"Boss! There's an odd pokémon in the forest!"

Hydreigon lay upon his pile of semi-precious and precious gemstones, ranging from agate to zircon. Around his pile several of his sableye minions crept about, seeking the rubies and sapphires to feast upon. Nearby the sinister dragon was a witch-like pokémon with long pastel hair— hatterene.

Hydreigon had been resting, so he picked up his three sleepy heads at the two pokémon who reported the news. One was a red fox pokémon, thievevl, and his accomplice was a large foreboding panda-like pokémon, pangoro. Hydreigon growled, "This better not be over that pinchurchin. If it is, I'm going back to sleep."

Thievevl responded, saying, "No, sir. The pokémon walks on two legs."

Hydreigon's three heads perked up. His primary head offered Hatterene a furtive glance, but her expression showed no signs of change. "Describe him."

The two patrol members gave a decent description of the new pokémon discovered. After hearing their account, Hydreigon said to them, "Interesting. You're dismissed." The two pokémon dipped their heads and walked out of Hydreigon's den. Hydreigon, without any announcement to his lackeys, achieved liftoff and departed.

As the dragon fled his cave, Morgrem entered to notice that his boss had gone. The goblin was equipped with a sack slung over his shoulder as he walked up to a sableye. Morgrem flipped the bag upside down and deposited its contents, which primarily were quartz and some raw fluorite that he had found in the lower caves.

"Where's he going?" the goblin asked the sableye minion. Morgrem looked over and noticed Hatterene staring at him, her mouth a thin line. Once the goblin caught her eye she turned away.

"A patrol alerted the boss about a newcomer," the sableye said.

"Oh?" Morgrem began, "Was the patrol attacked?"

"No, but the patrol saw the pokémon from a distance and didn't know what it was. I know Hydreigon does. He wasted no time leaving."

"I heard there's some pokémon he likes to recruit more than others," Morgrem said.

The sableye smirked and said, "Yes. Wonder if he'll get this one to come with us."

"Why else would that pokémon come here then?" Morgrem asked, shrugging.

Hydreigon exited his mountain home to greet a partly cloudy sky. The sun upon his black and blue form warmed his blood, allowing him to perform swifter movements, which will come in handy soon. Few remained in the forest, so finding the bipedal pokémon wasn't going to be too much work.

He flew toward the creek, where the patrol had spotted the pokémon from a distance. The newcomer was taking advantage of the surplus of food as well. The patrol that observed the pokémon had been tasked with gathering berries and medicines from the woods. Given the summer season, berry harvesting was at its peak, and his followers brought in great yields.

Finding the strange pokémon didn't take long, especially since its coloration made it stand out. The prone pokémon was adjacent to the creek, trying to puck fish from the water. Hydreigon landed upon a tall conifer a short distance away, downwind of the pokémon fishing. His two brainless side heads bit the conifer's limbs to gain stability while his center head watched the pokémon.

"Hmm," Hydreigon whispered to himself. "I've never recruited this form…."

The pokémon below hadn't heard him, as Hydreigon knew its hearing wasn't the greatest. The oddity was a purple salamander-like pokémon with two frills of blue electricity coming out of its upper back, with an underbelly of the same color. The low key toxtricity finished its catch and pulled out what looked like a wounded arrokuda from the water, and then it stood up and shocked what would become its meal. It shoved the tail end of the fish pokémon into its mouth, putting on a satisfied face as it enjoyed its meal.

Hydreigon stuck his center head into the air, inhaling the breeze. He judged from the scent he detected that the toxtricity was female. He studied the immediate area around her and concluded she was neither with a mate nor a child. This was curious.

She finished, for she pulled the spine of the eaten pokémon from her mouth and tossed it back into the water. Hydreigon noted this additional peculiarity. Returning the bones of a consumed aquatic pokémon to its native waterway was a sign of respect. Toxtricity were not pokémon that cared much for others, dead or alive. She extended her tongue and licked the saliva that trickled to her neck. She seemed to contemplate getting another catch, and she blinked at the river, her eyes following the fish within.

Hydreigon heard that this toxtricity form was more reserved and less contentious. The rumor made sense as Hydreigon observed she was alone and wasn't drawing attention to herself. Hydreigon left his post and he began to fly directly at her. The toxtricity saw him approach at the last second, so she had no time to brace herself from the dragon slamming into her.

The electric-type was pushed backward along with the stronger Hydreigon until the two pokémon hit a willow tree growing near the creek. The toxtricity shrieked as her back collided with the willow, and her face twisted in pain. Hydreigon had her confined, as his two side heads grabbed her arms and his primary one looked her in the eye. "You're so bold as to come into my forest?"

