Could it be that his old man had already anticipated the need for mega evolution to solve the upcoming crisis in Hoenn? Edward didn't think that was likely.
Unless his old man was also a transmigrator, there was no way he could have known that the future meteor crisis in Hoenn would be resolved through Mega Rayquaza.
More likely, his father had simply wanted him to master the power of mega evolution to prepare for a potential counterattack from the Draconids.
In the end, though, Miss Zinnia never even got the chance to carry out her revenge. She was taken down before she could even begin.
"What a pity. If only Fortune could Mega Evolve, wouldn't that be totally unbeatable?" Edward let out a sigh. At this moment, he was sitting on a bench beside the lake that lay between Petalburg Woods and Rustboro City. There was still a bit of time before the evening darkness would fall.
Nearby, Zoroark had already comfortably picked up a smartphone, connected a power bank, and was now intensely focused on gaming, fingers flying across the screen. Edward gave a quick glance—it looked like some sort of grid-based strategy game.
Zoroark cursed and mumbled under his breath while playing, clearly frustrated with whatever was happening in the game.
Apparently, Zoroark was one of those hot-tempered gamers who got worked up the moment they started losing.
"Check fear value." Edward silently recited the command in his heart. Though Call From Beyond had been released for some time now, he hadn't checked the accumulated fear value yet. He was curious to see how much he had and whether he could use it to exchange for anything.
["One Missed Call" Fear Points: 23,412]
The number popped up. Edward nodded in approval—that wasn't a small number. However, the system didn't trigger any notifications about redeemable items this time. It seemed that the first time he made a horror film, he had been treated to a kind of "newbie gift package" bonus. Now, it looked like redeeming items was going to be significantly harder moving forward.
Still, Edward didn't really mind. The system's greatest utility was making his horror films more terrifying and allowing his Pokémon to become much stronger.
Fortune's ability to suppress so many Dragon-types at once wasn't just because of the 500,000 coins—it was also thanks to all the Fear Candy it had consumed during this period.
"Plop."
The sudden splash made Edward turn his head. From the lake, a Magikarp had launched itself into the air and was now vigorously ramming its head into a tree growing along the shoreline. After smacking into the tree, the Magikarp bounced back and flopped back into the water.
"?"
Edward slowly typed a question mark in his mind. What in the world? Before he could properly think about whether he had just witnessed the creation of a new idiom in the Pokémon world the Magikarp leaped out again, eyes glazed over like a dead fish, and once again hurled itself into the tree... only to fall right back into the water.
Edward examined the tree. It was a fairly ordinary one—tall and slender, the only notable feature being its thin trunk. Compared to the other trees nearby, it looked like the difference between a Smeargle and a Machamp.
But that wasn't anything particularly remarkable. So then—why was this Magikarp so hell-bent on headbutting the tree?
Then, once more, the Magikarp soared through the air. This time, it didn't bounce back. Instead, it landed on the grass beside the lake and started flopping about like crazy.
Magikarp used Splash!
...but nothing happened.
Edward couldn't take it anymore. He walked over. Magikarp was the kind of Pokémon that could survive on land for a short while, but would still die if left out too long. And even though it had more bones than meat, some Pokémon did feed on Magikarp.
After all, they were practically overpopulated. So much so that the Pokémon League would occasionally have to initiate fishing operations just to prevent an ecological imbalance.
"Alright, little guy, back you go." Edward gently picked up the Magikarp and tossed it back into the lake, then clapped his hands as if to say, good deed of the day accomplished.
But no sooner had the fish touched the water than it came flying right back out—this time straight toward Edward's face. He was so caught off guard he just stood there dumbfounded, but quickly stepped aside, allowing the fish to thud onto the grass and flop around once more.
"What the heck is going on here?" Edward was genuinely baffled. This was the first time he had ever seen something like this.
Then he turned his head—and saw something emerging from the water.
A bald head?
Wait, not quite bald, but definitely shiny and smooth. No hair on top. It was a Poliwrath, the final evolution of Poliwag. A Water/Fighting-type Pokémon. It looked at him with eager eyes and kept flexing its fists in excitement.
Edward fell silent for a second, then glanced back at the Magikarp lying on the ground.
He hesitated for a moment, then, somewhat hesitantly, picked up the Magikarp and tossed it back into the lake again.
Immediately, the Poliwrath dove underwater, and right on cue, the Magikarp once again came flying out, landing with a thud on the grass. Poliwrath resurfaced soon after, its eyes glimmering with pride.
Edward's mouth twitched.
Was this some kind of Pokémon-style bullying?
No, wait. Among wild Pokémon, unless they belonged to the same species or group, bullying wasn't a common behavior. This Poliwrath probably wasn't bullying—it likely just treated the Magikarp as a toy.
The higher a creature's intelligence, the more it required mental stimulation. Viewed from that angle, Poliwrath's behavior was actually quite similar to orcas in the wild.
"This little bastard… is it trying to get me to play 'Throw the Magikarp' with it?" Edward finally understood what the Poliwrath wanted. Its intentions were crystal clear—it was practically inviting him to join in.
But looking at the still-flopping Magikarp, Edward scratched his head in exasperation.
Magikarp—a truly bizarre Pokémon.
In its Magikarp stage, it was completely useless. It started out knowing only Splash, and back then, Edward had actually believed that Splash might have some hidden use. Only later did he learn that it truly did nothing.
No matter how many times it was used, it wouldn't trigger a miracle, nor would it help the Magikarp evolve into Gyarados. It was basically a dead move.
However, Magikarp had the potential to evolve into the powerful Gyarados, known for its foul temper and fearsome attack power. In the games, evolution was achieved through leveling up, but in real life, it seemed to be driven more by emotions like rage and frustration.
Edward looked at the excited Poliwrath and silently pulled out one of his Poké Balls. With a pop, Q appeared. It nuzzled up against Edward affectionately—until it suddenly sensed something odd.
Q turned its head and spotted the Poliwrath.
The Poliwrath noticed Q too.
"Kyuuu!" Q screeched.
Instantly, Poliwrath sprang out of the water. Edward was surprised—it didn't run away, but instead ran straight toward him. Before Edward could give Q the order to teach the frog a lesson, Poliwrath quickly scooped up the Magikarp and, with a slick slide, dove back into the lake.
Edward stared, a row of question marks practically floating above his head.
What the hell was that?
Had he misunderstood?
Could it be that this Poliwrath was actually trying to help Magikarp evolve?
Staring at the rippling lake, Edward couldn't make sense of it either. All he could do was hold Q in his arms and return to the bench to enjoy the sunlight.
(End of Chapter)