Pokemon: Way of Life Chapter 50

Hi all,

Here's the next chapter. I have finally reached fifty chapters. It feels like a minor achievement. No bonus chapters this week, as I am super busy at work, but there will be two next week as I have some more time off.

25th November

The tugboat and barge were cruising across the open sea towards Cinnabar Island. At the helm, Maggie guided the boat while having a lively discussion with Lucas' parents about something. They had decided they wanted to come on the trip to spend more time with Lucas, and he wouldn't deny them.

Among a load of supplies for the island, a huge table and sunshade were set up on the barge. This was so that everyone could protect themselves from the harsh sun beating down on their shoulders. Lucas had a map open on the table in front of him and was searching for islands south of Cinnabar Island.

Lucas was working with the assumption that Mew headed south after escaping Dr Goldman, as that is the direction he came from when he first arrived there. The clue Mew gave him had occupied his mind for the last two weeks. He did not know if it was referring to a Pokemon or a landmark. Hell, Mew could be trolling him and it would end up being something really obscure. His initial guess was that it had something to do with his ability to transform his head into Mewtwo's.

Lucas bit the bullet and transformed his head. It was a surreal experience, to say the least, and less traumatising now that he had some experience transforming his arms. In that form, he noticed that three of his senses; sight, smell, and hearing, were heightened. After getting over the bizarre feeling of having Mewtwo's head attached to his body, he tried to figure out what the clue meant. He almost expected something to happen, like an epiphany, but nothing revealed itself. So he changed back into his human form in disappointment.

Which led him to his current brainwave. Searching for islands that could be associated with the clue, but so far he hadn't had any luck. He grabbed his phone and looked up information about the different islands. Fifteen minutes later, it seemed like he had hit another dead end when something caught his attention.

Zealous Dragon Island

A small island located to the far southeast of Cinnabar Island. Only three kinds of Pokemon live on the island, which is the Pokemon Deino and its evolutions. The island gets its name from Deino's second evolutionary form, Zweilous. It is a twin-headed dark-dragon type Pokemon and has a voracious appetite. Neither head gets along well with the other, and they fight over food often.

It is believed that a long time ago, a ship travelling from the Unova region got lost at sea and discovered the island by accident. The people did not survive, but the cargo they carried did, which was a number of Deino. The Pokemon claimed the island as their own. In the absence of other Pokemon, they thrived.

People usually stay away from the island, as the final evolution, Hydreigon, is a powerful and aggressive Pokemon. If you wish to visit the island to capture a Deino, beware of the hazards.

Lucas hummed. It wasn't a definitive answer, but it was the most promising lead he had come up with so far. He would need Maggie to take him there once his island business concluded. The only problem was that it was very dangerous to disembark on Zealous Dragon Island and search for Mew. He had Maggie, Alfred and his parents with high-level Pokemon to keep him safe, but it would be difficult to keep his secret if he took them along. How he would proceed would require further consideration.

"Should I just take the plunge and evolve Katara?" Misty asked, fiddling with the Water Stone she received from the tournament. Katara, the Staryu, got excited when she heard her trainer's words. She zoomed over and started massaging Misty's shoulders with its triangular arms.

"There are no downsides," Lucas replied, smiling at Katara's attempts to curry favour with her trainer. "Besides the need to maximise her potential in the next month."

"That is true," Misty said. "There is no reason to wait. Hey, do you think your dad's Poliwrath could help her with training?"

"I don't see why not," Lucas shrugged. "He loves training Pokemon. Honestly, he must have a sadistic streak, as he enjoys pushing Pokemon to their limits. But it is certainly effective."

"Great," Misty exclaimed before patting Katara on the arm. "Okay, you can stop pretending to be considerate. I will let you use the Water Stone when we get to the island."

Katara instantly stopped the massaging and rejoined the rest of the Pokemon on the other side of the barge. Misty rolled her eyes as everyone laughed at the Pokemon's behaviour.

"She acts just like Bane," Jason sighed. "He is the master of boot-licking whenever he wants something, but otherwise he is a complete menace."

The tugboat continued its journey. Unlike the aircraft, it took almost an entire day for the boat to reach the island. Lucas passed the time playing virtual slots in Arceus' Emporium while reading another history book on the Aura Guardians.

