"System, draw the lottery," Nozomi said.
[Drawing in progress, please wait.]
The system's mechanical voice sounded as usual, but Nozomi felt his heartbeat quicken.
This was his second Golden Lottery since crossing into this world. What would he get this time?
Because of his growing anticipation, Nozomi was unusually tense. To him, it felt like the entire world had slowed to a crawl.
Until—
[Draw complete. Congratulations, Host—obtained: Dragonite.]
Nozomi froze for a moment.
Last time, it had been Metagross. This time, a Dragonite. Was this for real?
"Is the Golden-tier lottery specifically for pseudo-legendaries?" Nozomi muttered, half-jokingly.
Still, despite the teasing, he was more than satisfied with the result.
Among all pseudo-legendaries, the one he liked most was the adorable Dragonite—he even preferred it over Metagross.
After all, for many people in his previous world who had come into contact with Pokémon, Dragonite was the first pseudo-legendary they had ever known. People always remembered their first experience.
And besides, that cute, gentle appearance was impossible not to love.
In a quiet area near Lavender Town, Nozomi cleared a patch of open ground.
"Come out, Dragonite!"
He threw out the Ultra Ball containing Dragonite.
Bang!
With a soft pop, the Ultra Ball burst open, releasing a flash of white light. A large figure appeared before him—a huge, orange Pokémon with smooth skin, a single horn on its head, and two long cream-colored antennae swaying gently.
"Dra~!"
As soon as it appeared on the grass, Dragonite saw Nozomi. Its big round eyes curved into happy crescents, and it lowered its large head to rub affectionately against him.
"Alright, alright," Nozomi said, patting its head helplessly.
Although the Pokémon he obtained through the lottery were always naturally close to him, this Dragonite's affection felt a bit excessive.
"Everyone, come out and meet your new teammate."
Nozomi released all his Pokémon—Misdreavus, Dusknoir, and even the flopping Magikarp.
"Roo~!"
Dragonite called out warmly, greeting them one by one in a friendly tone.
The others looked curiously at the newcomer, unsure how this massive creature had suddenly become part of their team.
Metagross, who rarely spoke, simply emitted a low hum as a greeting.
Leafeon nodded gracefully, while Steelix bared his fangs in what was meant to be a smile but looked more like a threat.
Ivysaur and Haunter were far more enthusiastic. Ivysaur poked Dragonite's soft belly with its Vine Whip, while Haunter floated around the dragon's head, seemingly searching for a chance to lick it.
Misdreavus and Dusknoir, still shy and unfamiliar from being newly caught, only gave brief greetings.
And then there was Magikarp, flopping aimlessly on the side as usual.
Dragonite responded to each of them, its demeanor warm and gentle like a comforting breeze. Nozomi could feel the atmosphere among his Pokémon growing lighter and friendlier.
Even the shy Misdreavus and Dusknoir began to ease up and join the group.
"So this is the charm of Dragonite…"
Nozomi wasn't sure whether all Dragonite possessed this natural ability to balance team dynamics, or if his was simply special.
Either way, he knew this lottery had been worth it.
"Dragonite, what moves do you know?"
Dragonite thought for a moment, then opened its mouth wide. A bright orb of light condensed inside before it shot toward a distant tree.
Boom!
The beam struck the tree, vaporizing its center into nothing.
"Hyper Beam," Nozomi murmured.
Then Dragonite soared into the air, its momentum rising sharply.
"Dragon Dance."
It gathered another ball of yellow light and fired it toward the sky.
The sphere shot upward, exploding into a shower of blazing meteors that rained down upon the clearing.
Rumble… boom!
A dozen or more Draco Meteors crashed into the ground, leaving deep craters everywhere.
The watching Pokémon stood dumbfounded.
"That's amazing—Draco Meteor!"
Draco Meteor was one of the most powerful Dragon-type moves, and few Dragon-types could even master it. That made its power all the more impressive.
When Dragonite landed, it was visibly out of breath. Consecutively using such powerful attacks drained stamina fast—perhaps even faster than a battle itself.
Dragonite seemed ready to continue demonstrating, but Nozomi quickly stopped it.
"That's enough. Just showing me is fine."
He didn't want Dragonite to exhaust itself—or worse, accidentally destroy the entire forest.
After watching and mentally syncing with Dragonite, Nozomi had a rough understanding of its moves.
"Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Dragon Rage, Dragon Dance, Draco Meteor, Twister, Dragon Tail, Dragon Rush, Hyper Beam, Brick Break, Hurricane, and Wing Attack… You sure know a lot."
He couldn't help but grin. "You might even be able to take on Lance's Dragonite."
With Metagross for powerful single-target strikes and Dragonite for devastating area attacks, Nozomi finally felt secure.
Even if he ran into Team Rocket again, he wouldn't need to panic.
Just as that thought crossed his mind—he actually ran into Team Rocket.
A group of Rocket members was gathered in the forest, guards stationed around them. In the center clearing, several people in lab coats were adjusting a large machine.
"…Seriously? Do I have some kind of jinx ability?"
He had just said he didn't want to see Team Rocket, and here they were.
As Nozomi observed them, the Rocket members spotted him too.
"Who's there?! Team Rocket's operation! Outsiders—scram!" one of the grunts shouted.
Their tone was as arrogant as ever. In fact, Nozomi thought they might have gotten even worse.