In the forest, Natsui and the others continued to follow the riverbank towards the summit. After another ten minutes or so of walking, they finally reached the top of Kinnow Island.
The terrain here was no longer steep but relatively flat and gentle, surrounded by dense forests. In the center of the summit, a wide, clear lake constantly fed a stream that flowed down the mountain.
"Alright, this is the Lake of Birth and Evolution!"
Dr. Quackenpoker put down his backpack. Seeing that he hadn't missed the mass evolution and that only a few Magikarp were swimming around in the lake, he finally relaxed.
Nearby, seeing that they had finally reached their destination, Misty plopped down unceremoniously on a large rock and let out a long sigh. After climbing for so long while carrying a heavy box, she was exhausted. Now that she was at the summit, she could finally rest a bit.
At that moment, everyone's gaze was focused on the lake. And just as Dr. Quackenpoker had said before, the lake looked perfectly ordinary, with nothing special about it.
If they had come on their own, they would never have discovered its magical properties.
Sabrina looked around and said softly to Natsui, "Strange. Besides these Magikarp, why can't I see any other Pokémon?"
Hearing her say this, Natsui realized that it was indeed too quiet around them.
Logically, a forest this large should not be devoid of wild Pokémon. Even this lake, as a source of life, should be home to other Water-type Pokémon.
But now, the entire mountaintop was silent. It was too strange.
He thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "I guess… maybe the huge migration disturbed the wild Pokémon, and they've left this area to hide for a while to avoid the commotion."
Sabrina nodded noncommittally. With so little information, it was the only plausible explanation for now.
At that moment, Dr. Quackenpoker had already taken various pieces of equipment out of the boxes and was starting to set them up by the lakeside.
There were camera-like devices, a laptop, something that looked like a satellite signal receiver…
The equipment was a motley assortment. Natsui and the others gathered around curiously, but as laymen, they could only guess at the specific functions of the devices based on their appearance.
"Mr. Quackenpoker," Tracey asked humbly, "excuse me, but what is all this equipment for?"
Dr. Quackenpoker was clearly pleased with Tracey's attitude. Seeing that there was no sign of the Magikarp evolving just yet, he said with a chuckle, "These devices can automatically analyze various data from the Magikarp. Whether it's weight, growth trends, bone density, or muscle fatigue, it can all be observed through this. It's very powerful."
These technical terms were completely lost on the 10-year-old Ash. He scratched his head and said with a wry smile, "That's amazing! I don't understand what you're saying, but it sounds really impressive!"
Dr. Quackenpoker grinned broadly.
They say children speak the truth, and being praised by such a young boy inevitably brought him joy.
Splash, splash!
Just then, with a spray of water, a few more red figures broke the surface as several more Magikarp swam from the river into the lake.
The sound temporarily drew the attention of Natsui and the others. After the water's surface had calmed down again, Natsui turned back and, watching Dr. Quackenpoker handle the equipment so skillfully, couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Quackenpoker, may I ask how many years you've been in the Pokémon Watcher profession?"
Dr. Quackenpoker looked up and thought for a moment. "I've forgotten the exact time, but it must have been 50 years."
"50 years!?"
Hearing this staggering number, Misty stuck out her tongue.
A Pokémon Watcher for 50 years. His perseverance is truly admirable.
Just being in this profession for so long… even if he started at fifteen or sixteen like Tracey, that would make Dr. Quackenpoker at least in his sixties or seventies, right?
But… to be out in the elements at such an old age must be really tough.
Is he not worried he'll just die on some deserted island halfway through?
Tsk, tsk, tsk! Oh, that's terrible.
Misty knew she shouldn't think like that and quickly shook her head to dispel the disrespectful thought.
Dr. Quackenpoker, busy with his equipment, naturally didn't notice Misty's strange behavior. But even if he had, given his personality, he would have chosen to ignore it.
Tracey was also in awe of this weathered veteran. He said admiringly, "That's incredible. Then may I ask how long you've been observing Magikarp?"
"Not that long. Only three years," Dr. Quackenpoker said nonchalantly, as if time was nothing more than a series of numbers to him.
Seeing his casual demeanor, Natsui was quite impressed.
Dr. Quackenpoker's attitude could be described as extremely free-spirited.
At his age, he had long known his fate. Most elderly people would choose to spend their later years in peace at home, cherishing their time with their children and grandchildren. People like him, who still went out to do Pokémon research, were truly rare.
After all, life is but a few fleeting decades. How many three-year periods does one have to squander? To spend all his precious time on these Magikarp truly showed his love for Pokémon.
At least Misty, as a Water-type Pokémon trainer, didn't think she could love Magikarp as much as Dr. Quackenpoker did. But while she admired him, she couldn't help but wonder: Magikarp are just common Pokémon. Is it really necessary to observe them for so long?
Just then, Tracey remembered the rings he had seen earlier.
"By the way, Mr. Quackenpoker, we saw some rings on the tails of those Magikarp in the river. What are those about?"
"Ah, I put those on them," Dr. Quackenpoker said. "They're identification tags, to mark the year each Magikarp left this island. Red means it left one year ago, blue means two years, and as for yellow, that means it left three years ago!"
"Huh? So all these Magikarp were born on this island!?"
"That's right," Dr. Quackenpoker nodded. "The Magikarp born on this island all swim out to sea after they grow up. But no matter how far they go, they always return at this time every year. In other words, this island, Kinnow Island, is the homeland of the Magikarp!"
This was the first time Natsui had learned that Magikarp had their own homeland. However, since this species was found all over the world, this migratory trait was likely unique to the Magikarp of the Orange Archipelago.
The afterglow of the sunset enveloped the group.
The number of Magikarp in the lake grew, but there was still no sign of evolution.
"This is not good," Dr. Quackenpoter said, glancing at the time again with a sigh. "There are fewer Magikarp than I expected. It looks like we'll have to camp out here tonight."
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