The little Dratini struggled hard, rubbing its body against the bush branches and leaves to scrape off the thin, transparent membrane covering it.
Although a one-meter-long snake-like creature wasn't exactly "little," the Dratini's appearance was still very cute.
— Even though it could stand tall enough to reach Lucas's waist.
Sensing the approach of unfamiliar presences, the struggling Dratini lifted its small head. Its face — with white fins on both sides and a large round white nose — came into view.
Those wet purple eyes looked at Lucas and his companions with pure, innocent curiosity.
There was no fear, only clear wonder at the world.
It was obvious this Dratini was very well protected.
After struggling for a long time and only managing to scrape off the skin around its head, the Dratini seemed discouraged. It looked at Lucas with big watery eyes and let out a soft, sticky "Ying ying" cry.
— It seemed to be asking for help with its shedding.
Looking at it, Lucas couldn't help but think of his own Dragonite's past.
The two had completely different childhoods.
Back then, his Dragonite leader had hidden at the bottom of Pot Lake, surviving on leftover food while slowly scraping off its daily shed skin by itself.
This Dratini's living conditions were visibly far better — it had elders protecting it during its most vulnerable stage.
Perhaps this was one of the meanings of a clan's existence.
".Don't move, okay?"
Lucas let out a breath and helplessly crouched down.
The Dratini seemed to understand. It directly pressed its body against Lucas's lowered palm.
Lucas carefully lifted the edge of the shed skin starting from the Dratini's head and began peeling it off with gentle movements.
His actions were a little clumsy at first, but he quickly got the hang of it.
After all, back when his Dragonite was still a Dratini, he had personally helped it shed its skin every single day.
Only after it fully evolved and no longer needed to shed had this "skill" gradually become rusty.
Now that he was back in practice, he quickly remembered the trick.
"Bo wu~"
Lucas's Dragonite, who had been holding Victini and Terapagos, also came over. Its big eyes stared at the Dratini with a mix of nostalgia and reminiscence.
Even the soft, sticky "Ying ying" sounds the Dratini made from comfort were sounds his own Dragonite had once made.
After all, struggling to scrape the skin off yourself and having someone gently peel it away were two completely different experiences.
While helping with the shedding, Lucas also tried touching the Dratini's newly exposed "skin."
He carefully felt the cool, smooth texture under his fingertips — clearly scaled, yet not rough. Instead, it was as soft and tender as the Dratini's voice.
Indeed, a Dratini right after shedding felt the best to touch.
A nostalgic expression appeared on Lucas's face.
Some people might think he shouldn't use external force to help the Dratini shed, as it would be like pulling up seedlings to help them grow faster and result in an underdeveloped Dragonite.
Whether that claim was true or just a rumor, Lucas set it aside for now.
At least based on what he knew and what he had learned from the Dragon Tamer clan, most Dratini shed once a day because the life energy inside them was expanding uncontrollably, causing their bodies to gradually grow larger.
Until they reached nearly half the size of a Dragonair — around 1.8 meters on average — they would be ready to evolve at any moment.
Since this was a natural growth process from the inside out, shedding was simply removing the old skin after growth had already occurred. Whether the Dratini struggled free by itself or received outside help, it wouldn't negatively affect it.
After all, the growth had already been completed by the time shedding happened.
Of course, it couldn't be denied that constantly struggling during shedding also provided a certain amount of physical training.
That also caused a loss of stamina and energy, resulting in a weakened state after shedding.
Lucas clearly remembered that his own Dragonite, perhaps because it had stayed in its Egg for too long, shed faster than the average once-a-day rate.
Normally it could shed in half a day; sometimes it even finished in just a few hours.
Perhaps this was also one of the reasons his Dragonite had grown so quickly despite being a late bloomer.
In that case, forcing it to struggle and shed on its own would waste both stamina and energy, leaving less time for training. In extreme cases, there might not be any training time at all.
The better choice was obvious.
"Alright, that should be enough," Lucas said softly.
With a relieved sound from the tip of the Dratini's tail, the last piece of membrane finally came off, becoming a relatively complete shed skin.
Looking at the shed skin, Lucas sighed.
Dratini shed skins were highly sought after by luxury brands. Boots made from tanned shed skins were extremely popular and fetched premium prices.
A large portion of Lance's family fortune came from this, and Lucas's own travel funds had also been supplemented this way in the past.
Looking back at the road he had just walked, the casually piled shed skins made his heart race with temptation.
Still, it was fortunate that the giant Dragonite's fog protected the island. Otherwise, this "treasure island" would have been swarmed by greedy hyenas.
"Speaking of which, it's almost been a year since Hunter J was thrown in prison. Should I find a chance to mock — I mean, visit her and see if she's been reformed?"
Lucas thought about random things while crouching down and waving the shed skin in front of the now-comfortable Dratini, whose body seemed slightly larger than before.
"Can I keep this?"
"Miying?"
The Dratini tilted its head, not understanding why this friendly two-legged creature wanted its shed skin.
There were shed skins everywhere on the island.
Still, this was the most comfortable shedding it had ever experienced. The Dratini, now very fond of Lucas, nodded gently, allowing him to take the skin.
"Hehe, then I won't be polite."
Lucas turned and placed the Dratini's shed skin into a wooden box he took from his backpack. This was the result of his labor and had been permitted by the owner, so of course he would take it.
As for the shed skins scattered all over the ground — although it felt wasteful, they weren't fresh and hadn't been properly preserved. The quality of boots made from them would be poor.
They had been exposed to nature, some parts weathered, some dried and cracked, some having lost their former flexibility.
Otherwise, even Lucas — who would scrape up a handful of soil even on Silver Mountain — wouldn't have ignored those shed skins.
