Upon hearing the sound, Maen rushed toward its source without hesitation.
When he arrived, he immediately understood the cause of the disturbance. A Gyarados was launching a powerful Hyper Beam, attacking another Pokémon.
As the destructive energy struck, the blue Pokémon's body was covered in wounds. Its eyelids drooped, and it was clearly on the verge of fainting.
Recognizing the injured Pokémon as a Lapras, Maen acted without hesitation, commanding Gengar to attack Gyarados.
The reason for Gyarados's attack was simple—it was hunting Lapras.
Pokémon battle for survival just as they do in the wild. The food chain exists even among them. For example, Pidgey preys on Caterpie, while Pidgey itself is hunted by Fearow. Compared to the idealized world depicted in animations, real-life Pokémon face dangers every day, and death is a common occurrence. Gyarados, sitting at the top of the aquatic food chain, is a prime example.
Aside from a few exceptions, most Water-type Pokémon and common fish fall within Gyarados's hunting range. Its massive body requires a substantial food supply to sustain its energy.
Although Gyarados becomes a Dark-type after Mega Evolution, before that, it remains a Water- and Flying-type. Maen knew that no amount of persuasion would make Gyarados abandon its prey.
Since diplomacy was out of the question, Maen had only one choice—to end the conflict by force.
Gyarados was strong, reaching an elite level, but it was no match for Gengar. Just like Octillery, which Maen had captured earlier, Gengar blasted Gyarados back into the water.
However, Gyarados was relentless. Despite its injuries, it rose from the water, its mouth glowing with the energy of another Hyper Beam.
Seeing this, Maen grew impatient. He ordered Gengar not to hold back.
Gengar obeyed instantly, shoving a Shadow Ball straight into Gyarados's mouth. The explosion of dark energy sent Gyarados sinking into the depths of the sea. This was the first time Maen had ever killed a Pokémon.
Although Maen loved Pokémon, he wasn't a saint.
Gyarados had been a favorite of his in his past life, but in reality, it was a symbol of aggression and destruction. It ranked among the top three Pokémon most likely to injure their own trainers.
Maen had a simple philosophy: he wouldn't hesitate to defend himself and his Pokémon from real threats. Normal battles were different, but a wild Gyarados that had already been given a chance to retreat was a danger he couldn't afford to ignore.
With the threat eliminated, Maen tossed a Poké Ball and successfully captured the wounded Lapras. It had no strength left to resist.
After securing Lapras, Maen rushed to the Pokémon Center, handing it over to Nurse Joy for treatment. However, Nurse Joy wasn't pleased, scolding Maen for his rough approach to capturing Pokémon.
Unable to stand her criticism, Maen explained what had happened. Once Nurse Joy realized she had misunderstood him, her face turned red, and she quickly apologized.
By the next day, Lapras had recovered. Nurse Joy returned the Poké Ball to Maen, giving him a few instructions on how to care for it.
Maen took Lapras's Poké Ball to the beach and released it.
The injuries had healed completely. As soon as it emerged, Lapras smiled innocently and nuzzled Maen affectionately.
Lapras was an intelligent and kind-hearted Pokémon. It understood that Maen had saved its life and immediately grew attached to him.
Beyond his fondness for Lapras from his previous life, Maen also knew that it was the ideal Pokémon for ocean travel.
Curious, Maen questioned Lapras about how it had ended up alone.
Lapras typically live in pods, but due to their gentle nature, they are easily deceived by humans and were once hunted to near extinction.
It was only in the past few years—thanks to regulations imposed by the Pokémon League and the establishment of protected areas—that their numbers had started to stabilize.
Even so, wild Lapras were still a rare sight. The one before Maen was one of the few still left in the wild.
Lapras revealed that its mother had died shortly after giving birth, weakened by an attack from a wild Pokémon. The attacker was none other than the Gyarados that Maen had just dealt with.
After killing its mother, Gyarados had continued its pursuit of the newborn Lapras. Although Lapras had managed to escape for a time, it was eventually caught again. If not for Maen's intervention, it would have met the same fate as its mother.
Tears welled in Lapras's eyes as it recalled its past.
Maen sighed, gently patting Lapras's head in comfort.
Then, he solemnly asked if Lapras would be willing to become his partner. He also informed Lapras that he had avenged its mother.
Lapras closed its eyes with a happy smile and sang a beautiful song in response.
And so, Lapras officially joined Maen's team.
Although Maen had initially aimed to build a team focused on Ghost- and Dark-type Pokémon, he didn't reject Lapras. After all, he never intended for it to battle.
Lapras was an innocent Pokémon, gentle by nature, and it disliked fighting. Maen wanted it to live a happy life rather than forcing it into combat.
With Lapras as his new companion, Maen's journey across the seas would now be much easier.
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