Chapter 56: Double Mega Gyarados
"Go, Gyarados!!"
The Poké Ball Misty threw traced a beautiful arc through the air.
A flash of red light burst forth.
A Gyarados crashed into the pool with a thunderous splash, sending water flying everywhere.
This Gyarados was enormous, its eyes fierce and focused.
It coiled in the center of the pool, and with just a light sweep of its tail, a wave spread across the water strong enough to push the floating platforms.
Raina’s eyes lit up.
"Mom’s Gyarados!"
One of Raina’s favorite things to do as a child had been playing with her mother’s Gyarados.
Back then, Gyarados had always willingly acted as little Raina’s slide, and it had also helped her eat the food she didn’t like.
Now Raina had grown up and was standing opposite it, and it also wanted to see just how far its little mistress had grown.
Misty’s Gyarados lowered its head and gently nudged Raina’s forehead with the tip of its nose.
Then it backed away two steps, raised its head again, and let out an earth-shaking roar.
Raina saw this and her voice steadied.
"Blastoise, can you still fight?"
Blastoise turned back to look at her, then nodded.
"Good." Raina took a deep breath. "Then I’m counting on you."
Although it hadn’t taken much damage in the previous battle, it had still used up a huge amount of stamina, to the point that Blastoise’s limbs were trembling slightly.
[Regular-Seat Chat Group]
"Gyarados: Reunion time is over. Now let’s settle this on the battlefield."
"I got completely blown away by this Gyarados!! This is the kind of aura a true Gym ace is supposed to have!!"
"Gyarados: Spoiling you is one thing, beating you is another."
[VIP Chat Group]
[Ash]: Here it comes, here it comes! Gyarados versus Blastoise!
[Dawn]: But Blastoise has already burned through a lot of stamina. After fighting Misty’s Blastoise like that, now it has to face a full-health Gyarados.
[Brock]: Sending out Gyarados... looks like Misty is getting serious too.
[Misty]: ......
The screen continued.
Raina raised her hand.
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"
Blastoise fired both cannons at once, sending two powerful streams of water straight at Gyarados.
The corners of Misty’s mouth lifted slightly.
"Gyarados, dive!"
Gyarados’s huge body sank sharply downward, and Hydro Pump struck nothing but the surface of the water.
"Dragon Tail!"
Almost instantly, Gyarados burst out of the water from another direction, its tail glowing with green energy as it swung toward Blastoise.
"Protect!" Raina called out hurriedly.
A pale green barrier sprang up just as Dragon Tail was about to land, blocking the attack.
Misty smirked.
"Grab it!"
Gyarados immediately wrapped its tail around Blastoise, preventing it from escaping.
"Blastoise, break free!!"
Raina was frantic, but Blastoise’s stamina was clearly too depleted now to break out of Gyarados’s grip.
Misty shook her head.
"Thunderbolt!"
Blinding golden electricity exploded around Gyarados’s body.
At nearly point-blank range, there was no way for Blastoise to dodge. It could only take the full force of the Thunderbolt head-on.
After that, Gyarados gently set the unconscious Blastoise down on a nearby floating platform.
Daisy raised her arm.
"Blastoise is unable to battle! Gyarados wins!"
Raina recalled Blastoise and stared silently at the Poké Ball in her hand for a moment.
"Raina!"
Misty’s voice pulled her back to reality.
"There’s no such thing as holding back in battle. If you don’t have the resolve to accept that, how are you supposed to become the strongest Trainer?"
Raina took a deep breath, then pulled out another Poké Ball.
"Yeah, Mom. Thank you for not holding back."
"Heh. If I held back, I’d be the one at a disadvantage."
Misty shook her head.
"Come on. Let me see how much of what your father taught you you’ve actually learned."
Raina nodded, then threw the Poké Ball in her hand.
"Go, Gyarados!!"
A flash of red light burst forth.
Golden Gyarados crashed into the pool, its golden scales reflecting tiny shards of light under the Gym’s lamps.
Golden Gyarados raised its head and let out a deafening roar.
"ROOOAR!!!"
