"Roy? What are you laughing at?"
Misty's voice suddenly came from the side.
She tilted her head and looked at Roy, looking completely baffled.
"You're laughing like a cat that stole the cream."
"Am I?"
Roy quickly composed his expression, but the smile in the corners of his eyes couldn't be hidden.
"It's nothing, I just think this Wild Area is really nice."
"Nice?"
Misty looked at him suspiciously.
"Why do I feel like you're up to no good?"
"How could that be!"
Roy denied it righteously.
"I am a decent person!"
Misty rolled her eyes.
Her face clearly said, "I don't believe a word of that."
Delia covered her mouth and giggled on the side.
Her eyes curved into crescents as she looked at Roy tenderly.
Although she didn't know what Roy was happy about.
But seeing Roy happy made her happy too.
This feeling was like her heart being filled with something.
Warm.
Soft.
Delia looked down at the Gloom by her feet.
The Gloom was tilting its head up, looking at her with those round, rolling eyes.
Delia crouched down and gently stroked Gloom's bud.
"Gloom, we're going to catch some new friends later."
"Gloom~!"
Gloom happily shook its head.
The floral scent on its body drifted out as it shook.
Light.
Sweet.
It didn't smell bad at all like a normal Gloom.
Upon smelling this fragrance, Misty couldn't help but lean in.
"Sister Delia, your Gloom smells really good!"
"Yes!"
A blush of pride appeared on Delia's face.
"Miss Janine said that as long as you take care of it with heart, Gloom won't smell."
"I wipe its body, let it sunbathe, and Sing to it every day..."
Eevee saw the commotion here and came running over, bouncing and jumping.
It circled Gloom twice, sniffed with its nose, and then sneezed.
"Eevee~"
Eevee shook its head and stepped back, looking disgusted.
"Gloom!"
Gloom cried out aggrievedly.
It didn't smell!
It really didn't smell!
Eevee tilted its head and came over to sniff again.
This time it didn't sneeze.
It rubbed its head against Gloom, as if apologizing.
The two little ones soon started playing together.
Pikachu stood on the side, arms crossed, nodding maturely.
"Pika Pika~"
(That's more like it~)
"Let's go."
Roy cleared his throat.
"Let's go find the caretaker to get our Wild Area Poké Balls."
Misty stood up and brushed the grass clippings off her knees.
"Right, right! Get the balls, get the balls!"
"I can't wait to catch some cute Water-type Pokémon!"
The three of them walked into the Western cowboy-style caretaker's courtyard.
There was some dry hay piled up in the yard, and a few hitching posts stood nearby.
An old pickup truck was parked in the corner.
Above the main door hung a wooden sign — Wild Area Management Office.
Pushing open the door.
The three of them walked inside the management office.
The light in the room was a bit dim.
The windows were small, and sunlight shone through the glass, casting a square patch of light on the floor.
A faint smell of wood drifted in the air.
The walls were covered with various photos.
There were landscape photos of the Wild Area.
There were group photos of Trainers and the Pokémon they caught.
And some old newspaper clippings.
In the center of the room was a large office desk.
The desk was piled with some documents, forms, and an old-fashioned telephone.
A middle-aged man wearing a cowboy outfit was sitting behind the desk.
He wore a cowboy hat, had some wrinkles on his face, and his skin was tanned dark by the sun.
At this moment, he was looking down intently at something in his hands.
He didn't notice that anyone had come in at all.
Roy stepped forward and spoke politely.
"Hello, we are traveling Trainers, and we would like to receive some Wild Area Poké Balls."
The man was startled!
He sprang up from his chair, his hand instantly reaching for his waist!
A revolver was pulled out by him!
The Dark Void gun barrel was aimed at the three of them!
"Who are you!"
The man glared at them vigilantly.
"What are you doing here!"
Misty's face turned pale as the gun was pointed at her.
She subconsciously took a step back, stumbled, and almost fell.
Delia was so scared that she froze completely.
Eevee and Pikachu also sensed the danger.
A spark of electricity flashed on Pikachu's cheeks, and its body crouched slightly, ready to attack at any moment.
Eevee's fur stood on end, and a low, threatening sound came from its throat.
Roy, however, was very calm.
He looked at the revolver and frowned slightly.
Wasn't this man's reaction a bit over the top?
But he still explained politely:
"We are traveling Trainers, and we would like to receive Wild Area Poké Balls to catch some Pokémon."
The man—Kaiser—looked Roy and the others over carefully for a while.
