"Yeah, finish him off!" Lance cheered on his little buddy even as his heart pounded and his fists clenched and his vision wavered. The other boy, a young trainer just like him with a determined scowl and a black headband, called out his own encouragement to his Tyrogue. Tyrogue tried to dash away from the whiplike snap of Dratini's tail, but the quick movement easily bowled over the frail fighting-type.
Tyrogue stumbled, yet recovered quickly given its agility. It was a thin, wiry thing and tougher than it looked. But what did that matter? Nothing was going to take down Dratini!
The fighting-type steadied itself on the plain dirt of the battlefield before it took a deep breath and dashed towards his little buddy. It tried to stamp on Dratini, but his friend easily slithered out of the way and smacked Tyrogue's leg again. This was the third or fourth time it happened, and Tyrogue couldn't take it again. Dratini roared - well, he did his best, which was awesome! - and quickly wrapped around his great opponent!
"Yes! Wrap!" He hollered to Dratini, who cheerfully did just that. The fighter collapsed as Dratini tightened his grip and it wasn't long before the little dragon had completely immobilized Tyrogue. Tyrogue did its best to hold on, which Lance respected, but was forced to tap out after his trainer ordered him to several times. Ha, why did they even bother? There was no way this battle was going to end differently. With his brains and Dratini's brawn they hadn't lost a single battle yet in the two weeks they'd been on the road!
Maybe if he was just some lazy jerk they could have had a chance against Dratini's awesomeness, but he wasn't. Nobody worked as hard as him and Dratini! They were the perfect team. They fought every trainer they met, scrapped with every wild pokemon that was willing, and trained every night until they collapsed!
At this rate they'd be Champions together in no time. He would be the best, the strongest, the Drake. With Dratini at his side he would remind everyone of the Wataru!
"Heh, we win again!" Lance grinned. He rubbed Dratini's scaly head and laughed as his friend wrapped around his torso - gently, of course, not the crushing grip he'd hit Tyrogue with. It hadn't always been so easy, though. It had taken a few days for Dratini to realize Lance wasn't quite as tough as the other pokemon they'd met. "Nice job, Dratini! You're the best!"
"Yeah, good fight," the other boy groused. Lance honestly didn't remember his name. George or something boring like that. He didn't pay his vanquished foe much attention, but did spare him a grin.
Lance scratched Dratini beneath his fins right where he liked. The little dragon growled happily and tightened just a bit around Lance. It almost hurt, but he wasn't about to complain. He was a Wataru! He could deal with a little pain, right?
He smiled broadly at the other boy when the kid returned his Tyrogue and prepared to storm off. Funny - he hadn't pegged the kid as a sore loser when the guy had challenged Lance and Dratini. Shouldn't he have known he had no chance?
"I think you're forgetting something, buddy!" He boomed. It wasn't quite as deep as Wataru Glaive's commanding roar (usually directed at him, Clair, or Pike when they'd been exploring somewhere cool) but Lance thought it sounded pretty impressive! Dratini hissed with him.
The kid turned around, a grumpy look on his face. Lance didn't see the big deal. It was just like what Drake Hotaru told the Lord of Mahogany before she fed him to his own ravenous Sneasel packs: To be strong is to take what you have earned! Well, that was what he remembered from the lessons Akemi taught him - the real quote was really long. Even she didn't remember the whole thing!
In this case he didn't plan on feeding the kid to his Tyrogue (Lance was mostly sure Tyrogue wouldn't eat the kid anyways) but Lance would be taking what was his: that kid's money!
"Fine," the kid groused. He picked out a few bills and tossed them to Lance. Dratini expertly caught them in his mouth before Lance could snag them - crap, Dratini was going to extort all kinds of treats from him before he'd give the money over.
Lance scowled. "I think you're missing a few!" He knew exactly how much the bet was worth! Did this kid think he was stupid or something? It wasn't that easy to fool a Wataru!
