Here's the next chapter! I'll be broadening my weekly posts to either Tuesday or Wednesday in any given week, and I will continue to provide updates on my profile.

Fair warning. This is an intense, high-stress chapter with life and death situations. And something I've been wanting to write for a very long time. I hope you all enjoy this one.


The twins continued along with an unlikely traveling companion in Alex through the Sol Peninsula. While Kristine became friendly to Alex, Jason was slow to move on from his rival's past attitude. The interactions between Jason and Alex didn't go beyond basic gestures such as hand waving and simple nods.

Alex suspected Jason may never move on and always treat him as a stranger, just another trainer. He realized he had to accept that fact. Kristine may be willing to move forward, but she would stand by her brother at the end of the day. At least, Alex thought, Liz was a good starting point for a friend.

Several days had passed since the twins, and Alex left PokeWorld. Lake Sol was a half day's journey away, and Jason was excited to reach a landmark he always wanted to visit.

"The largest lake in all of Inventum," Jason mentioned to Kristine.

"You said that how many times?" Kristine held back her laughter.

At least a dozen from this trip alone, Alex thought. And she still thinks it's funny. I guess she's used to it.

"At least several hundred," Jason replied. "Not to mention the Crimson Gyarados."

"Doesn't exist," Alex muttered in an instant reaction. Unfortunately for him, Jason heard his comment.

"See, you should believe something," Jason quipped. "Otherwise, what's the point of being a trainer?"

"But why take a children's tale literally?" Alex pressed.

"If there's one in Lake Rage in Johto, why not here?" Jason asked. "Besides, the Regal Milotic exists in Lake Serenity."

Alex scoffed. "And Arceus lives on my farm."

"I've seen her with my own eyes," Jason spoke firmly.

Kristine raised her hand. "I saw an articuno once."

"And on our first day as trainers, we saw a lugia fly over us," Jason added.

"You saw all of that?" Alex turned his head to the twins. "Tell me you're just messing around."

"I think you know we're not jokers," Kristine responded. "All of what we said is true."

"Guess that can make your journey less bland," Alex contemplated.

"Our journey has never been bland in any sense of the word," Kristine spoke with a sense of passion. "We love every single second of it."

"See, we enjoy being trainers," Jason added. "We get stronger by learning from our experiences and adapting to new situations."

Alex would have never expected those words to come out of Jason's mouth. Just a little more than a week ago, he was convinced Jason was some upstart, ignorant wannabe trainer who would have no chance against the rigorous endeavors across Inventum. Alex was shocked to see Jason making it as far as he did, but he held Kristine accountable, silently accusing her of enabling this dangerous behavior. Jason's victory changed Alex's mindset.

Alex began his journey with anger and established a purely mechanical philosophy as a trainer. Everything was a process; pokemon were just a means to an end, and he had no problem releasing pokemon from his team when he felt they served their purpose. What Jason said provoked a lot of thought within Alex. He never truly enjoyed his journey as a pokemon trainer, not how the twins described it.

Alex saw the replays on IPSN and the extranet of Lucario destroying his team. He dreaded being on the receiving end of perhaps one of the greatest plays of the year across Inventum. He was even fearful of turning on the television to see his demise randomly pop up. But he studied his loss nonetheless and took two critical factors from that battle. One, Jason strategized in wearing down all three of his pokemon. Two, the one where Alex stumbled to understand was that Jason and Lucario never gave up. They stood in the face of defeat and rejected it.

The defiance was sickening at first. But Alex realized that defiance was driven by a passion for the sport and trust in oneself and others. Jason may not be perfect, but he was never a bad trainer. His love for being a trainer was a driving force, and Alex knew he had to take a step back and reevaluate everything.

Alex was silent following Jason's statement. Jason nearly insisted on getting some verbal response, but Kristine tapped him on the shoulder, refraining him from egging Alex on. Alex was in a deep state of thought. Jason had defiance. Kristine had wits. Liz had both. If there was a formula for the ultimate trainer, Alex believed Liz possessed the most ingredients, though both twins were not far behind. And it went far beyond just knowledge and type advantage.

The three trainers continued down the road. A short while later, they came across a wooden sign pointing towards Lake Sol.

"Lake Sol ahead," Jason read. "Welcome center and pokemon lodge available."

"Good," Alex added. "We can get some rest."

"I don't know about you, but I'm planning to hit the lake right away," Jason kept his eyes forward.

"Let's at least book a room," Kristine advised. "So that we can put everything away and get changed."

"Well, hitting the lake counts as rest, I suppose," Alex gave a light shrug.

