Golduck

As the battle between Milotic and Gyarados moved farther along the water, their movements became smaller and harder to see. From a distance, the occasional beam of destructive Hyper Beam energy pierced the mist, disappearing into the forest on the other side.

Aoki sighed deeply, watching the intensity of their clash fade into the distance. "That battle was terrifying. It's a good thing I didn't try to capture that Milotic. Judging by the aftermath, both Pokémon must be at least level 40 or higher," he muttered to himself.

As the two powerful Pokémon left the area, the remaining frightened Pokémon quickly scattered, hiding away. The once lively lake became eerily quiet. The heavy rain that followed swept the area clean, leaving no sign of life.

Once the storm passed, Aoki instructed his Slowpoke to release its psychic control over the waterfall. They returned to the cave, where Aoki sat down and waited for the rain to stop completely.

Looking at his companions, he thought, "One day, I want to reach that level of strength so that I'll no longer be at the mercy of others." His gaze rested on Murkrow, who was busy shaking water off its feathers, and Slowpoke, who had fought by his side. Aoki silently made a promise to them: "In this life, I will never give up on you."

About half an hour later, the rain eased, and Aoki carefully stepped out of the cave with Slowpoke's assistance. The forest was drenched, but the sunlight breaking through the clouds painted the area in shimmering droplets, giving it a renewed, vibrant feel. Life seemed to return to the forest as the rain faded.

Walking across the wet grass, Aoki left the lake area with Murkrow and Slowpoke. Initially, he had planned to rest for the day, allowing Slowpoke to recover and preparing more Pokeblocks. However, the unexpected storm had disrupted those plans. Thankfully, Slowpoke had healed well, and the Pokeblocks were already crafted and only needed to solidify.

Seizing the opportunity, Aoki decided to explore downstream in search of the Squirtle he had glimpsed earlier. He suspected there might be a small community of them nearby.

As he walked along the riverbank, droplets from the saturated grass soaked his pants, but the water's surface had cleared, revealing the occasional Pokémon beneath. To his disappointment, most of the Pokémon were common ones like Magikarp and Goldeen. Rare Pokemon sightings were few and far between.

After several kilometers of searching, he had yet to see any sign of the Squirtle. "Finding a regional starter Pokémon like that in the wild is rare enough," he admitted to himself. "Capturing one is another matter entirely—it all depends on luck."

Resigned to his luck, Aoki shifted his focus from the water and thought about turning back as the sun dipped lower in the sky. But just as he was preparing to leave, something unexpected happened.

From a nearby stream, a sleek, light-blue Pokémon leapt out of the water and landed directly in front of Aoki.

"Golduck!" Aoki muttered, frowning as he recognized the Pokémon.

He hadn't seen any Psyduck or Golduck earlier, even during the heavy rain, which made this sudden appearance even more surprising.

Murkrow quickly stepped in front of Aoki, arms spread in a defensive posture, while Slowpoke climbed closer, its usually carefree demeanor replaced with a serious one. Instinctively, Slowpoke recognized the strength of this Golduck—it was no ordinary opponent.

Aoki's System flashed a detailed readout:

Pokémon: Golduck (Male)

Level: 38

Type: Water

Ability: Damp

Moves: Water Gun, Aqua Tail, Psychic, Iron Tail, Hydro Cannon, Ice Punch, and more.

"Level 38… This is bad," Aoki muttered, realizing the danger. He had underestimated the area's wild Pokémon.

What Aoki didn't know was that this Golduck was the true ruler of the lake. The Gyarados and Milotic had been intruding on its territory, and it had hidden during their clash to avoid being caught in the chaos. Now that the stronger Pokémon had left, Golduck was asserting its dominance—and Aoki's presence had set it off.

Golduck's crimson eyes burned with anger as it opened its beak, gathering a powerful orb of water energy. A Hydro Cannon attack was charging, and it wasn't holding back.

"Slowpoke, use Teleport! Get us out of here!" Aoki shouted, recognizing the threat.

Slowpoke's eyes glowed blue as it concentrated its psychic energy, but Golduck reacted quickly, launching the Hydro Cannon mid-charge. The torrent of water shot toward them like a bullet.

"Murkrow, use Protect!" Aoki commanded.

A green energy shield flared around Murkrow, expanding to block the oncoming attack. The Water Cannon crashed into the shield, sending ripples of energy through the air. Murkrow gritted its beak, struggling to hold the shield steady under the relentless force of the attack.

"Teleport now!" Aoki urged.

Summoning its remaining strength, Slowpoke's eyes flashed brightly, and a wave of psychic energy enveloped the group. In an instant, Aoki, Murkrow, and Slowpoke disappeared from the Golduck's sight.

The Hydro Cannon tore through the space where they had stood, carving a crater into the ground. Golduck growled in frustration, scanning the area for any sign of its opponents. But they were gone.

Aoki and his Pokémon reappeared in the safety of the cave behind the waterfall. Murkrow collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted from maintaining Protect. Slowpoke, drained from using Teleport at full power, slumped down as well, its energy nearly depleted.

Aoki steadied himself against the cave wall, his heart pounding. "That was too close," he murmured. "This forest is full of powerful Pokémon. We can't afford to be reckless."

He fed Murkrow a few energy blocks to help it recover and turned to Slowpoke. "Use Calm Mind to restore your strength," he said gently, feeling a twinge of guilt for pushing them so hard.

Slowpoke let out a weak "Slow…" before closing its eyes, its body surrounded by a faint blue aura as it began to meditate.

Aoki leaned against the wall, watching his Pokémon recover. "This world is unforgiving, but I'll make sure we grow strong enough to survive. No more running."