The kid grumbled some more, but finally tossed over a few more notes. Dratini didn't manage to snag these, thankfully. Then again, that might make him bargain even harder before he gave over the first few…
Dratini stared at him with wide,trusting eyes. Ha! Like Lance was going to get fooled by those again! His buddy might play cute and innocent, but Lance knew the truth. He'd be spending hours tracking down some Gold Berries for Dratini before he'd get his reward! Who knew a two week old dragon could drive such a hard bargain?
"Come on back if you ever want to try again!" He shouted at the kid with the boring, forgettable name. Lance crossed his fingers and prayed that the kid would come back soon - the kid reminded him of Pike, so he probably had an ego. Who knew how much money he could make off him!
"Let's go, Dratini," he grinned at the little dragon. Dratini clamped firmly down on the bills and rubbed his scaly face up against Lance's. Despite himself, Lance laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I know! How about we make camp and try to scavenge some Gold Berries before dark?"
His buddy growled happily and tightened back around Lance's torso as they trotted off into the woods.
If every day was like this he'd be a very happy trainer. He'd be Drake in no time!
TRTRTR
"Is this enough?" Lance sighed as he dumped about ten Gold Berries down in front of Dratini, who had decided to pass the time by lazing atop a large, flat boulder bathed in sunlight. Dratini cheerfully held his head up and examined Lance's bounty, inspecting each one for any blemishes. A few he discarded (mostly by nudging them away, but one berry he regarded especially disdainfully was seared to a crisp with a breath of dragonfire) but there were six he decided were worth keeping.
Dratini chirped and used his long tail to bring the berries closer to him.
Lance grinned. "I'm glad you're pleased with my hard work, Lord Dratini!"
The little dragon held his head high as he tossed his head flippantly, dismissing Lance.
"Yes sir!" Lance saluted Dratini. "Is there anything else I can get you? Some moss for a cushion, or maybe some gold for your crown?"
Dratini looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before he shook his head and greedily pulled his treats closer to him, then wrapped around them like an Arbok snaring its prey. Lance grinned at the display. He'd heard stories about certain dragons that liked to hoard gold, but he'd never heard of any that hoarded Gold Berries…
"Enjoy your snack," Lance told Dratini before he snatched up the discarded bills. No use letting Dratini try to steal them again… he wasn't above trying to double dip. Dratini was still working on the whole 'honor' thing. He wasn't worried, though. If anyone could teach Dratini how to be a proper member of the Wataru clan, it was Lance! "I'm going to sit by that river for a bit, okay? Just keep your ears open in case I need help!"
The berries were forgotten as Dratini nodded seriously. Lance gave him a thumbs up back. He knew Dratini would be there to protect him if anything else approached - his buddy had some good ears. It would be good to on his own for a bit, though. He loved Dratini but all dragons needed their space, Wataru included!
They exchanged goodbyes as Lance wandered off to the river near their camp. It wasn't too far off, perhaps a hundred feet or two. He wouldn't put much distance between himself and Dratini. Grandfather (whose absence brought an ache to his heart, even though he'd never tell the teasing man that) made sure he knew not to be stupid. Most pokemon weren't interested in him, or would approach if they wanted to battle or join him, but no Wataru should be foolish enough to be completely without protection!
Who could forget the story of Drake Hiro, who brushed death many times over in his lonely hunt in the Ice Path? Without the protection of a partner, of the glorious dragons, he had nearly been cut to ribbons!
He was happy to find the river mostly clear. A few Pidgey and Spearow flocked in the trees and he thought he saw the faint glimmers of a school of Magikarp's scales in the water, but other than those the only creature on the shores was a lonely Psyduck that stared dumbly at its own reflection. Lance waved to it, but it just stared blankly at him before the odd creature went back to looking at its reflection again.
Lance shrugged. Maybe it would warm up to him in a bit?
The other inhabitants of the river didn't take much notice to him after that. Lance found a particularly nice rock that wasn't wet or covered in Spearow crap (which was harder to find than he'd expected) and took a seat. He stared out at the faintly rippling water with a slight grin, glad to be out here. A big part of him ached to return to the Wataru clan compound and his family. He even sort of missed that brat Clair and even Pike!
Gross. He never thought he'd think that.
But he wouldn't trade this for anything. There was something beautiful about this place. It was nice. Simpler than the otherworldly Dragon's Den, and all the better for it.