"You can do whatever you want, you know," Jason quipped.

"I'll relax away from you. Don't worry."

"You do that."

"Okay," Kristine got in between Jason and Alex. "Let's just focus on getting there."

The pokemon lodge soon came within sight. It was a large, six-story wooden structure at the end of a dirt trail decorated with palm trees on either side.

"Well, that's one of the larger lodges we've seen," Jason mentioned, looking up at the structure.

"I think it's the largest," Kristine added. "I did some reading last night. A huge number of trainers and tourists visit the lake. We're on the northwest side. Here, the northeast and south sides are the major centers for visiting the lake, though this is the largest pokemon lodge of the three."

"There are probably battles all over the place," Alex assumed.

"Battles are regulated to particular areas," Kristine said. "There's a pokemon advisory not to conduct any sort of disturbance at the lake. You can play inside the lake, but that's it."

"See?" Jason faced Alex. "Why would they put that out if Crimson Gyarados didn't exist?"

"There are tons of wild pokemon in Lake Sol," Alex debunked. "You don't want to disturb the ecosystem."

"There was never an advisory in Lake Serenity."

"Each district has its rules, Lake Serenity belonging to the metropolitan area of Saint Brandon and Lake Sol belonging to Viceport. Welcome to Viceport, by the way."

"Yeah, well," Jason didn't know how to argue back. Alex was loaded with facts, just like Kristine.

"But hey," Alex snickered. "Believing is what got you to beat me. Perhaps Crimson can show himself. Or herself."

"Would that be the day," Kristine imagined such a scenario.

Jason, Kristine, and Alex entered the pokemon lodge. The lobby itself was massive, with at least two dozen trainers roaming about. The three got in a line to check in, with four other trainers ahead.

Jason observed the interior. While the walls on the first floor seemed wooden, he looked up to see the floors above had steel and concrete walls. He suspected the wooden decor in the lobby was a facade to help feel trainers feel welcome. He also noticed a pair of elevators nearby, something he had never seen in a pokemon lodge.

"It's a center disguised as a lodge," Jason concluded. "It's more than a bunch of rooms for trainers. I bet you they can do advanced treatments here."

"Huh," Alex looked around. "Considering Viceport City itself is still a good few days away, this is probably the biggest hub they got outside downtown."

"Grace Regional Medical Center," Kristine mentioned. "It's the largest medical institute in Inventum dedicated to pokemon."

"Must be massive," Jason added.

Moments later, the three trainers arrived at the counter.

"Welcome!" Nurse Joy smiled.

"Hi!" Kristine was the first to approach Nurse Joy. "My brother and I are looking for a room with twin beds for the night."

"Certainly," Nurse Joy looked up available rooms on her computer terminal. "Room 514 on the fifth floor. It overlooks the lake."

"Sweet," Jason clenched his fists in excitement.

Nurse Joy printed out the room keys and handed them to the twins. "Enjoy your stay!"

"Thanks!" Kristine replied before heading off alongside Jason.

"I'll see you out there," Alex waved.

"Yep!" Kristine waved back. "See you soon!"

Jason didn't say a word or acknowledge Alex as the twins headed into one of the nearby elevators.

"You know, he's trying," Kristine said to Jason as the two stepped into the elevator as it became available.

"He argues everything I say," Jason pressed the button for the fifth floor.

"Right," Kristine leaned against the back wall of the elevator as the doors closed. "That's probably something he needs to work on."

"So I should just stand there and smile about it?" Jason faced his sister.

"Yep," Kristine smiled as the elevator ascended.

"Easier said than done. You know that."

"Of course. But you need to be the better person. Alex is pessimistic and condescending out of habit. Show him a way out of that mindset."

"It's really up to him to decide what he wants to think."

"Correct. Yet he's hanging out with us for a reason."

"Uh-huh."

The elevator doors opened a moment later. Jason and Kristine proceeded down the hallway leading to their room. Kristine used the keycard on the room's door, leading the way inside.

Jason walked over to the end of the room, unveiling the red curtains overlooking the lake. His eyes widened. "Geez, that's massive."

Jason was able to get a great view of the massive, deep blue lake that extended beyond the horizon.

Kristine took her backpack off her shoulders and walked up next to Jason. "Viceport is not far from the other side."

"How do you feel?" Jason asked. "Wanna hit the lake now?"

"Yep!" Kristine walked to her backpack, getting out her bikini before heading to the bathroom. "You stay out here. I'm getting dressed."


"Okay, we're 140 feet deep and going," a diver addressed to his three comrades behind him.