Misty’s Gyarados answered with a roar of its own.
"ROOOAR!!!"
The two giant beasts faced each other across the pool, and it felt as though the entire Gym was trembling.
[Regular-Seat Chat Group]
"Holy crap!!! Two Gyarados facing off!!!"
"One blue and one gold—this scene is way too insane!!"
"Wait, is Raina’s Gyarados bigger than Misty’s by a whole size? I’m not seeing things, right?"
[VIP Chat Group]
[Brock]: It’s finally here—the Gyarados battle!
[Lance]: Good. With a direct comparison, we can finally analyze exactly what’s so special about Raina’s golden Gyarados.
The screen continued.
Misty gave the first command.
"Gyarados, Hydro Pump!"
Blue Gyarados opened its massive jaws, and a thick stream of water blasted toward Golden Gyarados’s face.
"We’ll use Hydro Pump too!"
Golden Gyarados opened its mouth as well, firing a powerful stream of water head-on.
The two water blasts collided in the center of the battlefield, and the exploding spray once again splashed all the way to Daisy’s referee stand.
Daisy helplessly wiped her face again.
"Hey! You two, don’t tear down your own Gym!!"
But neither Trainer seemed to care. Both were completely immersed in the battle.
"You’ve loved staying around Gyarados ever since you were little. You were never afraid of anything."
Misty folded her arms.
"Now it’s standing opposite you. Are you afraid?"
Raina froze for a moment, then smiled.
"I’m not afraid. I’m a Gyarados Trainer now too!"
Misty nodded in satisfaction.
"Then come at me."
She raised her hand, and something was held between her fingers.
A Keystone.
Raina paused for just a moment, but quickly understood her mother’s intention. She immediately reached beneath her collar and pulled out the necklace she wore.
Under the spotlight, both Keystones refracted rainbow-colored light.
"Gyarados, Mega Evolve!"
"Gyarados, Mega Evolve!"
The Keystones and Gyaradosite on both sides erupted in dazzling light at the same time. Countless streams of light intertwined in midair, linking the two Pokémon and their Trainers as if alive.
Golden Gyarados’s body expanded rapidly within the radiance.
Its already larger-than-normal size grew even more imposing. Its golden scales became thicker, and the bony plates rising from its back stretched outward on both sides, forming fin-like winged structures.
Its lower jaw widened, and its bite force visibly rose to an entirely new level. A simple sweep of its tail across the water’s surface sent up a wave half the height of a person.
Across from it, Misty’s Gyarados completed its Mega Evolution as well.
Its size increased dramatically too, its dorsal fins becoming sharper, and its eyes glowing with a fierce red light.
The two Mega Gyarados, now fully evolved, stared at each other.
The very next second—
"ROOOAAR!!!"
The roar exploded over the pool, and the floating platforms rocked violently under the surging waves.
[Regular-Seat Chat Group]
"Holy crap, two Mega Gyarados!!! And one of them is gold! I’ve never seen a scene like this in my life!!!"
"Is Cerulean Gym’s roof okay?? I swear I just heard something crack!!"
"It was the railing on the referee stand. Daisy almost fell over just now."
"I already screenshotted the moment the two Mega Gyarados stared each other down. That’s going to be my wallpaper tonight."
[VIP Chat Group]
[Ash]: Two Mega Gyarados evolving at the same time!! This is so awesome!! AHHHHH Pikachu, stop shocking me!!!
[Pikachu]: Pika pika pika!!! (Too excited and sparking nonstop)
[Raihan]: So what exactly is going on with this golden Gyarados? Is it a genetic mutation, or is it just an extremely rare variant?
[Professor Oak]: I’ve been thinking about that too, but unfortunately there are too few records about golden Gyarados at the moment.
[Cynthia]: Maybe it isn’t a mutation. Maybe its bloodline itself is different.
[Professor Sycamore]: Right, does everyone remember what Raina said before? The potion Asher fed Magikarp was meant to awaken its hidden bloodline.
[Professor Birch]: Right, right! Which means that Magikarp already possessed some kind of ancient bloodline to begin with, and the potion merely awakened it?