Even Siebold couldn't help but laugh at the Magikarp that Cole kept reeling in.
"It doesn't seem like we'll catch any Clauncher here." He suggested, "Why don't we try somewhere else?"
Cole thought about it and agreed — surely a different spot would yield better results?
As they were packing up their things, the sea surface suddenly began churning. Magikarp emerged one after another, all spitting water in their direction.
The two of them watched this bizarre scene in confusion. What were these Magikarp trying to do?
If only these Magikarp could express themselves properly — but they merely stared with their vacant eyes while continuously spitting water, leaving Cole unable to understand their message.
Initially, he wanted to leave, but Siebold, being a trainer who loved Water-type Pokémon, insisted on staying to understand the Magikarp's strange behavior.
Yet the Magikarp were too simple-minded — they just kept staring and spitting water. After a long while, the situation remained a mystery.
Just as Siebold was about to give up, a powerful roar echoed from far out at sea.
"ROAR!!!"
The sound was intense and commanding — clearly from a formidable Pokémon.
"That's a Gyarados's roar!" Siebold said, who knew Water-type Pokémon well, "Gyarados have volatile temperaments and easily get into conflicts. We should be careful."
His earlier thoughts of leaving vanished with this appearance.
Soon after, a fierce-looking Pokémon emerged from the sea surface nearby — it was indeed the ocean's ruler, Gyarados.
Before Cole and Siebold could process this, another Gyarados surfaced.
Seeing this, Siebold gripped the Poké Ball at his waist and whispered, "Can you handle one Gyarados?"
Cole nodded, "No problem."
When the two Gyarados spotted Cole, their eyes lit up. They swam over swiftly, reaching their side in an instant.
Seeing the Gyarados approach, Siebold quickly stepped back, maintaining his guard.
"Roar~ Roar~"
"Roar~"
The two Gyarados called out to Cole. Understanding their meaning, his expression shifted from shock to joy.
"You're the Magikarp from back then?"
The two Gyarados nodded eagerly, their fierce expressions softening.
Siebold: ( •_•)?
He watched in bewilderment as Cole chatted happily with the Gyarados.
"So you've all evolved!" Cole approached the two Gyarados and gently hugged their massive heads, "I never thought we'd meet again."
Brionne: (유 ´⌓`유)
Brionne stood beside him, equally confused.
Who were these two? Why was Cole so happy to see them? Were there Pokémon in Cole's life that it didn't know about?
"Roar~ Roar~"
"Roar~"
The two Gyarados explained how they managed to find him.
"What? You came looking for me?" Cole asked in surprise.
After parting ways with Cole, the remaining seven Magikarp had evolved into Gyarados one after another. Thanks to his golden touch, they had grown much faster than ordinary Pokémon.
They had lived in the dangerous deep sea, facing life-or-death battles daily that made them stronger. But as time passed, they grew weary of endless fighting and increasingly missed Cole's special care.
One day, when all eight Gyarados gathered, one suggested, "Why don't we go find Cole?"
The other seven immediately agreed.
So they left the deep sea together, following their memories of Cole's direction until they reached the coast near Coumarine City.
They had actually been here for a year but couldn't find him. To help their search, they enlisted the local Magikarp, subduing them to monitor the coast.
Since the Magikarp didn't know Cole, the Gyarados caught an Alomomola to use its psychic powers to share their memories of his appearance with the Magikarp.
That's why Cole kept catching Magikarp today — some had recognized him. They were keeping him there while others raced to alert the Gyarados.
Despite Cole's growth over the years, his appearance remained similar enough for the Magikarp to identify him.
When Cole and Siebold tried to leave, the Magikarp feared losing him and emerged to stall for time, knowing the Gyarados needed a while to arrive.
Their explanation cleared up all confusion. Now Cole understood his strange connection with the Magikarp.
Moved by how hard the Gyarados had worked to find him, Cole gently patted their heads and said, "Thank you for your hard work!"
"Brionne! Brionne! Brionne!" — Cole, who are they? Who are they?
Unable to contain itself any longer, Brionne asked urgently.
Cole suddenly remembered Brionne didn't know them, "These are Gyarados, from when Mom and I left the island..."
He told it about how he and Daisy had met the Gyarados.
Cole had told his Pokémon about his and his mom's life on the island but rarely mentioned their journey to Coumarine City. As a result, most of his Pokémon at home didn't know about the Gyarados.
When Cole mentioned this part of his past, Siebold was confused, so Cole had to explain his journey from the lonely island. Siebold was surprised — his grandfather had introduced Cole as Ramos's junior, leading him to assume Cole was the old man's relative. The truth was unexpected.
He was touched by the Gyarados's dedication in traveling thousands of miles to find Cole.
"What sincere feelings — truly worthy of being the Water-type Pokémon that I love!"
As the Gyarados arrived, the Magikarp gradually dispersed. The first two Gyarados had reached them earlier because they were closer, while the others were still en route. Cole decided to wait.
During this time, he chatted with the Gyarados. They shared stories of their sea adventures, while Cole told them about his life in Coumarine City. Their conversation was so engaging that time slipped away.
Siebold, no longer interested in catching Clauncher, sat quietly on a rock listening to their stories. He realized how peaceful — perhaps too peaceful — his own life had been.
Cole had worked diligently over the years, quietly learning and growing. Through his efforts, he had not only acquired his own orchard but also improved living standards at the orphanage.
