For a mont, Logan didn't know what to do.
Should he make the sa cynical face as Lance, who stood before him, or should he play along and act like they were united against a common enemy?
Co on, he was already in his twenties, a college graduate, and had been working for almost two years. He was long past that "chuunibyou" (middle-school delusions) phase where you fantasize about being a superhero who wants to save the world and build a utopia. Those childish dreams had already been crushed by the cold waves of reality.
And yet, looking at Lance standing in front of him—especially recalling that "Hyper Beam" that looked more like an intercontinental missile—Logan couldn't help but feel that this man just might have the power to make those delusions a reality.
This was a world where Pokémon existed. Individual strength was amplified infinitely—no longer the pure technological world of the past, where a single human's power was a re drop in the ocean of society.
From wtwo to the sheer force Lance had just demonstrated, everything scread the sa truth to Logan:
If you're strong enough, destroying the world isn't that hard!
When you consider how many ancient civilizations have been wiped out over the course of Pokémon world history, it becos clear just how fragile civilization here truly is.
"…Sorry, I don't really understand what you're getting at."
Logan thought for a mont and decided not to provoke this full-blown chuunibyou (lit. "middle-school second-year syndro") patient. He answered in a deliberately vague tone, pretending to be a clueless fifteen-year-old who couldn't yet grasp the grandeur of Lance's ideals.
"My little brother, you're still too young. You haven't seen Pokémon dying, struggling in abandoned polluted sewers. You haven't seen those driven from their hos when humans destroy their habitats. You haven't seen the cri reports buried in League archives detailing all the horrors mankind has committed against Pokémon!"
Lance put on an understanding face, one that made Logan ntally groan: Am I supposed to be touched right now?
From Logan's more mature, post-chuunibyou perspective, Lance was just way too obsessed. He fixated on every injustice while ignoring the good. How exhausting must life be like that?
Sure, humans had done plenty of terrible things, and yes, humanity could be vicious and complex. But people also had an incredible will to survive. When push cos to shove, humans adapt, they evolve. Pollution-heavy factories were becoming rarer, clean energy like solar and electric power had beco the standard. Sure, there were still environntal impacts—but nature was bouncing back, maintaining a delicate balance. No looming disasters anymore.
"Chuunibyou types really do live in their own little fantasy worlds. And sohow he thinks I'm supposed to just get him? Like I'm his destined partner in edgy righteousness?"
Logan had a headache. If he weren't so clearly outmatched right now, he'd love to knock so sense into Lance. He wasn't so hero of justice or villain trying to destroy the world—he was simply chasing his own path, finally seizing the strength he had always dread of.
I an, look at Team Rocket. Their ambitions were at least realistic: money, power, material gain. Isn't that what most people are after?
"You'll understand soday. The Viridian Forest once ca close to total destruction from pollution. That forest granted you the power of the Dragon—it must believe, as I do, that you will fight for nature and all Pokémon. They are my companions, and they fight beside for our shared ideals!"
Lance patted the Aerodactyl beneath him, swung his cape dramatically, and stretched a hand out to Logan. In his palm rested a Poké Ball.
"You're a gifted Dragon Tar. Only a dragon suits soone like you. This Dratini was just born—I had planned to raise it myself, but now that I've t you, I'm giving it to you. As fellow Dragon Tars, I believe you won't let it down. You'll raise it into a powerful partner and lead your dragon army with strength. For our dream, we'll fight together—hahahahaha!"
"…Goodbye, my brother. I'll go stir up trouble with Team Rocket so they don't focus on you. Just don't die before then. I hope soday you'll understand —and stand by my side!"
After all that dramatic monologuing, Lance let out a hearty laugh, his cape billowing behind him. The massive Aerodactyl flapped its blade-like wings and launched into the sky with a sharp dragon cry, vanishing into the heavens.
Logan brushed off the dust and dirt kicked up by Aerodactyl's takeoff, utterly baffled.
He picked up the Poké Ball and held it to his eyes. Through the translucent surface, he could see a cute little Dratini curiously staring back at him. That sa warm feeling he'd had when eting Gible stirred inside him again. The Dratini, still young and kitten-like, rolled its body inside the ball, sending waves of joy directly into Logan's heart.
"What the heck just happened? I t Giovanni, then Lance, and I walked away without a scratch and got all this stuff?"
Logan tilted his head, confused and a little amused. These guys were weirdly generous—traveling all the way to Mt. Moon just to give him things?
Especially Lance—Logan had been mocking him in his head the whole ti, and the guy still gifted him such a valuable Pokémon. Dratini wasn't sothing you just found lying around. Like Gible, it was an extrely rare species. In all of Kanto, you might find just a few of them—about as rare as pandas. A true national treasure of the region!
Only a handful of famous trainers in Kanto even had a Dratini or one of its evolutions. Other than Lance himself, you could count them on one hand!
Logan had originally planned to get stronger, then consult Professor Oak about sightings of Dratini and go catch one himself. He never expected the Dragon Elite himself to just… deliver one to him on a silver platter.
"Well, even if you are a terminal chuunibyou case, I guess you deserve so complints for your generosity."
Logan jumped down from Gabite's shoulder and tossed the Poké Ball, releasing the Dratini.
The mont it appeared, the little dragon let out a cheerful "Mii~", and quickly slithered up Logan's body, wrapping itself affectionately around his neck.
Though a dragon and covered in dragon scales, Dratini's body felt smooth to the touch, like a cool, blue gemstone from a mountain stream—refreshing and chill.
"Gabite, get acquainted. Dratini's our new teammate now… Also, did you see that Hyper Beam Lance's Aerodactyl fired earlier? That thing could flatten a mountain. Let's make a small goal—get strong enough to match that first!"
Gabite roared loudly at Logan's words, while Dratini curiously wriggled around his shoulders, exploring.
"No more slacking now. On our way to Cerulean City, let's get you trained up first!"
"Mii?"
Dratini let out a soft cry. It didn't fully understand what Logan ant, but that was fine. Logan wasn't worried. A Dratini was still a dragon. Cute or not, dragons were born wild and fierce. It wouldn't take long before this little one could fight like a natural.
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