[Pokémon: Gyarados ♂][Type: Water, Flying][Ability: Intimidate][Level: 25][Moves: Crunch, Twister, Ice Fang, Waterfall, Whirlpool, Brine…][Held Item: Mystic Water]
After evolving, Magikarp’s level had risen to 25.
With Gyarados’s evolution, the average size of August’s Pokémon team had once again increased significantly.
Shelgon watched the newly evolved Gyarados with envy before refocusing on absorbing energy from its [Dragon Crystal].
Meanwhile, August started instructing Gyarados to get used to its new body.
"Show me all the moves you’ve got," August said.
Even though he had already checked Gyarados’s move set through the system panel, he preferred seeing them in action.
Gardevoir stood by as the designated test partner.
"Rooaaar—!"
Gyarados opened its massive jaws and cmped down on a rge rock, shattering it into pieces with a loud crack.
"[Crunch], huh? That’s some serious bite force."
August jotted down notes on his tablet, then stepped forward to inspect Gyarados’s teeth.
Even after biting through solid rock, they remained pristine.
With this level of bite strength and durability, dealing with Rock-type Pokémon shouldn’t be a problem.
Next, icy energy gathered around Gyarados’s fangs. Another unfortunate rock fell victim as it was struck and instantly encased in ice.
August used a temperature gauge to record the data.
Then, Gyarados unleashed a swirling stream of water, creating a whirlpool that engulfed a rge section of the beach, spanning nearly ten meters in radius.
"[Whirlpool]…"
The move had a wide range and decent power, but…
Eevee stood frozen in pce, its sandcastle completely washed away by the sudden surge of water.
"Vuiii—!!"
Recovering from the shock, Eevee turned angrily toward Gyarados.
I spent so long building that! I was just about to show it off to August, and now it’s all gone…
The Stare of an Elite Eevee.
Feeling the immense pressure from Eevee’s gre, Gyarados faced a difficult choice—take a beating or apologize.
It immediately lowered its head and chose the tter.
The sight of a massive Gyarados bowing its head in apology to an Eevee no bigger than its tail tip was… quite the contrast.
Eevee, seeing Gyarados’s apology, wasn’t angry anymore—just a little sulky.
"Don’t be upset. I’ll help you rebuild it ter," August reassured Eevee, patting its head.
With most of the testing done, August noted that while a few moves were still untested, all the ones Gyarados had used were noticeably stronger than expected.
He wasn’t sure if this was due to Gyarados’s natural talent or the special Pokéblock he had fed it earlier.
Most likely the tter.
After all, back when it was still a Magikarp, aside from its unusual intelligence, there was nothing particurly outstanding about it.
Letting Gyarados move around freely, August turned back to help Eevee rebuild its sandcastle, accompanied by Gardevoir and Mudkip.
Meanwhile, Blue, who had gone surfing with Dragonair, returned from the sea, looking visibly excited.
"August! I found something amazing!" Blue shouted, waving her hands at him.
Hmm?
August looked over to see Blue, still dripping wet and gleaming under the sun, holding up a silver feather.
"Wait… isn’t that the same as your [Silver Wing]?" August asked. "Don’t tell me…"
"You guessed it!"
Blue pulled out another identical [Silver Wing], and as the two feathers reflected the sunlight, they shimmered with a faint silver glow.
"?"
[Silver Wings] are supposed to be rare items, right?
August stared at the two nearly identical feathers in Blue’s hands, lost in thought.
"Could Lugia be… molting?"
Obviously, Lugia wasn’t just shedding feathers.
Legendary Pokémon didn’t have something as mundane as a ‘molting season’—every [Silver Wing] in existence had been willingly given by Lugia itself.
According to Blue, while surfing with Dragonair, the [Silver Wing] in her possession had suddenly started glowing.
Following its guidance, she and Dragonair dived underwater and discovered some ruins. That’s where she found the second [Silver Wing.]
"Ruins…"
The Pokémon world was full of ancient ruins, most of them remnants of prehistoric civilizations. New ones were discovered all the time.
Considering Lugia’s role as the Guardian of the Seas, it wasn’t surprising that there were ruins dedicated to it beneath Bluepool City’s waters.
"What else was there?" August asked.
"There were some strange symbols and a few murals," Blue recalled. "I only explored part of it. I had to leave because I was running out of oxygen."
"Strange symbols… those could be ancient script. But whether they’re just writings or Unown script is another question."
If they were simply ancient inscriptions, that wouldn’t be too concerning.
But if Unown were involved… waking them up could lead to unpredictable consequences.
"As for the murals, they were probably depictions of Lugia’s legend."
"Either way, this is a huge discovery!" August said.
It was no secret that ancient civilizations revered Legendary Pokémon. A ruin containing a Silver Wing must be strongly connected to Lugia.
After some thought, August decided to inform Professor Oak and Professor Cerise.
Professor Oak immediately expressed his excitement and promised to come as soon as possible.
Professor Cerise, however, was even more thrilled. Since his research focused on weather patterns, and Lugia pyed a major role in controlling ocean currents, studying Lugia could be incredibly beneficial to his work.
"I’m borrowing a Flying Pokémon right now—I’ll be there soon!"
With that, he hung up in a hurry.
...
An hour ter.
A loud cry echoed from above.
A Dragonite descended from the sky, creating powerful gusts of wind.
Unfortunately, the wind completely destroyed Eevee’s newly rebuilt sandcastle.
"Vui…"
Eevee stared at the pile of colpsed sand, feeling like its entire world had turned to gray.
Professor Oak jumped down from Dragonite’s back.
Even though he was already a grandfather, his movements were still as agile as ever.
