*Crunch, crunch!*
The Deino opened its mouth and began gnawing on the black eggshell before it. But the shell didn't taste very good, so after one bite, it spat everything out.
Then it wobbled out, shook itself, and immediately started rampaging around.
Caleb finally snapped out of his daze and quickly grabbed the not-so-large dragon by the scruff of its neck, placing it back on the couch.
It squirmed uncomfortably, then turned its head and chomped toward Caleb's hand. This proved that Deino was indeed an extremely dangerous Pokémon.
"Wuu!"
Seeing this, Dragonite instantly flew into a rage. Not only had this little brat bitten it first, but now it dared to bite its trainer!
Furious, Dragonite puffed up its chest, unleashing an oppressive draconic aura as it let out a low warning growl.
However, Deino didn't understand. It had just hatched, so its mind wasn't mature yet, and everything was still new and confusing to it. Biting everything was its nature and instinct.
In the Anime, Ash's Pokédex had described it like this:
- Deino: the Irate Pokémon. It has the habit of biting anything it encounters. It will devour anything edible whole. Approaching it carelessly is extremely dangerous...
Caleb was also startled. As a pseudo-legendary from the Unova region, he knew a thing or two about it.
Before evolving, Deino's eyes were covered by black fur. Because it couldn't see, it explored its surroundings by bumping into things and biting them. Wild Deino were constantly covered in fresh wounds because of this.
Deino moved fast. Before Caleb could pull his hand away, it had already opened its mouth and clamped down.
A Pokémon's bite force was incredibly strong. Caleb had braced himself for his hand to be severed the next second.
But... Deino didn't bite down. The moment its fangs touched Caleb's skin, it seemed to realize something and stopped in time, instead gently licking the wrist in its mouth.
Caleb froze in surprise.
The little Deino released its grip, tilting its head as if trying to see the human before it.
But unfortunately, it couldn't see anything.
Caleb crouched down and said to the confused little dragon, "No biting people, okay?"
Deino let out a sound resembling a baby's cry.
Caleb exhaled softly, saying, "From now on, I'm your trainer."
As he spoke, he used the Viridian Power to soothe Deino's emotions.
"Gardevoir," he called.
The ever-obedient housekeeping robot appeared instantly, "Yes?"
Caleb glanced at it and said, "Prepare some food for it."
"Understood." Gardevoir nodded and floated away, teleporting to the kitchen.
Caleb took out a giant bone from his inventory and placed it in front of Deino as a chew toy.
Deino lowered its head, sniffed the bone, then happily opened its mouth and began gnawing on it with its fangs.
Once Deino was settled, Caleb turned to Dragonite's tail and asked, "You okay?"
Dragonite didn't answer. Instead, it glared resentfully at Deino and grumbled, "Wuu wuuu!" (A brat like this should just be thrown in the trash!)
Caleb placated, "Alright, alright, don't be mad. You can beat it up after it grows up."
Dragonite huffed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
If not for the fact that the little punk had stopped itself from biting earlier, it would've already charged over and torn it to shreds with Dragon Rage...
Soon, Gardevoir returned with the prepared nutrient-rich meal.
Caleb placed the little Deino on his lap, intending to feed it by hand. At this moment, Deino behaved very well, no longer biting things randomly. It quietly ate the food Caleb offered.
Watching from the side, Dragonite was so angry, its entire body trembled. It hadn't even been hand-fed by its trainer when it was little!
After the meal, Deino fell into a deep sleep. Caleb placed the bone (now covered in tooth marks) in front of its head so it could bite down the moment it woke up.
With his fourth Pokémon taken care of, he finally had the energy to check his messages.
First was a friend request from Terrence.
Caleb thought of the lazy Smeargle and clicked accept.
Terrence's message arrived the next second. He didn't mention Caleb using a fake name but asked:
{Terrence: Damn, bro, you okay? You scared me to death! I had just gotten out of the Instance, then I saw you got sent to a punishment Instance!}
Terrence had lived with Caleb in Celestic Town for three years. Though a bit silly, he wasn't a bad person, and was kind to both Pokémon and friends.
{Caleb: I'm fine.}
{Terrence: That's good. You got time? Wanna grab a meal together if you're free?}
{Caleb: I'm not in the mood to go out. I just want to get some shut-eye.}
{Terrence: Alright then. Good night.}
Next was Hatsumi.
{Hatsumi: I haven't heard from you in three Instances. Where are you?}
{Hatsumi: ??? You in trouble? Say something when you get back!}
These two messages seemed to have been sent a long time ago. The most recent one was from not long ago:
{Hatsumi: Phew, you're finally back. I really thought you died in an Instance!}
{Caleb: I was in a punishment Instance, that's why I missed your messages. What's up?}
The next second, Hatsumi's messages bombarded in.
{Hatsumi: PUNISHMENT INSTANCE??!! SERIOUSLY?!}
Caleb replied helplessly...
{Caleb: Check the title rankings...}
Soon, Hatsumi returned, this time sounding even more shocked.
{Hatsumi: SAVIOR!!!}
{Caleb: Let's talk after I wake up. Bye!}
After replying, he grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom. Unbeknownst to him, the player forums were already exploding.
{..«Savior! Everyone, check the title rankings ASAP!»..}
{1L: Saw it, saw it! This is the first time in my life I've seen an Ultra-SSS grade title!}
{2L: So jealous. I want one!
- Reply to 2L: Jealous of what? You're alive without one, aren't you?
{3L: Caleb... It's Caleb Chase again. I'm numb. Does anyone know who this guy really is?}
{4L: Wow, I wonder if we'll see this famous Achievement King in the upcoming Mythical Pokémon Contest.
- Reply to 4L: ? Mythical Pokémon Contest? Damn, you got a ticket?}
{5L: Newbie here who just unlocked the forums. What's the Mythical Pokémon Contest?
- Reply to 5L: It's a place where veterans and dark horses coexist. As the name suggests, the Mythical Pokémon Contest is an Instance where a wild Mythical Pokémon appears for capture...
-Reply to 5L: Heard that the 1st ranked player, Ye Fan, and 3rd ranked, Baek Gyeol, will both be there. So jealous! Too bad I don't have a ticket...}
{6L: Don't even think about it. Do you know how hard the Mythical Pokémon Contest is? Has anyone ever successfully brought a Mythical Pokémon out from there? Nope!}
{7L: If I remember correctly, Ye Fan once went to a Mythical Pokémon Contest Instance, but Jirachi rejected him at the last step...}
{8L: Can't you just force-capture it?
- Reply to 8L: Don't treat this like a game, okay? Pokémon have their own lives and thoughts. If you don't earn their recognition, even if you stuff them into a Poké Ball, they won't acknowledge you as their trainer, they'll just resent you...}