Caleb reached out and pulled the Dragonite shielding him, saying, "Dragonite, it's okay."
"Wuu." Dragonite turned its head, the dangerous glint in its eyes vanished completely the moment it saw Caleb.
Caleb pinched its chubby little face and then proactively walked to Dragonite's side, exposing himself to Hydreigon's line of sight.
Evolution, besides bringing changes in a Pokémon's appearance and size, can also cause significant changes in temperament for some Pokémon.
An example is Ash's Charizard from the Anime...
Because of this, Caleb couldn't be sure what state the Hydreigon before him was in now.
It has to be said, Hydreigon looks really fierce and scary. Unlike Dragonite's dumb cuteness, its appearance is extremely vicious and frightening.
Caleb could guarantee that if a creature like Hydreigon existed in reality, it would definitely become one of those creatures parents use to scare children.
The newly evolved Hydreigon quickly shifted its gaze from Dragonite to Caleb...
It didn't speak, just quietly watched Caleb with its three heads, from head to toe, as if observing.
Caleb's heart leaped into his throat.
He wasn't afraid of Hydreigon's appearance, but rather worried it would become like Ash's Charizard, entering a rebellious phase and not listening to him.
Dragonite grabbed Caleb's hand with its warm paw, signaling him not to be afraid.
Caleb squeezed back twice. Just as he was about to speak to break the quiet atmosphere, he saw Hydreigon flying towards him.
It flapped the six pitch-black dragon wings on its back, the misty water vapor above the hot spring dispersing from the airflow it created.
In the silence, Hydreigon arrived before Caleb. It tilted its three heads, a look of confusion in its eyes, and said: "Roar?" (Huh? Dad, why do we look different?)
Caleb: "…"
His tense heart instantly relaxed, 'Good, this is still the little dragon I'm familiar with...'
But he really didn't know how to answer this question.
He thought for a moment, then said, "You'll know when you grow up."
"Growl!" Hydreigon nodded, not dwelling on the question any further, and instead returned to the pool to comfortably soak in the hot spring.
"You go soak too!" Caleb said to Dragonite.
"Wuu." Dragonite responded, turning and flying back into the hot spring.
Caleb watched this scene with satisfaction. Since he had already taken a bath earlier, he didn't enter the water this time.
Seeing the joyful expressions on his Pokémon's faces, he turned and left the bathroom, planning to go to the kitchen to get some of Gardevoir's specially made juice.
"Bii!" Celebi, who was playing in the water, saw him leaving and immediately followed.
"Why aren't you soaking anymore?" Caleb asked.
"Bi~" Celebi shook the water off its body and gently landed on his shoulder.
Splashed with water all over his face, Caleb immediately understood... he was being treated like catnip by Celebi again.
...
In the bathroom... Hydreigon had towels placed on its three heads by Caleb. Its tail twitched a couple of times, splashing a large amount of water.
The water splashed onto the other three Pokémon.
Lucario glanced in that direction and then continued to rest with its eyes closed.
Dragonite frowned: "Wuu!"
Hydreigon opened its eyes. It still remembered the hostility Dragonite had shown towards it earlier.
Except for some Dragon-type Pokémon with relatively gentle temperaments, most Dragon-type Pokémon have extremely strong territorial awareness.
Both Hydreigon and Dragonite were no exception.
To Dragonite, if it weren't for Caleb, it would have already beaten this kid up hundreds of times, just like it did to those Dragon-type Pokémon in the Dragon Holy Land.
And to Hydreigon, Dragonite was the bad guy trying to steal its dad. Earlier, it had clearly felt obvious hostility from Dragonite.
Even though it knew the other was protecting their father, the thought that it was the target of Dragonite's vigilance made Hydreigon feel a little wronged.
'How could I ever hurt my own dad?'
Thinking of this, Hydreigon immediately radiated an unhappy aura.
Perhaps due to the fierce genes inherent in its bones, or perhaps due to the protective instinct of a Dragon-type Pokémon over its territory, it let out an angry roar at Dragonite.
Although angry, Hydreigon retained its memories from its Deino period, so it remembered that Dragonite was much stronger than it.
Hydreigon glared at Dragonite, fierce yet timid. No! It felt it had to become stronger, strong enough to rescue its father from the other's 'clutches'!
Dragonite looked on indifferently, snorting two puffs of air from its nostrils.
It thought: 'Forget it, it's just a newly evolved little dragon. I won't bother with it...'
Mimikyu, who witnessed the entire scene, gently patted Dragonite's shoulder, telling it not to be angry, then leisurely swam towards Hydreigon to placate its emotions...
By the time Caleb brought in six cups of juice, Mimikyu had already returned to its spot, and everything looked peaceful, as if nothing had happened.
After finishing their bath, Caleb helped each Pokémon dry off with a towel, then took them back to the living room.
Today, he planned to watch a movie with his Pokémon to celebrate Deino's successful evolution.
His Infinite World home had long been expanded by him using points. As the number of Pokémon increased, the original living room had obviously become much too narrow.
Therefore, Caleb expanded the living room to two hundred square meters in one go, placing an extra-large circular sofa in the middle. Opposite the sofa was installed an extra-large LCD TV.
To cater to his Pokémon's preferences, he planned to watch the latest Pokémon movie today...
Originally, the relationship between humans and Pokémon was formed through capture and training, creating bonds.
Battles and adventures became bridges for the emotional connection between Trainers and Pokémon.
But this movie broke this convention, creating a new bond between humans and Pokémon, different from that of partners or companions.
The movie was an hour and thirty minutes long, telling the story of the Mythical Pokémon, Zarude, raising a human boy.
Caleb watched with great interest. Even Dragonite and the others had much softer eyes after watching the movie.
Caleb became interested. Looking at his five Pokémon, he asked, "If I turned into a child, would you take care of me like Zarude did?"
Hearing this, Mimikyu, Dragonite, and Lucario exchanged an understanding glance.
Unlike Celebi and Hydreigon, they had seen what Caleb looked like as a child. Therefore, the three of them nodded without hesitation.
Celebi imagined the scene. It felt it couldn't refuse a human child carrying a rich aura of nature.
Hydreigon now wished Caleb belonged to it alone. If that day ever came, it would definitely sneak him back to its own nest and raise him well with good food and drink...