going to do it.”

“So you’ll help me?” Redi asked, perking up.

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because you’ve been way more serious recently,” she said. “I thought you’d say it was impossible and that I’d need to do something else.”

Sam scoffed.

“Redi, I’m fifteen, now. I’m basically an adult, and that means I have to be more serious. That, and think about everything that’s happened recently. The Violet City Tournament, all of our Gym battles, traveling off-route, and then Petrel?”

She laughed, although it was a little awkward.

“Yeah, that’s... a good point,” she said. “Thanks, Sam. So how are we going to do this, anyway?”

He stared at her.

“I thought you’d have a plan.”

“Why would I have a plan? You’re the one with all the strategies!” she said.

“But you’re the one trying to catch a Dragon Type!”

“But you’re the one with the way bigger team!” Redi yelled.

Sam found that he was pointing at her, and Redi was pointing right back at him. Both of them looked down at their hands before bursting into laughter.

This was really, really dumb.

“Okay, okay.” Sam wiped his eyes. “So now that we’ve established that we’re both stupid, we need to figure out a way to do this.”

“Hey!” Redi shouted.

Sam ignored her.

“On the bright side, that means we have an obvious first step,” he said. “We need to gather more information.”

“I can probably find out more about how people get Dragon Types here,” Redi said. “At least someone will know something, and then you can do whatever lame stuff you do in libraries.”

“Maybe the League archives have interviews with Dragon tamers recorded?” Sam mumbled.

Redi shrugged, unsure. He didn’t think she ever went out of her way to browse the League’s archives.

“But the most important part of this is not letting the Blackthorn Clan find out about our plans,” Sam continued. “I can’t say I know that much about the Clan, but everything I have heard about them makes them seem... stuck up. They’ll probably shut us down hard if they find out what we’re doing.”

Redi easily nodded along.

“I agree,” she said. “But I’m not going to let them stop us! Dragonair’s absolutely going to join my team!”

She hopped up to put her foot up on the bench and strike a dramatic pose. Sam snickered, and Quilava let out a snort, rolling her eyes.

“But don’t forget you need to call your family first,” Sam said.

Redi dropped her pose and slumped.

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Author Note

Pokémon included in this chapter:
Dragonair / Dragonite

Pseudo-legendary Pokémon

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