Over the last two weeks, he has made some incredible progress himself. He levelled up to nineteen after all the grinding with his Pokemon in Viridian Forest. Additionally, he increased his Luck to twenty by playing poker. After that, he spent another thirty AP to get the attribute to fifty. Ironically, it was now his highest attribute even though he received it much later than the others. As a result of increasing it to fifty, he got two additional perks.

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Experience Junkie

Description: The player cannot help but want more experience; it's like an addiction. There is a certain chance of receiving four times the experience after a Pokemon battle, depending on his Luck attribute. Does not apply to his Pokemon.

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Lucky Hour

Description: A player can activate this perk once a month to enjoy one incredible hour of luck where everything should go according to plan. The player also feels like he is instinctively in the right place at the right time. Does not affect games of chance where Pokedollars or other rewards can be earned.

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Initially, he spent twenty thousand Pokedollars on twenty Arceus coins. It may seem like a lot, but considering he would soon be a millionaire, it was not a major loss. So far, he has made a net profit of thirty-seven coins, but it took him many hours of grinding to get there. With his current Luck, the coins kept flowing in, but it got tedious very fast. There was no way to automate the process, so he tried to do it as he was doing another task. His only concern now was the increased risk of encountering dangerous situations because of his high Luck attribute. However, he had already accepted that he would encounter danger regardless of what he did.

"We will arrive on the island soon," Maggie called.

Jason was scrolling through his phone when he exclaimed out loud."Dude, your song has already surpassed a million downloads. It is a better result than your first song."

"That's cool," Lucas said. Although it was slightly surprising that he had so many downloads so soon, it was not unexpected, considering that he had hundreds of thousands of followers that could promote his music for free.

It just meant he had to keep the momentum going by creating another song soon. Unfortunately, Yuji did not want to join them in visiting the island, as he already had another song in mind as his next choice. Nevertheless, he wouldn't release it so soon after his last song. He wanted to give 'just the way you are' breathing room before releasing another.

Thirty minutes later, the tugboat slowed as it approached the dock on the north side of the island. The unmistakable form of Nora was standing on the dock, waiting for them. Lucas had warned those unaware of her situation in advance, so there were no awkward scenes when they first caught sight of her.

A Heracross stood beside her, and Lucas examined the Pokemon. Upon looking at its stats, Lucas was surprised to find that it was already level twenty-three and that its Attack was insane. He imagined it would have been a huge help in helping Nora and Maggie build the habitat.

"Hi, Nora," Lucas hugged her. It was evident that she was uncomfortable, even though she accepted the embrace.

"Lucas," Nora greeted him. She looked exactly like she did before, still wearing the cloak with the hood that covered her face.

Lucas introduced everyone before they made their way into town, which was located just south of the docks. Sara and Mike were looking around with interest, and they were already making notes of the surrounding buildings and landscapes.

"We will start working," Sara said to Lucas, an eager expression on her face, and Lucas nodded. Sara and Mike rushed off to explore further.

"I will join them, sir," Alfred said and followed in their wake.

"So, my habitat is finished?" Lucas asked Nora eagerly.

"Well, it's not the biggest habitat, but it should serve your Pokemon well," Nora said, looking at his Pokemon trailing behind them. "There are three distinct biomes. A forest, a small pond for water Pokemon; and an area with rocky terrain, and all three have been walled off to keep wild Pokemon out. There is also a small training ground, nothing as elaborate as you have at home, but there is room for expansion."

"Awesome," Lucas said. "I want to check it out immediately, but let's go see Eve first."

The wild Pokemon and the ones they managed to free from Team Rocket's clutches now lived together in harmony with each other. However, a more permanent solution would have to be devised, as he couldn't have them wandering around the island when his resort was finished. Hence, the idea of a Pokemon Reserve seemed more urgent than before. He would have to look at moving his plans forward and building it in tandem with the resort.

Lucas looked around before leaning in and whispering to Nora. "So, have you seen Moltres around?"

"A couple of times, but it hasn't bothered us," Nora replied softly. "It seems that sealing the shaft and staying away from the Fire Source has worked."

"That's good," Lucas said in relief. Honestly, the thing was a hot potato. He should sell the thing to the Kanto government if he was smart. However, he didn't know how Moltres would react. He was sure his popularity would take a nosedive if it was discovered he was responsible for angering the Legendary Pokemon. It had the potential to cause some major destruction.

