"I don't know. I just feel a sense of suppression, as if a lot of resentment suddenly surged up in my heart."
"That's right, I feel the same way."
"Me too!" x6
Listening to the answers from Alakazam and the others, Gu Yuan could not figure out what was going on, let alone solve it. Fortunately, this feeling came strangely and vanished just as fast.
Although it didn't cause any actual harm to Charizard and the others, Gu Yuan felt something was amiss but couldn't find any clues.
"We are about to reach shore. As soon as we are on land, everything will be fine."
Ultimately, Gu Yuan could only use this thought to comfort himself, but he silently increased his vigilance.
In the deep sea, beyond the system's detection range, a large number of Gyarados were gathered. Among these Gyarados, the weakest possessed Junior Rank, nearing Intermediate Rank strength. There were also as many as nine Gyarados with Ace Rank strength. The strongest among them was even close to Leader Rank strength.
Despite this, they still could not occupy the absolute center position.
The center spot was instead held by a Pokémon hidden within a black mist. Through the gaps in the black mist, a pair of scarlet eyes could be seen. All the surrounding Gyarados watched the black mist with gazes of reverence, as if they were paying homage to their god.
Abruptly, the black mist dissipated, and a massive Gyarados was revealed. Compared to a normal Gyarados, this one was undoubtedly a gigantic presence, like the giant Tentacruel in the anime!
"Roar!"
Suddenly, the giant Gyarados's roar rang out. If Gu Yuan were present, he would know through telepathy that the giant Gyarados was saying: Kill all humans, blood for blood!
"Roar!!!"
In the next moment, the surrounding Gyarados responded in unison, their deafening roars resounding across this sea area. Subsequently, this group of Gyarados, like an army, began approaching the direction of the land.
Standing on the deck, the outline of the mainland gradually appeared before Gu Yuan's eyes. Only now did Gu Yuan feel somewhat relaxed. Even if there were a sudden attack now, or an irresistible enemy appeared, he could use Alakazam's Teleport to return to the mainland. Fortunately, there were no incidents during the final stretch of the journey, and they safely returned to the dock.
Instead of rushing off the ship, Gu Yuan went to find Riley.
"So you also noticed something. Unfortunately, this is my first time encountering this situation too, and I cannot give you a clear explanation."
"I will look for answers at the League afterward, and if I find any results, I will let you know."
"Thank you, sir. I truly didn't expect so many secrets to be hidden in the vast ocean."
"We still have explored too little of the sea."
Gazing at the distant ocean, Gu Yuan no longer felt awe at its magnificence. Instead, he felt that countless dangers were hidden beneath the calm surface.
"Indeed. I hope one day we can fully explore the entire ocean. I think we will surely discover more interesting Pokémon."
"That is also why I chose to be a captain, I want the chance to be selected for such an expedition in the future, to explore this ocean with them."
"I believe that with your strength and experience, you will definitely succeed one day."
"I won't disturb your rest. I will be going now."
"Good. I'll be watching this year's Indigo League. I look forward to your spectacular performance then."
"I should not let you down."
Smiling as he said goodbye to Riley, Gu Yuan prepared to resupply in the small town after getting off the ship, and then head straight for Viridian City.
Habitually, Gu Yuan activated the system's detection function again.
The next instant, Gu Yuan's expression turned grim.
"Alakazam, use Teleport, take me to Riley!"
The Poké Ball opened, and Alakazam immediately took action. Its psychic power was released, and Alakazam instantly took Gu Yuan to appear before Riley again.
"My Alakazam just detected a large group of Gyarados approaching the shore! It is highly likely they are planning an attack!"
"Based on Alakazam's judgment, there are at least nine Ace Rank Gyarados, and an even stronger presence among them, I think it must be Leader Rank or even higher!"
Gu Yuan immediately relayed the information detected by the system, not waiting for Riley to speak.
Hearing this, Riley's scalp went numb. Last time, three Ace Rank Gyarados were enough to pose an extreme danger to them. Now, nine had come all at once, plus one at Leader Rank or stronger. Riley knew clearly that this level of strength was beyond his ability to resist.
"Gu Yuan, immediately contact your master, Elite Rank Agatha, about this matter. Ask her to dispatch reinforcements as quickly as possible. Take me down first; I will quickly have the crew evacuate the public."
"Finally, I need to ask you to take the staff from this ship to safety and to install bombs on this ship."
"If this group of Gyarados truly plans to attack, I hope this ship can buy us some time, even if it's only a few seconds."
By the end, Riley's tone had become mournful. As the captain of this ship, Riley's feelings for it were undoubtedly deep. Yet, at this moment, he personally ordered the ship's destruction to protect the citizens.
"Yes, I understand."
Without hesitation, Gu Yuan immediately had Alakazam begin its work. Although the system's detection range was big, given the speed of those Gyarados, that distance was nothing. In this limited time, there was no room for sorrow; there was only a need to exert maximum effort. Riley was obviously aware of this too and immediately adjusted his state of mind.
With his Ace Rank strength, Riley's words were quickly taken seriously and acted upon. Meanwhile, Gu Yuan took most of the staff away and then helped the co-captain install the bombs. He had already reported the situation to Agatha, but he didn't even have a moment to check the response.
After all, the leading Gyarados put immense pressure on Gu Yuan. It was only the second time Gu Yuan had encountered a Pokémon whose status was entirely question marks. Of course, this Gyarados could not be a Legendary Pokémon like Moltres. However, the suffix 'Natural Will' appeared after the Gyarados's name.
Based on the system's explanation, Gu Yuan quickly recalled the giant Tentacruel that appeared in the anime. The current situation was extremely similar to the anime, where humanity's excessive destruction of the natural environment, encroachment upon Pokémon territories, and harming of Pokémon's lives led to disaster.
The irony was that the League personnel, who had not done these things, now had to risk their lives to protect the very people who were responsible. Regrettably, there was not enough time. Otherwise, Gu Yuan really wanted to bring Misty over and try to have her solve the problem with Talk-no-Jutsu just like in the anime.
Once the bombs were installed, Gu Yuan brought Alakazam to help the crew members of the other ships evacuate. After all this was done, Gu Yuan and Alakazam took a rest, waiting for the great battle to arrive.