The four divers began their journey to the lake's center from a sparsely populated area alongside the eastern end of Lake Sol. They used a small motorboat that they rented before leaving a fifth operative to commandeer the boat for a separate objective.

The main goal of the four divers was to inject Crimson Gyarados with a hefty, potent dose of the Rage serum. In recent months, the group that covertly operated up and down Inventum's east coast sought to recreate and perfect the same serum used in the great war over 70 years ago. This group was employed by Rafael, who paid them by using Team Order's funds and disguising the purpose as research of the origins of Inventum.

The formula for the serum was complete. It came time to produce more doses and sell them off to Rafael. The mercenary group of scientists, former police and military, and expert divers would all be paid handsomely and go on their way. Rafael would get what he wanted, and no one could trace anything back to him, not until someone ran the finances against Rafael's documented projects.

The divers didn't care to think about how Rafael would cover himself up. They just knew each one of them would be paid tens of thousands of dollars, and many of them have received money into their accounts. No one suspected Rafael of playing dirty anytime soon, so they just saw this latest job as an opportunity for more money.

"Shouldn't be too far from Crimson," a female diver added, using a heat-seeking device that was equipped into her protective eyewear.

"Get ready," the lead diver warned. "Once we piss Crimson off, we get out of here. Romeo will lure Crimson over the northeast, head over to extract us, and we go back the same way we came. No use of pokemon unless necessary. We don't want to attract attention."

"You got that right," a second male diver readied a rifle-like object. "How did Rafael know about Crimson's existence?"

"Covert research," the female diver responded. "I'm pretty sure the government knows of Crimson's existence. He is mighty and a descendent of the Lake Rage Gyarados. Some smuggler brought him to Inventum as a golden magikarp for profit. When authorities were onto him, he released Crimson in Lake Sol. Now he's a famous lake monster."

"Sounds like the government kept this secret to avoid fear and exploitation," a third male diver added. "So Rafael knows Crimson. And his targets are a couple of teenagers? How did he know they'd even be here?"

"It's best not to ask questions about someone like Rafael," the lead diver said.

"If it's the Kyar twins he's after, I've heard Rafael was close friends with their dad," the female diver added. "He probably knows a thing or two about the kids and predicted they'd be here."

"Wait, we're going after them?" the second male diver asked.

"Really?" the third male diver snapped. "Nothing stopped you from taking this job until now?"

"Shut it," the lead diver intervened. "This is why we don't ask questions. Do your job, and we get paid. It's that simple."

"Hold on," the female diver alerted before letting out a nervous cackle. "Huge moment on our ten o'clock. Man, this is a big one!"

"Lights off, everyone!" the lead diver ordered.

The team of four divers halted, turning off their navigation lights. Visibility was low in the murky waters, but the team could at least see the reflection of light well above. There was a moment of silence, nothing but pure silence. It was terrifying to the divers, knowing that a powerful monster was lurking nearby.

"Eleven o'clock and approaching clockwise," the female diver informed. "Slightly moving closer to us."

Seconds later, the silence gave way to an intimidating growl. A slithering red serpent came within view.

"What in the world?" the third male diver was taken back. "This is no ordinary-sized gyarados."

"Stay cool," the lead diver replied. "If he knows we're here, he doesn't care."

The second male diver pointed his rifle at Crimson. "Say the word, boss."

"Deploy a low-frequency sonic dampener," the lead diver ordered. "Get his attention. This stuff's valuable, so we want to conserve as much as we can."

"Here we go," the third male diver pulled out a small white orb-like device from a pouch attached to his belt. "Deploying!"

"Romeo!" the lead diver called on the radio attached to his upper right shoulder. "Get ready! We're about to aggravate Crimson!"

"Roger that!" Romeo replied. "In position for high-frequency dampeners leading to our target."

The white orb let out a minor sonic burst. For the divers, they felt an uncomfortable ringing in their ears. For Crimson, it was enough to get his attention.

"He's coming!" the female diver alerted.

The four heard a massive roar in front of them. The mouth and huge teeth of Crimson came into view, his eyes glaring at the divers.

"Fire!" the lead diver commanded.

"Firing!" the second male diver fired a shot at Crimson. The needle of the serum stuck the left side of his neck.

What followed was a loud, painful roar that caused all divers to cover their ears.

"He's hit!" the second diver yelled through the roar, struggling to put his rifle away. No one else heard him, but they didn't need verbal confirmation to know their comrade was successful.

The lead diver noticed Crimson's eyes turning into a deep red. "It's working! Let's get out!" he screamed.

