"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Ethan stood on the beach, arms crossed, watching the scene before him. To his own surprise, he wasn't angry at all.
He was happy.
So happy that he almost wanted to laugh out loud.
"Fine then," he muttered, voice sharp. "If words don't get through to you, I'll teach you another way."
He pointed at the raging dragon. "Annihilape—your turn."
The Ghost-fighter roared, fists already igniting with shadowy flames.
"Either you lie down," Ethan said coldly to the Red Gyarados, "or I kneel. One of us won't be standing when this is over."
Minutes later, the outcome was clear.
The Red Gyarados lay unconscious on the sand, its massive coils sprawled limply. Annihilape stood over it, chest heaving, fists still trembling with fury, before finally sinking down to catch its breath.
Ethan exhaled, grinning despite the sweat dripping down his brow. "Cool," he said simply. "It feels damn good to finally let some air out."
He strode forward, pulled a Revive Shard from his pack, and pressed it into Gyarados's fanged maw.
A few moments later, the beast's eyes flickered open.
The first thing it saw was Ethan smiling down at it.
"Gyarados, from now on—"
"ROOOAR!"
Its jaws flared with light, Hyper Beam condensing instantly.
Ethan's smile froze. He smacked Annihilape on the shoulder. "It roared at me. Get it."
Annihilape, still catching its breath, blinked once—then snarled. With a furious leap, it drove a shadow-wreathed fist straight into Gyarados's mouth. The energy sputtered out in a wild arc, scorching the sky instead of Ethan.
Before the dragon could recover, Annihilape seized its tail and spun, hurling it like a whip into the waves.
Ethan ground his teeth, shouting, "You're really something. After getting pummeled half to death, you still try to roast me?"
He stared in disbelief. What kind of brain does this thing have? It's been beaten into a corpse and still wants to fight. Is it the reincarnation of a nitpicker?
Then the system flickered.
[Gyarados intimacy increased.][Intimacy: 11 (–20 → 11).]
Ethan froze. "Wait… what?"
Another prompt chimed seconds later.
[Gyarados intimacy increased.][Intimacy: 12.]
His jaw went slack. "No way… Getting beaten raised its intimacy? Has its ancient genes scrambled its head? Or did Rocket's experiments fry its brain? What kind of dragon gets happier the more it's punched?"
A wild laugh burst out of him. "Damn, the world really is full of wonders."
From that point on, the cycle became clear. Gyarados roared, Annihilape flattened it, Ethan revived it. Again and again. Each clash raised its intimacy little by little.
For the first time in days, Ethan slept peacefully. He no longer feared being vaporized by a sudden Hyper Beam in the night. He had his answer: one Pokémon loved to hit, the other loved to be hit. Perfect match.
By dawn, he was convinced. "This Red Gyarados is worth every ounce of trouble."
Not long later, Annihilape finally sat down, exhausted, panting hard on the sand. The Red Gyarados lay sprawled beside it, unconscious once again.
But Ethan frowned as he looked closer. The dragon's face, slack in unconsciousness, carried an expression disturbingly close to… enjoyment.
He rubbed his temples. "You really are asking for a beating, aren't you?"
With a sigh, he fed it another Revive Shard. Gyarados woke groggily, stared at Annihilape, then immediately tried to gather Hyper Beam again.
But this time Ethan was ready.
He recalled it instantly, held it in the Poké Ball for a few seconds, then released it again.
The instant it appeared, its mouth glowed—then sputtered. No blast fired.
Ethan repeated the process, over and over. Recall. Release. Recall. Release. After a dozen repetitions, Gyarados hesitated, eyes flickering uncertainly.
When he finally let it stay out, Ethan folded his arms. "Listen. If you try Hyper Beam on me again, I won't hit you. I'll just take you back into your ball, release you, and do it again. Over and over. Until you're too tired to lift your head. Who do you think will last longer—me or you?"
The glow in its throat guttered out.
Ethan's grin widened. "That's better. If you want a fight, Annihilape will oblige. But if you want peace, then you'll listen to me."
Annihilape, resting nearby, tilted its head in confusion. Wait… you're calling my fists a reward? Since when does beating someone count as affection?
The Red Gyarados rumbled low in its throat. Then, almost unbelievably, it nodded.
Ethan clapped his hands together, beaming. "Deal."
"PUCHAAA?" Annihilape groaned, scratching its head. Is the world insane?
Ethan laughed. "That settles it. When you get itchy, I'll give you a good beating. Otherwise, you listen. Simple as that."
The dragon roared in agreement.
"Good. Then let's test it."
He jerked his chin toward Annihilape. "Give it another round."
Annihilape blinked, sighed in resignation, then socked the Gyarados across the snout.
"Perfect," Ethan said brightly.
Twenty minutes later, both dragon and ghost lay sprawled in the sand, snoring.
Ethan dusted his hands off, satisfied. "Finally. A solution I can live with."
He recalled them both, shouldered his bag, and headed back toward the hotel. Diving equipment awaited, and beyond that, the treasures of Cinnabar.
But as he walked, he couldn't help chuckling under his breath. "A dragon that begs for a beating… I really hit the jackpot this time."