[Gyarados]
[Type: Water/Flying]
[Gender: Male]
[Potential: 79.99%]
[Level: 31.17%]
[Ability: Intimidate/20.13%][Hidden Ability: Moxie/15.23%]
[Moves: (Outrage/7.11%)(Twister/10.01%)(Dragon Dance/6.41%)(Dragon Tail/7.22%)(Dragon Pulse/8.34%)(Dragon Rage/5.37%)(Waterfall/13.24%)(Rain Dance/9.39%)(Aqua Tail/7.28%)(Hydro Pump/11.53%)(Surf/8.71%)(Dive/7.93%)(Whirlpool/5.61%)]
[Moves: (Ice Fang/4.51%)(Ice Beam/6.64%)(Thunderbolt/7.58%)(Thunder/6.87%)(Flamethrower/5.37%)(Fire Blast/4.56%)(Bulldoze/5.73%)(Earthquake/7.63%)(Iron Head/8.95%)(Iron Tail/5.61%)(Crunch/6.77%)(Payback/7.71%)(Dark Pulse/3.65%)]
[Moves: (Hurricane/5.33%)(Bounce/9.79%)(Hyper Beam/7.55%)(Take Down/15.69%)(Body Slam/12.24%)(Roar/20.37%)(Double-Edge/13.25%)(Bind/9.33%)(Stone Edge/6.25%)(Rest/17.66%)][Old moves: (Splash/3.21%)(Tackle/2.31%)]
Reiji stared at the panel, then stared some more.
Quasi-Champion potential. He sat there for a solid few seconds before his brain finally produced a coherent thought.
What the hell.
This wasn't a Magikarp "turning its life around." This was a Magikarp turning into a dragon. Every single Dragon-type move Gyarados could learn, his dumb fish had somehow collected like a set.
And it wasn't just Dragon moves. The coverage was ridiculous, and it wasn't junk, either—big, high-power moves across Ice, Electric, Fire, Ground, Steel, Dark, Normal… the whole spread.
If he could keep this Gyarados obedient, he'd just gained a serious monster. It still wasn't on Poliwhirl's level, but a thick-skinned, brutal powerhouse like this could handle most situations without breaking a sweat.
The level jump alone was absurd. It hit the low 30s the moment it evolved. A lot of Advanced tier Pokémon would struggle to beat it straight up.
Intimidate plus that massive body and that nightmare mouth, and half the room would flinch before the battle even started. Then there was Moxie—one KO and it snowballs. One drop, one boost, and suddenly it's swinging like it walked in with a free attack buff.
He really had hit the jackpot. Among his Pokémon, Gengar had the best ceiling, Darkrai was right behind it, and now this Gyarados joined the club. Three partners with a real shot at reaching Champion level.
Honestly, it almost felt wrong to keep a talent like this hidden.
Not yet, though. Once he got to Kanto, he'd let this thing shine.
He closed the panel and released Gyarados.
"Roar…" Gyarados was awake, but it didn't dare move. Everything hurt, and Poliwhirl was sitting right there like a silent threat.
Poliwhirl lifted a bruised fist. "Poli. Still feel like baring your teeth?"
Gyarados immediately lowered its head. "Roar… Boss. I won't."
Poliwhirl glanced at Reiji, who was already spraying medicine onto his knuckles. "Poli. You going to listen to your Trainer?"
"Roar." Gyarados looked at Reiji like it wanted pity more than a fight. "I'll listen."
Reiji exhaled, slow and heavy. Darkrai relayed the gist, and the tension finally drained out of his shoulders.
Pokémon were simple like that, in their own way. Strength talked. The League talked. Even Team Rocket only dared to swagger because they weren't the strongest.
He walked a slow circle around Gyarados and spotted the worst of it—ice burns along its body from Poliwhirl's frozen hits. He started with an ice heal, then followed it up with a potion, working carefully along the damaged patches.
By the time he finished, he was sweating.
Out of curiosity, he measured it while he was at it.
Nine-point-two meters.
The average Gyarados was around 6.5 meters. Gulzar's was big at roughly 7.7. This one wasn't just big—it was the kind of size people talked about.
If he ever released it in public, people would connect the dots immediately. Like a trainer known for a signature Pokémon, this monster would become his trademark.
So be it.
He'd chosen this "dumb fish" with care. He'd fed it resources. He'd even used an Elite four tier Dragon Scale. You didn't spend that kind of time and money just to hide it forever.
Besides, if people started collecting labels for him, he had plenty to spare—Zapdos, Darkrai, Gengar, Rhyhorn, Scyther, Poliwhirl… pick one.