The lead diver quickly swam away from Crimson. The other divers followed his lead.

"Romeo! Now! Or we'll get Hyper Beamed to oblivion!" the lead diver ordered on the radio.

"Cover your ears, lady, and gentlemen," Romeo responded.

A kinetic wave swept through the divers and Crimson seconds later. All four divers were tossed in a loop deep underwater, but they were all trained and experienced. They maintained their focus and composure, keeping their cool while covering their ears.

Crimson roared, pushed by the kinetic impact. The frequency was loud and irritating. The enraged monster felt compelled to find the source and destroy it. He suddenly turned northwest and bolted through the murky waters. His sudden spike in speed triggered ripples that sent the divers in another loop.

"Oh my god," the second male diver laughed in relief. "He took the bait!"

The female diver composed herself and began to swim upwards. "Mission accomplished! Let's get out of here!"

"Let's go!" the lead diver pushed himself upwards.

A moment later, the four divers re-entered the surface. Romeo quickly spotted them and raced towards them. He slowed the motorboat down for the divers to hop back in.

"Let's go!" the lead diver, still in the water, helped everyone else on. The second male diver then lent him a hand onto the boat.

"Hold on!" Romeo warned, suddenly accelerating the motorboat.

"Paycheck, here we come!" the female diver cheered, catching her breath while she laid on the floor.

"Good job, everyone," the lead diver commended. "We're coming out of this in one piece."

The third male diver looked towards the northwest. "What have we done?" he contemplated his morality from choosing this mission. "We're about to rip entire families apart."

The second male diver patted him on the back. "Don't worry about that," he said. "It's best not to even think about it. You just care about yourself and your own family, okay?"

The third male diver didn't respond. The motorboat picked up speed, heading north to a secluded shoreline of the lake.


The twins headed out to Lake Sol a short while later. Jason, wearing only black swimming trunks and his pokeball belt, picked up his pace.

"Easy now," Kristine snickered. She wore a green two-piece bikini with her black shorts covering the bottom. She also had her pokeball belt equipped. "Lake Sol's not going anywhere."

Jason proceeded towards the lake. There were dozens of people and pokemon relaxing and playing along the shore. Others were within the lake, swimming and gazing at wild pokemon underneath.

"This is it!" Jason turned to his sister. "One less thing on the bucket list now!"

"Just be happy you can cross that off so early," Kristine replied.

"I am," Jason smiled before turning back to the lake. "Okay, everyone!" he addressed his team. "Let's have some fun!"

Jason released all six members, dropping off Magikarp at the lake.

"Karp karp karp!" Magikarp happily swam off.

Jolteon, Lucario, Kirlia, Dartix, and Growlithe soon dispersed. Jason kept his eyes at the lake, seeing Magikarp swim about.

Kristine soon released her team, with Dratini slithering his way into the lake. She approached Jason, standing by his side.

"I have a feeling," Jason said to Kristine. "It's weird, but I feel the time is finally coming."

"What, you proposing to Sydney?" Kristine joked, laughing at her own response.

Jason sighed. "I mean Magikarp. I don't know. I just have a hunch."

"You've trained him for months," Kristine added. "I mean, really trained him. You get him involved with as many things as you can."

"We both want the best," Jason looked on. "He wants to become Gyarados. We've been working for that every single day."

Kristine patted Jason on the shoulder. "It's going to happen."

"Yeah. Just need a little more patience, I suppose."

Jason looked over to his left, catching a glimpse of Alex in blue swimming trunks and his feet touching the lake.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," Kristine walked away from Jason.

"Where are you going?" Jason asked.

"Getting some sun, of course!"

Jason was never interested in lying in one place for an extended period. He was ready to head into the lake and perhaps ride on Magikarp. He figured it would go a lot smoother than Lake Serenity, where Magikarp put him in danger unintentionally.

"Hey, where are all the pokemon going?" asked a boy in the water, seeing schools of remoraid and goldeen suddenly swim away.

Jason could hear an unpleasant ringing in his ears seconds later. Several nearby people and pokemon covered their ears.

"What in the - " Jason looked around.

Alex shook his head and faced Jason. "What was that?"

Jason recalled his and Kristine's stand at Fearow Hill, where a kinetic impact knocked them down, followed by the loud ringing. Chills ran down his spine. "Not good."

"Look!" a woman pointed ahead at the lake. There was rumbling in the water, and suddenly, Crimson's scaled back became visible.

Crimson shot out of the water, roaring at the scores of terrified people and pokemon below. His red eyes alone were terrifying.

