Chapter Twelve: Mesia, the Shining Many-Dragon

"Dragomessia—that should be a Pokémon native to the Galar region, shouldn't it? Why is it appearing in Hoenn? And from the looks of it, it's wild?" Zhao Fang lay in his tent, staring at the ceiling and sinking into deep thought.

He had played Sword and Shield; though he had harshly criticized the game for its reduced Pokédex and short storyline when it first released, his curiosity and longing for new regional Pokémon ultimately got the better of him. He bought the game, finished the Champion challenge during a weekend, and started a second playthrough. But before he could play the Sword and Shield DLC, Zhao Fang had been transported into this world, leaving him with the regret of never completing the full Pokédex. Though not much of a breeding or competitive player, he was well-versed in basic Pokémon information, especially on Dragomessia—the powerful semi-legendary Pokémon of the Galar region. Naturally, he knew it well.

Dragomessia, with its Ghost-type addition, had a wider range of vulnerabilities compared to pure Dragon-types, yet its speed was phenomenal and made it highly sought after.

But Zhao Fang could never have imagined that he would encounter a Dragomessia on the road from Old Rose Town to Orange City. It was as absurd as starting out in Sapphire, stepping into the grass with a level five starter, and bumping into a level sixty Groudon.

"It can't be my imagination, so this means a Dragomessia has somehow wandered into Hoenn for reasons unknown…" Excitement made Zhao Fang tremble. This was Dragomessia, an overwhelmingly powerful semi-legendary in the games, a Pokémon recognized as immensely valuable, second only to true legendary beasts.

Moreover, Zhao Fang possessed the ability to create Pokémon food that increased base stats. If he could raise Dragomessia to evolve into Dragobalto, would it still be just a semi-legendary? Maybe it could go even further.

But Zhao Fang quickly calmed down as another problem dawned on him.

Dragomessia is a Ghost and Dragon-type Pokémon. Ghost-types share a trait: they can't be hit by Normal or Fighting moves unless the attacker knows something like Foresight.

Now, here's the issue: Magikarp is currently a weak Water-type Pokémon, unable to use any Water-type moves, knowing only Splash and Tackle. Without Foresight, how could Magikarp attack Dragomessia and help Zhao Fang capture it?

There was simply no way to fight. Even if Magikarp used Tackle all day long, it wouldn't harm Dragomessia. The only path forward seemed to be throwing a Poké Ball directly—taking a chance on a single, miraculous catch.

But Zhao Fang didn't believe he had the luck to pull off such a feat, catching a Pokémon just by tossing a Poké Ball, let alone something like Suicune.

Furthermore, a Poké Ball damaged after a failed capture couldn't be used again, and Zhao Fang only had this one Poké Ball. Earning money for more Poké Balls would take a long time.

As for asking others for help, that wasn't an option. Dragon-type Pokémon were symbols of power in this world. Even if others hadn't seen Dragomessia before, the risk remained. Besides, if someone else helped capture it, Dragomessia might not recognize him as its trainer.

"My head hurts..." Zhao Fang felt overwhelmed. The joy and surprise of seeing Dragomessia had been replaced by the headache of figuring out how to catch it. The feeling was downright vexing.

He almost wished he hadn't seen Dragomessia at all, sparing himself this agony.

"Wait, if that's the case, then the one who communicated with me telepathically last night must have been..." Zhao Fang sat up abruptly. Last night, he had heard a voice in his mind speaking to him.

At the time, he thought it was a psychic Pokémon like Ralts, but now, realizing Dragomessia was the one following him and stealing Magikarp's food, Zhao Fang suspected the voice might have been Dragomessia.

If so, did that mean Dragomessia had the ability to read minds?

Zhao Fang felt the rarity of Dragomessia even more keenly—a Pokémon capable of communicating with its trainer was practically an angel.

"But I probably can't capture it... Maybe I have to resort to bribery?" Zhao Fang rummaged through his backpack. The Pokémon food inside was enough for Magikarp for three days, but if Dragomessia joined in...

He felt a headache coming on. Money might not buy everything, but that didn't mean you could do without it.

"Let's do it!" Zhao Fang clenched his fists, determined to win Dragomessia's stomach over and find a way to capture this precious semi-legendary beast.

He recalled his experience feeding stray cats in his neighborhood. At first, the cats were wary, ignoring even the most enticing canned food and watching him suspiciously. But as Zhao Fang fed them every day at the same time and place, the strays stopped resisting him—some even rubbed against his legs with upright tails, and wouldn't protest if he picked them up and carried them home.

Of course, Dragomessia wasn't a stray cat, but the method should work. Zhao Fang was confident that as long as Dragomessia wasn't stupid, it would know how valuable his food was.

"This feels a bit strange," Zhao Fang muttered, feeling his actions were oddly similar to some goldfish man luring little girls with candy.

"Gold... goldfish... man?" The familiar voice made Zhao Fang pause. He glanced around his tent, and through the window noticed Dragomessia's yellow eyes.

This time, seeing it up close, Zhao Fang confirmed that this Dragomessia was indeed a shiny Pokémon—its color different from the usual, the pale blue so striking and vivid.

But as soon as their eyes met, Dragomessia darted away at lightning speed, so fast Zhao Fang couldn't even raise his hand in time.

"No wonder it's renowned for its speed among semi-legendaries," Zhao Fang mused, shaking his head at Dragomessia's astonishing quickness. He thought Dragomessia might as well be called the Blue Flash.

On second thought, if he did manage to catch it, and Dragomessia's speed kept increasing, the name Blue Flash would suit it perfectly.