He returned Gyarados to its Poké Ball. For now, it could heal properly at the Pokémon Center on Pummelo Island. Free care was free care, and he'd waited a long time to finally claim it.
"Quincy," Reiji said, turning back. "Magikarp evolved. I'm heading out."
"Go on," Quincy replied without asking for details. "Come drink with this old man again sometime."
Reiji set down extra food and a few bottles near him. "Don't overdo it."
Quincy grinned as he accepted them. "These will last me another half month."
Reiji waved. "When I get back from Kanto, we'll have a proper drink."
"Kanto?" Quincy blinked. "You're going to Kanto?"
"Yeah." Reiji didn't explain further. He just waved again and walked back to pack.
Before he touched the tent, he recalled the Pokémon he couldn't afford to show—Croagunk, Golbat, Marshtomp, and the rest. During the earlier scuffle, Gengar had kept them hidden, so Quincy hadn't seen a thing.
Once everything was packed, he checked the time. Just past ten in the morning.
If he flew straight to Pummelo Island, he'd arrive around midday. He could drop by the Pokémon Center, send Magikarp through, get Gyarados treated, then still make a ship by early afternoon. By night, he'd reach Hamlin Island, then transfer again—there were ferries from the bay over to Dejima, and from there out of the Orange Archipelago and into Kanto.
He'd mapped out three routes out of the Orange Archipelago.
The first was the safest. Hamlin Island sat at the northern edge of the Orange Archipelago, and it was the closest jump to Kanto. By ship, it was only two or three days.
And it wasn't pure open ocean, either. Heading north from Hamlin Island, you'd reach New Island. Keep going and you'd reach the Sevii Islands—Lorelei's home. Past that was Cinnabar Island, and farther north still, you'd reach Pallet Town.
So yeah. Compared to Kanto and Johto, the Orange Archipelago really did feel like the sticks. No wonder that young guy and his cousin had looked down on him. He was an orphan Trainer from a small, forgotten corner of a "backwater" region.
The second route was Team Rocket's airship line based on Valencia Island—right where Professor Ivy's lab was.
Which said everything about how arrogant Team Rocket could be. The airship was fast—one day to Kanto—but he'd have to be out of his mind to pick Team Rocket's route.
The third route was to have Pelipper carry him the whole way.
Technically doable in a day if you endured it, but there was no reason to risk getting lost over open ocean. A ship was steadier, and he wasn't in a hurry.
Safe first. Scenery second. And most of all…
He wanted to see the place where every Trainer's dream began. This "country bumpkin" was finally heading to the big city.
He did wonder if Team Rocket had their hands on some of the ferry lines out of Hamlin Island. They couldn't control everything, but some ships were bound to be theirs.
As long as he didn't expose himself on board, even a Team Rocket transport ship probably wouldn't matter.
Probably.
And if it did…
Well. Ships sank sometimes.
He finished packing, glanced over, and saw Quincy already fishing again. Reiji swung onto Pelipper and waved from the air.
"Quincy, I'm off."
"Next time, bring me a good bottle!" Quincy shouted back, waving lazily.
"Don't drink too much, old man." Reiji called, grinning as Pelipper banked away from Rind Island.
Quincy watched him shrink into the sky until he vanished, then chuckled to himself. He whistled, reeled in a bite, and took a sip of the warm liquor Farfetch'd had brought him. It settled in his chest like comfort.
His phone rang.
Quincy squinted at the screen, muttered to himself, and picked up. "Who's calling me now? That's rare."
"Grandpa Quincy, are you still on Rind Island?"
"Gulzar?" Quincy said, surprised. "What's got you calling?"
"Grandpa Quincy, Travis's Magikarp is ready to evolve. We're coming to Rind Island, and I wanted to check if you're there. We can bring you supplies too."
"That's thoughtful," Quincy said, smiling. "No need. I'm still here. Come on over."
Gulzar hesitated, then lowered his voice. "Grandpa Quincy… do you have any news about Rai-nii? I haven't seen him in a long time."
Quincy glanced at the quiet lake. "Rai? He just left. He's heading to the Kanto Region."
"Just left? Kanto?" Gulzar's voice sharpened with urgency. "What's he going there for?"
"Same thing you're coming for," Quincy said. "He came to Rind Island to evolve his Magikarp. It's done now. He left this morning. He didn't say what he's doing in Kanto, and I didn't ask."
"I get it," Gulzar said, forcing his excitement down. "We'll reach Rind Island by noon. And… we're bringing you some liquor."
Quincy laughed. "Now that's the right kind of tribute."
Gulzar hung up and immediately went looking for Travis.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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