"He exists!" Jason shouted, not fully grasping how uncertain the situation became.

"Yeah, okay, you're right!" Alex admitted. "He looks really pissed, you know!"

Many people and pokemon instinctively began to run in the opposite direction. Others in the lake tried to swim ashore. Crimson let out one intimidating roar before powering up a beam within his mouth.

"Jason! You'd better run!" Alex yelled.

"Why is he attacking us?" Jason was in disbelief. A dream come true turned into a nightmare in a matter of seconds. "Wait, we have pokemon in the water!"

Crimson unleashed a massive, bright beam. The blast impacted the area in between Jason and Alex, knocking them back. Hyper Beam kept going in a path of destruction, sending people and pokemon ducking for cover and knocking back others.

"Ugh," Jason was on his back following the destruction. He heard screaming all around, and the ringing in his ears was unbearable.

"Kristine..." he muttered. He knew Hyper Beam went right in her direction.

"Jason!" Alex ran over to Jason. Seeing Jason was slightly out of it, Alex tapped his cheek. "Hey, snap out of it! Come on!"

"Yeah!" Jason regained himself.

"Come on!" Alex offered his hand to Jason.

Without hesitation, Jason grabbed Alex's hand and quickly got on his feet.

"You don't look hurt," Alex quickly examined him.

"No," Jason replied. "We have pokemon in the water!"

"Right, but we need to get to your sister!" Alex insisted.

"Agreed," Jason nodded. "Let's get to her and regroup, make sure everyone's accounted for. Then we'll go back for Magikarp and Dratini!"

Jason and Alex ran towards Kristine's last known location as quickly as they could. White smoke covered the area from all directions, soon separating both trainers from each other. A massive, intimidating roar could be heard from a distance, followed by sounds of a large explosion nearby. Jason could continue to hear people screaming as if they were running for their lives. A sense of panic kicked in, countered by resolve. The most frustrating fact to Jason was he couldn't see anything.

"Jason!" Kristine shouted.

Though Jason couldn't see her, He ran in the direction where he heard her voice. A moment later, he found her, kneeling with one hand over the shoulder of what appeared to be a pokemon.

Jason ran over to get a better view of who Kristine was helping.

"Oh no," Jason slid on both of his knees. "Jolteon!"

Kristine looked right at Jason, displaying a sense of empathy and determination. Above all, she showed courage.

Another roar ensued. A massive beam bolted in Jason and Kristine's direction.

"Get down!" Jason screamed, tackling his sister to the ground.

Hyper Beam flew right over the twins, striking a nearby area and sending people and pokemon alike on the run.

Realizing she was in the clear, Kristine pushed Jason back and put her hand back on Jolteon's shoulder.

"Jolteon..." Jason looked on in horror. His starting companion was seriously injured.

"Jason?" Kristine tried to catch his attention, eyes locked on Jolteon's wound. "Jason, are you with me?"

"Yeah, I am," Jason mustered a response.

"Listen," Kristine spoke clearly. "Jolteon took the brunt of Crimson's Hyper Beam. He slammed shoulder first into a nearby tree. He has an open wound and -"

"Oh my god..." Jason began to lose control of his breathing, anxiety kicking in.

"Jason," Kristine addressed him calmly. "Stay with me, okay? Deep breaths."

"Yeah," Jason took a deep breath. "I'm with you, Kristine."

"Good," Kristine continued. "We need to make sure all our pokemon are safe."

Alex ran up to the twins a moment later.

"What the hell?" Alex realized Jolteon was in grave danger, Kristine perhaps being the only reason he was still alive.

"Alex, it's good you're here," Kristine said.

All three trainers' pokemon soon began rendezvousing on their position. A fourth distant explosion ensued.

Lucario, Kirlia, Dartrix, and Growlithe noticed Jolteon and circled him.

"Everyone, I have it under control," Kristine stated. "Jolteon's going to be just fine."

"Jolt..." Jolteon coughed.

Lucario walked over to Jolteon and knelt before him, indicating to the twins that Jolteon specifically called him over.

"Jolteon," Jolteon softly addressed. He repeated his name several times over.

"Lucario," Lucario firmly spoke with confidence. "Lucario."

Lucario stood back up and faced the rest of his team with utter determination.

"So, what's going on?" Alex seemed confused.

"I think Jolteon just gave Lucario command of the team," Jason responded.

"Jolteon's going to be out of commission for a while," Kristine spoke the grim truth. "It's common for pokemon teams to designate one of their own in a position of leadership. Lucario just became the acting team captain."

