The Master Ball…
That was the ultimate Poké Ball, able to capture any Pokémon without fail.
No matter what it was—even a legendary Pokémon—so long as the Master Ball struck true, capture was guaranteed.
If that were the case, then Raven finally understood why unlocking that technology came at such a staggering cost.
With only 50 Satisfaction, he couldn't unlock anything.
Helpless, he set it aside for now. He would have to save up more.
Aelif had gone out to handle tasks, leaving only Raven and Dratini inside the tent.
During their journey, Dratini had spent most of the time asleep. Now that they were settled, it was finally awake.
At the moment, the little dragon gazed at Raven with wide, glistening eyes.
Raven rested his chin on his hand, studying it in return.
[Pokémon: Dratini][Type: Dragon][Gender: Female][Ability: Marvel Scale][Moves: Wrap, Leer, Twister][Friendship: 25 (Cap: 100, exceptions possible)][Life Record: Year 147 of the Kingdom—Dratini was born.][Year 148—Dratini was caught by fishermen and presented to a noble.][Year 148—The noble gifted Dratini to the king for status.][Year 148—To maintain relations with Eindorc Kingdom, the king sent Dratini as tribute to its ruler.][Year 148—The old king of Eindorc entrusted Dratini to Prince Raven as a pet, sending it with him to his new fief.]
Over the past two days, their friendship had grown from 20 to 25.
"Wrap, Leer, and Twister… just three moves?" Raven muttered.
A little weak. No wonder fishermen had been able to catch it.
Not that it was Dratini's fault—barely a year old, still very much a baby dragon.
Raven reached out and poked its round nose.
Dratini sniffed curiously at his finger.
Raven's thoughts turned serious.
He had no intention of treating Dratini merely as a pet.
True, until it evolved into Dragonite its power would remain limited. Still, compared to a Magikarp or Feebas, it already possessed some combat ability.
The real problem was that raising a pseudo-legendary Pokémon demanded immense resources.
And right now, resources were the one thing his fledgling territory lacked.
In this age, humans and Pokémon were more adversarial than cooperative. People hardly understood Pokémon at all, let alone preparing specialized food and berries for them.
Without adequate food, Dratini wouldn't receive the nourishment it needed to grow.
"Another problem…" Raven sighed.
At least, he thought with some relief, the old king had given him a Dratini and not a Snorlax.
Otherwise, the camp's food would vanish in a single day—and they'd all starve in the snow.
"Let's get to know each other better, shall we, Dratini?" Raven smiled.
"Drii?" Dratini tilted its clear eyes, puzzled.
"My name's Raven. As you can see, I'm human. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll be together for a very long time—whether as friends or as family. Either way, I'm glad to live alongside you."
"Drii…" Dratini blinked. Raven, huh?Then… was it its turn?
It thought carefully, then, imitating his tone, spoke with great seriousness: "Drii!"
It was Dratini, a Dratini!
Too bad Raven couldn't understand. He pressed on:"Then maybe you should show me more of what you can do?"
He mainly wanted to see the strength of its moves. To have a clearer sense of its power.
"Drii~" Dratini chirped, eager to agree.
But the moment it saw Raven preparing to take it outside, terror flashed across its face. It bolted, diving headfirst back into the blanket.
Raven: "…"
He was speechless, but coaxed gently, "The snow's stopped today, and the sun's out. It's not that cold outside. With the sunlight, it's even warm. Don't you want to bask a little?"
The valley plain had little wind. Bathed in sunlight, it was far more comfortable than their weary march before.
At those words, Dratini stirred.
It remembered basking in the sun before—on golden sands with its companions, the warmth spreading over its body.
It poked its head out of the blanket, hesitantly asking, "Drii?"
"Of course it's true," Raven said, catching its meaning. Opening his wool coat, he added, "If you don't believe me, you can come in here first."
He had two purposes for this outing: to test Dratini's moves, and to survey his seventy-eight subjects and the surrounding land.
Dratini finally relented, slipping into Raven's coat, peeking out with half a face and one eye, warily watching the world.
Raven chuckled, shook his head, and adjusted his coat before stepping outside.
In just one night, the clearing had been tidied into a small country path.
The snow was cleared, and tents circled his own—not like a true domain yet, more like a rough campsite.
A passing woman spotted him and bowed deeply. "Your Highness Raven!"
Raven nodded, but his eyes drifted to the dustpan she carried. "What's that?"
"Reporting to Your Highness—these are wild berries we picked from the bushes nearby. Would you care to try some? I gathered plenty!"
"No need. Go on with your work, I still have things to do."
But the woman insisted warmly: "Please try them, Your Highness! Your herbs saved my sick child. I want to thank you! Don't worry—there are lots and lots of berries growing in that forest."
He'd already been informed of this yesterday.
Unable to resist her earnestness, he accepted a small handful and tried one.
…Sweet. Very sweet.
Not to his taste, but Dratini's eyes lit up with interest.
"They're all yours." He stroked its head.
"Drii~!" Dratini beamed with joy.
Raven walked on, observing his people.
As the woman had said, the knights had found plenty of berry bushes in the forest.
The injured rested in their tents, while the healthy busied themselves with baskets and tools, harvesting berries with great energy.
Raven was pleased. Though not filling, berries were still a welcome food in such conditions.
Then a sudden commotion sounded ahead.
Raven lifted his gaze—at the riverbank not far away, Ryan and a group were fishing through the ice.
(End of Chapter 6)