It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Mimikyu fully demonstrated its prowess as a chosen assassin.
With an almost nonexistent presence, it approached the Gyarados directly and without resistance, gathering up Fairy-type energy. It slapped itself right onto Gyarados's face.
By the time Gyarados realized Mimikyu was there, it was already too late.
In an instant—
Gyarados felt its world spinning, stars flashing before its eyes.
Whether it was just its imagination or actually real, it couldn't tell. While being pummeled by Mimikyu, strange pink stars and moons kept smashing into its head, dizzying it. It didn't even last a full minute before collapsing right into the pink smoke, unable to maintain its Terastal form, shattering into scattered glimmers of light.
In a sense, calling Gyarados "unlucky" for encountering Mimikyu while Terastallized would be an understatement.
Still, even if Gyarados hadn't Terastallized, there was Luxray waiting to punish its quadruple weakness to Electric.
It was an instant defeat!
Carmine and Kieran's eyes were round with shock.
To be honest, just facing the terrifying intimidation radiating from Gyarados had left their brains with only two thoughts: "We have to run," and "We can't win."
But that same Gyarados was instantly taken out by Mr. Lucas's Mimikyu, which looked so harmless and barely noticeable!
Is this the power that even Mr. Alder couldn't beat?
The two were momentarily dazed.
Kieran was the first to snap back.
He didn't bother with what was happening here. Instead, he anxiously turned to look behind him.
"Hey… the ghost—!"
But when Kieran looked, the area behind him was already empty.
It was as if that warning shout and the small green figure had all been his imagination.
Kieran's face was full of disappointment. Carmine could only pat him on the shoulder, trying to comfort him.
"There'll be a chance to meet again in the future."
Lucas, meanwhile, stared at the empty space for a moment, his expression a bit odd.
According to the legends of Kitakami, the "ghost" who single-handedly defeated the Loyal Three Pokémon actually looked like a little girl?
He'd always imagined the "ghost" as a huge, burly figure with bulging muscles, a tiger's back, and horns, with iron-gray or blue-gray skin.
This really was…
Lucas sighed inwardly, then refocused on the fallen Gyarados.
He walked up, patted Mimikyu's head, praising it a few times.
Then he pulled a Poké Ball from his backpack.
Looking at Kieran and Carmine, Lucas asked to be sure, "Can I use a Poké Ball to capture it? I'm not breaking any rules in Mossui Town, am I?"
"Of course not!"
Carmine and Kieran nodded like pecking chicks.
Truth be told, the townsfolk would probably be thrilled to see Gyarados captured. No one wanted such a huge creature suddenly attacking them.
Besides, Kitakami didn't really have any Pokémon hunting zone rules. As long as you had the strength to capture one, it was fine—no one cared much, except when it came to Applin.
Kitakami's Applin were almost all monopolized by the townsfolk.
Seeing both Kieran and Carmine say it was fine, Lucas was relieved.
If Gyarados was worshipped by some as a rain god or something, taking it away might have caused trouble.
Since there was no issue, he didn't hesitate.
With the farm soon to expand, Thunder Lake would also grow, and at the moment, only Swampert, Dragonair, Politoed, and Poliwrath, plus a few still-skinny fish, lived there—it felt a bit empty.
This would be a great addition.
Lucas tossed the red-and-white ball at Gyarados.
The Poké Ball arced gracefully through the air, landed on Gyarados, and in a flash of red light, the huge body was sucked inside.
Click. The Poké Ball fell to the ground, wobbled three times, then the yellow star lit up, accompanied by the chime that signaled a successful capture.
Carmine and Kieran cheered enthusiastically.
Lucas walked forward to pick up the Poké Ball, only to notice a few shiny objects lying where Gyarados had fallen.
He picked them up along with the Poké Ball and took a closer look. At first, he thought they were Terastal shards that could be sold, but they seemed different.
They looked more like some kind of crystal fragments.
He asked Kieran and Carmine, but they didn't know either. After a moment's thought, Lucas decided to keep the crystal shards—who knows, maybe they'd come in handy someday?
Having captured a Terastal Gyarados, and with night falling, Lucas led Carmine and Kieran to a good spot and began setting up camp for the night.
…
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, it was midnight.
Countless stars hung in the sky, dazzling, with the vast Milky Way stretching across the heavens.
Compared to the bright daylight, the Crystal Pool was even more beautiful at night—dreamlike and magical.
Countless stars reflected in the shimmering, colorful waters, making a scene too beautiful for words.
With Luxray and Serperior, Lucas took many photos by the Crystal Pool.
There were pictures of Serperior and Applin together, a cool shot of Luxray and Arcanine, a profound photo of Spectrier hovering above the pool, a well-dressed Mimikyu, and a full group shot with all six of Lucas's Pokémon.
He also took many photos for Kieran and Carmine, promising to print them before he left.
Though his camera had an instant-print function, he didn't have enough film for so many photos.
After playing around, the rumbling stomachs of Kieran, Carmine, and the Pokémon prompted Lucas to act like Brock—he pulled out a full dining table and kitchen set from his spatial backpack, ready to show off his cooking skills.
Soon, a big pot of fragrant, rich curry was simmering away.
With some rice cooked by Arcanine's flames, a bowl of delicious curry rice was soon ready for everyone.