Another idea was to move the Fire Source to another island, but he couldn't do it without explaining the situation to Moltres first. What if it attacked first and asked questions later?

"Do you have any trouble with wild Pokemon entering the town?" Lucas asked, spotting a Pidgey perched on one of the buildings' roofs.

"Some," she replied. "But Sonya comes here a lot and scares them away. Most of them recognise this place is off limits and stay away."

"Where are Gideon, Charlie and Sonya staying?"

"You know the forest on the east side of the island?" Nora asked, and Lucas nodded. "They have located themselves there, and it helps conceal the aircraft. They don't like using the invisibility cloak often because it costs a lot of Pokedollars to operate."

"Hmm," Lucas said. "That's going to be a problem. I am looking to build the resort on the east side of the island. We have to relocate them to the south, closer to the habitat."

The beach on the east side of the island was the best place to build a resort. Not only did it offer the most stunning views, but there was already some infrastructure in place. This included some old shops he came across last time that he could repurpose for his needs. He also needed to take care of the road leading to the beach, as many construction supplies would need to be transported there in the future. There was a dirt road already, but it needed to be rebuilt, as it was in poor condition.

They reached the mansion where Nora, Maggie and Eve were staying. Unlike the other buildings, this one had some care put into it recently, so it didn't look as shabby. The yard had been cleaned up, and the grass was no longer overgrown.

"Is Eve inside?" Jason asked eagerly, showing excitement.

"Yes," Nora said, and he ran ahead of them and entered the mansion.

"I got to be honest," Faith said. "If they got together, they would make for an odd couple."

"It's fine," Lucas shrugged. "They may seem like opposites in personality, but sometimes that works out in a couple's favour."

"Look at you," Misty nudged his side. "Now that you have a girlfriend, you are suddenly an expert on relationships."

Everyone laughed, and Lucas looked at Misty with a smirk. "Watch out or I will use my superior matchmaking skills and find you a boyfriend. Just call me the Love Guru."

"Please never call yourself that again, Lucas," Sophia sighed.

Since the mansion used to be owned by Dr Goldman, Lucas was surprised to find that Nora was willing to live there. The compound would probably hold the most painful memories, however.

They found the two in a lab room on the first floor. Jason was chatting with Eve when they entered the room—she appeared to be half-listening while studying something under a microscope.

"Hello, Eve. How are you doing?" Lucas asked.

"I need funds for supplies," Eve stated bluntly.

"Straight to the point I see," Lucas sighed, turning to Jason. "I hope you teach her how to interact with others. Calling her socially awkward would be putting it mildly."

"Lucas," Sophia scolded him. "Don't be rude."

"It is fine. He is only stating a fact," Eve said calmly.

"Okay," Sophia winced. Judging from her expression, Lucas figured his mother would take Eve under her wing while they were on the island.

"I will set up a bank account for you to use," Lucas told Eve. "But I need you to send me receipts for everything you purchased. Maggie can ferry supplies here. I imagine she will be busy in the next few months shipping construction supplies to the island."

"Goddammit," Maggie cursed.

"Hey, I am interested in another water-type Pokemon," Misty shuffled over to where Maggie was standing. "I hear you are an expert in fishing tours. Have you found any good fishing spots around here?"

"As a matter of fact, I have found a fishing hole not far from the island," Maggie said, perking up. "If you want, I can take you out sometime."

"Yes, please," Misty nodded.

Maybe he could find another fishing location with new rewards? "Count me in."

"It's already late in the afternoon. You can go out tomorrow and make a day of it," David suggested.

Lucas looked at Jason, who stared at Eve with a longing expression, but the girl was completely oblivious. "Eve, you need to take a break as well. You can join us on the trip."

"But—" Eve began.

"That is an excellent idea," Sophia enthused, stepping up and grabbing Eve's hand. "Do you have a swimming outfit to wear? Let's go see what you have in the way of clothes."

Sophia led the protesting girl out of the room. Jason looked like he wanted to follow her but Faith stopped him in his tracks. "Are you planning to spy on her?"

"Of course not," Jason protested.

Lucas turned to Nora. "So, let's go and see the habitat."

