"Iono!"
At the critical moment, Rei Akagi's calm voice rang out.
"Remember this—when you face a life-or-death crisis in the wild, don't let the Pokémon League's rules restrict you. Use every resource you have!"
Before he even finished speaking, Rei had already stepped in front of the two girls.
Beside him, three Pokémon were already poised to strike.
Gastly floated with a sinister grin.
Ivysaur tensed its Vine Whips.
Growlithe bared its fangs.
"Growlithe! Use Helping Hand to boost Gastly!
Gastly! Sucker Punch to interrupt its attack!
Ivysaur! Sleep Powder, full coverage!"
Growlithe let out a low growl.
Invisible strengthening energy burst from its body, like a rocket booster slamming straight into Gastly.
Gastly instantly transformed into a streaking comet trailing ghostly blue flames.
Just as Gyarados's massive tail was about to crash down—
Gastly slammed directly into the relatively fragile side of Gyarados's jaw.
BOOM!
A heavy impact echoed through the forest.
The enormous force knocked Gyarados's attack off course.
Its giant tail swept past the clothes of Little Iono and the orange-haired girl by mere inches before smashing into empty ground nearby.
The earth shook violently.
Soil and shattered stones erupted like a fountain, forming a terrifying crater as dust filled the air.
At the same time, a powerful gust of wind blew through.
The bud on Ivysaur's back opened.
Several Vine Whips spun rapidly, forming a giant fan.
The strong airflow carried a massive cloud of pale green powder sprayed from the bud—
Blasting it directly toward Gyarados, whose movement had briefly stalled after missing its attack.
The powder touched its scales—
And silently seeped in.
The dust slowly settled.
Gyarados still twisted unwillingly, but its movements were visibly slowing.
Then—
With a heavy thud, it finally lost consciousness.
Its massive body collapsed into the crater it had created, sending up another cloud of dust.
Seeing that the area was temporarily safe, Rei immediately took out a Potion and prepared to help treat the orange-haired girl.
Meanwhile—
The girl's nerves, stretched to the limit, finally snapped the moment she saw Gyarados calm down.
Her swaying body trembled.
A weak, relieved smile appeared on her face.
After recalling Starmie into its Poké Ball, she closed her eyes and collapsed forward.
Fortunately, Little Iono reacted quickly and caught her, letting the girl rest softly in her arms.
At the same time—
The livestream chat exploded.
"Holy crap! That coordination! Smooth like flowing water!"
"Salted Fish's command was insane! Perfect timing interruption + Sleep Powder coverage! Textbook wild-crisis response!"
"If that was 0.1 seconds later they'd all be wiped! Salted Fish must be at least a Master Trainer in real life!"
"Who is that girl? She's gorgeous!"
"Gyarados Lv.32 already has this level of pressure? Salted Fish really knows how to design a boss!"
"Mt. Moon is seriously dangerous… could she be connected to Team Rocket?"
"So cool…"
Iono swallowed hard.
Her face flushed slightly with excitement as she stared at Bai's simple-faced avatar on the screen, eyes sparkling like she had just discovered buried treasure.
"Salted Fish! That was amazing! The coolest in the universe!"
Rei Akagi didn't respond.
Not because he was acting cool—
But because, on the game screen, the grass nearby suddenly shook violently.
A familiar figure rushed out, panting.
It was—
The Researcher Rei.
"Researcher Rei: Whew… I was investigating Pokémon ecology nearby. I heard the huge commotion and rushed over immediately! Are you all alright?"
"Researcher Rei: This… she looks badly injured! She must be taken to a Pokémon Center immediately for proper treatment!"
A dialogue box appeared.
The Researcher Bafrowned as he scanned the battlefield.
Then he suddenly bent down and picked up a dirt-covered Poké Ball from among the rubble.
He wiped it clean on his clothes and lightly pressed the button.
Buzz—
A beam of red light shot out.
Gyarados instantly turned into a streak of light and was recalled into the Poké Ball.
Before Rei or Little Iono could react—
A faint pink glow flickered in the grass nearby.
A powerful Charizard stepped out.
The Researcher Bagently carried the unconscious orange-haired girl in his arms and carefully placed her onto Charizard's broad, stable back.
Then, as if remembering something, he stopped and turned around.
He pulled out a strangely shaped device and stuffed it into Bai's hands.
"Researcher Rei: Oh right! This is the newest Portable Pokémon Ecology Recorder!"
"Researcher Rei: I remember there's still an important lake habitat in the Mt. Moon area whose ecological data hasn't been recorded yet. I'll leave that task to you!"
"Researcher Rei: As thanks and payment, this device is yours! It can scan nearby areas and display the approximate distribution of wild Pokémon in real time—very helpful for wilderness exploration!"
"Rei and Little Iono received the Pokémon Ecology Recorder!"
"The Pokémon Ecology Recorder was placed in the Key Items pocket."
After explaining everything, the Researcher Bahurriedly mounted Charizard and flew away.
Judging by the direction, he seemed to be heading toward Cerulean City.
"It's him! It's him! It's him again!"
"Investigating Pokémon ecology nearby? I don't believe it. Was he secretly following us?"
"Confirmed. The Researcher Rei the real protagonist. Wherever there's plot, he appears!"
"Why doesn't this game have a romance system?! I want to date him immediately!"
"Again… him."
Iono tilted her head upward, watching the small black dot of Charizard disappear into the sky.
Her tone sounded slightly complicated.
"If we hadn't stepped in, or if we failed to save that girl… would he have appeared just like that and played the hero instead?"
"He feels like some kind of guardian who shows up everywhere. Super reliable."
"Ahem… let's go. Didn't he ask us to record the last lake?"
From the communication channel, Rei Akagi's voice briefly stuttered before returning to its usual calm.
He opened the Pokémon Ecology Recorder.
The screen displayed a clear map of Mt. Moon, with a flashing red marker indicating an unrecorded area—a lake deep within the forest.
"Finish this task and… you might get a surprise."
"A surprise?!"
Iono's attention was instantly captured.
The tension from the earlier battle vanished as she eagerly opened her own device.
The two characters crossed the battlefield and followed the river deeper into the forest.
Before long—
The scenery suddenly opened up.
A beautiful lake surrounded by mountains appeared before them.
The water was crystal clear, reflecting blue skies, white clouds, and the lush forest around it.
Peaceful. Beautiful.
But aside from the scenery—
It didn't seem particularly special.
Just as Iono tilted her head in confusion, her face clearly saying "Where's the surprise?"—
Rei suddenly pulled out a tattered fishing rod from behind.
With a flick of the line—
He sat calmly at the lakeshore and started fishing.
Seeing Little Iono's character standing there motionless, Rei Akagi spoke casually.
"I'll show you the surprise in a moment. This lake is the only confirmed fishing spot on the entire Pokémon map where a Dratini colony lives."
"You know Dratini, right? The baby form of the big guy—slow starter, late bloomer Pokémon."
"The signature Pokémon of the veteran Flying-type—no, Dragon-type—Champion Lance."
"Just wait and see. Back in the day, my fishing skills were legendary across ten villages—"
"Holy crap! Something's on the hook!"
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