Daleron League Headquarters, conference room.
"Leo, how is the investigation into that Secret Kingdom going?" asked the League's Grand President, seated across from Champion Leo Cross.
"The situation isn't very good," Leo replied with a frown. "This Water-type Secret Kingdom shows clear signs of merging with the real world. Moreover, it's very likely that a legendary Pokémon truly lives within the Secret Kingdom, and it doesn't seem to be very friendly toward us."
"The Water-type Secret Kingdom has also begun to merge with the real world...?" The Grand President frowned upon hearing this. Without a doubt, it was the worst news he had received recently.
On the one hand, they knew very little about that Secret Kingdom; it had never been formally explored, so its level of danger was completely unknown.
On the other hand, it was a Water-type Secret Kingdom. No one knew how vast it was, nor the exact manner in which it was merging with the real world.
If the fusion occurred directly between the two worlds, the seawater of the Secret Kingdom could engulf Coral City in an instant, and even reach Solaris City.
Such a situation would be even more terrifying than a sudden flood!
"We must find a way to explore that Secret Kingdom. And, if possible, discover a method to stop its fusion with the real world. Perhaps the key point lies with that legendary Pokémon. The crisis at Coral City Lake and the fusion of the Secret Kingdom seem to be directly related to it."
Leo fell silent for a moment before voicing his opinion. The Grand President nodded slightly; in the current situation, this seemed to be the only viable option. But... how could they explore a Water-type Secret Kingdom that housed a legendary Pokémon?
"To explore a Secret Kingdom with a legendary Pokémon, the only option is to rely on another legendary Pokémon. Wasn't there recently news about a Water-type legendary Pokémon? I think it's already time to try to find it."
...
Coral City, by the riverbank.
"The competition starts tomorrow. In the end, I can only rely on these Pokémon."
Ethan looked at the seven Poké Balls in his hand and sighed softly.
Those seven Pokémon were, naturally, the ones he had captured during the crisis at Coral City Lake.
According to the rules, he could choose one of them to officially keep, and that was precisely the decision he had to make now.
Moreover, he planned to use that Pokémon to participate in the competition that was about to begin and test his luck to see how far he could go.
Although only the champion could obtain a Water-type starter Pokémon egg, the top ten places also had the right to receive eggs of other Water-type Pokémon.
The rewards were divided into tiers: the champion had one tier of prizes, the top four another, and the top ten yet another. The higher the tier, the rarer and more valuable the available eggs were.
Ethan's goal was clear: to make it into the top four.
"Get ready, I'm going to release the Pokémon."
Ethan took one of the seven Poké Balls and spoke to the Pokémon around him, all of whom were paying close attention.
After receiving their responses, he opened the Poké Ball. A flash of white light shone, and a Corphish appeared.
"Corphish... its combat power is too low."
Ethan shook his head, returned it to the Poké Ball, and released another Pokémon.
This time, a Chinchou appeared. As a Water- and Electric-type Pokémon, it performed decently in internal battles among Water-type Pokémon.
"Let's take a look at the others first."
After thinking for a moment, Ethan also returned Chinchou.
Then he released the remaining Pokémon one by one, but none of them fully convinced him.
"Only one left."
Ethan took the final Poké Ball, his expression solemn.
A flash of light appeared accompanied by a furious roar, and the massive figure of a Gyarados emerged in the river.
The moment it appeared, Gyarados began roaring incessantly, opened its huge mouth, and fired off a powerful Hydro Pump.
"Viiibbrraa!"
Vibrava's reaction was extremely fast.
Without waiting for Gengar to intervene, it used the move Tailwind, raising a whirlwind around Ethan that blocked the attack.
"Gyarados is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult Pokémon to deal with."
Ethan frowned and didn't hold back, ordering Meltan to use the move Thunderbolt.
A powerful electric current crashed down with a loud rumble. Although it wasn't as strong as Gengar's Thunderbolt, it was still something Gyarados couldn't withstand, piercing through its body from side to side.
Being a Water- and Flying-type Pokémon, Gyarados took quadruple damage. It let out a groan and crashed down heavily, floating on the surface of the river.
Even so, its endurance was astonishing. Though severely injured, it didn't immediately lose consciousness and stared at Ethan with its huge eyes filled with fury.
"How about we talk for a bit?"
Ethan stepped forward slowly, holding Riolu in his arms.
According to Riolu's perception, Gyarados's rage had already calmed considerably.
"Gyyaarrrd!"
Seeing Ethan approach, Gyarados continued to roar, though its voice no longer carried its initial strength.
Moreover, upon sensing Meltan's presence and seeing Gengar fully materialize, its pupils contracted. When facing Pokémon stronger than itself, even Gyarados felt fear.
"I want to capture you only so you can help me complete a competition. When the tournament ends, whether I win or lose, I'll return your freedom. What do you think?"
Ethan smiled as he proposed a condition that Gyarados could hardly refuse.
After a complicated and tense exchange, Gyarados reluctantly accepted the deal and agreed to help him in the competition.
"Phew, I did it. The strength of this Gyarados is actually quite good. If everything goes well, making it into the top ten shouldn't be a problem. The top four... that'll require a real fight."
After testing Gyarados's power, Ethan already had a rough idea.
After all, this competition originated from the fishing tournament. The participants were mostly fishing enthusiasts, not necessarily truly strong trainers. With Gyarados, his chances were fairly high.
Then, Ethan went to the Pokémon Hunters Guild of Coral City to hand over the other six Pokémon and formalize the capture of Gyarados.
After completing the registration at the Pokémon Trainers Guild, he headed to the tournament's organizing committee and submitted the list of Pokémon he would use to compete.
Everything went smoothly. After registering, Ethan didn't waste any time and took Gyarados back to a nearby river, intending to give it some last-minute intensive training.
(End of chapter)