"Alright," Jason stood up. "I always wanted to believe Crimson existed, and I always wanted to see him up close. Now, he's made me pissed. Everyone! Rescue as many people and pokemon as possible! There's got to be some who are trapped between us and the lake. Get them out, and we'll clear the way to the lake!"

"We need to get Dratini and Magikarp out," Kristine reminded him.

"Give me Dratini's pokeball," Jason suggested.

"What?" Kristine fought the urge to take her eyes off of Jolteon's wound.

"I'm going back into the lake myself," Jason said. "We're all involved in this whether or not we like it. I'll go in and recall Dratini and Magikarp."

"Lu," Lucario stood in front of Jason, offering to do it instead. "Lucario."

"No," Jason rejected. "I need you to rescue people and distract Crimson when needed. We get everyone out safely. Then we shock Crimson with everything we have."

A fifth explosion occurred nearby.

"Team," Kristine addressed her pokemon, all standing nearby. "Do as Jason says. Follow his commands."

All of Kristine's pokemon complied.

"Team, we're following the agenda," Alex said to all six of his pokemon. He then faced Jason. "Let Rhydon lead you into the lake."

"That Hyper Beam is powerful," Jason replied.

"Between Rhydon being a rock type and Protect, I don't think it'll kill him. A direct Hyper Beam will kill you, though."

"Alright," Jason agreed to Alex's plan. He gently grabbed Dratini's pokeball from Kristine's belt before kneeling before Jolteon.

"Hey," Jason softly spoke, offering his hand to Jolteon.

"Jolt..." Jolteon faintly replied, licking Jason's hand.

"Hang in there," Jason continued. "You're tough. Kristine's taking care of you. We're going to get through this."

Jason then got up, preparing to head back to the lake.

"Jason," Kristine spoke.

"Yeah?" Jason faced her.

"I love you. Be safe."

"I love you too, sis," Jason walked away from her. "I'll come out in one piece."

"I know you will."

All fifteen pokemon fanned out, heading towards the lake. Rhydon led the way forward, with Jason right behind him. The smoke began to clear as the two continued. Jason realized Crimson stopped firing Hyper Beam and wondered why. He didn't argue with the stoppage of a lethal attack, however, and pressed on.

Rhydon led Jason right to the water. Jason noticed Dratini pulling an unconscious man away from the lake.

"Dratini!" Dratini looked up at Jason.

"Dratini!" Jason ran over. "Get to safety. Where's Magikarp?"

"Dra!" Dratini pointed his head towards Crimson, who seemed to be locked in a struggle against none other than Magikarp.

Jason saw Magikarp using his full might to hurl himself at Crimson over and over from every direction. It was enough to stop Crimson from unleashing Hyper Beam on innocent bystanders.

"Rhydon," Jason addressed. "Take this man to safety. I'll take it from here."

"Rhy," Rhydon nodded and picked the man up before heading back to Kristine.

Jason walked into the lake, where the water came up to his ankles. Magikarp struck Crimson over and over, but he was bouncing off Crimson's thick scales.

Crimson roared, swinging his tail at Magikarp.

"Karp!" Magikarp jumped over Crimson's tail, striking the Lake Sol monster once more.

"Magikarp!" Jason yelled, pulling out Magikarp's pokeball. "Let's get you out of here!"

Magikarp heard Jason, but he knew Crimson had to be stopped. Distracting him was a start, but if he could buy enough time, perhaps all the people and their pokemon could escape to a safe distance. Even if it cost him his life, Magikarp knew he could at least save the lives of others. It would come at the cost of never becoming Gyarados, but perhaps that was his fate.

"Magikarp!" Magikarp struck Crimson again.

Crimson roared, making another attack with his tail. Magikarp jumped high in the air, but this time, Crimson anticipated his movements. Magikarp leaped right against Crimson's tail. Crimson slammed Magikarp right against the lake's floor.

"Magikarp!" Jason screamed. "No!"

Crimson roared. His next target was the screaming teenager less than fifty yards away.

"Oh no," Jason began to brace for an incoming Hyper Beam.

Crimson began charging Hyper Beam. Suddenly, Aura Sphere struck the side of his neck, followed by another one hitting his head. Crimson turned to see Lucario launching attacks to his right.

"Lu!" Lucario ran further down the shoreline, giving Machoke and both Jason and Alex's kirlia ample time to evacuate three stranded, terrified children.

Crimson snarled, aiming at Lucario.

Meanwhile, Magikarp was nearly unconscious at the bottom of the lake. Crimson was free to do as he willed, and that was unacceptable.

"Magikarp!" Magikarp faintly heard Jason's frantic voice. "Magikarp! Please!"

