The Poké Ball flew out, struck the Gyarados, and—without any resistance—sucked the massive sea beast inside.
Catching the returning ball in his palm, Ryuuske examined the barely breathing Gyarados within and sighed.
Though the creature seemed on the verge of death, the Poké Ball's advanced technology would temporarily stabilize its injuries. A quick trip to a Pokémon Center's healing machine would fully restore it—such was the power of human science.
This Gyarados had spent years battling in the wild, its body undoubtedly riddled with hidden scars. No matter how resilient wild Pokémon were, their natural recovery could never match human medical technology. Had it been raised by a trainer from birth, it might not have aged so prematurely. The lifespan gap between trained and wild Pokémon was staggering.
If not for the existence of Legendary Pokémon, humanity might have long since dominated the entire species. Yet, precisely because of those legends, humans remained confined to their corners of the world.
Standing atop Dragonair, Ryuuske pocketed the Poké Ball. Handing this Gyarados over to Professor Oak would at least let it live out its remaining years in peace.
Silence blanketed the beach. Ryuuske turned to survey the crowd—thousands of tourists stared back at him. Some swallowed hard; others shrank back. Among their expressions were gratitude for his rescue, admiration for his strength—but above all else, there was fear.
Ryuuske had just demonstrated the chasm between ordinary people and powerful trainers. He had shown them, firsthand, what a skilled trainer could achieve with their Pokémon—feats that defied human limitations.
Manipulating weather. Reshaping land and sea.
These were powers beyond what numbers alone could overcome—abilities befitting the gods of myth. Terror, awe, unease—the crowd's emotions were a tangled mess.
Most people had only seen trainer battles through the sanitized lens of televised matches. Though those Pokémon displayed impressive strength, the strict rules kept their true ferocity hidden. Today, this wild Gyarados's rampage and Ryuuske's overwhelming intervention laid bare the truth:
Trained Pokémon and domesticated pets were entirely different existences.
Ryuuske couldn't care less about the crowd's reactions. He wasn't some saint. Fear and reverence suited him just fine—because from the very beginning, he had never been on the same level as ordinary people. He stood at the pinnacle of this world's hierarchy, a beneficiary of its power structure, and he embraced that role without hesitation.
"...Th-Thank you."
A small, trembling voice came from the girl in his arms. Ryuuske looked down to see Sapphire fighting back tears, her eyes red and puffy, on the verge of breaking down—yet she held herself together.
A quiet but resilient girl. That was Ryuuske's first impression of her.
"Don't mention it. Just happened to be passing by... You alright?"
She still clung to him, her small body shivering. The Gyarados's Intimidate had clearly left deep psychological scars. Then again, even weak-willed Pokémon could be paralyzed by that ability—let alone a child.
"I-I'm okay... Big Brother, are you hurt?"
Even in her terrified state, she worried about him. Ryuuske was mildly impressed. This kid's got some serious upbringing.
On closer inspection, she couldn't be older than eleven—just slightly older than Yellow among the people he knew. Dressed in an adorable princess-style dress, she looked fragile and pitiable, like a trembling little squirrel. That said, her delicate features hinted at a future beauty.
If she doesn't grow up awkwardly, she'll definitely become a stunning woman.
"Ha. Just a wild Gyarados. No way that could hurt me."
Ryuuske chuckled. At his current level, unless he ran into a Legendary or an entire swarm of wild Pokémon, even the strongest lone creature stood no chance against him.
"Eevee! Eevee~!"
A soft cry drew Sapphire's attention. A fox-like, squirrel-like Pokémon scampered over and leaped onto Ryuuske's shoulder, nestling there comfortably.
Sapphire stared in disbelief. She distinctly remembered this Pokémon as a two-meter-tall beast with lightning-charged fur—the one that had summoned that apocalyptic thunderbolt. How had it shrunk so much in seconds?
"This is Eevee. My partner... Say hello, Eevee."
Ryuuske scratched Eevee under the chin, earning a pleased nuzzle. At his prompting, Eevee let out a couple of indifferent cries toward Sapphire before ignoring her completely.
Pokémon didn't care about human concepts of beauty. To a trained Pokémon, only their trainer mattered—everyone else was background noise.
"Sapphire!!"
A man's voice rang out from below. Ryuuske glanced down to see a casually dressed man pushing through the crowd toward them.
"Your name's Sapphire? And that is...?"
"My daddy."
She spoke softly, still clutching Ryuuske.
Nodding, Ryuuske directed Dragonair to descend until it hovered just half a meter above the sand. He stepped off, still holding Sapphire.
"Daddy!!"
The moment Ryuuske set her down, she sprinted into the man's arms and finally burst into tears.
She had held back her sobs out of fear, not wanting to distract Ryuuske during the battle. Now, safe in her father's embrace, the floodgates opened.
"You're safe... You're safe..."
Professor Birch hugged his daughter tightly, patting her back as he murmured reassurances, his own tears flowing freely.
After a long moment, he remembered he hadn't thanked their savior. Releasing Sapphire, he bowed deeply to Ryuuske.
"...Thank you so much! If not for you, if something had happened to Sapphire—I don't know what I would've done."
Tears streaked the man's face. When the Gyarados had lunged at Sapphire, he had shut his eyes, terrified of witnessing a sight that would haunt him forever.
"It was nothing, really. Anyone would've helped such a cute kid in danger."
Being thanked always felt good. Ryuuske waved it off, his mood lifting.
"To you, it might've been a small act. To me, you saved my entire world... You're... Ryuuske, correct?"
"Yeah, that's me."
He wasn't surprised to be recognized. His reputation—for better or worse—preceded him.
But Professor Birch's next words made him realize his assumption was wrong. This man hadn't learned of him through rumors.
"Professor Oak has spoken of you. Meeting you here is truly fortuitous."
"Professor Oak?"
For a split second, Ryuuske's mind jumped to a very different kind of "professor." But he quickly corrected himself—this man meant Samuel Oak.
To be continued…
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