After purchasing supplies, Ash and Misty departed from Viridian City.
By this time, they had already entered Viridian Forest.
Misty kicked a pinecone that was blocking her path, her orange ponytail flicking irritably; she finally couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Hey, Ash!" She stopped abruptly, pointing back towards the direction of the city that was long out of sight.
"The Viridian Gym is right there in the city!"
"You didn't even look at the door?"
"That's the closest Gym to Pallet Town!"
"Even though the Gym Leader, Giovanni, is elusive, the Gym Trainers under him are sufficient to test rookies!"
"Wouldn't it be good to just grab a Badge and go?"
Misty couldn't understand what Ash was thinking.
Ash was pushing aside a hanging cluster of vines; hearing this, he didn't even turn his head, his voice lazy: "What's the rush? The Professor said the Viridian Gym's assessment leans towards actual combat and isn't very friendly to rookies."
"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu nodded.
"He suggested we go to Pewter City to find Brock first, fight some 'rocks', accumulate some experience... and get the Viridian Gym Badge last."
Ash felt that since Professor Oak said so, it was better to do it that way.
One must know that Viridian City is only a day's journey from Pallet Town, and that's at walking speed... God knows if there's some tacit understanding between Professor Oak and Giovanni?
Anyway, Ash wouldn't think of Professor Oak and the others as too simple.
Does the League really not know about Team Rocket's expansion?
Or is it that they can't solve it?
"Professor, Professor! It's always Professor Oak!" Misty stamped her foot in anger. "Is he your nanny? He even has to manage which Gym you challenge?"
"Huh?!" Ash finally turned around.
Someone of Professor Oak's level acting as a nanny?
If there were such a good thing, shouldn't you be laughing yourself to death?
Even Professor Oak's grandson, Gary, doesn't get that kind of treatment.
Ash grinned, his teeth dazzlingly white in the sunlight: "If you don't listen to your elders, you'll suffer for it soon enough."
Misty choked, then huffed indignantly: "You say it so nicely... just let me see what you're planning to do!"
But the doubt and frustration in her heart wouldn't go away.
This guy, clearly his Pikachu is ridiculously strong, yet he mysteriously listens to the Professor and bypasses Viridian City... it just feels like something is wrong.
Unfortunately, the Cerulean Gym has declined, so there are some things she really doesn't know.
Like this, Ash and Misty bickered constantly along the way, which was actually quite interesting.
The rushing sound of a river guided their direction.
Soon, a clear, rushing creek appeared in the forest.
The water vapor hit their faces, carrying a chill.
Pikachu lightly leaped onto the edge of a giant rock, looking at the water flow curiously.
"This is the spot!" Ash's eyes lit up, and he walked quickly to a flat giant rock by the creek.
He neatly put down his backpack and took out a Poké Ball.
"Come out, partner!"
Red light flashed.
"Splash!" The golden Magikarp fell into a deeper eddy of the creek, splashing up fine droplets.
It seemed to like this living water very much, swaying its tail; its golden scales refracted flowing fragmented golden light under the sunlight penetrating the forest gaps.
As for Pidgeotto?
It's flying in the sky~
"Magikarp," Ash squatted by the creek, staring burningly at the golden figure in the water, "Start your training for today! Bring out all your power! Splash, jump to the limit for me!"
The current Magikarp only knows Splash and Tackle... to a certain extent, these two skills can be combined in water.
In short, just ram it hard.
"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu also cheered from the side, cheeks "sizzling" with a few wisps of small electric sparks.
"Karp..." Magikarp's dull fish eyes seemed to focus for a moment, feeling the Trainer's unprecedented solemnity.
It suddenly swung its tail, no longer splashing aimlessly like usual, but aiming at a protruding dark reef rock in the stream!
"Whoosh——!"
Water sprayed!
Its golden body erupted with astonishing power, like an arrow leaving the string, with an indomitable momentum, slamming fiercely into that hard reef rock!
"Thud!!!"
A dull impact sound echoed in the valley.
The reef rock didn't move a bit, but Magikarp was bounced back by the huge reaction force, smashing heavily onto the water surface, splashing up even bigger waves.
"Good! Just like that! Keep going!" Ash's voice didn't waver at all, instead carrying excitement, "Feel the impact! Feel the power surging in your body! Smash it!"
"Karp——!!!" Magikarp seemed ignited by this command, its tail churning madly in the water, stirring up a rapid vortex.
Again and again, it slammed into that reef rock with all its might!
Every impact was dull and powerful; the golden scales seemed to have a glimmer flowing under the intense friction and shock.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
The impact sounds were continuous, like war drums beating. The creek water was stirred into turbidity, water splashing everywhere.
Misty stood a bit further away with her arms crossed, watching this almost self-torturous training method, her brows locked tight.
That silly fish... can it really do it?
Watching Magikarp being bounced away time and time again, its scales seeming to dim a bit, she felt inexplicably bad in her heart—it must hurt, right?
Unknown how many times it slammed.
Suddenly—
"Hum..."
A layer of soft yet tough white light erupted from Magikarp's body without warning!
The light instantly wrapped its entire body, lifting it from the muddy water!
The light grew brighter and brighter, like a small sun falling into the mortal world, illuminating the entire stream and forest clearing as bright as day!
A powerful fluctuation of life energy spread out like ripples, startling Pidgeotto in the air to let out a high-pitched cry, and Pikachu's fur all stood on end.
"It's coming!" Ash's heart almost jumped out of his chest, his eyes erupting with ecstatic light.
This was the moment he was waiting for.
Without the slightest hesitation, his mind instantly sank into the system interface in his head!
[Confirm use of One-time Color Change Coating on Pokémon: Gyarados]
[Appearance Color Lock: Gold]
[Confirm Usage]
The moment Ash confirmed, the blinding white light above the stream suddenly contracted, stretched, and expanded inward.
A massive, hideous silhouette full of power formed rapidly within the white light.
The white light exploded with a boom.
"Roar——!!!"
A deafening dragon roar, filled with supreme majesty and tyrannical aura, exploded over Viridian Forest like thunder.
The violent sound waves kicked up wild winds, making the surrounding trees and branches dance madly, and the stream water rolled backwards.
The white light dissipated.
A colossus hovered above the stream!
A terrifying body nearly seven meters long, covered in layers of heavy, huge scales like golden armor.
Every scale shone with a pure, dazzling red-gold color, as if forged from the essence of the sun.
The hideous dragon head held high, scarlet eyes like burning lava, filled with destructive power.
A thick body, golden dorsal fins.
Like a Golden Dragon King walked out of a myth!
Misty was completely petrified.
Her mouth hung open, her orange hair blown into a mess by the wild wind, her eyes staring so wide they almost split, her mind a blank.
G-G-G... Golden... Gyarados?!
This... how is this possible?!
Magikarp can really evolve into gold?!
Ash opened his arms, facing that violent intimidation, his voice incredibly resonant:
"Did you see that, Misty!"
"Did you see that, world!"
"This is my partner!"
"The Golden—"
"Dragon King!!!"
The roar echoed through the forest—
_____
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