Chapter 32: The Fish Leaps Over the Dragon's Gate! A Raging Storm!
But Magikarp was nothing if not stubborn. Fueled by pure rage, it ignored its exhaustion and threw its battered body at Charmander again.
Charmander dodged easily, chirping taunts and occasionally making faces at the furious fish. Even Melody couldn't help but facepalm at her Pokémon's obnoxious behavior.
Suddenly, distracted by its own mockery, Charmander misjudged a dodge. Magikarp slammed into its stomach, sending the fire lizard tumbling backward.
Despite its reputation as the weakest Pokémon, Magikarp still had decent base stats. And after reaching 4-Star rank, its stats far surpassed those of a base-form Charmander. Coupled with a seven-level advantage (Level 20 vs. Level 13), the impact was surprisingly strong, leaving Charmander momentarily stunned.
Seeing red, the Magikarp didn't hesitate. It flopped forward, ramming into Charmander again.
Now genuinely flustered, Charmander retaliated with a burst of Ember.
But the enraged Magikarp didn't even try to dodge. It charged straight through the flames, crashing into Charmander once more.
Finally taking the fight seriously, Charmander scrambled back up, chirping defiantly. But Magikarp wasn't interested in a shouting match. Blinded by fury over its stolen meal, it just kept relentlessly tackling Charmander.
However, Magikarp's limited move pool and lack of limbs were a severe handicap on land. Despite being technically faster, it was clumsy and inflexible. Charmander, now focused, easily dodged most of the attacks, occasionally striking back with Ember or Scratch, all while continuing its verbal assault.
Nearby, Kenji and Melody watched the "battle" unfold. Melody wasn't worried about Charmander getting seriously hurt, but Kenji's heart ached as he saw Magikarp accumulating more and more injuries.
Yet, the pain didn't deter Magikarp in the slightest. If anything, it only fueled the fury burning in its eyes.
Almost... just a little more...
Kenji watched Magikarp's condition, his own heart pounding, his breathing shallow. He knew it was close. The evolution was hanging on a knife's edge.
Constantly kited and attacked by Charmander, the already exhausted Magikarp was running purely on fumes—driven by sheer rage and a desperate refusal to give up. The feeling intensified, a strange power stirring deep within its body. As the anger and frustration reached a fever pitch, the unknown sensation grew stronger.
Fueled by this primal rage, Magikarp launched itself at Charmander one last time.
But this time, Charmander didn't dodge. It leaped into the air, spun, and lashed out with its flame-tipped tail, delivering a powerful whip-like strike straight at the airborne Magikarp.
Caught mid-air with no way to maneuver, Magikarp could only watch as the tail slammed into its face.
Smack!
Its body went flying.
As it tumbled through the air, Magikarp saw the overturned food bowl floating in the pool. It saw the scattered Pokéblocks on the ground. It saw the smug Charmander watching it fall.
And... it saw Kenji, standing not far away, frowning.
In that instant, Magikarp interpreted Kenji's frown as utter disappointment.
Everything—the humiliation, the pain, the perceived failure—ignited the simmering rage into an inferno. The desperate frustration boiled over.
Why... why am I so weak?!
Splash...
Magikarp hit the water and sank beneath the surface.
Seeing this, Kenji, whose frown had been born of worry for Magikarp's injuries and disappointment that the evolution hadn't triggered, shot to his feet. He couldn't wait any longer; he had to check on it. With its potential, evolving into Gyarados was inevitable eventually. Right now, preventing permanent injury was more important.
But before he could take more than a few steps, a brilliant white light erupted from beneath the water's surface.
Kenji froze, his eyes wide, his body trembling slightly.
Behind him, Melody gasped. "Is that... the light of evolution?!"
There was no mistaking it. And it was coming from the exact spot where Magikarp had fallen.
Underwater, the light began to expand rapidly, transforming from a small orb into a long, serpentine shape.
It worked!
Kenji could hear his own heart pounding in his chest.
The sudden, brilliant light instantly drew the attention of every other trainer and Pokémon in the aquatic training area. As everyone watched, transfixed, the light slowly began to fade after about a minute.
In its place, a massive, dark shadow lurked beneath the water.
"Gulp..."
"What is that thing? It feels... terrifying..."
"Didn't... didn't a Magikarp fall in right there?"
Even before the shadow revealed itself, an overwhelming pressure began to suffocate the training hall. The other Pokémon in the pool instinctively retreated, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the shape in the water. Charmander trembled, slowly backing away on its short legs.
It wasn't just the Pokémon. The trainers felt it too—a tangible, suffocating aura of pure power.
Kenji's body shivered uncontrollably, not from fear, but from sheer, unadulterated excitement.