His gaze lingered on Roy, then looked at Misty and Delia.
Then he looked down at Pikachu and Eevee in their attack stances on the ground.
Confirming that the three of them were indeed dressed as Trainers and not suspicious characters.
Kaiser then breathed a sigh of relief.
He put the revolver back into the holster and raised his hand to press down the brim of his cowboy hat.
"Oh, come over here."
His voice was a bit hoarse, carrying the rugged tone unique to Western cowboys.
"I am the caretaker here, Kaiser."
Kaiser stood up, walked to the side, and picked up a basket.
The basket was filled with green and yellow Poké Balls.
"To catch Pokémon in the Wild Area, I have to tell you the rules first."
Kaiser put the basket on the table and held up a finger.
"First, you can only use Wild Area Poké Balls to catch Pokémon here!"
"Thirty for each person!"
He patted the basket.
"And a fishing rod!"
"Second, you are not allowed to use your own Poké Balls!"
"Third, no battling!"
Kaiser's tone became stern when he said this.
His eyes swept over the three of them, his gaze carrying a warning.
"If you don't follow the rules..."
His hand reached for the revolver at his waist again.
"Then don't blame me for using the Thunder Brothers to greet you."
Kaiser said, patting the holster.
His face was full of "I'm not kidding."
[Ding! Mission triggered!]
[Mission content: Counter the improper threat—educate Kaiser and make him break the habit of threatening people with a gun!]
[Mission reward: 3 intermediate rare candy!]
Roy raised an eyebrow when he saw this mission.
Educate Kaiser?
Make him break the habit of threatening people with a gun?
Honestly.
Even if the system didn't issue this mission.
He planned to do it anyway.
They had already identified themselves.
It had been confirmed that they were traveling Trainers.
And he still drew his gun to threaten them at every turn.
What was that about?
Even excessive law enforcement shouldn't be like this, right?
Not to mention that the gun just now scared Misty and Delia like that.
Roy was already unhappy.
Now the system was even giving three intermediate rare candy as a reward.
Then this lecture.
Must be arranged!
However, Roy didn't rush to speak.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the right opportunity.
An opportunity to leave Kaiser completely speechless.
Misty recovered and started wandering around the office with some curiosity.
She looked at the photos hanging on the wall.
There were the vast grasslands of the Wild Area.
There were herds of Tauros running.
There were group photos of Trainers and the Kangaskhan they caught.
Misty looked at them, clicking her tongue in wonder.
"Wow, this one was taken really well!"
"Eh? Is this a Dodrio? Three heads are so funny!"
Delia also slowly relaxed.
She held the Gloom and looked at the photos with Misty.
"Delia, look at this! This Rhyhorn is so big!"
"Hmm... It looks like it should be at a high level."
Delia replied softly.
Her gaze was suddenly drawn to a photo on the desk.
That was a very special Pokémon.
Its body was slender.
Covered with light blue scales.
It had a pair of small white wings on its head.
Its eyes were big and bright, as if they could talk.
The whole dragon looked both elegant and mysterious.
Misty also noticed that photo.
Her eyes lit up, and she blurted out.
"Eh? Mister, is this a photo of a Dratini?"
As soon as she finished speaking.
The air in the entire office seemed to freeze.
Kaiser's face changed instantly!
He turned around abruptly, his hand drawing the revolver again!
The gun barrel was pointed directly at Misty!
"You woman!"
Veins popped out on Kaiser's forehead, and his voice was full of anger and panic.
"I just told you to follow the rules!"
"What are you doing!"
Misty was terrified as the gun was pointed at her.
She widened her eyes, her lips trembling.
"Ru... rules?"
Misty's voice stuttered.
"I didn't do anything!"
"I was just looking at the Pokémon photos displayed in your office!"
"You... you didn't say we couldn't look around the office!"
Delia was deathly pale with fright on the side.
She was frozen, not daring to move at all.
Roy's eyes turned cold, he ignored Kaiser's gun barrel and walked forward calmly.
He walked up to Misty and reached out to grab her wrist.
Misty's hands were icy and still trembling slightly.
Roy pulled gently, pulling Misty behind him.
His body stood in front of Misty, blocking Kaiser's gun barrel as well.
"You few."
Kaiser's voice turned cold, the revolver in his hand raised, the barrel pointing at Roy's chest.
"Forget what you just saw."
"Now, immediately, leave the Wild Area at once."
