Chen Kai then took out his Pokédex and scanned the Horsea:
Name: Horsea
Type: Water
Level: Normal Class (Level 20+)
Ability: Swift Swim
Gender: ♦
Chen Kai couldn't help but sigh, he had finally escaped the category of a "Grass" type trainer, only to go further and further down the path of Dragon-type Pokémon training.
While continuing to feed Horsea, Chen Kai asked it what moves it knew.
Horsea indicated that it could spray blue water, purple water, and black water.
Chen Kai deduced that these were probably Water Gun, Dragon Breath, and Smokescreen.
Horsea thought for a moment, then added that it could also barely create a Twister in the water, but the effect wasn't ideal. Chen Kai guessed this should be the Dragon-type move "Twister," which was weaker than Dragon Breath, so he told Horsea, "Don't worry about that move for now. Can you use moves like blowing bubbles?"
Horsea shook its head, indicating it couldn't. With this information, Chen Kai roughly estimated Horsea's level to be around 21-24.
"Alright. You can eat in your Poké Ball for now. I'm going to meet a Pokémon, and I'll build you a home when I get back tonight."
As long as Horsea had food, it had no objections.
So, Miraidon carried Chen Kai back to a dilapidated cluster of buildings in Area Zero.
As soon as he arrived, Chen Kai ran into the unfriendly Iron Boulder.
"Yo... hello!" Chen Kai felt a bit uneasy and raised his hand to greet Iron Boulder.
Iron Boulder walked up to Chen Kai, looked him up and down menacingly, and questioned him:
"Humans, Miraidon, what are you doing back here again?"
Chen Kai braved it and took out a bottle of wine from the bag Miraidon was carrying, saying, "I heard you have a fondness for brewing wine, so I brought some special wine from Blue Star. Would you like to sample it?"
This time, Chen Kai had specifically asked Miraidon to carry a box of Yibin's special "Wuliangye," which he intended to give to Iron Boulder.
Chen Kai had long heard from Iron Hands that Iron Boulder loved to drink, but when he came here last time, Iron Boulder's attitude seemed fierce, which made him hesitant to come back.
However, last week, Iron Crown's attitude was quite friendly, and since he was bringing a gift, Chen Kai felt that Iron Boulder probably wouldn't make things too difficult for him, so he decided to try.
And it was just as he expected. Iron Boulder glanced at the bottle of wine, a subtle ripple of emotion flashing in its eyes, but its attitude remained indifferent.
"Hmph." It snorted coldly and turned to leave.
But after taking two steps, it said impatiently, "Follow me." Then it continued walking forward, though its pace was truly slow.
Chen Kai and Miraidon exchanged glances, both smiling knowingly, thinking, "Looks like there won't be much of a problem!"
Iron Boulder led Chen Kai and Miraidon to a relatively clean and tidy house. In the center of the room was a table, clearly meticulously wiped, its surface smooth and shiny, with some fresh Berries placed on it.
Seeing Chen Kai looking around the room, Iron Boulder cleared its throat and said, "Come in and sit."
Chen Kai quickly took the entire box of "Wuliangye" from Miraidon's back, placed it in the room, and took out one bottle, saying:
"Iron Boulder, I heard you love good wine, so I specially brought this bottle. I wanted to have a gathering with you.
You might not know, but this wine is a specialty of Yibin on Blue Star, and Yibin's geographical location in Area Zero happens to be within your jurisdiction."
Iron Boulder nodded, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries, the human and the Pokémon both took their seats.
Chen Kai first poured Iron Boulder a glass of "Wuliangye," and instantly, the aroma of the wine filled the air.
The twin horns on Iron Boulder's forehead glowed faintly orange, and it eagerly used its Psychic power to lift the wine glass, taking a small sip. Its eyes widened slightly, and a hint of surprise appeared on its face.
Immediately after, it took another large gulp, its throat moving, letting out a satisfied sigh.
