There were many extreme sports in this world.
Lily and Emma had never tried any of them.
But today—
They finally understood what real terror felt like.
"ROARRR!!!"
"Stop chasing us! Stop chasing us! I know I was wrong!!!"
"Lily, you idiot! When we get back, I'm going to kill you myself! AHHHH!"
Behind them, the massive Gyarados roared, unleashing terrifying black beams of light that blasted the ground apart.
The explosions were deafening.
The shockwaves nearly scared the souls out of the two rookie Trainers.
Thankfully, whether it was bad aim—or simply a warning—none of the Hyper Beams actually hit them.
But the violent explosions ripping through the earth behind them were more than enough.
What kind of boss-level monster was this?!
They had just left the beginner area!
---
Eventually…
The roaring faded.
The pressure behind them disappeared.
Only then did Lily and Emma dare to slow down.
Both of them collapsed onto the grass, legs trembling uncontrollably.
Emma sat upright, clutching her chest and trying to calm her racing heartbeat.
"You absolute idiot! You almost got us killed!"
After two full minutes, she finally had enough breath to unleash her roar at Lily.
How dare she?!
How did this reckless woman even survive this long?!
Lily pouted, looking utterly wronged.
"I didn't know either…"
"I just thought the lake looked pretty and wanted to take a picture… Then I saw something swimming in the water…"
She really had only been curious!
Of course she expected Pokémon in the lake.
She just didn't expect that.
When that monstrous figure erupted from the water, she had nearly turned to stone. It felt like ten thousand imaginary alpacas had stampeded through her brain.
"That thing is way beyond us. We're changing direction."
Emma smacked Lily lightly on the back of the head to vent her frustration.
That aura—
That pressure—
It was absolutely boss-tier.
She glanced at Squirtle, who still looked traumatized.
Relying on the little turtle to fight something like that?
Maybe in ten years.
"Mm-hmm! Absolutely!" Lily nodded frantically like a chicken pecking rice.
She agreed with her entire soul.
---
"Wait," Emma suddenly said. "Did you record it in the Pokédex?"
Now that the immediate fear had faded, she couldn't deny it.
That Pokémon had been unbelievably powerful.
Dominating.
Terrifying.
She really wanted to know its name.
Lily froze.
"…I was busy running for my life. How was I supposed to remember that?!"
She smacked her own forehead in regret.
Careless!
But the curiosity was eating at her.
It looked like a dragon… but not quite.
Emma glanced at her.
Lily glanced back.
Twenty years of friendship.
Instant understanding.
For the Pokédex.
They turned around.
---
Back at the lake.
"ROARRR!"
"Recorded! Recorded! Let's go!"
"I got it too! Run!!"
"Lily! Wait for me! Don't you dare leave me behind!"
"ROARRR!!!"
"Help!!!"
"Squirtle! Squirtle!! (Slow down!)"
"Charmander! (I'm scared!)"
Under the bright blue sky, the wilderness looked peaceful and beautiful.
If one ignored the occasional black beam of annihilation blasting into the landscape.
---
After another desperate sprint, the murderous tyrant finally gave up again.
The two girls collapsed onto the grass for the second time that day.
"I'm dying… Emma… I've never run like that in my life…"
Lily lay flat on her back, face flushed red—not from embarrassment, but exhaustion.
But even in this state, she pulled out her Pokédex.
She had risked her life for this.
She was going to see what that thing was.
> Gyarados
Water / Flying
Vicious Pokémon
Ability: Intimidate
Moves: Twister, Ice Fang, Whirlpool, Crunch, Water Tail, Dragon Dance, Hydro Pump, Hyper Beam…
Lily stared.
"…Gyarados?"
Was that black beam Hyper Beam?!
"That level is insane…" Emma muttered.
Ren had mentioned before—Wild Pokémon learn moves gradually as they grow.
Since no one uses Technical Machines on wild Pokémon, the more moves a wild Pokémon knows, the stronger it usually is.
Compared to Ren's Diancie and Manaphy, this Gyarados knew fewer moves.
But among all the wild Pokémon they'd seen so far—
It was the strongest.
And then Emma's eyes widened.
"Wait… that evolves from Magikarp?"
When Ren introduced Magikarp and Feebas before, he had mentioned their evolutions.
Gyarados was Magikarp's evolution.
"No wonder Ren said Magikarp is the most typical example of qualitative evolution…" Lily muttered. "This is practically genetic recombination. They don't even look like the same species!"
Gyarados had been domineering, majestic, unstoppable.
Magikarp?
Blank stare. Brain empty. Flops around like it forgot how water works.
The difference was absurd.
"But seriously… it's so cool," Emma said quietly.
She was now even more curious about what her Feebas would become after evolving into Milotic.
It wouldn't lose to Gyarados… right?
"It is cool," Lily admitted. "There were Magikarp in the river earlier. Go catch one."
"You think I'm stupid?"
Emma rolled her eyes.
Not every Magikarp could evolve successfully.
And even if it could, talent varied wildly.
If she wanted one, she'd get it from Ren's shop.
At least his stock was guaranteed quality.
---
"Let's eat something first," Emma said, pulling food from her space backpack. "This area is temporarily banned for us."
After that ordeal, she was starving.
The two girls sat on the grass, eating while scrolling through their phones.
Magic City was exploding online.
Pokémon everywhere.
Chaos.
Excitement.
Fear.
Then Emma remembered something.
She uploaded the video Squirtle had recorded earlier—the footage of Lily screaming for help while being chased by Gyarados.
Miss Ben Is a School Beauty: (Video)
Miss Ben Is a School Beauty: Guess what Pokémon this is?
MaleFox: Holy—That's insanely cool! Is it a Dragon-type?!
LarvitarNotFoodie: Looks boss-level. Probably Water-type. That thing is intimidating.
PoisonPetLover: Am I the only one who noticed someone shaking like jelly in front of it?
LittleBirdYiren: "Emma save me!" Legendary quote.
HonestGuy: "Emma save me! Emma save me!"
Lily stared at the chat, her face darkening.
Her teeth were grinding.
These people had no fear.
Miss Yun: "Okay but seriously, what Pokémon is that?"
YourWholeFamilyIsCold: "@MissYun Let's go to Magic City this afternoon."
LongchengYoungMaster: "Anyone forming a group for wilderness exploration? Feels unsafe alone."
PoisonPetLover: "+1. Count me in."
LittleBirdYiren: "I want to go too but school won't approve leave."
The topic instantly derailed into organizing adventure parties.
Emma wasn't surprised at all.
Pokémon had arrived.
Everyone wanted to explore.
After all—
They were among the very first Trainers of this era.
What could be more exciting than completing the Pokédex and discovering powerful Pokémon in the wild?
-------------Author---------------
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