Floyd's Pokémon collectively congratulated him on his progress.
"Ehew!" Dratini glanced at Growlithe and the leader, Goomy, issuing a silent challenge.
Feeling the pressure, Growlithe and Goomy sensed their younger brother catching up, igniting a dignified competitive spirit.
"Oh, want a battle?" Floyd inquired, intrigued.
Dratini nodded in affirmation.
"Who will you fight?" Floyd queried.
Dratini's tail gestured towards Horsea.
"Horsea~" Horsea, perplexed, wondered how she had provoked Dratini, unable to recall any such incident.
"It's good timing, right after eating. Fighting helps with energy absorption," Floyd remarked with a sly smile.
Horsea, seeking to escape, found herself relocated in front of Dratini by Floyd.
"Horsea~" She gave Floyd a pitiful look, but he remained unmoved.
Angrily, Horsea stamped her tail.
"Horsea~" (You, little brother, I didn't provoke you!)
"Ehew?" (What do you mean?)
"Horsea!" (Why are you fighting me?)
"Ehew," (You're the strongest after elder brother.)
"Stay away, fighting maniac!" Horsea exclaimed, trying to hide, but Dratini launched a Twister attack.
Dodging swiftly, Horsea narrowly avoided it. Dratini then accelerated using Extreme Speed.
Bang!
Hit by the attack, Horsea, now furious, realizing Dratini's earnest approach. Water emerged from her mouth as she launched a Water Gun at Dratini.
Dratini immediately employed a Protect Move in defense.
Horsea activated her smokescreen, and a cloud of black smoke enveloped them.
Dratini unleashed his Thunder Wave towards Horsea's position, accurately hitting her and predicting her next move. Indeed, Horsea was executing Dragon Dance, but it was thwarted by the Thunder Wave.
Horsea, seeing herself immobilized, was desperate. She longed to sprint towards the lake but found herself unable to move.
ROAR!
Suddenly, the roar of the young Gyarados filled the air, leading them to believe he was about to attack. Fraxure readied himself for combat, but to everyone's surprise, Gyarados merely roamed around them before continuing in his own direction.
This action left everyone confused; they had assumed he would come to his sister's aid, but he behaved as if he were just a passerby.
In truth, Gyarados had initially intended to attack, enraged by the sight of his sister being defeated by a younger Pokémon like Dratini.
However, as he moved to act, he reconsidered, his rationality overtaking his anger, realizing he couldn't defeat them. Thus, he altered his course, rushing away as if he were merely passing through.
Observing the continued surprise of his Pokémon, Floyd called out, "Continue,"
Just then, Horsea managed to overcome her paralysis. While Gyarados hadn't directly intervened, his presence had inadvertently assisted Horsea.
Horsea launched another Smokescreen, and Dratini tried another Thunder Wave, but to no avail. She had learned her lesson and didn't use Dragon Dance this time, instead rushing towards the lake.
Dratini, realizing too late, only saw Horsea sprinting towards the lake and hastily used his Extreme Speed.
Bang!
Horsea was struck, but the force of Dratini's move propelled her into the lake, aiding her escape as she disappeared into the water.
Now, Dratini was faced with a dilemma, unable to see Horsea.
Spurshhhh!
A Water Gun blasted towards Dratini.
Bang!
The attack drenched and injured Dratini.
Dratini activated Twister with his tail, but upon hitting the water, there was no reaction. Moments later, another Water Gun struck him.
"Ehew!" (You scoundrel, come out here!)
Dratini fumed over Horsea's cunning move. 'You are clearly older, and a higher level than me, and yet you dare use such rogue tactics?' Dratini voiced his grievance in his mind.
If Horsea heard Dratini's thoughts, she would have retorted, "Little brother, that's precisely why I'm older than you."
A few Squirtles, Wartortles, and other Pokémon awoke, observing the battle with interest but refrained from intervening.
Spurshhhh.
"Ehew!!!" Dratini, overwhelmed by pain, used Dragon Dance in anger.
Spurshhhhhhh.
A Water Gun Hit him.
He felt dizzy as he was propelled into the air, his Dragon Dance abruptly interrupted.
Upon landing, Dratini, filled with reluctance, rushed towards the lake, unleashing Dragon Breath, Dragon Rage, and Twister in a fit of rage.
"Ehew, Ehew!" (Come out, come out, you scoundrel! Bad elder sister!)
As Dratini called out for Horsea, he was met with another Water Gun.
Spurshshhhhhh.
The force sent Dratini reeling in pain.
Struggling to his feet, Dratini panted, his eyes brimming with tears of frustration, which he desperately tried to hold back, not wanting to leave a moment of black history in his life.
However, there was one thing Dratini couldn't control: the tears that started to fall from his eyes. He quickly shook his head in an attempt to dispel his tears, then glanced at Floyd and the other Pokémon, feeling embarrassed. However, they looked at him with understanding, showing no signs of judgment.
Dratini thought he might have gone unnoticed.
Hesitant to approach the lake for fear of being hit again by Horsea's attack, Dratini kept his distance. This resulted in a stalemate, with neither party willing to make a move.
Horsea, in the lake, was content to stay submerged. Her thoughts were clear: she didn't mind if Dratini chose not to approach; she could remain in the water indefinitely.
Dratini, on the other hand, was growing increasingly impatient. The prolonged silence was unbearable for him, yet he still didn't dare to get too close to the lake.
In an attempt to break the impasse, Dratini decided to take a risk and began performing Dragon Dance. He was confident that at this distance, Horsea wouldn't be able to reach him.
Meanwhile, Floyd and his Pokémon, who were observing from a distance, reacted to the scene. Floyd, watching Dratini's actions, shook his head.
He recognized Dratini's inexperience: from the moment Horsea had dived into the water, Dratini could have effectively used Thunder Wave against her.
Horsea's strategy wasn't to Dive indefinitely. As long as one could pinpoint her location accurately, it was possible to hit her.
Thunder Wave, being an electric move, could have been particularly effective. Even though it was primarily a status move, once released into the water, it could amplify its effect, potentially paralyzing Horsea.
But, to be honest, Dratini has more experience in battling than Horsea. He was just a bit impatient, and this little girl, Horsea, was also sly, using shameless tactics like this against her younger brother.
"Gooo~" (Elder sister, I saw little brother Dratini cried), the youngest Goomy informed the elder sister Goomy.
"Goo~" (I saw it too), the elder sister Goomy agreed.
"Awrr" (Little brother Dratini looked pitiful and somewhat cute when he cried), Growlithe commented.
"Goo~" (Yeah), the leader Goomy concurred.
"Fra-xure" (Although our little brother is strong, he is still a child, not even a month old; I can understand it), even Fraxure joined the conversation.
If Dratini had known what his elder siblings were saying, he would have buried himself in the ground from embarrassment, realizing they had actually witnessed his tears.
The very thing he hoped to avoid had occurred, destined to become an embarrassing part of his history.
For the moment, however, Dratini, having completed his Dragon Dance, gazed at the lake, filled with a sense of grievance.