After one glass of wine, Iron Boulder became noticeably more talkative: "Hey, your name is Chen Kai, right? You drink too!"
Chen Kai quickly waved his hand, explaining, "I'm not an adult yet, so I can't drink."
"Tsk, humans are so troublesome. Then Miraidon, you must drink some." Saying this, Iron Boulder poured Miraidon a glass without question.
"Huh!" Miraidon, who had been silent, was startled by the sudden call: Why was it its turn so suddenly?
Iron Boulder slammed the table: "Huh what huh, don't dilly-dally, don't embarrass us, drink!"
Miraidon carefully took the wine with its claw, took a small sip, and commented, "Hmm, it's not bad, it has a unique flavor."
"Right?!" Iron Boulder seemed to have found a kindred spirit and began drinking cup after cup with Miraidon.
Although Miraidon had lost all its energy, after being nourished by two legendary seasonings, its body had mostly recovered and could break down alcohol relatively quickly, which meant its alcohol tolerance was quite good.
However, Iron Boulder truly seemed unable to break down alcohol. As it drank, the faint orange glow on its body gradually turned reddish, it spoke more and more, and its attitude took a complete 180-degree turn.
"I say, my brother Chen Kai, why didn't you come sooner! All day long you're giving leaves to that green-skinned one, what's so good about leaves? This wine is so good, I should have tasted it sooner!"
Saying this, it ate a Berry as a snack with its drink, and then refilled its and Miraidon's glasses.
In fact, Iron Boulder had long wanted Chen Kai to bring it some wine, but it was too embarrassed to ask.
Recently, Iron Leaves had often brought various teas and pastries for Iron Boulder to taste, which made its heart itch even more.
And Chen Kai had visited it once, then gone to Iron Crown, so it had a very poor impression of Chen Kai.
However, after a few glasses of wine, it had long forgotten about that.
More importantly, this "Wuliangye" was much better than the wine it brewed itself.
Chen Kai smiled and said, "There are many types of wine on Blue Star. Next time, I'll bring you some different flavors."
Iron Boulder laughed happily: "Hahaha! That would be great!"
The human and the two Pokémon chatted more and more congenially, their laughter echoing in the house. The bottle of "Wuliangye" unknowingly ran out, and they took out another bottle.
By this time, Iron Boulder was completely drunk, but it didn't get rowdy; it just started talking nonsense.
Chen Kai also realized from this that although Iron Boulder appeared fierce and aloof on the surface, it was inwardly similar to Iron Leaves and Iron Crown—all were kind-hearted Pokémon.
Outside the house, a green figure and a blue figure appeared at some point.
"This brute, he actually called me green-skinned!!!!" Iron Leaves stomped its foot in anger, wishing it could rush in and beat up Iron Boulder.
Fortunately, Iron Crown pulled it back in time: "It's always been like this, you know that. Chen Kai and Miraidon are having a good time chatting, so let's not disturb them. It's good that nothing happened."
"Hmph! Fine." Iron Leaves snorted softly. Both it and Iron Crown felt that Chen Kai was not bad at heart, and with their "compatriot" Miraidon there, they were worried that Iron Boulder might do something excessive, so they specifically came to check.
Thankfully, everything went smoothly, and everyone was happy. Moreover, they both disliked drinking, so they planned to leave.
But Iron Crown turned to the two Pokémon behind it and instructed, "Your adults are drunk, so you two keep a close eye on them. Don't let that 'fire' dragon from the mountain run out and burn the forest again."
A dark green mechanical dinosaur covered in sharp metal thorns and rock-like armor, and a silver-gray armored combat vehicle with red tracks, responded in unison:
"We will certainly do so, Lord Iron Crown."
These two Pokémon were Iron Boulder's subordinates, 'Number 669' and 'Number 1532'.
And these two Pokémon, in Chen Kai's knowledge, were called Iron Thorns and Iron Treads.