The toxtricity said nothing back, but she responded by striking him with all the voltage she could muster, which also assaulted everything around her. From the look on her face, she was incensed.

Although it didn't harm him too badly, the attack was enough for Hydreigon to release her from his grip. She wasted no time amassing a purple aura around herself to assault him. Hydreigon's stomach churned as her toxic attack infected his body with sickness.

Hydreigon's three heads bit her figure wherever they could grab, and after this attack, the dragon knew she was suffering. Even so, she managed to hold on to consciousness, and she shocked him again. Such resistance surprised him, yet it seemed she didn't know who she was dealing with.

"Lady," he said, "I'll yield if you listen to my proposition."

Having little energy left, she didn't have much of a choice. She stopped her flow of voltage and then proceeded to breathe heavily for half a minute. She placed her hand on her chest, where Hydreigon's primary and strongest head had bit her. "I didn't ask for your company," she gasped with an expected deep voice.

"You've come into my territory… out of nowhere. I haven't seen one of your kind round here for moons," he said. The toxtricity's eyes widened when he uttered the latter sentence, but Hydreigon didn't question the reaction. "Why are you here?"

"Food," she rasped. She slumped down and sat on the forest floor. Her eyes fixed on the river as she placed one hand on her chest and the other on her stomach. The dark blue color her belly was turning indicated Hydreigon afflicted severe bruising.

"I see. I admire your willpower, but you still can become stronger. You haven't mastered your own strength yet. You've evolved recently, haven't you?"

She gave him a probing look. She was too exhausted to speak.

"Would you be interested in joining my crew?" he asked. "I'll help you reach the next level."

"This sounds," she started laboriously, "Like it would benefit you more than me."

"Quite the contrary," Hydreigon said. "Look at you right now. You're weak and useless. Anything can defeat you. I'll ensure you'll never be at another's mercy. You've great potential."

The wounded electric-type stared at the dragon. Hydreigon felt a satisfaction within his belly as it seemed she was going to submit to him— which meant she wasn't as strong as he would like, but he'd not refuse an easy catch. The toxtricity staggered to her feet and gave a feeble chuckle. "You can piss off," she said.

Hydreigon cocked his heads. He hadn't been anticipating that much defiance. Should he drag her back to his mountain? He felt it wouldn't end well… if she was this weak and fearless of him, she wasn't going to comply with him. Recently evolved, she still felt unstoppable, and her being independent meant she had nothing to lose.

The dragon knew a pokémon with this attitude would be perfect when it came to managing his weaker lackeys. Hydreigon laughed as his brain hatched an idea. "Is that so?" he asked, as he ranked her body with dark swaths of energy. She uttered something indistinguishable as she collapsed to the forest floor. Her electrical eruptions reduced to faint wisps. She was out cold and would remain that way until her body repaired her injuries enough so she could regain consciousness. Further attacking would kill her.

Most toxtricity stayed among their own, as few pokémon liked them. She might have been exiled from her band, given her boldness. However, it made little sense for her to flee here. She didn't want to join him, and food alone wasn't good enough of an attraction for this noisemaking electric pokémon. Hydreigon gave her a final glance. He didn't ask where she came from, but he'll figure it out later.

The dragon took to the sky but did not return to his mountain immediately. Instead, the dragon followed the stream to the point where it flowed into the mountain. He roared, and then belched as his stomach whirled. The poison that toxtricity had afflicted him with was beginning to make itself known. He needed pecha berries, for he was starting to feel chills.

He glanced around wildly for pecha berry bushes— he knew that this forest was littered with them. He made a quick landing as he spotted the pink berries growing in a cluster on one select bush. As he touched down, he belched again, sick to his stomach. As he approached the bush, he regurgitated, the contents of his stomach tinged with purple as his body tried its best to expel the poison. After doing so, he felt like most of his energy had been stripped away. He gobbled down the pink berries like a starving lycanroc as all three of his heads attacked the sweet berries on the bush.

"Oi, you don't look too hot there, fella," a voice taunted from behind him.

Hydreigon finished his berries, pleading that their effects would kick in as soon as possible. How pitiful would he look to his lackeys in this state!

The dragon turned around in the direction of the voice. Toxicroak emerged from the water. The bipedal poison frog smiled at him as he noted the mountain's lord in a pathetic state. "What happened to you?" the toxicroak asked.

Hydreigon hesitated, as soon after Toxicroak spoke another pokémon crawled out of the water. The second pokémon was Grapploct, who then stood up on three of his limbs, giving a furtive glance at his toxicroak friend.

"Oh, do tell!" Grapploct exclaimed as he eyed Hydreigon.