{0(((..)))0}

The habitat was located on the south side of the island, about a kilometre west of the compound. The entire thing consisted of a main building in the centre, surrounded by four square enclosures connected together by narrow passageways. At each entrance were gates that allowed him to isolate each enclosure if he so desired. If he ever acquired another Pokemon that could not be bonded straightaway like Freya, he could use it to separate it from the other team members.

The structure's walls were about fifteen feet high, giving Pokemon plenty of space to move around. It wasn't open, but had a glass rooftop, with a walkway built around it, allowing people to view the entire thing from above. It was an unusual and striking design and Lucasloved it. They climbed the staircase on the side of the structure and onto the walkway so they could get an overhead view of the habitat.

"This is cool," Faith said excitedly, grabbing his hand.

They walked along the walkway to get a good look at the three biomes and the training area. With the exception of the latter, everything looked completely natural. Each area looked around twenty metres square in size, so there was plenty of room for his Pokemon's current needs.

Misty looked down at the water biome with an amazed expression. It was a small natural pond surrounded by a field of grass. There were some rocks and shrubbery surrounding the pond that looked like they were added after the fact, and it added vibrancy to the biome. In the centre of the pond, there was an island made from a submerged boulder that Pokemon could use to rest.

Misty clasped her hands together and looked at him pleadingly. "Hey, Lucas. Can I pay you to have my Pokemon stay here? This is better than the PokéLodge I'm currently using."

"There is no need to pay," Lucas said. "All of us can use the habitat. There is plenty of room. Although we may want to hire someone to maintain the place and keep Pokemon staying here fed."

"No need," Nora said. "I will do it. If you want me to continue building onto the habitat, I will do so, or else I will need to find something else to do."

"I think that is an excellent idea," Lucas said. "Maybe expand upon the habitats we currently have for now. For example, in the water biome, build it out to add a water hole for sea Pokemon. Another idea is to add an underground area in the rocky terrain biome for Pokemon who prefer darkness. Of course, you can continue to expand the training ground as well."

"Okay," Nora nodded, looking happier. It seemed that the issue of her work going forward had bothered her. It wasn't likely that she would be interested in joining the main construction team building the town and resort.

"How did you get so much done in such a short amount of time?" Lucas asked.

"Things really picked up when Maggie arrived, and Heracross and her Pokemon have been an enormous help," Nora shrugged. "I chose to build here because there was already a pond and a forested section here. So we only had to work on the third biome and the structure itself."

"Well, you did a fantastic job," Lucas said.

Nora looked away, unused to compliments.

"The walls are built out of various types of ironwood, whatever I could get my hands on," Nora said after an awkward pause. "Some of it came from the island, but the majority was shipped from elsewhere. I didn't want to strip the island of trees. The roof is fibreglass, so it is pretty strong. It won't stand up to a concentrated attack, but it should be enough to evacuate the Pokemon if need be."

"Yeah, that was an excellent idea," Lucas agreed. "What is that building in the centre for?"

"It serves as both a storage area and a place to stay until you want your own place built," Nora said. "I also want to install a terminal for calibrating your Pokeballs. They are more reliable than your phone. There is no hurry though, as it will cost a lot to purchase."

"That won't be an issue soon," Lucas replied.

Is this where we will live?' Max asked.

"Only when you need a break or extra training," Lucas said. "Eventually, I will have an even larger team, so I may swap you around sometimes, as having that many Pokemon travelling with me will become unwieldy."

'Translation: He will remove you from the team when he gets sick of you.' Imara snorted.

"Not at all," Lucas said firmly. "None of my Pokemon will be left behind."

Lucas took his phone and calibrated his Pokeballs so his Pokemon would be sent here. They ventured inside and explored the place in further detail. His Pokemon approved of the habitat, and Duke, along with the other water-type Pokemon wasted no time settling into the lake biome, while Freya chose the biome with the small forest. Max and Imara checked out the training area, and only Dante stayed by his side.

"Do you want to stay here for the night?" Lucas asked.

'I will stay with you.' Dante said.

It looked like the majority of their Pokemon were content to stay in the habitat, and Nora would stay with them overnight. Lucas and the others returned to town to grab something to eat.

{0(((..)))0}

26th November

"Here it is," Maggie said, as she cut the engine.

