This was a peaceful and quiet little village, with a small population and close, harmonious relationships between neighbors.
When people passed each other on the road, they always greeted one another cheerfully, laughing about which kid had caused trouble today and how mischievous they were.
But even in such a tiny village, there was a faint hint of something unusual.
Suddenly, a noisy group of kids, faces smudged like little mud monkeys, came charging out from the forest near the village. Though their faces were a little tanned, their eyes sparkled brightly.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! My Fraxure is gonna reach the finish line first! I'm totally winning this time!" shouted a sturdier boy among the group, his voice full of excitement.
"Hmph! Go, Axew! Pass that big tooth!" a little girl yelled back fiercely, cheering for her Pokémon.
If anyone were to look ahead of the children right then, they'd witness a rather astonishing scene.
Fraxure…
A whole group of Fraxure!
Their dark green scales marked them as pure-blooded Dragon-type Pokémon. Their evolution, Haxorus, was said to possess attack power rivaling that of Legendary Pokémon.
What's more, their gentle temperaments completely defied their appearance. They loved caring for their companions; one of the few kindhearted species among Dragon-types.
That's why every single Fraxure was rare and precious, the kind of partner most Trainers could only dream of.
And yet, this group of kids were clearly their Trainers… actual owners.
Instead of pampering their Fraxure, the kids were using them to race for fun.
…Who could run faster? Outrageous!
"Ron! You all stop right there!"
It was as if Arceus Himself could no longer bear the sight of these Fraxure being "mistreated," and had sent a warrior of justice to rescue them.
"It's Wilma! Fraxure, come back!" the leading boy cried out in panic, calling to his Fraxure before turning and running the other way without a second thought.
The other children also saw the white-haired old lady standing ahead and bolted in fear, some even forgetting to call their Fraxure/Axew back.
But how could a bunch of kids possibly outrun a clearly "powerful" elder?
They'd barely gotten a few steps when they suddenly felt themselves floating backward -completely out of control- and landed right back beside Wilma. Not even one Pokémon escaped.
Next to Wilma stood an innocent-looking Exeggutor, calmly using Confusion. It levitated the children gently into a line in the air without harming them at all.
"How many times have I told you? Stay away from the back mountain. There's something terrifying there. Even your parents wouldn't be able to handle it."
Wilma scolded them with frustration, though her voice was full of energy despite her white hair.
"Tch. We've heard that our whole lives. We've gone back there tons of times and never seen anything dangerous," Ron muttered, clearly unconvinced.
"You're the worst of them all. You're the oldest, and you still lead your younger siblings up the mountain. Maybe I should take back your Fraxure."
"No, no, Wilma, I was wrong! Don't separate me and Big Tooth! We rely on each other! I can't be without him!"
"Fraxuree!" the Fraxure, still floating in midair under Confusion, cried out too. Its pitiful expression made it look like it had suffered a terrible injustice.
"Then listen to me properly. Or else I'll make you regret it," Wilma huffed. Of course, she only meant to scare them a bit. Still, she found herself wondering… where on earth did she learn these awful lines from anyway?
"Exeggutor, let them-"
"ROOOAAR!"
Suddenly, a dragon's roar echoed throughout the quiet village. Wilma, whose expression had just softened, instantly frowned and looked in the direction of the sound.
"Wilma! Something's wrong! Ron's Zweilous went berserk again! His parents have already been injured…"
"What happened to my mom and dad?! Where are they?!" Ron, who had just been set down by Exeggutor, shouted at the messenger in panic.
"Don't worry, their injuries aren't serious. Sir Drayden saved them already. But the house… it's gone."
"My house..." Ron looked relieved at first, then froze again. The house was destroyed? They'd been able to control it before…
"Let's go. We'll take a look," Wilma said. At some point, a Hydreigon had appeared beside her, silently hovering in midair.
"You all head home right now! If Exeggutor tells me later that someone didn't go home, I'll come over and deal with you myself!"
Wilma lifted Ron onto Hydreigon's back and jumped up herself without effort. She still had the energy to threaten the other kids while doing it.
The children scattered in all directions. Exeggutor's Confusion was too terrifying, it could cover the entire village.
…Snitching would be all too easy.
---
Elsewhere, Hydreigon carried Ron and Wilma to the scene of the incident.
An old wooden house had completely collapsed, with flames still rising and thick smoke billowing out.
Several villagers were using Water-type Pokémon to put out the fire.
Nearby on the grassy field, a tall man with graying hair was commanding a Haxorus, trying to hold back a frenzied Zweilous.
"DAAD! MOOOOM!"
Ron's voice rang out from above.
There was a stir in the crowd, and a man and woman came rushing out, supporting each other. Seeing Ron leap down from Hydreigon and run toward them, the man couldn't help but try to scold him.
"Where the hell did you run off to?! I thought you were buried in there!" Ron's dad raised a hand to smack the boy, but being injured, he couldn't move well and was stopped by others.
"You little brat! Your father thought you were still inside and fought to hold off the Zweilous, he got hurt because of that!" Ron's mom, calmer, quickly explained, afraid the two would start fighting.
"I…" Ron's eyes welled up as he looked at his injured parents. He was too overwhelmed to speak. He'd been terrified too.
"It's okay, it's okay. As long as everyone's safe."
"What matters is the family being together. A house can always be rebuilt."
"Yeah, that's right. It all ended okay. Besides, Sir Drayden's back now, and Wilma's here too. Everything will be fine."
The people around tried to comfort them, but there was a tinge of sadness in their voices. Who would've thought that something once envied by all would end up like this?
On the other side, when Wilma arrived, Drayden clearly let out a breath of relief.
This Zweilous hadn't even fully evolved, and yet it was overpowering his Haxorus. It was unnaturally strong.
Wilma pulled out an old-looking Poké Ball. Exeggutor appeared once again.
"Exeggutor, use a strong Sleep Powder!"
"Exeee-!"