"Your Highness..." Ryan felt an inexplicable excitement in his heart: "Is it like Anna and that little Pokémon?"
"Hmm?" Draconis turned to look at the restless Ryan. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and ask, "Do you also want to have a Pokémon of your own, like Anna?"
Ryan scratched his head sheepishly: "Yeah, then we can fight together!"
"It's not impossible..." Draconis pondered for a moment, then said, "However, Pokémon are very intelligent beings. To capture them, you must treat them with sincerity. You cannot treat them as any form of tool, otherwise, even if you capture a Pokémon, it will leave."
As he spoke, Draconis's gaze fell upon the Dratini swimming in the hot spring.
"Take my Dratini, for example. Although to you, it's just a pet I use to pass the time when I'm bored, in fact, it has always been by my side. To me, it's already like family."
Treat Pokémon as family?
Hearing this, Ryan couldn't help but be stunned.
Draconis naturally saw through his thoughts and couldn't help but say with a smile:
"Pokémon will live with you, eat, and sleep. When you go out, it will obediently wait for you to come home. When you encounter danger, it will also bravely protect you. Although they don't understand anything, to them, you are the most trusted and intimate person in their world."
"It seems... that is indeed the case." Draconis's words reminded Ryan of a description, and he immediately spoke it out: "It's like raising a child."
"So, do you understand what I mean?" Draconis asked.
A scene couldn't help but appear in Ryan's mind.
—He was patrolling and guarding the territory outside, and his Pokémon stayed at home, obediently waiting for him to return. If he didn't return for a long time, that Pokémon would worry and fret.
And when he returned, that Pokémon would immediately become happy. They would eat together, warm themselves around the fire together... Ryan's eyes couldn't help but turn red.
His parents passed away when he was young, and he lived alone, making a living by working in a bakery. Although he later joined the Knights Order, he had always been alone.
He was very lonely and isolated.
If... if there really was such a Pokémon willing to accompany him, he would definitely take good care of it!
Draconis: "..."
Why were this kid's eyes red?
At this moment, Draconis suddenly remembered Ryan's life experience.
His parents passed away early when he was nine years old. Since then, Ryan had been living alone.
Although he had now become the Captain of the Knights Order, his heart was still that of a lonely child.
"Your Highness, I also want to raise a Pokémon!" Ryan pleaded: "Please help me!"
Draconis sighed, then said: "It's not easy to capture a Pokémon."
"What should I do?"
"As far as I know, Pokémon trainers often capture Pokémon through these methods."
"First, by showing them your strength through combat, proving to the Pokémon that you are stronger than it. In this way, you can gain their recognition and make them follow you."
"Second, through some special methods, such as luring them according to the Pokémon's preferences. Some simple-minded Pokémon will be willing to follow you just by giving them some delicious food."
"Third, it's like Anna, you've experienced some things together, and it falls in love with you, and will be willing to stay by your side forever."
"Fourth, it's to take care of the Pokémon before it hatches from its egg. In this way, when the Pokémon hatches, it will treat you as its closest person."
Ryan listened carefully. Currently, the fourth option seemed the least likely, as he hadn't seen any Pokémon eggs nearby.
The third option was also something that was hard to come by. Situations like Anna and Zorua were rare, and Ryan didn't think he was that lucky.
As for the second method... he seemed to know nothing about these Pokémon in front of him, and had no idea what they would like.
In that case, only the first option remained!
With a clang, Ryan drew the iron sword from his waist, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the group of Pokémon in front of him.
Let's fight!
"Quack!"
The two Psyduck realized the danger and fled in a panic. The Marill in the hot spring immediately retracted its head into the water and dived in.
Ryan: "?"
Ryan was at a loss. Looking at the empty hot spring in front of him, he couldn't help but ask, "Isn't this how you do it?"
"..." Draconis was a little speechless: "Every Pokémon has a different personality. Even Pokémon of the same species have those who like to fight and those who don't. If you encounter the latter, fighting them is completely ineffective."
Moreover, in this era, there were no Poké Balls, so it was impossible to knock them out and capture them.
"Then what should I do?" Ryan was instantly dumbfounded.
Draconis's gaze fell on the Pokémon in another hot spring.
Psyduck, often suffers from headaches. If medicine for headaches could be provided, perhaps they could get closer to them.
Buizel, a super strong utility Pokémon, proficient in Rock Smash, Machamp, Dig, Surf, Dive, and Waterfall.
Simisear, a Fire-type Pokémon, the evolved form of Pansear, very fond of sweet things.
Draconis told Ryan the general preferences of these Pokémon.
After listening, Ryan's gaze turned to that Simisear.
"Likes sweet things? What a coincidence, I have some Candy from the Royal City at home!" Ryan was a little excited.
And looking at that Pokémon, it looked very warm. It was still a snowy winter, and if he could live with it, he would no longer be afraid of the cold!
"I'll go back and get the Candy now!" Ryan said excitedly.
"Sir!" The little knight beside him was stunned and quickly called out.
Draconis glanced at him and said with a smile, "If you also have a Pokémon you like, you can also go back and prepare."
But the little knight named Manon hesitated for a while, and finally chose to stay.
He shook his head and said, "I'll stay here to protect His Highness!"
Draconis was helpless, but he didn't force it. Instead, he turned his gaze to that Simisear.
Simisear, to be honest, is a very unpopular Pokémon in the game.
But if Ryan could really capture it, it wouldn't be a bad thing for the territory.
Because Simisear can spray high-temperature flames exceeding three hundred degrees. In this way, by next spring, they could ask this Simisear to help fire clay bricks and roof tiles to build more suitable houses.
As he was thinking, a ripple suddenly spread across the surface of the hot spring.
Immediately after, the figure of Dratini emerged from the water.
It held an orange-yellow stone in its mouth, then slowly placed it in Draconis's palm.
"Woo!" Dratini was very happy.
This was a stone it found underwater, a gift for Draconis!
Looking at the appearance of the stone, Draconis was slightly stunned.
This is... a Fire Stone?
Wait!
Draconis suddenly realized something.
He looked up at this sudden hot spring, and then thought that this Fire Stone was picked up by Dratini underwater, and also, Pansear needs a Fire Stone to evolve into Simisear.
So... beneath this hot spring, could there be a Fire Stone mine?!