It didn't take long for those Gyarados to fall under the powerful electric current.
Immediately afterward, the Pokémon hunters could be seen throwing several Poké Balls, capturing all of those Gyarados inside.
At the same time, even more Water-type Pokémon began to appear on the surface of the lake, including Corphish and Sharpedo—Pokémon with fairly high offensive capabilities.
"Meltan, we'll help too. Use Thunderbolt!"
Seeing this, Ethan immediately ordered Meltan to join the battle.
At once, electric currents burst forth from Meltan's body, attacking the Pokémon in the water.
The other trainers, seeing the situation, also sent out their own Pokémon to take part in the containment.
At that moment, the water level of the lake had already risen by half a meter, and with the rain still falling from the sky, it continued to rise nonstop.
If the situation was not brought under control, it was very likely that the lake water would end up flowing directly into Coral City.
"Vibrava, use echolocation to scout the surface of the lake."
Holding Riolu in his arms, Ethan gave the order to Vibrava behind him.
"Viiibbrraa!"
Vibrava nodded, rapidly flapped its wings, and released ultrasonic waves.
Very soon, thanks to ultrasonic detection, Vibrava discovered several Pokémon hidden beneath the water. Executing the move Gust, a tornado immediately rose from the ground, enveloping several Pokémon.
Crack!
A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky.
Meltan used the move Thunderbolt, completely covering those Pokémon.
In a short time, the bodies of those Pokémon turned completely black and lost their ability to fight.
Seeing this, Ethan showed no courtesy: he threw several Poké Balls and captured those Pokémon.
Although he didn't know whether this still counted as part of the fishing tournament, Coral City had already activated the alarm, so this had become a disaster rescue operation. Later, by handing these Pokémon over, he would receive a considerable reward, and if any of them interested him, he could also choose to capture them officially.
"Riou!"
Just as Vibrava controlled the airflow and delivered several Poké Balls into Ethan's hands, Riolu suddenly cried out.
Ethan immediately went on alert and ordered Vibrava to rapidly gain altitude.
At the same time, a furious roar sounded from the surface of the lake, and an enraged Gyarados suddenly burst out of the water, lunging to bite at Ethan.
Suddenly, a black shadow flashed in front of him, and Gengar's figure appeared on the field.
Next, Gengar's body was enveloped in electricity, and a powerful bolt of lightning crashed down with a thunderous roar.
In an instant, Gyarados's body was submerged in lightning; when the electricity dissipated, the Gyarados had already lost the ability to fight, floating on the surface of the lake with its body completely charred.
"So strong..."
Although it wasn't the first time he had seen Gengar act, Ethan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Suddenly, Ethan came back to his senses and turned his gaze to Riolu in his arms.
It had been Riolu who gave the warning at the very first moment—but how had it perceived the danger?
"Riolu, did you awaken the power of aura?"
An expression of anticipation appeared in Ethan's eyes.
However, Riolu shook its head. After listening to its explanation, Ethan understood that it was because Riolu had sensed Gyarados's emotion of rage, which was why it had warned him.
"The ability to perceive emotional energy?"
"That can be considered an extension of the power of aura."
Ethan nodded. In his conception, the idea was to strengthen the power of aura through emotional energy, thereby achieving complete mastery of that ability.
"You did very well, Riolu. Next, help Vibrava detect the Pokémon under the water."
Ethan patted Riolu's head as he praised it, causing a joyful expression to appear in Riolu's eyes.
After such a long time, it could finally do something for Ethan.
Because of this, Riolu began to concentrate even more carefully on its perception.
"Riou!"
Suddenly, Riolu's entire body trembled, and it opened its eyes with an expression of fear.
"What's wrong, Riolu?" Ethan looked at it with some confusion.
Boom, boom, boom!
Just as he finished speaking, a series of loud rumbles echoed from the bottom of the lake.
After that, the entire surface of the lake churned violently, and a column of water burst forth from the center, shooting straight into the sky.
"Is something about to come out of the Secret Kingdom?"
Ethan's expression changed as he watched the surface of the lake intently.
However, those vibrations only sounded three times before stopping completely.
"It's better to move away a bit. Vibrava, let's leave here first." After thinking for a moment, Ethan felt that it wasn't wise to take risks.
This kind of crisis should be handled by the Pokémon hunters.
"Viiibbrraa!"
Vibrava nodded and, carrying Ethan, rapidly gained altitude and flew toward Coral City.
When Ethan reached the outskirts of the city, he discovered that the water surging from the lake had already reached the city gates.
Fortunately, outside Coral City there was a defensive moat that was currently diverting the torrent of water into it. Although the water level of the moat had risen considerably, it had not yet flooded the city.
Moreover, Water-type Pokémon raised by the city itself also lived in the moat. At that moment, all of them had their heads above the water, vigilantly watching the direction of the lake, alert to any Pokémon that might break through.
On top of the city wall, a large number of citizens had also gathered. As they looked toward the lake—and especially at the dense layer of dark clouds covering the sky above it—all of them showed expressions of surprise and unease.
"Young man, what happened at the lake?"
After returning to the city wall, several citizens immediately surrounded Ethan to ask him.
In response, Ethan could only shake his head helplessly and briefly explain what had happened. "I don't know either. Originally, we were going to participate in the fishing tournament, but after the Secret Kingdom opened..."
"A powerful Pokémon inside the Secret Kingdom?"
"I had heard before that the scale of that Water Secret Kingdom was quite large. It seems that, indeed, there are powerful Pokémon inside that we don't know about."
An elderly resident of Coral City sighed emotionally. In fact, up until now, the League had not fully explored that Secret Kingdom; it was only known that it opened at specific times and that each time it did, Water-type Pokémon swam out from inside.
"A large-scale Secret Kingdom?"
"That kind of Secret Kingdom can already give rise to legendary Pokémon."
Ethan's face showed a thoughtful expression as he recalled the three earlier vibrations.
And those dense black clouds that refused to disperse in the sky... without a doubt, some Pokémon had used the move Rain Dance.
Given the intensity of the weather, it would be difficult for an ordinary Pokémon to accomplish something like this. Perhaps only a legendary Pokémon would be capable of it.
(End of chapter)