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The Gyarados had clearly set its sights on the five humans on the boat. Its sense of territoriality was fierce; it would launch a violent attack on any creature that intruded upon its domain.
Should they flee or fight? Hisoka's mind raced. In the middle of the vast ocean, a human-powered raft could never outrun a Gyarados. Rather than being dragged underwater from behind while trying to escape, it was better to defeat it head-on.
"Ash, let's do this together!" Hisoka whispered to Ash.
"No problem!"
When dealing with wild Pokémon without the intent to catch them, there was nothing wrong with teaming up.
Misty had lost her composure due to her childhood trauma. Brock's Pokémon were all Rock-types, making them useless in this environment. Maggie didn't have any Pokémon, so her combat power was zero.
Roar!
The Gyarados's explosive temper finally flared. With a roar, it whipped its massive tail around, bringing a surging column of water crashing down toward the intruders.
Aqua Tail! A signature move of Gyarados, it swings its tail like a stormy wave to strike enemies. Its power is significantly amplified when used in water.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Lulu, Psybeam!"
Hisoka and Ash immediately ordered their Pokémon to counterattack.
The bright yellow electricity slammed into the wave-trailing tail. The contact between electricity and water produced a piercing hiss and a cloud of white steam. The Gyarados cried out in pain; Thunderbolt dealt devastating damage to a Water-type like itself.
Just as the Gyarados retracted its tail, Lulu's Psybeam arrived right on target, hitting the monster squarely in the head. Under the assault, the Gyarados shrieked in agony. However,
instead of counterattacking, it snapped its terrifying jaws shut on its own scales. Its steel-like teeth, capable of crushing stone, ground against scales as hard as iron. With a sickening crack, the Gyarados actually bit off one of its own scales.
Roar!
Its eyes turned blood-red with pain as it thrashed wildly in the sea. Waves buffeted the raft, making it impossible for the group to maintain their balance. They could only cling to the edge handles to keep from being tossed into the ocean.
"What's wrong with it? Why is it attacking itself?" Ash couldn't help but ask.
Hisoka held onto Kirlia and gripped the railing tightly, shouting over the din, "Lulu's Psybeam has a chance to inflict Confusion on the opponent. That Gyarados had terrible luck; one shot was enough to confuse it. That's why it's attacking itself. But we need to finish this fast, or it'll go truly berserk once it snaps out of it!"
Ash understood. The ocean was never a human's home turf; the thought of a Gyarados going into a frenzy was enough to make anyone shudder.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
Under Ash's command, Pikachu unleashed two consecutive Thunderbolts. Despite the elemental advantage, Gyarados was massive and full of stamina. A single Thunderbolt hadn't been enough to knock it out, but after taking two more, the beast could take no more. A puff of black smoke escaped its maw, its bulging eyes closed, and its body tilted to the right before crashing into the water.
"That scared me to death!" Maggie patted her chest in relief when she saw the Gyarados lose its ability to battle. she quickly helped Misty up and comforted her. "It's okay, Misty, don't be afraid. Hisoka and Ash defeated it. It's over now."
Misty's eyes slowly regained focus. Watching the fallen Gyarados, she finally burst into tears. It seemed her childhood trauma was a heavy burden to carry.
"There, there, don't cry. We're all here, it's fine..." Maggie rubbed Misty's back, speaking softly. Crying was good; it was a release of emotion that would help her recover quickly.
"Holy shit! Watch out!" Hisoka practically screamed. He hooked his arm around Ash's neck, slamming into Maggie and the others to force everyone down. The moment they hit the deck, an orange beam of light streaked over their heads, striking the water nearby. The contact triggered a massive explosion, and the resulting shockwave flipped the raft completely over.
"That was Hyper Beam!"
Hisoka could never mistake that movethe iconic orange beam and the terrifying explosive force. If he hadn't been on high alert, that Hyper Beam would have severely injured everyone on the raft, if not killed them outright.
The group surfaced in the water, gasping and shaken. Anyone would be terrified after having a Hyper Beam graze their head.
Whirlpools began to form on the surface. To their horror, another fierce Gyarados emerged from the depths. Before they could even panic, a second one appeared, then a third, a fourth, and a fifth. Including the one already knocked out, there were six of them in total.
The five new Gyarados surrounded the humans in a circle, their already fierce eyes burning with rage.
A bead of cold sweat formed on Hisoka's brow. They hadn't just run into a wild Pokémon; they had stumbled right into a Gyarados nest. Talk about bad luck.
The lead Gyarados lowered its head and nudged its unconscious comrade. Finding no response, it looked to the sky and let out a furious roar. The other four Gyarados followed suit, their cries joining in a deafening chorus.
"They seem really angry!" Ash noted pointlessly.
Hisoka gave a bitter laugh. Even a fool could see they were angry. But what were they supposed to do? This wasn't just anywhere; they were in the middle of the deep blue sea, the ultimate home turf for a Gyarados.
When you hit the little one, the whole family shows up. Gyarados were social Pokémon; that was a fact written right in the second chapter of the textbooks at the Pokémon Elementary School.
Though the five Gyarados were furious, they strangely didn't attack the humans responsible for their comrade's state immediately. Instead, they kept Hisoka and the others surrounded, holding their heads high as they began to swim in a tight, menacing circle.
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