Maybe it was the exhaustion of the day, but Carmine and Kieran ate with great relish.
As they ate, they couldn't help but marvel inwardly:
How could there be someone so strong, so kind, and also good at cooking in this world?
Lucas even let Gyarados out.
Besides tending to its wounds, he wanted to win it over with good food.
Gyarados behaved itself the whole time—probably because Luxray, Serperior, and Mimikyu were all watching closely.
Far away, hiding behind a rock, Ogerpon's little nose twitched, eyes full of longing.
It hadn't eaten all day, and the delicious aroma wafting over reminded it of long-ago memories.
That person had once cooked food like this for it.
At the thought of that person, Ogerpon's eyes went red. Memories and emotions surged. Soon, it lowered its head and began to cry softly.
Even in distress, Ogerpon clutched the battered jade-green mask in its hands tightly.
For it, the mask was its last link to that person. No matter what happened to it, the mask absolutely could not be lost.
After a while, Ogerpon managed to calm down. Hunger told it that it had to find food first.
Before leaving, Ogerpon gazed down at the mask.
A gem on the mask's forehead was chipped—not only a precious item damaged, but it had lost its own power as well.
That person had said that one of the key materials to repair the mask was in the Crystal Pool.
But recently, Gyarados had taken over the pool, keeping the material as a treasure among its scales. Ogerpon hadn't had a chance to collect it—just waiting for an opportunity.
Tonight, the arrival of three humans not only subdued the fierce Gyarados, but their leader even got the crystal shards Gyarados had hoarded.
Past experiences made Ogerpon wary of appearing around crowds. Since they looked to be camping by the pool, it decided to first take care of its hunger and then try to get the shards when the human was alone.
With a last envious glance at the cheerful group, Ogerpon slipped away.
…
Midnight.
Carmine and Kieran were already snoring in their tent.
Lucas, however, wasn't sleepy—maybe because the Crystal Pool and night sky were just too beautiful. He rarely felt so inspired.
He pulled his long-unused fishing rod from his backpack, determined to try for the legendary "oneness with the rod" experience.
Though the dazzling, glowing crystals beneath the pool looked like pollution, there were actually plenty of ordinary fish and aquatic Pokémon swimming below.
Unfortunately, the commotion Gyarados caused earlier meant they were all hiding at the bottom—no chance of fishing them up tonight.
Luxray lay beside Lucas, eyes closed, pretending to sleep. Serperior swished its tail in anticipation, ready to watch Lucas fail and then mock him.
Mimikyu sat like a real mascot, next to Lucas's rod.
Time passed quickly.
When he first cast his line under the stars, Lucas looked like a master fisherman atop Oni Mountain.
Three hours later, he was more like a gambler who had lost everything—even his underwear.
Compared to three hours ago, the fish in the pool looked visibly fatter—stomachs bulging, refusing to eat another bite.
Serperior, amused by Lucas's dead-eyed look, was about to pressure a few fish into biting, just to spare Lucas's pride and let the others sleep.
But before she could act, the bobber on the surface suddenly plunged underwater!
At that moment—
Even Serperior was stunned. Luxray opened its glowing eyes, full of disbelief.
No way. Did Lucas actually hook something?
Mimikyu even danced with joy.
All Lucas's despair vanished. Eyes shining, he grabbed the rod, skillfully performing moves he'd practiced in his mind a million times but rarely used for real.
A moment later—
With a splash, Lucas reeled in his catch and, bathed in moonlight, saw what he had hooked.
He was stunned.
Judging by the weight, he'd thought it was a regular ten-pound fish.
He never expected it wasn't an ordinary fish at all!
To be precise, it was a fish Pokémon!
This fish Pokémon had tattered silver fins, a shabby look, and a purple body with pink lips.
Its eyes were blank, almost Magikarp-level, and overall, it was so ugly it was almost distinctive.
Even Luxray was stunned for a moment by its appearance, and Serperior felt like she needed to wash her eyes.
But at that instant, Lucas was filled with immense joy!
"…Holy crap."
Nothing expressed his feelings better than that one exclamation.
Yes.
This Pokémon looked ugly—worse than even Magikarp.
But if you knew its evolution, it was a whole different story.
This Pokémon was called Feebas. Usually found in weedy river bottoms, it had amazing vitality and could even survive in filthy ditches.
Because of its ugly looks, most trainers wouldn't even glance at it. They'd rather raise a Magikarp, which at least could leap the dragon gate and become the mighty Gyarados.
But Feebas, too, has a chance to "leap the dragon gate."
Like the ugly duckling turning into a swan, once Feebas evolves, it becomes Milotic—the most beautiful Pokémon of all!
Leaving aside how hard it is to evolve Feebas, if Lucas had just caught an ordinary one, he'd be happy, but not this ecstatic.
Under the moonlight, he could clearly see Feebas's coloration. It was different from the usual brown and blue—it was a shiny!
Not only had he finally caught a fish, but it was a shiny Feebas. Was his luck exploding tonight?
As he pulled Feebas ashore, Lucas was about to have Serperior tie it up with vines to stop it from escaping.
But to his surprise, as soon as Feebas hit the ground, it spat out the hook, didn't try to run, and just stared at Lucas with those blank eyes—as if conveying a message.
Like—
—What are you looking at? Hurry up and catch me!
…
…
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