A frown twisted his face. The only way this place could be better was if Dratini was here with him…
Oh well, he shook his head ruefully. He'd been craving some solitude himself. Dratini was awesome, the best brother a guy could ask for, but who could be around their pokemon all the time? Everyone needed to let go for a bit.
Lance stopped when he heard a brief, mocking cry from farther down the shore. He tensed. Murkrow. Only idiots thought they were really evil, but it was always best to be wary around dark-types. They didn't tolerate weakness like most pokemon would.
Then he heard another squawk. And another. The sound of something wet and heavy being tossed around reached his ears, and he slunk off his rock to go investigate. He knew that Grandfather would probably tell him to stay out of it, but he couldn't help himself. What if the Murkrow had stolen somebody's stuff?
He crept quietly down the river bank. The Psyduck had evolved to sitting its face in the water and blowing bubbles every few seconds. Lance shook his head and ignored the odd sight. Instead he prayed that the Pidgey and Spearow would be nice enough not to warn the Murkrow of his approach. They tended to be rivals (Murkrow liked to steal food stashes from Pidgey if they didn't have an evolved member guarding them, especially at night) so he thought his odds were good.
At last he caught sight of the Murkrow. It hopped around the soft soil on the river bank and paused to peck at something unseen. Every time it did he heard that same wet slapping sound. Lance started to get a bad feeling…
His heart stopped when he saw the Murkrow's toy. A young Magikarp, surprisingly large but still small enough to be yanked out of the water by the fairly large Murkrow. It flopped uselessly as it tried to escape Murkrow, small streaks of blood flowing from where the dark-type had pecked at it.
"Get away!" Lance roared as he sprinted into the clearing, heedless of his own safety. The Murkrow squawked, surprised, and fluttered away, but eyed Lance speculatively. He didn't hold back and ran at Murkrow again, a wild pounding in his ears as he rushed to protect Magikarp. "Back off!"
Murkrow easily flew up into a tree, and Lance's blood ran cold when he spotted two more Murkrow sitting with it. Each cocked their heads curiously, interested in Lance. Too interested. Lance didn't back down, though. He was a Wataru, the future Drake! He would never back down to a bunch of bullies, especially not when it would mean leaving Magikarp to its fate!
He wasn't blind to the danger, though. It didn't take a genius to realize these were bad odds. One Murkrow wasn't much of a threat. Lance was no match for it, but they tended to be cowardly. Three against one human boy, though? They were bold when the odds were stacked in their favor.
"Get out of here! Find one of the feeders if you're hungry!" Lance shouted at them. The Murkrow seemed annoyed at that. Seemed like they weren't in the mood for the food stations provided by the League. That wasn't good.
Lance primed one of the pokeballs he carried on him. Dratini would have heard all of this. His best bet was to hit one of the Murkrow with a pokeball if they came at him, then try to lead the others away from Magikarp until Dratini got here. There was no way they'd want to scrap with a dragon!
One of them prepared to swoop, but his plan turned out to be unnecessary. Just as the first left their branch, Dratini slithered into the clearing with a hiss that put even Lance on edge. He cheered for his friend as Dratini spat a light stream of blue flame at the Murkrow, and ran up to the little dragon as the dark-types immediately flew away. They wanted no part in a fight they could lose… or have to work for.
"You came just in time, buddy!" Lance scratched Dratini's fins happily. The little dragon chirped and rubbed against Lance before climbing around his torso and squeezing him a little tighter than normal, like he didn't want to risk Lance getting away. It sort of hurt, but who cared? "Oh crap, Magikarp!"
Lance wasted no time in returning to Magikarp, who had flopped somewhat closer to the water. It didn't seem to be in bad shape, but those peck wounds did look kind of nasty up close. Even if Magikarp didn't want to get taken to a Pokemon Center it would be best to spray them with one of his Potions. Those would fix it right up!
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked as he gently picked Magikarp up (who knew it would be so heavy?) and helped put it in the water. Magikarp seemed way happier once he was in there, and Lance felt his trembling - no, excitement, he corrected - slip away. "They got you good, didn't they?"
