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Early the next morning, Liam bid farewell to Wattson and set off from Mauville City, heading toward the next destination—Fortree City.
This trip to Mauville had been more than worthwhile. Not only did he earn a Gym Badge, but Electabuzz had also evolved—truly something to celebrate.
Leaving Mauville and traveling east, he flew across a stretch of sea, passed by a corner of beach, and entered a small forest. And then—
"Electabuzz! Don't let it escape! Use Swift to cut it off!"
"Buzz!"
In a small clearing within the forest, Liam was commanding Electabuzz in what could only be described as a merciless capture battle against a wild Electrike!
Electabuzz unleashed a barrage of Swift, sealing off Electrike's escape routes and forcing it back just as it tried to turn and flee.
"Cha!"
Realizing there was no escape, Electrike turned and fired off an Electric Shock! A golden current burst forth and struck Electabuzz directly.
And then—
"Zzz~ Receive judgment!"
The recording device on Electabuzz's arm was triggered by the electricity and automatically blurted out a dramatic line!
"Buzz!!"
Electabuzz's forehead filled with black lines as embarrassment and anger burned in its eyes. It converted that humiliation into power—lifting its legs and charging straight at Electrike!
From earlier exchanges, Liam had already figured out that this Electrike had the Lightning Rod ability. Electric-type moves wouldn't harm it—instead, they would boost its Special Attack. So he had stopped using Electric attacks altogether.
Now, pushing through Electrike's attack, Electabuzz rushed forward. The instant it reached Electrike, it raised its right arm high—then slammed it down with chilling force!
In the next moment, Electrike's attack stopped—
and in front of Electabuzz appeared a sparkling chunk of ice.
"Go! PokeBall!"
Liam seized the opportunity and threw a PokeBall. It sucked Electrike inside, fell to the ground, shook a few times—then stilled.
"Yes! I caught Electrike!"
Liam ran over, picked up the PokeBall, and shouted happily.
He actually liked Electrike quite a bit. This one had Lightning Rod, and from the earlier fight, its battle instincts were clearly solid. Even without checking its stats, Liam could tell this Electrike had strong potential.
And considering it could Mega Evolve in the future… Liam couldn't help but feel tempted to train it.
But just as that thought formed—
"Zzzzt!! Crackle crackle!!"
"Ah! I'm numb—what was that for, Electabuzz?! Why'd you shock me out of nowhere?!"
Smoke rising from his mouth, Liam turned toward Electabuzz in confusion.
"Buzz! Buzz!"
Electabuzz simply turned its head away, refusing to respond.
After a moment of thought, Liam quickly figured it out.
"Oh~ Electabuzz~ you're not… jealous, are you? Don't worry~ even though this little guy is way cuter than you, I won't neglect you~ hahaha~"
Liam grinned mischievously as he rubbed Electabuzz's head.
And then—
"Buzz!!"
With an embarrassed and furious roar, a massive bolt of golden lightning shot out of the forest and into the sky!
...
By a marshland river—
Liam stepped out of the forest and arrived beside a clear stream, wetlands stretching behind him. Squatting by the river, he scooped up water and washed his completely soot-blackened face.
"Hmph~ honestly! Electabuzz's way too petty—and such a temper. Not cute at all… sigh. Maybe I'll just give this Electrike to Delia later. Electabuzz alone is enough for me. No need to add another Electric-type Pokémon."
After cleaning himself up and smoothing his hair, Liam looked down at the clear water, which reflected his handsome face.
And just then—
The reflection suddenly twisted strangely!
The water burst apart and a dull gray Feebas leapt straight out in front of him!
Smack!
A crisp slapping sound echoed.
Liam froze, covering his face in disbelief, staring down at the Feebas that had fallen back into the water—now splashing and provoking him.
Despite the black lines on his forehead, Liam told himself to stay calm. Calm… very calm…
Slowly, he reached behind him and took out a PokeBall.
"Click!"
A white light shot out from the ball and plunged into the water!
"Buzz!? Electabuzz!!"
Electabuzz had been released. At first it didn't understand what was happening—but the moment it hit the water, it realized Liam had set it up!
Fury exploded instantly—without even waiting for orders, Electabuzz unleashed a powerful electric current that spread across the entire river!
....
One minute later…
With a satisfied expression, Liam recalled Electabuzz, who was now floating face-down on the water.
Looking at the surface of the river—now covered with floating Water-type Pokémon—Liam suddenly felt a headache coming on.
"Sigh… I might've gone a bit overboard. That's a lot of PokeBalls to use… transferring them later will be a pain…"
In the end, Liam still captured all the fainted Water-type Pokémon—over 20 in total. Most were Magikarp and Tentacool, with only a few exceptions: the Feebas that attacked him earlier, and two unlucky Carvanha caught in the crossfire.
After checking them, Liam confirmed none had serious issues—they just needed some rest.
Finally, he took out the PokeBall containing Feebas.
"Feebas!"
Feebas truly lived up to its reputation for resilience. After just a short rest, it was already full of energy again. Once released, it flopped around vigorously on the ground, using Splash like a pro.
"Hmm… such lively energy. This fish must have really firm meat… probably delicious when grilled~"
Liam muttered casually while watching it bounce.
"Bass…"
In an instant, Feebas froze.
It collapsed onto the ground like a dead fish—eyes rolled back, completely motionless.
Liam: "…"
This was the first time Liam had ever seen a Pokémon play dead. And it was a fish.
"Sigh… let's check its stats first."
Shaking his head helplessly, Liam decided to inspect it.
[Ding!]
Pokemon: Feebas
Type: Water
Species: Fish Pokémon. Extremely resilient, able to survive in even the most polluted waters. It can endure the harshest environments. Due to its unattractive appearance, even predators often avoid hunting it. In some regions, its population has become overwhelming.
Ability: Adaptability
Nature: Lively
Gender: Male
Base Stats: Total 200
HP: 20
Attack: 15
Defense: 20
Sp. Atk: 10
Sp. Def: 55
Speed: 80
Moves:Splash, Tackle, Flail
Egg Move:Mirror Coat
Evaluation: Excellent. Very energetic and quite intelligent. Feebas is a Pokémon with great potential—recommended for training.
Liam: "…"
Looking at this oddly familiar situation, Liam suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly turned around, scanning his surroundings in every direction.
After confirming no one was nearby, he finally relaxed.
Then he turned back toward the Feebas on the ground—a bright, dangerous gleam in his eyes—and slowly reached out his "evil" hand…