His finger rested on the trigger, his knuckles whitening slightly from the force.
"You are no longer welcome here."
The atmosphere in the office dropped to freezing point instantly.
Misty hid behind Roy, her fingers tightly clutching the corner of Roy's clothes.
She could feel her hands trembling.
Just a moment ago, the gun was pointed right at her face.
Inside the Dark Void gun barrel, she could even see the rifling.
That feeling of being pointed at by death made the hair on her back stand up.
Delia's complexion didn't look good either.
Her gaze was fixed tightly on the revolver.
Her heartbeat was so fast it felt like it was about to jump out of her throat.
But Roy didn't move.
He just stood there, his body blocking Misty and Delia.
His expression was very calm.
So calm that it was as if he wasn't facing a real gun, but a toy Water Gun.
"Mister."
Roy spoke, his voice unhurried.
"Aren't your rules a bit too overbearing?"
Kaiser frowned.
He didn't expect this young man to dare to speak like this even while being pointed at by a gun.
"Overbearing?"
Kaiser sneered, the gun barrel pushing forward another half inch.
"The rules here are like this!"
"If I tell you to leave, you leave!"
"Get lost immediately!"
"Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"
When he spoke, the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitched, and a trace of anxiety flashed in his eyes.
That wasn't anger.
It was more like... panic.
Roy could tell.
This old caretaker was afraid.
Afraid of what?
Afraid of Dratini's secret being discovered?
Or afraid of the events of that year repeating themselves?
"Mister."
Roy's tone remained calm, as if he were chatting about the weather with a neighbor.
"Did you not clarify your own identity?"
Kaiser was stunned.
"What?"
"You are just the caretaker here."
Roy said, enunciating every word, his eyes looking straight into Kaiser's eyes.
"Not the owner of this place."
"We have not violated any catching rules of the Wild Area."
"You..."
Roy tilted his head slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint arc.
"What right do you have to drive us away?"
Kaiser's face flushed red.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed the words back.
Because Roy was right.
He was just a caretaker.
Not the owner of the Wild Area.
He was just hired by the League to be responsible for managing the daily affairs of this area.
According to the rules, as long as Trainers follow the rules of the Wild Area, he has no right to drive anyone away at all.
Kaiser gritted his teeth.
He knew he was in the wrong.
But he couldn't let these people stay in the Wild Area.
Couldn't.
Absolutely couldn't.
That photo...
That photo of Dratini was seen by them!
What if they got ideas and wanted to go find Dratini...
Images of the great chaos in the Wild Area from that year flashed through Kaiser's mind.
Hundreds and thousands of Trainers rushed in, searching every inch of grass, draining every pond.
Rhyhorn were chased until their horns broke, Kangaskhan's baby was trampled and injured, herds of Tauros were startled and scattered...
That disaster was caused by him.
It was he who discovered Dratini, and it was he who spread the news.
It was him.
It was all him.
Since then, Dratini had disappeared.
He changed from an ordinary ranger to a caretaker, guarding this Wild Area alone.
He wanted to see Dratini one more time.
Just one more time.
He had been waiting here for so many years, just to see that elegant blue figure again.
But these people...
These outside Trainers, they knew nothing, understood nothing!
Kaiser's eyes turned red.
He hardened his heart and sneered.
"Kid."
His voice became low, carrying a hint of ruthlessness.
"Don't think that just because you brought two weak women, you can pretend to be a strong person."
"This gun doesn't have eyes!"
He poked Roy's chest with the gun barrel.
"You kid, are you really not afraid of guns?"
When this was said, Misty's face looked even worse.
Weak?
Talking about her?
Talking about her, Misty, being weak?
She was the future Gym Leader of the Cerulean Gym!
Misty's fear was quickly replaced by anger for the most part.
She bit her lip, her fists clenched tightly.
Delia didn't have any special reaction.
She knew her strength was indeed not strong.
She was just a beginning Trainer, and her team only consisted of Eevee and Gloom.
But she still felt a bit uncomfortable inside.
Not because she was called weak.
But because of this man's tone.
"First."
Roy held up a finger, his tone still terrifyingly calm.
"These two..."
He turned his head and looked at Misty and Delia behind him.
"Do not exist as my accessories."
"The two of them are strong."
Misty was stunned.
Delia was also stunned.
Roy turned his head and looked at Kaiser again.
The corners of his mouth curled into a faint arc.
"Second, I really am not afraid of your..."
He paused, his gaze falling on the revolver.
"Little gun."