Magikarp stared blankly and open its mouth soundlessly. Lance cautiously reached his hand down and grinned when Magikarp allowed him to rub its head. He avoided the sharp dorsal fin since he'd seen a lot of his clanmates complaining about how easy it was to cut yourself on them. Instead he rubbed the oddly slimy scales on its forehead, which Magikarp seemed to enjoy.
"Do you need to get looked at?" Lance asked. He frowned when Magikarp seemed to shake itself. "You sure? I can get you some help!"
The fish somehow looked even sadder (and Lance thought it was a pretty depressed looking pokemon already) and shook itself again. Lance kept stroking its scales with a frown on his face. Magikarp needed help, even if it was just a few sprays of a Potion. Infection was a real danger.
"I can take you to a Pokemon Center," Lance offered. Magikarp refused again. "C'mon! It wouldn't be any problem for me!" He tried to assure the water-type, and his eyes lit up as an idea popped into his brilliant (according to Mother) mind. "I know! You can join my team. You can stick with me and Dratini here and we'll take care of you. You'll never have to worry about jerks like those Murkrow ever again!"
That got a reaction. Well, it was hard to tell but Lance was pretty sure Magikarp liked the idea. Its fin raised and became straighter, and it seemed to swim with a little more purpose. Magikarp wasn't totally sold on the idea, but it was interested!
Lance could work with that. He crouched down to the water with Dratini and prepared to embark on a very thorough pitch on why joining Team Lance was the right thing to do. It would involve glory, an awesome life, and the chance to be an honored brother-in-arms of the greatest Drake of all time!
Magikarp listened.
TRTRTR
"Finish him!"
Dratini was happy to do so. He chirped and slithered up to the Seel, still stunned from his Dragonbreath, and wrapped around the chubby ice-type with well-practiced ease. Lance grinned from ear to ear when Seel finally surrendered, and Gym Leader Pryce sighed and returned his pokemon.
"Yes, you did it!" Lance rushed forward onto the scraped, beaten battlefield to meet Dratini in the field. He ran a little slower than usual thanks to the small Magikarp in his arms, but that didn't hold either of them back. Magikarp was just as excited as he was, even if he didn't show it very well! "Nice one, Dratini! That's our first Badge thanks to you!"
Magikarp opened his mouth silently and wagged his fins a few time. Dratini wound his way around Lance's shoulders and rubbed his cheek up against Magikarp's scaly hide before slinking around Lance's neck. Lance shouted a goodbye to Magikarp (the second addition to his team wasn't a big fan of the cold, but wanted to cheer on Dratini) before he returned him and yelled some more. He wasn't even sure what he was saying anymore, but it must have sounded good!
"You battle well, particularly for a novice," Leader Pryce spoke up after a few moments. Lance hadn't even noticed the old man approach. He kept scratching Dratini, but gave the Leader most of his attention… even if he wanted to protest being called a novice. He was way better than any beginner! No Wataru could be called a novice! "I see a lot of potential in you, boy."
"Thanks!" Lance grinned, still riding the adrenaline from that battle. It had been touch-and-go for a bit, but he and Dratini had triumphed in the end, just like he knew they would! They were unstoppable! "It was a great battle!"
Leader Pryce spared him a short smile. "Keep that fire. It'll make you strong, but take care to temper it with a little thought every now and then. The fire that burns twice as hot burns twice as hot and all that."
Lance shrugged it off. "Sure," he trailed off, not really paying attention. It's not like this guy was his Grandfather! His eyes lit up at the case in Pryce's hand. "Do I get my badge now?"
"Indeed," Leader Pryce said, not at all bothered by Lance's disregard. He opened the badge case and held out a simple hexagon badge with a snowflake design: the Glacier Badge. "With the authority invested in me by the Indigo League as Gym Leader of Mahogany Town, I name Lance Wataru a worthy holder of the Glacier Badge!"
It was smooth, somewhat simple, and a symbol that he had conquered the greatest challenge a dragon could face.
Lance thought the Glacier Badge was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
He was right that day he left the compound - his life was awesome!
