Chapter 14: A Dragon Paradise

"Huh? An island full of Dragonites?"

"Are you sure?"

"You know what they say about things sounding too good to be true."

Professor Cerise chuckled. He could understand their skepticism.

"Believe me, I thought it was crazy too. But check out these pictures."

The Professor pulled up a bunch of photos, showing an island shrouded by mist. Flying just above it were draconic-like shapes, but nothing concrete could be made out.

"Ok, that is intriguing."

"If you have photographic proof, why haven't you released this information to the public?"

"That's just it, I don't know for sure that this real. The fog makes it difficult to discern what those shapes are, for all we know it could be an elaborate hoax. So I'm sending you three to check it out!"

After packing up a few day's worth of supplies, the trio boarded a boat owned by the institute and set off for the coordinates given to them. After an hour at sea, heavy mist began to roll in, making it hard for them to see. Luckily, the boat had searchlights they could use to find their way about.

"Man, where is it? I'm getting bored!"

"Easy, Goh. If it was easy to find, there wouldn't be any Dragonite left."

"Ash is right. Just relax."

Realizing his companions were right, Goh sighed and slumped down into his seat. His mood was soon uplifted when the water beside the boat shifted and a Dewgong popped out.

"Gong Dewgong!"

"Ah yeah, this one is mine! Go, Pokeball!"

"Goh, wait!"

But Goh had already flung the Pokeball out of his hand, absorbing the Seal-like Pokemon into it. But his joy was short lived as Dewgong quickly broke out, much to his dismay.

"Goh, maybe you should-"

"OH, IT IS ON! I'm going to catch that Dewgong if its the last thing I do!"

Ash and Lillie watched him try to catch it, each time ending like the first.

"He does realize he won't have any Pokeballs left at this rate, right?"

"I don't know, maybe he'll get lucky."

"WHY WON'T YOU STAY IN THE BALL!"

"...Or maybe not."

At last, Goh managed to catch the Dewgong, proudly holding the Pokeball high above his head.

"Whoo! Caught it."

"You know, you might have better luck catching them if you weaken it first."

"God, you sound like Chloe!"

"Well, maybe if you would listen to reason..."

"GUYS!"

"What?!"

"We're here."

Ash and Goh stopped their bickering to gaze in awe at the sight before them. There, rising up out of the fog, was a big island. High above in the air, Dragonite and Dragonair fluttered about, creating massive wind gusts that nearly knocked them out of their boat.

"Woah!"

"Incredible!"

"I can't believe it, its real!"

The minute the boat hit the shore, Goh leapt off the bow, landing with a thud in the sand.

"Alright! I'm going to catch me the first Dragonite I see!"

Reaching into his backpack, he dug around for a Pokeball...

Only to grab air. Surprised, he stuck his head in to find an empty bag, much to his bewilderment.

"What? Oh man, don't tell me I used all of them to catch that Dewgong!"

"Ok, I won't tell you."

Goh just glared at Ash, who just grinned mischievously.

"Ah well, no use dwelling on it. Come on, I bet I'll find a Dragonite before you can!"

"You're on!"

And before Lillie could stop them, the two teens ran off into the wilds, ready for adventure. Lillie just laughed and shook her head.

"Boys will be boys. Come on Snowy, we'd better go make sure they don't run into any trouble."

"Vul!"

Ash and Goh ran through the forest before they reached a beach on the other side of the island. What they saw made them stop and pause.

"Woah."

"You can say that again."

There, scattered across the beach were members of the Dratini line of all ages, playing and fluttering about. The Dragon types took no notice of the two strangers, and simply basked in the mid-morning sun.

"Wow, its so...so..."

"Incredible?"

"Yeah."

After a while, the Dragons grew tired and took off, ascending into the sky with majesty and grace unrivaled.

"So cool!"

"I know, ri-huh?"

Looking back, Ash saw that there was a straggler on the beach. A Dragonair, slightly smaller than usual, was trying to get off the ground and join its friends. But no matter how hard it flapped the wings on its head, it couldn't get up off the ground. By now, Lillie had caught up and witnessed the poor Dragon's plight.

"Aw, the poor thing. I wish there was something we could do to help it."

Ash smiled, an idea creeping into his forethoughts.

"Maybe there is."

Cautiously, Ash approached the Dragon type. Dragonair, not recognizing him, recoiled in fear, but Ash just smiled warmly.

"Its ok, I don't want to hurt you. In fact, I'd like to help you."

Seeing that Ash didn't want to hurt her, the Dragonair slowly approached, gently rubbing its head against his hand. Ash smiled, and gently scratched her head.

"So, you want to learn how to fly, huh?"

The Dragonair just sadly nodded her head.

"Go on, try it one more time. Maybe we can help you figure out what you're doing wrong."

Apprehensively, Dragonair started fluttering about, flapping her small wings in an effort to get airborne. But as with her previous attempts, she only managed to get a foot off the ground before crashing back down to Earth. Ash stroked his chin in thought.

"Hmm, this is going to be harder than I thought. Don't worry buddy, we'll figure it out!"

Goh, who had been watching the display closely, tapped in a quick search into his Rotomphone. After finding what he was looking for, he handed it over to Ash.

"Here, Ash, I think this is what she's trying to do."

Taking the phone, Ash read the text on screen aloud.

"Dragon Dance, a move that combines concentration and rhythmic movement to increase the physical skills of a Pokemon. You think this could help?"

"I don't know, but it'd be a good start."

"Yeah, but how are we going to teach her the move? My Jangmo-o is the only Dragon type among all of ours, an he doesn't know it."

Ash thought about it for a minute, then a mad grin spread across his face.

"Hey, the boat has a video phone and transporter, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Just give me a minute. I've got an idea that might just work!"

And before anyone could stop him, Ash took off the way they came, leaving his companions very confused.

"Any idea what he's planning."

"No, but if I know Ash it's sure to be surprising."

To be continued...