Chapter 13 Gyarados Can Really Fly
"Congratulations on your successful evolution! From now on, you are Gyarados, and the most special Gyarados!" Xia Mu congratulated Gyarados.
'Roar~~'
Hearing Xia Mu's words, Gyarados happily narrowed its eyes and roared in response.
Although it still looked fierce, especially its huge mouth and fangs,
Xia Mu could sense that the red Gyarados hadn't changed much from before. Xia Mu was prepared for the drastic personality change that Gyarados experienced after evolution, as depicted in the anime.
After staring at the red Gyarados for a long time, Xia Mu couldn't help but look at the envious Riolu beside him.
At this moment, Riolu must be thinking that it had fought for so many days, defeating so many opponents without evolving.
Magikarp, on the other hand, had evolved in such a short time.
Of course, Riolu didn't feel resentful because of this; instead, it became even more determined to evolve.
Although Xia Mu couldn't know what Riolu was thinking, its emotional state indicated an aggressive attitude, so he could roughly guess.
Reaching out to stroke Riolu's head, Xia Mu smiled slightly: "Don't worry, you'll evolve soon. Unlike Magikarp, your evolution requires a deep, intimate connection with me."
The friendship level had already exceeded the limit, reaching 175 points. Xia Mu had spent the past half-day working on improving their bond and had roughly tested a faster way to increase it.
Now, only 45 points were needed to reach 220.
'Woof woof~'
Riolu looked at Xia Mu and nodded seriously.
In its heart, Xia Mu meant it had to obey. It didn't know how to truly evolve, but it trusted Xia Mu.
Perhaps it was due to the system; initially, there was only Xia Mu. If it had parents, it would know that their family needed to find a specific opportunity to evolve.
"Roar~~"
The red Gyarados in the lake, having evolved, became even smarter and understood Riolu's thoughts.
It was unclear whether it was comforting Riolu or saying something else entirely.
In any case, after hearing the red Gyarados's words, Riolu became even more determined.
A friendly relationship was established between the two.
This wasn't just because they were both Xia Mu's Pokémon, but also because Gyarados remembered Riolu's kindness; it was Riolu's help that allowed it to grow stronger and evolve so quickly.
Xia Mu couldn't understand their conversation, but he could share in their joyful emotions.
It was at this moment that Xia Mu suddenly felt something was missing and frowned.
He had been so focused on leveling up and evolving Magikarp that he had forgotten about Growlithe.
So much time had passed, and Growlithe hadn't returned.
Couldn't find its way back?
Impossible!
Growlithe was a Pokémon that could serve as the League's exclusive Watchog, and his Growlithe had an exceptionally keen sense of smell.
Had it gotten so caught up in leveling up that it forgot all about it?
Or had it encountered a powerful enemy?
Xia Mu had marked most of the powerful Pokémon in the forest, so Growlithe shouldn't challenge them on its own...unless Growlithe desperately wanted to become stronger and believed it had enough power to go looking for them.
[Probably not? Growlithe is brave, but not reckless.] Xia Mu worried. Without his guidance, even with type advantage, Growlithe would have a hard time winning against stronger opponents.
Looking back in the direction they came from, they found some marked trees and large rocks.
They remembered that was where they parted ways.
Riolu and the red Gyarados simultaneously sensed the change in Xia Mu's aura, and both beasts quieted down.
"Gyarados, go back to your Poké Ball first. Riolu and I need to go find Growlithe." Xia Mu said, reaching for the red Gyarados's Poké Ball.
But the red Gyarados clearly didn't want to go in. After shaking its head, it roared, then leaped out of the water and hovered in the air.
Gyarados, can fly?
That's right!
He'd forgotten about that.
Gyarados can indeed fly, even if only at low altitudes.
Although there wasn't a scene like that in the anime, Xia Mu clearly remembered seeing a Gyarados flying in the sky while playing the Pokémon Arceus game, which almost made him question his existence.
That's when he realized that Gyarados wasn't just able to hover; it could actually fly. If it used Rain Dance during flight, it would practically be a dragon that could summon wind and rain.
"You mean, let me and Riolu come up?" Xia Mu pointed to himself and Riolu and asked.
The red Gyarados nodded and lowered its body.
Xia Mu's emotions surged upon seeing this.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he couldn't care less about anything else; finding Growlithe was the priority.
Once on the red Gyarados's body, Xia Mu experienced the feeling of flying on a Gyarados.
Yeah, it was damn awesome.
Unfortunately, now wasn't the time to enjoy it. "
...
Head in that direction. Don't force yourself if you can't fly for too long," Xia Mu instructed the red Gyarados.
'Roar!'
The red Gyarados responded powerfully, soaring into the sky and circling above the forest, allowing Xia Mu and Riolu to see the ground below.
They flew along, and although the dense forest provided cover, they could still see most of the area from the air, without any trace of Growlithe.
Xia Mu even directed the red Gyarados to several marked areas of powerful Pokémon, but there was still no sign of Growlithe.
"Still nothing. Where did it go? Could it be... no way?" Xia Mu felt a pang of unease.
If they encountered poachers, that would be a real problem.
He had seen news reports a couple of days ago about many illegal immigrants in the Kanto region, not only maliciously capturing wild Pokémon but also stealing trainers' Pokémon.
It couldn't be that much of a coincidence, could it?
Xia Mu regretted letting Growlithe train on its own.
"Woof woof~~"
came the barking of Riolu beside him, clearly trying to comfort Xia Mu.
This made Xia Mu feel even more guilty for neglecting his duty by pursuing strength too much.
Looking at Riolu, Xia Mu felt even more guilty: "You don't need to comfort me, Riolu..."
Just as he finished speaking, Xia Mu and Riolu suddenly heard the roar of a red Gyarados.
This roar was truly intimidating.
The red Gyarados was different from ordinary Gyarados; it was huge, and with its Intimidate ability, most wild Pokémon would be scared into retreating and running around in all directions, not daring to confront it head-on. To Xia Mu's surprise, even when facing the red Gyarados, there was still a wild Pokémon lingering.
And that wild Pokémon's eyes were filled with strong hostility.
Xia Mu saw it clearly: a level 40 Fearow!
At this moment, it was stepping on a severely injured Growlithe, making a defiant "Caw~ Caw~" sound.
Around it, there were several Spearows, chirping along.
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(End of this chapter)