Inside a room at the National Water-type Gym.
As soon as Latias sensed the familiar Mythical energy, she used Teleport and arrived in an instant.
She found two sneaky figures breaking into the Gym.
After defeating their Alakazam, she stared curiously at an egg floating in the air.
The egg was shaped like an embryo,
pale blue, surrounded by a transparent, water-like protective ring.
The two intruders lay unconscious.
Beside them, an Alakazam had also fainted, unable to battle.
"What would Lin Yu do with them?"
Looking at the two unconscious men, Latias unconsciously tried to think like Lin Yu.
When she couldn't come up with a good plan,
she decided to leave it to him.
She carefully picked up the Pokémon egg, took hold of everyone, and vanished.
…
On the beach.
Charizard and Samurott were clashing in a burst of energy.
"Nice! Fire Blast!"
Fire Blast was a new move Charizard had learned after evolving.
Facing the incoming Hydro Pump,
Lin Yu did not back down.
With Aura Power, he and Charizard fought as one.
The surging Fire Blast, streaked with white light, collided with Hydro Pump, sending thick steam billowing out.
It filled nearly the entire energy barrier.
Even the crowd outside could feel the shockwave.
White mist stretched hundreds of meters, covering everything.
The heat from fire and water mixing washed over the spectators.
"Incredible!"
Watching a Fire-type move clash evenly with a Water-type attack,
Shui Rourou's eyes flashed with praise.
Water beats fire —
that was common sense!
On top of that, her Samurott was at a much higher level than Charizard.
Yet their energy struggle was dead even!
"Dragon Claw!"
Before the mist cleared, Lin Yu could sense Samurott growing breathless inside.
And Charizard was never afraid of long battles.
In this fight, Lin Yu had only told Charizard to unleash its energy to the fullest.
"Samurott, Razor Shell!"
As an Elite Four Trainer, she could also sense the situation.
That eerie white fire was actually draining Samurott's stamina!!
She quickly changed orders,
hoping to gain an edge in close combat.
BOOM!
The collision sent ripples through the mist, which quickly dispersed.
Inside, Charizard still burned with fighting spirit.
Samurott's eyes were fierce, but it was clearly worn out!
Several clashes between Dragon Claw and Razor Shell
showed neither backing down.
But Samurott was naturally slower than Charizard,
and the Life Flame ability wore it down further.
It stumbled.
Charizard seized the chance and slammed it into the ground.
Samurott fainted.
"Excellent! The winner is Trainer Lin Yu!"
By this point, Shui Rourou knew Samurott couldn't win.
Continuing would be pointless.
This Charizard wielded Dragon-type moves with perfect mastery!
A Fire-type Pokémon going toe-to-toe with a Water-type?
There was no point fighting further.
To be fair, Samurott had already battled once before and was low on stamina.
Shui Rourou recalled Samurott
and walked over to Lin Yu.
Looking at the Xiang Provincial Champion,
she sighed.
"The wave of youth pushes the old aside. Truly worthy of being the champion of Xiang Province."
Xiang was really producing powerhouses this year.
He would surely shine in the National High School Tournament.
"Samurott already fought once. My Charizard took advantage," Lin Yu said modestly as he recalled his partner.
"Modest boy. Here is the Tide Master Gym Badge…"
She handed over a water-blue, droplet-shaped badge.
But her expression suddenly changed.
She summoned Swellow and hopped on.
"Sorry, but today's challenges end here. I have urgent business to attend to."
Someone in the crowd complained.
"Aw, I was next to challenge!"
"Challenge what? This kid just beat her weakest Pokémon. You wanna fight her main team?"
"Never mind…"
The person shrank back, muttering in awe.
"But how is this Xiang champion's Charizard way stronger than our provincial champion's Sceptile?"
Under the admiring gazes, Lin Yu scanned the crowd for Dira.
"Lin Yu! Over here!"
She was waving at him under a coconut tree.
"Come with me, Lin Yu!"
As soon as he reached her, she grabbed his hand and ran toward a quiet corner.
"What's wrong, Dira?" he asked, noticing her anxious look.
She took his hand and unleashed Psychic power.
In an instant, the two vanished.
Teleport!
Lin Yu was stunned to suddenly be inside their hotel.
Sometimes he really couldn't wrap his head around this red-haired girl's Psychic ability.
The beach was at least ten kilometers away!
That was a distance Gardevoir could barely manage with Teleport.
Yet she did it effortlessly — while carrying another person!
Teleporting with someone required exponentially more energy than traveling alone.
Her Psychic power was at least Lord-tier!
All those Energy Cubes were definitely paying off.
This was the hotel they were temporarily staying at.
"Look here."
Latias stepped aside, revealing what was behind her.
"Who… are these people?" Lin Yu asked in confusion.
Two men lay on the floor, an unconscious Alakazam beside them…
and an egg floating in mid-air?
Lin Yu instinctively used his Inspection Eye.
[Species]: Manaphy (??? Mythical)
[Talent]: Tier 1 Legendary
Lin Yu's expression turned blank.
?
And these two…
He tore off their black coats, revealing pirate-style bandanas.
Pirates.
Ever since Pokémon appeared, pirates had thrived across the vast oceans.
Rumor had it that Team Aqua had started out as a pirate group.
Lin Yu's head was spinning.
What in the world?
Dira went out for a bit and came back with a Legendary egg?
Manaphy?
According to legend,
Manaphy was the one who commanded all sea Pokémon!
"Wh… where did you get this?"
"From the Water-type Gym…"
Latias hugged the egg and explained everything.
As fellow Mythical Pokémon,
she could feel a deep, familiar energy from it.
After listening,
Lin Yu sighed.
No wonder the Water-type Elite Four left in such a hurry right after the battle — her base had been raided.
But what should they do with the egg?
Return it to her?
Crack…
A soft white light flickered.
Manaphy's egg…
was hatching?