"I want to ask you two to do something for me," Hydreigon said, the pallor from his form fading as the pecha berries expelled the poison from his system. "It involves a newcomer in the forest, who I just spoke to."

"Looks like he roughed you up well," Grapploct said, bumping his buddy in the shoulder.

"She," Hydreigon clarified.

Toxicroak inclined his head so he could hear better. "Oh? Who's the new lady?"

"There's a toxtricity in the forest… and I have a plan for her that I'd like you to carry out…"

"Toxtricity?" Toxicroak exclaimed. "Oh, interesting. Let's hear it."

Hydreigon returned to his mountain home after briefing Toxicroak and Grapploct about how they could help him acquire that toxtricity. The two pokémon agreed to carry out Hydreigon's scheme, and given time, his plan would come to fruition. All he had to do was wait.

Returning to his chamber, Morgrem, Hatterene, and the sableye minions observed Hydreigon wounded from some skirmish. The spectral minions rushed to Hydreigon's aid, procuring berry poultices, herb satchels, and bandages to tend his wounds.

Hatterene assessed the physical condition of the dragon, telling the gem seekers what to prescribe the boss to relieve him (and herself) the fastest. Morgrem studied the dragon's wounds, burning to find out what pokémon was responsible for inflicting them.

"What happened?" Hatterene asked, taking Morgrem's question away from him.

Hydreigon told the surrounding lackeys about finding the low key toxtricity in the forest, fighting her, and then developing a plan with the pokémon near the mountain's base to finally snatch her.

"You want another punk?" Hatterene chided. "They're so loud… I doubt this one will give me any peace!"

Hydreigon offered Hatterene a half-hearted glance. "She was pretty quiet, actually. A strong crew needs to encompass a variety of pokémon. I'm aptly low on poison and electric types now."

"I don't want her to be here. Toxtricity are nasty. The last one…"

"Is gone, and that one wasn't a low-ender," the dragon completed. "You've an advantage against them, remember? Just don't disregard my orders this time."

Hatterene stopped arguing but she remained indignant.

Morgrem's curiosity rose. "Why do you need such a stratagem to recruit her? You fainted her, showing you overpower her," Morgrem said.

Hydreigon shook his head and said, "It's near impossible to make a stolid, low-ender toxtricity feel like a victim. They are experts at subterfuge and improvisation. I want her to come of her own volition, or else I'm sure she'll find a way to stab me in the back."

As Morgrem listened to his boss's explanation, he felt a gnawing sensation growing in his abdomen. The female toxtricity was starkly reminding him of an old friend. "Didn't you say she's not too far along?"

"Yes. Perhaps a moon or so ago she evolved," Hydreigon said. "Why do you have that look on your face?"

Morgrem's gaze was unfocused and distant. He shook his head and the look disappeared. "Why would she be here?" he mused, although Hydreigon took it for a question. Hatterene seemed to catch the ulterior meaning behind Morgrem's words, but she remained silent.

Hydreigon inclined his heads. It seemed that he and Morgrem were thinking concurrently. "Food, but other than that, I'm unsure. A few get along fine by themselves. Most live in groups concentrated in one track of land miles to the north. It's a journey of several days by flight, and even longer on foot. She's probably an exile looking for a place to call home."

Morgrem did not comment, and his silence struck Hydreigon as odd.

"I know you're displaced too. Is that why you've that stare?" Hydreigon asked with a laugh. "How'd you end up here?"

Morgrem cocked his head and asked, "Care to hear the tale?"

"Go ahead," the dragon said. Hatterene also inched forward to listen to the story as well.

Morgrem told Hydreigon and Hatterene about being raised as a fosterling under a dragapult in a secluded forest community. He took care not to mention Toxel. He told the pokémon about the day he evolved and attacked another pokémon in the forest (he lied and said it was an eevee). Morgrem said his guardian deemed it was time for him to depart, and he was escorted out, disowned by Dragapult.

"That's where she ended up," Hydreigon said.

"Dragapult? You know her?"

"Of course. Our families have contended for generations over land, but right now, I'm outclassing her in that department. You do know," Hydreigon began, giving Morgrem a cunning look, "That you can become powerful enough to overpower your old foster parent."

"Yes," Morgrem said, his mouth curving into a smirk. "I told her myself."

"Ambitious, aren't you?"

Morgrem flicked his hair. "I have the advantage."

Hatterene offered Morgrem a rare smile. The goblin wasn't sure how he should take the gesture. Oftentimes when he was around, she didn't talk much, although he hadn't been around the folks in the mountain long enough to know if she behaved this way toward other pokémon.

Hydreigon was doing his best not to drag his frailty into this conversation. "Where is this forest?"