The words Water Stone instantly reminded Rei Akagi of something.
A flash of realization appeared in his eyes.
"Red! Get over here!"
"Huh? What's wrong, Teacher Salted Fi—"
Red controlled Red to move closer, confused.
Without saying a word, Rei Akagi dragged Red toward the ship's railing.
And then—
At that exact moment—
BAM!
He kicked Red straight off the ship.
Red flew through the air in a perfect arc while Red's shocked scream echoed through the communicator.
With a beautiful splash—
He plunged into the ocean.
"Teacher Salted Fish! What are you doing—AAAAAH!"
"Relax," Rei Akagi said calmly.
"Let Red sink for a bit."
His voice was unusually composed—almost as if everything was part of a plan.
Then he turned to the still spraying water Poliwrath beside them.
"Red slipped and fell into the water! He can't swim!"
"Go save him! I'll hold the line here!"
Poliwrath: ???
Poliwrath was stunned.
Turning around, it saw that its Trainer was indeed gone.
Without hesitation—
It rushed to the railing and dived straight into the sea.
The livestream chat exploded instantly.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS OPERATION?! Sacrificing teammates for power?!"
"The ship is literally burning down and you just kicked the only helper into the ocean?!"
"I understand now! This is a hopeless situation! Save who you can! Teacher Salted Fish is sacrificing himself to save his teammate! I'm crying!"
"Hahaha Red walked over like a curious kid and got yeeted off the ship!"
"Legendary Red: I have a sentence I'd like to say but maybe I shouldn't!"
Meanwhile, the flames continued raging through the cargo hold.
Without Poliwrath's Hydro Pump, only Dragonair's Rain Dance and Gyarados's Hydro Pump remained to suppress the fire.
The flames began growing restless again.
Rei stood alone at the edge of the inferno, his figure thin against the dancing flames.
And then—
A roar filled with exhilaration suddenly echoed from above.
"Poliwrath! Hydro Pump!!"
BOOM—
A massive water column pierced through the smoke and slammed directly into the core of the fire.
Looking up—
A blue figure was rapidly descending from the sky through the hole in the ship.
Poliwrath, muscles bulging, held the soaked Red firmly with one arm while maintaining the Hydro Pump with the other.
It landed steadily beside Bai.
The moment Red's feet touched the ground, Red's smug voice came through the communicator.
"Poliwrath evolved… hehe…"
"Stop celebrating!"
Rei Akagi snapped urgently.
"Quick! Put out the fire! Once the core is extinguished—we retreat!"
"Retreat? Why retreat? Didn't we just put out the fire?"
Red stretched Red's body while asking in confusion.
"Mr. Arsonist."
Rei Akagi laughed in disbelief.
He pointed at the massive smoking hole in the ship's hull.
"Look at the damage you caused! That hole! The fire! The burned flammable storage!"
"Do you want to spend the rest of the game mining to pay off repair debts?!"
Red sucked in a sharp breath.
"Retreat! Immediately!"
With Poliwrath joining the fight, the three water attackers—
Poliwrath, Gyarados, and Dragonair—
became like three high-pressure water cannons, smashing the remaining flames into submission.
Just as the core fire was about to be completely extinguished—
Rei Akagi made a decisive call.
"Stop! That's enough! Run!"
They immediately recalled their Pokémon and sprinted toward the cargo hold exit.
But the moment they exited—
A familiar figure was standing right in the middle of the corridor.
"Green: Hey, Bai!"
"Green: Long time no see. Why do you look so miserable? Were you really invited onto the ship…?"
Rei Akagi didn't even acknowledge him.
Without giving Green a single glance, Rei dashed past him with Red—
Leaped over the railing—
And jumped straight into the ocean.
Splash! Splash!
Two bursts of water erupted as they vanished beneath the sea.
Even though the camera had switched underwater, the dialogue bubbles in the corridor above continued.
"Sailor A: Hurry! The fire is under control! Move in and extinguish the rest!"
"Sailor B: Report! Suspicious individual captured at the cargo hold exit! Sneaking around—very suspicious! Likely the arsonist!"
"Green: Huh?! Wait! You've got the wrong person! I'm not—I was just passing by—"
"Sailor C: Save it! Anyone who looks that shady can't be innocent!"
"…"
The voices gradually faded, swallowed by the sound of the ocean.
Underwater, Gyarados burst through the surface and caught Rei on its massive body.
Nearby, Poliwrath floated on the water while holding Red.
Neither of them dared say a word.
They simply rushed toward the Vermilion City shoreline as fast as possible.
"Poliwrath descending from the sky! Legendary Red is insane!"
"Wait—Poliwhirl evolved into Poliwrath just like that? What about the Water Stone?"
"That's not the point! Green is about to be interrogated by sailors while the real arsonists escape!"
"'My rival always frames me for crimes' — written by Green."
"Green: I swear I was just passing by!"
Rei Akagi had no time to read the chat.
The moment they reached land, he knew they couldn't stay here.
To completely remove suspicion and create a perfect alibi, he controlled Rei and rushed straight toward the Vermilion Gym.
As long as they challenged the Gym Leader immediately and obtained the Gym Badge, they would have solid proof:
"At the time of the incident, we were busy challenging the Gym."
If the sailors or Lt. Surge caught them at the harbor…
Rei and Red might end up spending the rest of the game in Pokémon prison.
They hurried into the Vermilion Gym.
Inside, the layout was completely different from previous Gyms.
There were no guarding Trainers.
Instead, the entire hall was vast, cold, and metallic.
Huge steel pillars rose like a forest of metal, gleaming under harsh lights.
At the center of the battlefield stood a raised platform.
On top of it—
A tall, muscular figure stood with arms crossed.
Lt. Surge.
His spiky hair looked even more dramatic under the Gym lights.
"Lt. Surge: Oh? It's you two! Did you enjoy yourselves on my ship?"
"Hey! What are you standing around for? In battle you won't live long if you're this slow!"
"Look at that pathetic strength!"
"If you're men—challenge me!"
"Let me tell you something! Electric-type Pokémon saved my life during the war!"
"They paralyzed my enemies with lightning!"
"And I'm going to do the same to you!"
"Hahaha! Now that's exciting!"
"Here in my Gym we don't bother with fancy rules!"
"Winning is the only rule!"
"Single Pokémon battle!"
"Now come at me!"
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