Chapter 296 The Drowning Goldeen
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"Rumble... rumble... rumble..."
Amidst the chaotic backdrop, the trio of Psyduck, Quagsire, and Slowpoke presented an oddly serene picture. Their expressions were unbothered, showing no reaction to the surrounding turmoil.
"Clack, clack, clack..."
A tiny Krabby suddenly leaped onto the bank. It snipped at Quagsire's thigh, then scuttled sideways and clipped Slowpoke's tail, and finally, it pinched Psyduck's tail.
"Splash."
It then hopped back into the water.
"Quag?"
"Sloooow?"
"Psy?"
The three sages showed no movement or expression, as if their nerves had been surgically removed.
"Psy-yi-YI!!"
Among the three, Psyduck actually had the shortest reaction time. Two minutes later, its face suddenly turned an odd shade of blue-green as it started running around anxiously in place, trying to blow on its painful tail.
But its arms were too short. It could only spin in circles, forever unable to reach its tail.
A comedy and a tragedy were unfolding simultaneously.
Everyone: "..."
Misty: "..."
She facepalmed. Ever since she caught these three Pokémon, she felt she was straying further and further from the path of the strongest Water-type Trainer!
"Still, I feel like one corner is missing."
"Indeed. It's no good having three when you need four."
It wasn't just Todd Snap who felt this way; even Ash and Brock thought that one more "saint" was missing.
Some amateurs in the public, with too much time on their hands, often create strange sayings. These people don't really understand Pokémon at all and would even call a Shiny Pokémon a 'Flash' Pokémon.
But some of their views did have a bit of merit.
For instance, these people considered Psyduck a Pokémon that no one could see through.
Slowpoke was a Pokémon you couldn't tell whether it had seen through things or not.
And Quagsire was a Pokémon that didn't care whether it had seen through things or not.
This meant the most crucial type of Pokémon was missing: the one with a pure and proper pedigree, a Pokémon that could see through everything.
"Beep, beep. The fourth is Marshtomp, a Water-type Pokémon, from the Hoenn Region."
The Pokédex identified the keywords and proactively provided the information.
"The Hoenn Region again? The place where Rayquaza are supposedly everywhere, and you can knock one out just by throwing a rock?"
Everyone sighed wistfully, wondering just how earth-shattering and spectacular the scene would be if the Four Sages were gathered for a summit.
Todd Snap even felt that if he could capture a photograph of these Four Sages in discussion, he wouldn't just win the gold prize at the Ecruteak City Ho-Oh Photography Contest—Ho-Oh itself could retire next year, and it would be more fitting to rename the contest the Ecruteak City Todd Snap Photography Contest.
He was, in fact, a man of ruthless ambition, secretly wanting to kick Ho-Oh right off its divine pedestal.
However, the current scene was chaotic, so the matter of the fourth sage could be set aside for now. Everyone looked toward Misty.
Misty: "?"
"You're the only one who can understand the language of Pokémon right now! Hurry up and translate, chop-chop!" the three of them urged her as if it were a matter of course.
Misty: "..."
She really couldn't refute that. She had no choice but to look at her three dopey Pokémon. After a tortoise-paced conversation, she finally learned the cause of the chaos.
It turned out that in this stream, an adorable Goldeen had suddenly started drowning. It was flailing and struggling frantically in the water. Its mother, a Seaking, had never seen a Goldeen that couldn't swim and was dumbfounded on the spot.
Just as the Goldeen was about to drown, a kind and gentle Azumarill napping on the bank lent a hand, picking it up and placing it on the dry land, temporarily separating it from the water.
Unexpectedly, the ground on the bank was a grassland. The moment the Goldeen landed in the grassland, its skin felt as if it were being sliced by countless Razor Leaf attacks, and it was instantly rendered Unable to Battle.
Azumarill: "?"
*A faked accident.* It hadn't expected this.
"Wuuu!!"
Seeing its child Unable to Battle, the Seaking's temper flared. It shot a surprisingly powerful Water Gun at the Azumarill.
But Azumarill wasn't a Pokémon to be trifled with either. It exploded on the spot, raising a fist for an Ice Punch, the chill of which was palpable.
It had beaten down countless Dragonite-level Pokémon with its bare hands, and now a tiny ornamental fish dared to provoke it? *Do you really think this Dragon Slayer can't lift his sword anymore?*
In an instant, a great battle between Water-type Pokémon erupted by the stream!
On one side were the fully aquatic Pokémon, led by Seaking, including Magikarp, Shellder, Tentacool, and so on.
On the other side were the amphibious Pokémon, led by Azumarill, including Poliwhirl, Krabby, and others.
"Clack, clack, clack..."
The splashing AoE attacks even hit a few passing Spearow and Mankey.
And just like that, what was originally an internal conflict among "aquatic products" now had creatures of the sky and land joining the fray for a chaotic free-for-all.
A chaotic brawl between birds, "mountain delicacies," and "aquatic products" ensued. Moves flew wildly, and a fragrant aroma filled the air...
"Wartortle-tortle-ha!!"
To one side, Ash's Wartortle, which had been acting as a spectator and watching the show, was even bent over with laughter, mocking these Pokémon for fighting over such a trivial matter.
"Such a lack of magnanimity. They're destined for mediocrity."
"Splat."
A clump of black mud came flying and, unable to dodge in time, Wartortle was splattered right in the face.
"Wartle!!"
Wartortle's expression immediately became furious. It whipped out a pair of black, pointed-frame sunglasses from its waist and put them on. Puffing out its shell, it was about to teach these insolent Pokémon a lesson.
"You can mess with anyone in this backyard, but don't you dare mess with me, Wartortle!"
"BOOM!"
But before it could act, three more shimmering green energy projectiles flew over. Some unknown powerhouse unleashed a Grass-type Energy Ball, hitting it with a devastating combo that cracked its head open.
Super Effective!
"WARTLE!!"
Wartortle instantly flew into a rage. A powerful current of blue water erupted around its body, forming a blue energy cloak that enveloped it—the sign that its ability, Torrent, had activated.
Its HP had been dropped to one-third by the unknown AoE.
Enraged, Wartortle was just about to unleash a massive, Torrent-boosted Whirlpool to suck everyone in when it was stopped by the Ivysaur beside it.
"Saur."
#002 Ivysaur extended a Vine Whip, blocking Wartortle. Its expression was calm and collected, its limbs and body sturdy and heavy.
Although Ivysaur was a lone wanderer, it was also a good-natured soul. Before joining the team, it had acted as a guardian for its community, protecting weaker Pokémon and mediating disputes between them.
It did not like such disputes.
In the end, it was all just a misunderstanding. Seaking hadn't intended to fake an accident, and Azumarill hadn't meant to cause harm.
It wished for peace in Professor Oak's Laboratory Backyard.
"Saur..."
*Let me, Ivysaur, resolve this conflict.*
Ivysaur had a strong grasp of the bigger picture. It immediately identified the source of the conflict—the Goldeen that had been knocked out by the grass. In fact, the Goldeen had already regained consciousness.
While the grassland would inflict Grass-type damage on it, at worst it would only render it Unable to Battle. Drowning, however, was a matter of life and death.
"VMMMMMM!!"
A brilliant golden light gathered on the petals of the flower on Ivysaur's back. The energy built to its peak before transforming into a golden laser that shot vertically into the sky, punching a huge hole through the clouds above. Its power seemed to shatter the heavens!
Solar Beam!!
The brilliant golden light and the terrifying energy blast made all the Pokémon present involuntarily freeze, their eyes instinctively turning to the source.
*What is this flowering turtle trying to do?*
(end of chapter)