"Magikarp!"Yozora recognized it instantly—it was his own Magikarp, though now it had grown much larger.
Back when it was first transferred here, Yozora remembered Magikarp being only about a meter and a half long. Now, it had already reached three meters in length.
Boom!Like a massive bomb dropping into the water, the enormous Golden Magikarp splashed back into the river, sending up waves as tall as a wall.
Instinctively, Yozora released his Aura, forming a shimmering blue barrier around himself to block the spray.
"..."Professor Oak, however, wasn't so lucky. He was drenched from head to toe, his hair plastered against his forehead, his clothes soaked through completely. His expression was one of sheer exasperation.
But then again—
He was used to this by now. Following Yozora's instructions, Professor Oak often came here to feed Magikarp with calcium supplements.
Otherwise, Magikarp could never have grown to such an enormous size.
"Karrrp~ karrrp~"Magikarp spotted Yozora and quickly surfaced, eyes curving into happy crescents. It splashed around, calling out loudly to show how much it had missed him.
"It's been a while, Magikarp." Yozora smiled, reaching out to stroke its golden scales.
"Come on, evolve soon. Once you become a Gyarados, I'll be able to keep you by my side more often," he said with a laugh.
Magikarp, after all, was a creature of the water—carrying it around was always inconvenient.
But a Gyarados? That was different. On land or at sea, it would be a mighty force.
"Karrrp~"Magikarp just kept laughing, whether or not it understood him, Yozora couldn't tell.
"Golduck!"
One after another, the Pokémon Yozora had left in storage here appeared, quickly gathering around.
Golduck, Aegislash, Kangaskhan, Nidorino, and the Golden Magikarp—five in total.
And that wasn't all.
On his person, Yozora carried eight more: Beedrill, Charizard, Gengar, Pidgeot, Machamp, Graveler, Miltank, and Dratini.
Thirteen Pokémon altogether.
This was the result of Yozora's eight-month journey around the Kanto region.
"Everyone, come out!" Yozora held up the Poké Balls in his hands and tossed them all into the air.
In an instant, beams of white light flashed across the field. His Pokémon appeared one by one, gathering together in a grand assembly.
Aside from the tiny Dratini, all of them were large, imposing Pokémon.
Clearly, Yozora favored strength-oriented partners.
Big Pokémon might not be as nimble as the little ones, but in terms of raw power and stamina, the difference was undeniable.
And under Yozora's strict training, these heavyweights were anything but clumsy. Their speed was nothing to scoff at.
"Mm. The numbers are few, but the quality of each is extremely high." Professor Oak nodded repeatedly in approval.
Even though he had stepped away from battling, the former Champion-level Trainer still had a sharp eye.
With a single glance, he could tell how strong Yozora had become. His growth over the past half year was astonishing.
"By the way, Yozora—Ash and Gary have already gone out to train, making their final preparations for the Indigo Plateau Conference. But Red is still here. Do you want to meet him?" Professor Oak suddenly asked.
"Red is here too?" Yozora was stunned, then nodded. Leaving Golden Magikarp behind, he brought the rest of his Pokémon and followed Professor Oak toward Red's storage grounds.
Yozora's and Red's storage areas were separated by a small grove.
Crossing through, Yozora soon spotted Red and his Pokémon on the grassy field beyond.
His black hair was short and messy, his crimson eyes shining with unshakable resolve. Now about sixteen, Red stood tall, his face sharp, a confident smile always tugging at the corners of his lips.
As expected of the legendary protagonist of the Pokémon series—even from dozens of meters away, Yozora could feel the magnetic presence radiating from him.
The energy was strong.
The aura, the mental force—both stronger than Ash's by far.
Surrounding Red were towering Pokémon: Poliwrath, Pikachu, Venusaur, Dragonite, Snorlax, Gyarados, Lapras, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Golem, Arcanine, Aerodactyl, and Steelix…
Tch tch. Truly worthy of being called Red…
After traveling Kanto, it looked like he had captured nearly all of the region's strongest species.
And that Pikachu wasn't just any Pikachu—it was his Partner Pikachu.
Yozora's gaze sharpened. He could see it clearly—it had Elite-level potential, with levels already sky-high.
Compared to Ash's Pikachu, perhaps it didn't boast the same explosive growth or miraculous bursts of power. But in terms of stability, fundamentals, and consistency, Red's Pikachu was far superior.
And then there was Dragonite…
When Yozora's eyes fell on the massive orange Pokémon, he felt a pang of disbelief.
The rest of Red's team he could accept—but Dragonite? That was something else.
After all…
Gary and Ryūnan had both raised Dratini from childhood, and even now had only managed to evolve them into Dragonair.
Even Yozora himself had a Dratini, and it was still just that—a Dratini.
But Red… Red actually had a Dragonite.
How had he raised it?Or was his luck simply outrageous—capturing a wild Dragonite outright?
"Yozora, long time no see."
As Yozora studied Red and his Pokémon, Red finally noticed him as well. He waved with a smile, a glint of battle spirit flashing in his crimson eyes.
The two had grown up together, always rivals in secret.
Yozora had received a Weedle; Red, a Poliwag.
Back then, Weedle was no match for Poliwag.
Even as a Kakuna, it was still outclassed by Red's Poliwhirl.
Only when it evolved into Beedrill had Yozora finally managed to suppress Red—for a few years.
But now, years later, both had cultivated powerful lineups of their own.
The air between their gathered Pokémon crackled with battle intent.
So strong! Yozora's heart skipped a beat. "That Poliwrath has already reached Elite Four level! And that Dragonite—it's at peak Gym Leader tier?"
Poliwrath being Elite Four-level… that didn't surprise Yozora too much. After all, it was Red's very first partner.
And Red, as the ultimate protagonist of the Pokémon saga, was practically born with plot armor.
But Dragonite… at peak Gym Leader tier… that was terrifying.
On top of that, Red's Partner Pikachu and Venusaur—his signature aces—were no weaker than Yozora's Charizard or Golduck.
In other words, on paper, compared to Yozora, Red was ahead by one whole Dragonite.
And not just any Dragonite—a peak Gym Leader tier Dragonite!
"Red, that Dragonite of yours…" Yozora couldn't help but ask.
"Oh, Dragonite?"
Red turned his head toward it. Dragonite glanced down at him, expression resolute, yet with an oddly goofy charm…
That was Dragonite for you—maximum friendliness!
"At the time, I was helping rescue shipwreck survivors at sea when I met Dragonite," Red recalled, smiling faintly. "Dragonite was helping in the rescue as well. We shared the same spirit, so we became friends."
Yozora: "..."Professor Oak: "..."
…
…
(End of Chapter)