Helping the Dratini shed was just a small effort. Just as Lucas was about to say goodbye to the little one that was now affectionately rubbing against his pant leg and continue exploring Dragonite Island…
Rustling sounds came from the leaves being pushed aside. Two figures appeared in his and his Dragonite's line of sight.
Two Dragonair.
The Dratini turned its head, then excitedly "wriggled" toward them.
From its reaction, Lucas could roughly guess the identity of these two Dragonair.
— Most likely the Dratini's parents.
Sure enough.
When the Dratini approached, the two Dragonair first gently bumped heads with it, then carefully looked it over from head to tail.
When they saw its scales looking brand new, obvious relief flashed in their eyes.
It seemed the Dratini's shedding had successfully finished.
"Lu wu~"
After confirming the Dratini's condition, the two Dragonair turned to Lucas and his companions and greeted them.
"Bo wu~"
Thanks to its three "godmothers," Lucas's Dragonite was very friendly toward Dragonair and was the first to respond.
"Hello there."
Lucas also raised his hand in greeting.
The two Dragonair exchanged glances. They weren't surprised by Lucas's presence and nodded at him.
After all, this human had been personally brought here by the guardian deity, the giant Dragonite. He couldn't be a bad person.
The fact that the Dragonite beside him had been entrusted with high hopes by the guardian deity and was invited to run for clan leader further proved this.
So even seeing the Dratini staying close to Lucas, they weren't nervous at all.
They certainly wouldn't attack without warning like some overprotective Pokémon.
The two Dragonair slithered over to Lucas's Dragonite and, looking at this foreign clan member, gave a very friendly invitation.
"Lu wu" (Want to come see our living area on the island)
"Bo wu?" (Living area?)
Lucas's Dragonite blinked, then looked at Lucas with questioning eyes.
Without needing the Moltres to translate, Lucas could roughly understand what his Dragonite's gaze meant.
The Dragonair were probably inviting his Dragonite to visit their home.
This was the classic plot from the anime.
"Do whatever you want."
Lucas gave a response that left the decision entirely up to his Dragonite.
"Bo wu!"
Lucas's Dragonite's eyes lit up. It turned and nodded at the Dragonair, accepting the invitation.
Today was the first time it had seen so many of its own kind. It was genuinely curious about where they lived.
Was it like the big pot-lake ecosystem where its godmothers used to live?
Under the lead of the two Dragonair, Lucas and his group headed deeper into the forest.
The distance wasn't too far, so they didn't bother flying.
The little Dratini had already climbed onto Lucas's body, wrapping around his neck like a scarf several times.
If it had been any other snake-like creature, Lucas would have suffocated long ago.
Fortunately, the little Dratini was just trying out a new feeling and wrapped itself loosely with good sense.
After walking for about ten minutes, a smell drifted into Lucas's nose, making his nostrils flare.
".Water source?"
He muttered to himself.
And not just any water source.
— Fresh water.
He could clearly distinguish the salty smell of seawater from the unique faint scent of fresh water.
Pushing aside a layer of bushes, the view suddenly opened up.
Lucas looked ahead.
Before him was a very wide open area with no dense trees. Instead, there was a huge freshwater lake.
On the grassy areas near the lake, groups of Dragonite and Dragonair were scattered about, cuddling and sunbathing.
Inside the lake itself were many Dratini — rarely seen in the outside world — playing and splashing, releasing their youthful energy.
There were even more of them here than the Dragonite and Dragonair gathered on the beach earlier.
"Good grief… If Lance saw this scene, his faith in dragons would probably shatter."
The image of visiting the Dragon Tamer clan's ancestral home in Blackthorn City flashed through Lucas's mind. Lance and Clair had proudly introduced how the clan raised dozens or even hundreds of Dratini, Dragonair, and Dragonite.
Lucas murmured.
"Ba go go?"
Hearing Lucas call its name, Terapagos curiously leaned its little head over.
"Sorry, not you."
Lucas patted its small head to comfort it.
At the same time, their arrival caught the attention of the Dragonite and Dragonair resting leisurely by the lake.
Several wild Dragonite ran over, gesturing at Lucas's Dragonite with their fingers.
— This was an invitation to spar.
They wanted to see why Lucas's Dragonite had been recommended by the guardian deity giant Dragonite and given the qualification to compete for group leader.
Although Dragonite as a species were generally gentle and honest, they still followed the principle that strength ruled.
— Only a leader with enough power could lead them in protecting their "paradise."
Lucas's Dragonite refused the wild Dragonites' challenge.
Because compared to participating in the election and becoming the leader of the Dragonite clan, it wanted to stay by Lucas's side more.
It had been raised by Lucas since birth. It couldn't imagine a life without him and had no intention of staying here.
Not to mention Lucas had personally refused the clan leader's offer. His Dragonite had zero interest in competing for the position.
Even though the wild Dragonites really wanted to fight, they weren't so unreasonable as to force Lucas's Dragonite into battle.
After exchanging glances, they scattered.
Probably because they had been rejected, the rest of Lucas's tour had no further interference from other Dragonite or Dragonair.
They smoothly crossed the grass and arrived at the edge of the lake.
The little Dratini happily jumped into the water to play with its friends.
From observation, Lucas could tell this lake was where the Dragonite and Dragonair usually cared for the young ones in the group.
After all, although none of them were Water-types, both Dratini and Dragonair were more accustomed to living in water.
Even after evolving into Dragonite, this instinct remained.
While observing the ecology of the Dratini and Dragonair in the lake, Lucas sat on the grass, leisurely enjoying the gentle breeze and peaceful time. Half an hour passed like this.
Until a loud explosion in the distance pulled his drowsy consciousness back to reality.
…