"Karp..." Magikarp faintly spoke. He had to keep going. He knew of Jason's love for him as a trainer. They trained together since Lake Serenity, and despite the prejudice and laughter from others, Jason stuck with him. Jason believed in him. To go out like this would just be disrespectful.

"Karp!" Magikarp compelled himself to fight on. "Magikarp! Magikarp!"

Magikarp lunged himself at Crimson from underwater. He suddenly felt an enormous amount of strength, unnatural for any magikarp.

"Karp!" Magikarp struck Crimson with such force it knocked him down.

"Yeah!" Jason cheered.

Suddenly, there was a glow underneath the water. Crimson roared in pain as he lifted his head back up, closing his eyes to the bright light underneath. The glow gradually became more prominent as it created ripples across the lake.


Alex carried a terrified igglybuff to safety, gently setting it down nearby Kristine. He noticed the bright light at the lake becoming larger. "What's going on over there?"

"Magikarp," Kristine kept her hand on Jolteon's wound, not bothering to look away. She smiled, happy and proud of both Jason and who used to be Magikarp. "They did it."

"They're attacking Crimson?" Alex seemed surprised. "We need to help them!"

"Round up Machoke, Raichu, and Luxio," Kristine instructed. "If it works, we can chase Crimson off, and we'll all be safe."

"Right," Alex acknowledged and ran off in search of the three pokemon.


The glow was massive. Jason didn't bother to look away, just as he didn't turn his head when Riolu evolved into Lucario. Then, the light emerged from the water and began to take shape. Crimson roared with intimidation at the glowing serpent. The glow faded, revealing an angry Gyarados that shouted with resolve.

"Gyarados!" Jason jumped in the air.

Gyarados lunged against Crimson, knocking him underneath the water.

"YEAH!" Jason raised both fists in the air. "LET'S GO, GYARADOS!"

A massive struggle ensued underwater, the water splashing violently across the lake. Large waves were hitting Jason, but he still stood firm. He stood in support and solidarity for Gyarados.

Suddenly, both Gyarados and Crimson shot out of the water. Gyarados lunged against Crimson, sinking his fangs into his neck.

Crimson made a harrowing roar, flailing with his full might. He managed to shake Gyarados loose, throwing him down underwater. Crimson then began to charge Hyper Beam.

"Gyarados!" Jason yelled. He feared Gyarados' newfound strength wasn't enough to defeat this monster.

"Machoke!" Machoke soared high into the air, powering up Thunder Punch.

"What?" Jason shifted his eyes to his left. It appeared Lucario helped propel Machoke high into the air through a lift following a running leap. Of course, Jason thought, that the fighting pokemon would make any excuse to seek glory and in style.

"Choke!" Machoke unleashed Thunder Punch across Crimson's face, breaking the Lake Sol monster's focus and staggering him. Machoke then dove into the water after his assault.

Seconds later, Raichu and Luxio reached Jason alongside Alex.

"Now!" Alex yelled.

Both Raichu and Luxio unleashed Thunderbolt upon Crimson. He lowered his stance, succumbing to the overwhelming attacks. He then turned around, retreating towards the depths of Lake Sol. He soon submerged completely as Raichu and Luxio stopped the attack.

"Jason!" Alex ran up to him, patting him on the back. "Are you okay?"

Jason took a deep breath, his hands on his knees. "Yeah. That was a close one."

"Pretty sure we all almost died there," Alex laughed. "You did it!"

"No," Jason corrected him. "We all did it."

Machoke swam ashore, looking right at Jason while pounding his chest. "Machoke!"

"Yep," Jason laughed. "You did great, Machoke!"

Gyarados emerged from the water a moment later, letting out a massive roar. Jason began to approach him.

"Jason, you need him to vent his anger," Alex advised. "Gyarados don't take kindly to anything when they first evolve."

"No," Jason continued forward, the water coming up to his hips.

Gyarados noticed Jason and lowered his head in front of him.


Kristine never kept her eyes on Jolteon. She could sense that the threat was gone, but her priority was to keep Jolteon alive.

"Hey!" said a male voice behind her. "Viceport Metro Emergency Services!"

"Oh, thank god," Kristine exhaled.

"We'll take it from here," a female paramedic knelt alongside Kristine. "Okay. On the count of three, and only when I say three, let go, okay?"

"Yeah," Kristine complied.

"One. Two. Three!"

Kristine let go as the female paramedic put her hand on Jolteon's wound.

"How old are you?" the male paramedic asked Kristine.

