"Action begins in two months," Ethan muttered, scrolling through the stolen hunter's phone. The chat logs about Raikou burned in his thoughts. "If I want a chance at the Thunder God, Charizard and the others must grow stronger in that time."
His gaze sharpened. "And I need to learn exactly where those hunters are moving. Without that, all of this is meaningless."
He slipped the phone away, then stiffened. Ahead, through the trees, he saw movement—Infernape, still prowling the forest. The fiery Pokémon had cornered a Aipom, thrashing it into the dirt with merciless blows.
"Pu-cha!" Infernape raised its arms, roaring in triumph as the smaller Pokémon lay crumpled and limp. It flexed its biceps arrogantly, flames crackling across its body.
Ethan sighed and patted Charizard's neck. The dragon understood, banking lower until its claws dug into the earth. Ethan slid off and approached cautiously.
"Infernape," he called.
The Pokémon's head snapped up, and its fierce glare melted instantly. It bounded toward him, scooping him up in a crushing embrace.
"Ugh—too tight—!" Ethan gasped, his ribs creaking. Infernape blinked, realizing, and set him down quickly, scratching its head with an apologetic expression.
"It's fine," Ethan said, catching his breath. He patted its head. "You've been fighting hard. Take these, restore your strength."
He pulled out a handful of energy cubes. Infernape brightened immediately, wolfing them down with a happy grunt. Ethan couldn't help but smile faintly at the transformation. So savage one moment, so childlike the next.
Still, the devastation in the forest weighed on him. Dozens of wild Pokémon had fallen today beneath Infernape's fists. From level 22 to 40 in a single rampage—it was terrifying progress.
"I'll have to find a way to control that temper," Ethan thought grimly. "If it explodes in Lavender Town, it could wipe out the whole place."
He knelt by the fallen Aipom, guilt prickling his chest. "Sorry, little one. This mess started because I tested Infernape's limits." He slipped a healing shard between its teeth, watching its wounds knit together faintly before contacting the nearest Pokémon Center and Police unit.
After returning Infernape to its Poké Ball, Ethan mounted Charizard again and soared west.
Half an hour later, officers and medics from Ecruteak City arrived to find the carnage. The sight of unconscious wild Pokémon sprawled across the forest floor shocked them into silence. Rescue operations began at once. In the depths of the forest, they found the hunter Ethan had left behind—lifeless. His crimes had ended with him.
By noon the next day, Ethan reached Mahogany Town. Dark circles smudged beneath his eyes. He hadn't dared to sleep properly while camping. Each time he closed his eyes, he imagined Annihilape or Infernape—whichever form his partner now embodied—snapping awake and crushing him before the ghostweave suit could help.
Not that the suit was useful anymore. Last night, its fabric had torn cleanly under a single punch.
He'd immediately contacted Silph Co. At first, they hadn't believed him. But when he sent photos of the shredded weave, the line had gone quiet for a long moment.
Then came their reply: two options.
First—triple refund of the purchase price, plus full compensation for damages.
Second—they would rush production of an upgraded ghostweave prototype and ship it alongside a Luxury Ball, Silph's newest technology, designed to improve comfort inside and accelerate intimacy growth with its trainer.
Ethan didn't hesitate. "The second option," he told them. "Send it to Goldenrod City, near Mahogany. And make it fast."
He hadn't felt fear in years. But now? The thought of a furious Annihilape bypassing his defenses chilled him to the bone.
Thankfully, the night passed without incident. Infernape—or rather, Annihilape—had slept quietly in its Poké Ball.
"Excuse me, where's the Lake of Rage?"
Ethan asked the first villager he saw upon arriving in Mahogany.
The man's face drained of color. "The Lake of Rage? You can't mean to go there. A ferocious red Gyarados haunts those waters now. It attacks anyone nearby—boats, fishermen, even people on the shore. If you value your life, wait until the League handles it."
"I'm with the League," Ethan said smoothly, slipping into the role without hesitation.
The villager blinked, then hurried forward. "Why didn't you say so earlier? Follow me, I'll take you there at once!"
Half an hour later, Ethan stood on the shore of a vast mist-shrouded lake. The air thrummed with tension. A deep, bestial roar shook the waters, echoing across the fog.
The villager paled. "I've brought you here. That's enough for me!" He bolted, leaving Ethan alone.
Ethan smirked faintly and released Charizard. He climbed onto the dragon's back, and they rose above the mist.
The roar came again, and through the haze a colossal shadow churned the water. Then the monster broke the surface.
A massive red Gyarados, its scales crimson as blood, surged upward. Its eyes gleamed with hatred.
"ROOOAAR!"
Without hesitation, it loosed a searing beam of destructive energy—Hyper Beam, fired as naturally as a breath.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ethan barked.
Charizard countered with a jet of flame. The two attacks collided midair, exploding in a storm of light and shockwaves. The blast ripped the fog away, revealing the Gyarados in its full monstrous glory.
Ethan's system window flickered to life:
Pokémon: Gyarados (Shiny)
Level: 35 (157 days to next level)
Rank: Elite-Class potential
Intimacy: –20
Ability: Moxie
Gender: Male
Known Moves: Thrash, Bite, Dragon Rage, Twister, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump, Hyper Beam
Note: Originally a carefree Magikarp living in the Lake of Rage. Overfishing by villagers forced it into hiding. Its life in fear ended when Team Rocket's experiments with evolution light waves activated ancient genes within its body, triggering a brutal forced evolution. The ancient genes grant it great power but warped its nature into one of destruction.
Ethan's eyes gleamed. "As expected of the Red Gyarados… ancient genes, awakened power, destructive instincts. Perfect."
The beast thrashed, roaring again, its crimson coils churning the lake into a storm. Charizard's wings buffeted against the gale, keeping them steady.
Ethan's lips curled into a fierce grin. "Red Gyarados… you're mine."