They had travelled a couple of hours southwest of the island, coincidentally, in the direction of Zealous Dragon Island. It was an early start, as they left at seven in the morning after picking up their Pokemon from the habitat. It was already warm, so everyone was dressed in swimming gear. Jason was not very subtle and stared at Eve, who was wearing a white one-piece swimsuit. She was extremely fair-skinned, which contrasted starkly with her silver hair.

Lucas received a notification, and it was something he expected.

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The player has discovered a new location!

300 experience gained.

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Fishing Location: Under the sea, a sunken ship!

Special Highlights:

Magikarp Territory - Find plenty of the notoriously unreliable Pokemon (75%).

Treasure Chests - Bitter Kelp (74%); Pearl ( 20%); Sea Incense ( 5%); Rare Candy (1%); ????? (0.5%).

=====

Lucas retrieved his Old Rod. There was a limited amount of time to spend fishing here, so he hoped he could get the last two items on the list before the day was over. He considered using his new perk: Lucky Hour, but it would have been a waste. There is a possibility that he could use it to help him locate Mew.

His curiosity was piqued about how the ship sank in the first place. Had it been attacked by a sea Pokemon? Was there treasure hidden in the decrepit ship remains? He definitely wanted to explore the area one day, and other locations under the sea. Perhaps when Duke was an uber-powerful Kingdra.

'I want to fish.' Max raised his hand, so Lucas handed him the rod.

"What a lazy bugger," Misty called from further down the barge. They split the barge into two zones so they wouldn't get in the way of each other when their Pokemon battled the wild Pokemon. Everyone else would sit on the tugboat so they wouldn't be attacked.

"You are just jealous that you didn't think of it first," Lucas grinned, and Misty flipped him the bird.

Lucas turned to Dante. "You're up first. I want to see how you battle now that you have evolved."

'Please give me a worthy challenge.' Dante sighed but stepped into the middle of the barge.

"Don't be complacent," Lucas said. "What if Max caught a Gyarados?"

'Please. Max would be pulled into the water if he hooked a Gyarados on the line.'

Before Dante battled, Lucas examined his parameters.

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Pokemon: Kirlia | Name: Dante | Age: 0 | Gender: M | Type: Psychic, Fairy | Potential: S | Affection: 100 | Favourite Foods: Sweet and Spicy Meatballs.

Second Stage: The Pokemon has gone through his second growth.

Description: It is said that a Kirlia that is exposed to the positive emotions of its trainer grows beautiful. Thus Pokemon controls psychokinetic powers with its highly developed brain.

Stats

Level: 10 | Exp Cache: (4800) | AP: 5 | HP:255 | Aura: 315 |

Attack: 59 | Defence: 61 | Sp Att: 95 | Sp Def: 62 | Speed: 85 |

Traits

Evasive Movement: Increases the user's ability to evade attacks slightly.

Energy Manipulation: The user has gained a better understanding of how to harness energy. It may be possible to alter moves to make them behave differently. There is also the possibility of adding properties to type energy.

Special Ability

Trace - The Pokemon copies a foe's ability.

Balance - Increases the maximum aura by 25%.

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Moves/Mastery

Special

Disarming Voice: (Fairy) [Power: 50] (Cost: 6) [Mastery: Max]

Confusion: (Psychic) [Power: 60] (Cost: 8) [Mastery: Max]

Psybeam: (Psychic) [Power: 65] (Cost: 13) [Mastery: Max]

Modified

Vine Smash: (Grass) [Power: --] (Cost: 8) [Mastery: Max]

Vine Barrier: (Grass) [Power: 20] (Cost: 12) [Mastery: Max]

Status

Growl: (Normal) [Power: --] (Cost: 5) [Mastery: Max]

Disable: (Normal) [Power: --] (Cost: 5) [Mastery: Max]

Double Team: (Normal) [Power: --] (Cost: 7) [Mastery: Max]

Calm Mind: (Psychic) [Power: --] (Cost: 10) [Mastery: Max]

Reflect: (Psychic) [Power: --] (Cost: 7) [Mastery: Max]

Utility

Teleport: (Psychic) [Power: --] (Cost: 12) [Mastery: Max]

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Affinities

Type Attack (Trainable)

Psychic ~ 70% | Fairy ~ 30% | Grass ~ 17%

Type Defence (cannot be changed}

Poison: -100% | Ghost: -100%| Steel: -100% |

Psychic: +50%| Fighting: +75% | Dragon: Immune |

=====

Now that Dante had evolved, he could spend his experience to level him up. As far as he could see, there were no extra benefits to evolving him at a lower level. It did not affect Pokemon's inherent moves they could learn because as far as he could tell, any unlearned moves carried over to the next evolution. So there was no reason to fear missing out on a specific move.

