“Hyyyyyyyyyyyy!”

You nearly jumped out of your skin as you heard the roar of a Hydreigon. There were rumors that the three-headed dragon could be found near Lake Axewell but you’d assumed someone had just seen a few too many Deino hanging out together. There was no mistaking the sight before you, though: All three of those blue heads were attached to a single Pokémon and they were all looking right at you.

The Pokémon had been stalking you for longer than you’d realized. He’d seen you enter the area and, in particular, saw the cheerful Sobble loyally following you for a walk. The sight piqued his curiosity. He needed to know more. While normally Pokémon trainers are the ones taking initiative in tall grass, this Hydreigon knew just how to hide in it. He kept low and used his secondary heads to keep eyes on you.

When you encountered wild Pokémon you didn’t battle them. You let Sobble have some harmless fun as you prepared to set up camp. A Quagsire dropped by and gave you a gentle headbutt. A Krabby lightly scratched your Sobble and caused the lil creature to cry in surprise. A Purrloin snatched some of your utensils but, after a short chase, gave them back… well, except for one spoon that you pretended not to notice. Such kindness was completely alien to Hydreigon. He was used to trainers being combative, or worse, when wild Pokémon were around.

Sobble leapt to your defense upon hearing the Hydreigon’s roar. She would attack that three-headed monster the moment he tried to hurt you! But… she didn’t attack. She didn’t need to. The Hydreigon called out again, more quietly this time, as he looked down at Sobble and then back at you. He approached you slowly and silently, floating closer until his central head was nearly against your sternum. He could have struck out at any moment. If he wanted to bite you in three places at once, he could… but then again, he would have done that by now if he wanted to, right?

You moved your hands as slowly as you could; startling a Hydreigon at such close range could end disastrously. You could feel his every breath upon your body. His secondary heads watched your movements with unwavering focus. When your hands reached his central head and started to gently rub its frill, he gave a deep, rumbling “Hyyy…” and softly nuzzled into your chest. His left arm rested on your shoulder; his right squeezed under your arm to pull you closer.

This was far from the rumors of Hydreigon being a ferocious monster. He wasn’t trying to bite you; he kept his mouths closed as he purred and basked in the attention. Perhaps the poor thing had just been misunderstood: He didn’t want to hurt anything. He just wanted a hug!

When you started cooking later, though, you learned that the stories of Hydreigon devouring everything in his path were true. You’d barely finished plating the curry when he pushed in and helped himself to dinner. You had to laugh, though, as its secondary heads were quite the messy eaters. His central head occasionally stopped to lick some of the excess food off their snouts, in the same way you might use a napkin, until he’d finished his meal and curled up for a lazy nap in your camp.