When Lucien arrived in haste, Servine and Dratini at his side, he was met by the sight of the Knights of the Order standing in formation, their weapons drawn as they shielded Megan and Chris behind them.
Before the group loomed six enormous, ferocious shapes, their serpentine bodies coiled in the moonlight, eyes glowing faintly red.
Gyarados.
Lucien stopped in his tracks, momentarily stunned.
Six of them?
"Your Highness Lucien, please be careful!" cried Geralt, rushing up beside him.
Lucien's gaze shifted toward the pond, and his heart steadied.
The Magikarp that had once lived there were gone. Six Gyarados now rose in their place.
The connection was clear.
"Lower your weapons," Lucien commanded calmly.
"Your Highness?" one of the knights asked in confusion.
"Can't you see?" Lucien replied, his tone even. "They haven't attacked anyone."
The knights hesitated, realizing he was right.
For all their terrifying appearance, the six Gyarados had made no aggressive move.
Lucien stepped forward and turned to Megan.
"What happened here?"
Megan, still shaken, took a breath. "A wild monster broke in, it stole all the honey we'd worked so hard to make…"
At that moment, a Combee buzzed over, landing beside them.It looked up at the six Gyarados and let out an excited "Bee!"
Lucien blinked. "You mean, they drove that magical beast away?"
"Bee! Bee!" the Combee nodded vigorously.
"What?" Megan gasped, staring at the Combee in surprise.
Lucien smiled faintly and looked at her.
"Megan, haven't you realized yet?"
"Realized what?" she asked, puzzled.
"These six beasts…" Lucien began softly. "You've been caring for them all winter, haven't you? You worried they'd get cold, so you built them a water tank inside your house."
Megan froze.
Her eyes widened as she began to count under her breath.
"One, two, three, four, five, six…"
Her voice trembled. "Don't tell me… those six little fish…?"
Lucien nodded. "That's right. They're your Magikarp."
He smiled reassuringly. "And if I'm not mistaken, they evolved to protect you. For monsters, that's a wonderful thing, it means they've grown stronger."
Megan's eyes filled with disbelief as she looked at the great serpentine forms towering before her.
Her little fish… had become this?
They were enormous, their fanged jaws and muscular bodies radiating power.
Yet, beneath their intimidating appearance, she could see something else, something gentle.
If one looked closely, their eyes held not anger… but a faint trace of hurt.
Gathering her courage, Megan stepped toward the pond.
She stood before them, craning her neck to meet their gaze. The Gyarados lowered their heads, meeting her eyes with quiet expectancy.
"Are… are you my little fish?" she whispered.
One Gyarados let out a deep, rumbling roar.
"Rooaaar!"
Megan smiled through her tears.
She reached out a trembling hand, pressing it gently against the warm scales of the nearest Gyarados. Then, moved by emotion, she leaned her forehead against its body.
"Thank you," she murmured. "Thank you for protecting me."
The Gyarados' eyes softened. It closed them slowly, letting out a low, contented growl.
The others joined in, their massive tails rippling gently through the water, an unspoken harmony of affection and loyalty.
They were grateful too.
For Megan's care, her warmth, her kindness. They loved her, and wanted to stay by her side forever.
Lucien watched the touching reunion, his expression calm but faintly wistful.
"All right," he said at last, his voice steady. "It's over now. Everyone, stand down and return to your duties."
"Yes, Your Highness!" the knights replied, relief flooding their faces.
Soon, the ranch grew quiet again, the patrol dispersing into the night until only Lucien and Geralt remained by the water's edge.
Geralt watched the great beasts curiously, then turned to Lucien.
"Your Highness… can all magical beasts evolve like this?"
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Geralt would never have believed that those ordinary creatures, those sluggish "fish" in the mud and river, could transform into such majestic beasts.
Lucien smiled faintly. "Perhaps. Monsters are incredible beings. After you spend enough time with them… nothing about them feels strange anymore."
Geralt nodded thoughtfully and asked no further questions.
After a while, Megan walked back to Lucien, her expression glowing with gratitude. She bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Your Highness Lucien!"
Lucien blinked in mild surprise. "Thank me? For what?"
"Thank you for letting me meet my Little Fish again," Megan said earnestly, her eyes moist but smiling.
Lucien's expression softened. He turned his gaze to the six towering shapes resting peacefully in the pond.
"Those 'Little Fish' now have a name," he said gently. "They're called Gyarados."
"Gyarados…" Megan repeated the word under her breath, as if savoring it. "I'll remember it."
Lucien nodded approvingly. "Take good care of them. Gyarados are powerful beasts. With them watching over the ranch, you won't have to worry about wild monsters invading again."
"Yes!" Megan said quickly, determination in her voice.
Behind her, the Mothim was long gone. In the hive, the Combee and their Vespiquen slowly stirred awake.
Though much of their honey had been stolen, the timely intervention of the Gyarados had saved most of it.
Satisfied that all was well, Lucien gave a few more words of advice before turning back toward his estate.
Later that night, he stretched as he entered his cabin. "That's enough excitement for one day," he murmured to his companions.
"Go rest, both of you."
Servine yawned delicately, curling up near the hearth, while Dratini coiled comfortably into its cushion.
Lucien lay down as well, only for a sharp crack to sound beside him.
"Crack!"
He sat up instantly. On the nightstand beside his pillow, the Larvesta's egg, the one he had guarded for so long, was breaking apart.
A wave of scorching heat filled the air, raising the room's temperature several degrees in an instant.
Lucien's eyes widened.
The eggshell split open, and from within emerged a small Pokémon covered in soft white fur. Two brilliant blue eyes gazed up at him with fiery determination.
"So it's finally time," Lucien whispered, a smile tugging at his lips.
"The Larvesta has hatched."
As he reached out, the familiar System panel appeared before his eyes, lines of glowing text scrolling rapidly.
[Pokémon: Larvesta]
Type: Fire / Bug
Gender: Male
Ability: Flame Body
Moves: Fiery Dance · Flare Charge · Bug Bite · Flare Blitz · Flame Wheel · Ember · String Shot · Flamethrower · Sunny Day
Friendship: 80
Pokémon Record: Year 149 of the Royal Calendar- Larvesta was born.
Lucien's eyes widened further.
"Wait...what?!"
He scanned the move list again in disbelief.
Fiery Dance. Flamethrower. Flare Blitz. Sunny Day. Flame Wheel…
Every move was powerful, moves a newly hatched Pokémon shouldn't even be capable of!
How could a newborn know all this? Lucien thought, his mind racing.
Then realization began to dawn.
By all logic, this Larvesta should have hatched long ago. Yet for some reason, its development had been delayed, its life force unstable.
To keep it alive, its mother, the Volcarona, had poured every ounce of her flame into nurturing the egg, year after year, century after century.
Before she perished, she had performed her final Fiery Dance, transferring the very essence of her life's flame into the egg, a mother's last gift to her child.
Could this be the reason?
...
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