"Thirteen," she replied, her hand shaking uncontrollably.

"You saved Jolteon's life," the male paramedic stated.

"We'll keep Jolteon safe," the female paramedic assured Kristine. "We can stabilize the wound. We'll get him into treatment ASAP."

"Thank you," Kristine began fighting back tears.

She got up, refusing to look down at her hand. She wanted to see if Jason was safe and stumbled towards the lake.

"Hey!" the female paramedic yelled for Kristine. "It's not safe over there!"

Kristine ignored her and continued. She reached the lake just as Gyarados and Jason came face to face.

"Gyarados," Jason reached out.

Gyarados growled, but not in a threatening demeanor.

"We did it," Jason said to him. "We did it, Gyarados."

Gyarados allowed Jason to touch him. The unprecedented moment shocked Alex.

"H-how?" Alex was dumbfounded as Kristine stood next to him. "No one gets a gyarados to trust them that quickly!"

"Jason and Gyarados envisioned this moment," Kristine explained. "They envisioned this very moment every single day and never gave up on that goal."

"I see," Alex took a step forward. "This is true strength."

"This is what makes Jason and his team a serious threat in battle," Kristine continued. "They believe in each other. They trust in each other."

The three trainers soon heard police sirens behind them. Gyarados leaned upwards and roared.

"Hands up, all of you!" demanded an officer.

The three trainers turned around, seeing an entire unit of officers in special tactical gear pointing tasers and electrical rifles at them. Behind them were ten manectric.

"Hey now!" Kristine raised her hands, her right hand still trembling. "We're not the bad guys here!"

"Who's this gyarados' trainer?" the same officer asked.

"I am," Jason stepped forward. "Please don't point your weapons at my sister. Or my friend."

"Everyone," Kristine panned around to see all her pokemon, as well as Jason's and Alex's, converging onto the scene. "Back off," she pleaded to the pokemon.

"Listen to me very carefully, son," the officer lowered his taser, as did all others. "Recall your gyarados."

Jason nodded and turned around, pulling out his pokeball. "It's okay, Gyarados."

Gyarados was furious, seeing a bunch of armed individuals and their pokemon threatening Jason. But he listened to Jason nonetheless and bowed his head.

"Return," Jason recalled him.

"Now, approach us until you are out of the water," the officer continued his demands.

"Can I give my sister my pokeball belt?" Jason asked.

"You may."

Jason slowly walked out of the lake, approaching his sister.

"Jolteon will be okay," Kristine informed him.

"You're amazing," Jason smiled, handing her his belt.

Kristine took it with her clean hand. "Thank you. So are you."

"Now," the officer approached Jason. "You are under arrest."

"What?" Alex threw his hands up. "Why?"

Jason's team protested.

"No," Kristine got in between Jason and the officer. "He's innocent! He helped save lives! We all helped save lives today!"

"It's okay, Kristine," Jason stepped around her. "We'll get this cleared up."

"No!" Kristine rejected, tears rolling down her face. "I won't let them arrest you!"

Alex approached Kristine, grabbing the wrist of her clean hand. "You can't win this right here, but we can win this elsewhere."

"Jason," Kristine faced her brother before turning her head to the officer. "Don't hurt him."

"I promise you; we will treat him fairly and safely," the officer assured her. He then walked behind Jason, holding handcuffs. "You are under arrest for disrupting the peace and the natural habitat of pokemon. You have the right to remain silent. That means anything you say can and will be used against you in court. You have a right to a lawyer, someone who legally represents you on your behalf. If your family cannot afford a lawyer, the city will appoint one for you. If you choose to respond to questions without a lawyer present, you may stop answering at any time. Do you understand?"

"I do," Jason acknowledged. He felt the tight grip of the handcuffs against his wrists.

"You two," another male officer walked up to Kristine and Alex. "Come with me for questioning."

"Where are you taking my brother?" Kristine asked.

"The same place we're going," the officer replied. "Lake Sol has a town nearby. We're going to the police department there."

"Okay," Kristine was more compliant. "I'm willing to go."

Kristine watched helplessly as Jason was hauled away in handcuffs. She recalled her and Jason's pokemon before following the officer to a patrol car in front of the pokemon lodge. Only time would tell what would happen and if Jason would get cleared of charges and Kristine and Alex cleared of any suspicions. The most important thing, Kristine thought, was that Jolteon survived along with countless people and pokemon.


I'm curious to know what your favorite chapter has been so far, whether it's an earlier chapter or a recent one. Feel free to respond through reviews or through DMs. And as always, thank you for supporting Inventum Adventures!