Lucas spent Dante's experience and levelled him up to thirteen. He now had twenty AP to use, so he spent ten on Speed and Defence each. Since his Special Attack was already high enough for now, and his Attack would be taken care of by the stat-enhancing candies.

'I got something,' Max shouted, pulling back on the line.

"Get ready," Lucas told Dante.

Unfortunately, Max caught a series of Magikarps. If he was looking for a shiny Pokemon, it would have been the most desirable outcome. However, this was supposed to be a showcase for Dantes' new abilities, but his opponents were barely putting up any resistance. The Magikarp weren't completely useless, as they had a few effective moves at higher levels. The biggest problem was that they didn't know how to manipulate water molecules outside of the sea. So, they flopped around on deck until Dante sent them flying back to where they came from.

"How are you getting so many Magikarp on the line?" Misty asked, looking at Max with a frown. So far, she hooked only two Pokemon herself.

'Because I have skills.' Max said happily, unaware that the Old Rod was the main contributor.

Lucas laughed, and translated for Max, causing Misty to scowl and return her attention to her own fishing line. She must be very competitive if she felt she needed to compete with Max.

A few casts later, Date finally got a worthy opponent in a Level sixteen Goldeen who could manipulate water molecules to move around on land.

Goldeen ~ Level 16 ~ HP: 270 ~ Aura: 340

Judging by her parameters and move set, it would not be the easiest of fights. As soon as she landed on the deck, she used Agility. Now her speed was comparable to Dantes'.

'Disable.' Lucas ordered, and Dante sealed Goldeen's Agility for the next few minutes.

Goldeen rushed towards Dante. The horn on her head started to gather normal-type energy, in preparation for a Horn Attack.

'Vine Smash.'

It was the revised name for Grass Knot after he modified it into two different applications. Even though the attack move worked the same as before, it helped differentiate between the defensive application he had learned as well.

Dante launched vines at Goldeen, causing the Pokemon to soar upwards to avoid them. She opened her mouth and a sphere of water energy manifested — Water Pulse.

'Vine Barrier.'

Dante summoned a vine wall just before the attack arrived. The sphere hit the wall with a boom, causing the wall to shudder. Thankfully, it held due in part because his Vine Barrier had received a power upgrade after his defensive parameters increased. Furthermore, water-type attacks were not very effective against them. The Vine wall worked the same as if it was a grass-type Pokemon.

'Convert the wall into Vine Smash.'

The vines uncoiled and shot at the surprised Goldeen, who could not avoid the attack in time. They wrapped around her and then Dante smashed her against the ground, causing the vines to explode with grass-type energy. This was the benefit of modifying Grass Knot. He could easily switch between attack and defence at will.

It's super effective! 81 damage dealt to Goldeen

HP: 189/270

Unfortunately, the move was not the most effective as Goldeen didn't weigh that much. However, it still removed a fair chunk of her health.

Before he could order Dante to attack again, he heard a huge roar. Lucas looked around and spotted Misty sprawled on the ground, her fishing pole missing. In the water in front of her was an enormous Gyarados, glaring down at her.

"Ah, could you give me a hand?" Misty called urgently, as her Pokemon surrounded her to offer their protection.

At that moment, two more Gyarados appeared beside the first one, and they were now looking at a triple threat beat down. It made his last encounter with the Gyarados seem tame in comparison. Were these Pokemon responsible for sinking the ship to the bottom of the sea?

Thankfully, it was not a crisis he had to handle, as the adults and their Pokemon were already standing on the barge, ready to fight. Goldeen did the smart thing and escaped back into the sea. The teenagers and their Pokemon huddled in the boat cabin and were preparing to enjoy the spectacle.

Lucas heard a cry and looked out the window and up into the sky. A massive fiery bird was flying towards the boat, causing him to curse. Ignore what he said previously about his Luck attribute and it not being a concern. He was a fucking idiot.

So, what do you think? What is the purpose of Moltres approaching the boat? Is he here to help them, or is he here to burn them to ashes?

Thanks for reading.