The Gyarados's deep-sea adventures were even more remarkable. Their tales thrilled and excited Siebold. He realized that without their unity and cooperation, the eight Gyarados might have perished in the vast ocean long ago.
These stories made Siebold question his own path.
Since his grandfather's semi-retirement, he had moved to Coumarine City to train as a Pokémon trainer under his guidance while studying culinary arts.
Despite years of rapid progress that pleased his grandfather, Siebold had recently hit a plateau — neither his Pokémon training nor his culinary skills were improving.
He realized that staying in Coumarine, isolated from the outside world, might be causing his training and culinary research to stagnate.
While Siebold was lost in thought, the remaining six Gyarados arrived one after another.
They reunited with Cole, and overwhelmed with emotion, let out excited roars that scattered the feeding birds near the shore.
After the reunion, Cole looked at the Gyarados and asked, "Do you really want to come with me? Even though I can afford to feed you now, I don't have a vast ocean at my home for you to live in."
He worried that the Gyarados, accustomed to their free life in the ocean, might struggle to adjust if they suddenly followed him back to Mt. Ascendant.
"Roar~"
"Roar~"
"Roar~"
...
The eight Gyarados nodded without hesitation, determined to go with him.
Hearing this, Cole smiled and said, "Then you can follow me from now on. I won't let you go hungry."
"Roar~"
"Roar~"
...
The Gyarados cheered in unison.
Just then, Cole thought of something and asked the Gyarados, "Do you know where to find Clauncher? My friend wants to catch one."
Lost in thought, Siebold was startled — he hadn't expected Cole to remember about helping him catch a Clauncher during this long-awaited reunion.
"Roar~" — Leave it to us!
The lead Gyarados said, and without waiting for a response, led the others back into the sea.
Cole and Siebold didn't have to wait long before all eight Gyarados returned, each carrying a struggling Clauncher in its mouth.
Splash splash splash~~~
The eight Gyarados dropped the Clauncher onto the reef, then said to Cole, "Here, take your pick!"
Siebold watched the eight hopping Clauncher in disbelief — was it really this easy to catch them?
Since this coastline was close to the human city, there weren't many powerful Pokémon around. Having spent time here, the eight Gyarados knew exactly where the Clauncher lived.
Finally, Siebold chose the largest and most energetic one.
"What should we do with the remaining seven?" He asked Cole.
After spending the afternoon together, the awkwardness between them had finally disappeared.
At this point, Brionne tugged at Cole.
"You want me to take them back?" He asked in surprise, pointing at the seven Clauncher still bouncing around randomly.
"Bri~ Bri~"
Brionne nodded.
It was feeling quite insecure. Until now, it had thought it was Cole's longest-standing Pokémon after Daisy, but suddenly these eight Gyarados had appeared — and they were all Water-types just like itself!
Brionne felt its special position might be threatened.
To prevent the Gyarados from dividing Cole's attention, it decided it needed allies. Since the Pokémon at home were all potential rivals, it would have to look elsewhere for help.
These seven silly-looking Clauncher in front of them were perfect.
The main job of Water-type Pokémon in the orchard was watering, and with eight Gyarados around, wouldn't seven subordinates even things out?
Brionne calculated gleefully in its mind.
Cole considered Brionne's suggestion reasonable. His orchard would certainly expand in the future, and the need for Water-type Pokémon would grow. It made sense to recruit help early.
Clauncher and their evolved form Clawitzer's Mega Launcher ability made them particularly suited for watering work.
"Alright then, but since you want to keep them, you'll be in charge of managing them," Cole told Brionne.
"Bri~ Bri~" — Leave it to me!
Hearing this, Brionne was secretly delighted — this was exactly what it wanted.
Cole then took out Poké Balls and caught all eight Gyarados and seven Clauncher. When he ran short on Poké Balls, Siebold kindly offered some of his own.
"Alright, we can head back now." Cole said to Siebold, noticing the late hour.
"Mm, let's go back." Siebold replied, satisfied that today's mission was complete.
The two returned to Bryan's house, where the two old men were still chatting.
Seeing them enter, Bryan warmly asked, "How was the fishing?"
"Mm, quite successful." Cole nodded happily.
"I caught a Clauncher." Siebold said, his mind clearly elsewhere, though his grandfather chose not to comment.
At this point, Ramos stood up and said, "It's getting late. Cole and I should head back."
Bryan waved dismissively, "Go on, go on, don't come back!"
Ramos snorted and left with Cole without a backward glance.
After they'd gone, Bryan turned to his grandson, "What do you think of Cole, after spending the afternoon with him?"
"He's quite nice." Siebold replied, "Someone who leaves such an impression on Water-type Pokémon couldn't be a bad person."
He went on to tell his grandfather about Cole being an orphan, expressing his admiration for the boy's achievements.
Bryan, having already learned this from Ramos, simply nodded.
"That's good then." He said.
Siebold's curiosity got the better of him, "Why did Old Ra bring Cole to see you today?"
"That old fellow wants me to make Pokéblocks for Cole's Pokémon."
"Did you agree, Grandpa?" Siebold asked.
Bryan wasn't just one of the Elite Four — he was also a master at making energy blocks. Few people knew about this talent; only his close associates were aware of it, and he never made energy blocks for outsiders.
But Ramos, his old friend, was an exception. Most of that old man's Pokémon's energy blocks were Bryan's handiwork.
"How could I refuse? We've been friends for decades!" Bryan replied with a smile, "By the way, something seems to be troubling you. Did something happen?"
✲✲✲
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