Quackenpoker had finally finished inspecting his equipment. As he walked over to Kai and the others, his face was filled with concern as he observed the intense battle before them.
"How's your equipment?" Kai asked. "Still in one piece?"
Quackenpoker nodded, adjusting his glasses. "Aside from a few scratches, everything's intact," he replied. But then his tone turned serious. "These Gyarados aren't attacking out of malice. They've been provoked by outside stimuli. We must find a way to stop this rampage without harming them!"
Kai glanced at him, his expression unreadable.
"That's not an option anymore," he said flatly. "The time for peaceful solutions has long passed."
Quackenpoker frowned.
"If we don't stop them now, the destruction will only escalate," Kai continued. "There's only one way to end this by defeating them. We can't afford hesitation, and we definitely can't afford wishful thinking."
Quackenpoker's face turned slightly red at the rebuke.
As a Pokémon Watcher, his priority had always been the well-being of Pokémon. The idea of hurting them, even in self-defence, went against his principles. But deep down, even he knew that Kai was right.
"Still, if there's another way—"
"There isn't," Kai interrupted, his voice firm. "Hesitation will only make things worse. If you're not here to fight, then at least stay out of the way."
Quackenpoker opened his mouth as if to argue but then sighed, realizing there was no use in resisting. With a defeated nod, he stepped back.
The battle continued, with neither side gaining a decisive advantage.
At first, everyone thought that freeing the Magikarp would bring the crisis to an end.
Instead, it had only made things worse. Now, the rampaging Gyarados had to be subdued one way or another.
Kai's gaze flicked down to his belt.
Aside from his three Ultra Balls, he had two standard Poké Balls left. One contained Dratini, still inexperienced in battle and unsuited for a chaotic confrontation .
Kai grabbed the Poké Ball and weighed it in his palm before tossing it forward.
A blinding flash of blue light erupted as Kai's Gyarados emerged, landing in the flooded crater with a thunderous splash.
Up until now, he had hesitated to use it for two reasons:
1. In the middle of this chaos, he didn't want it to get mixed up with the wild Gyarados & get itself trapped between them.
2. He wasn't sure if it would go berserk as well upon seeing its own kind in a frenzy.
But at this point, he had no other choice.
"Gyarados, show them who's boss!"
The moment it let out its deafening roar, the entire battlefield fell still.
Even the wild Gyarados, blinded by rage, paused in confusion. The sheer weight of its presence was overwhelming.
Some of the smaller Pokémon, like Tracey's Marill and Misty's Starmie, shrank back instinctively.
The sight before them was something out of a legend.
With the first light of dawn breaking over the horizon, the mist-covered lake gave Kai's Gyarados an almost mythical aura a force that commanded both fear and respect.
Though physically identical to the wild ones, Kai's Gyarados were different in every way that mattered.
It had survived countless battles, fought in high-stakes tournaments, and stood alongside Kai during his most intense challenges.
While the wild Gyarados were freshly evolved and disorganized, Kai's had been honed into a relentless war machine.
Then, without hesitation, Kai's Gyarados lunged at the nearest wild Gyarados sinking its razor-sharp fangs into its long serpentine neck.
The wild Gyarados shrieked in pain, instinctively trying to retaliate only to bite at thin air.
Kai's Gyarados had already released its grip, pulling back just in time to dodge the counterattack and before its opponent could react—
Its massive tail slammed into the wild Gyarados's face with bone-crushing force.
The impact sent it flying backwards, crashing into the water with an earth-shaking splash.
Without missing a beat, Kai's Gyarados rushed at its next target, ramming into another wild Gyarados like a torpedo of raw power.
Even though it wasn't raging like the others, it was by far the most ferocious creature in the water.
Each attack landed with brutal efficiency, toppling one opponent after another.
The wild Gyarados were helpless against it.
Even Ash and the others, who had stopped battling, could only watch in stunned silence.
Kai's Gyarados wasn't just fighting...
"That Gyarados… it's a monster…"
Misty, though equally in awe, had a different reaction her eyes sparkling with admiration.
"Of course it is!" she exclaimed. "That's the Gyarados that helped Kai win the Indigo League championship! There's no way it wouldn't be insanely strong!"
Quackenpoker, however, was horrified. Unable to remain silent any longer, he rushed forward. "Kai! Stop this! Your Gyarados is going too far!"
Kai didn't respond immediately. He, too, was taken aback by how much his Gyarados had grown.
The signs had already been there during the Indigo League, but now seeing it utterly dismantle an entire horde of its own kind...
It was truly terrifying.
Quackenpoker's voice was desperate. "Your Gyarados is too strong! If this keeps up, they might—"
Kai finally looked at him, expression unreadable. Then, after a brief moment of silence, he spoke: "I'm not recalling it yet."
Quackenpoker stiffened, "But—"
"The fight's almost over," Kai said simply. His calm tone made Quackenpoker's protests die in his throat.
He wasn't just letting Gyarados run wild.
He wanted to see exactly how far it had come.
For now, the wild Gyarados were simply unlucky enough to be his test subjects and with each thunderous impact, each ferocious strike, it became clear...
Kai's Gyarados was in a league of its own.
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