Chapter 153 – Look! Gyarados Has a Little Sun in Its Mouth

The Pokémon Center was never far from Haicheng No. 1 High School.

At Lu Liangpeng's speed, it took him only two or three minutes to rush from the principal's office to the scene.

Yet in that brief span of time, the battle between Gyarados and the S-class Death Beasts had already reached a boiling point.

Gyarados was unleashing every ounce of its fury on its enemies—utterly relentless.

And now, Lu Liangpeng had arrived just in time to witness a truly astonishing sight: a Gyarados that had already slain one S-class Death Beast and had the other two locked in a desperate struggle!

Its blue-scaled body shimmered under the lightning-filled skies, every bolt of thunder casting a golden hue upon its form—as if clad in divine armor.

The S-class Death Beast latched onto its body looked less like an enemy and more like a battle trophy.

At this very moment, Gyarados stood like a god of war descending upon the earth—mighty and peerless.

"Is… is that really a Pokémon?! Whose Pokémon is this powerful?!"

Lu Liangpeng stared in disbelief.

Three S-class Death Beasts! Who could have possibly trained such a monster?

Why had he never heard of this before?

"No—this isn't the time to be shocked!"

Though stunned, Lu Liangpeng didn't stop moving.

A massive magical formation unfurled beneath one of the raging Death Beasts.

Seizing the moment while the creature was locked in combat with Gyarados, a meteor-sized boulder fell from above—smashing directly onto its back.

The sudden assault left the Death Beast grievously wounded.

An S-class mage's full-power strike was no small thing—even an S-class Death Beast's spine was visibly crushed under the impact.

Gyarados cast an indifferent glance at Lü Liangpeng.

It recognized this old man.

He had visited their shop before. Its trainer seemed to respect him.

But even so… Gyarados had no intention of letting anyone else interfere.

This was its battle.

"ROAAAAR!!"

With a roar, Gyarados summoned a raging torrent of elemental water around Lu Liangpeng, forming a swirling vortex that trapped him in place.

"What's going on?!"

Panicked, Lü Liangpeng prepared to break through the watery barrier with magic.

But then—he met Gyarados's gaze.

Fiery, unyielding, furious.

And in that instant, he lowered his staff.

He understood.

Just then, a familiar cry caught his attention.

Turning to the source, he saw Mr. Mime waving frantically in one direction, gesturing toward a narrow path within the swirling vortex.

At the far end of the path stood Liu Qiaoqiao, her face drenched in tears, desperately clutching a bleeding Zhou Xiaofei.

"That's… Zhou Xiaofei!"

Lu Liangpeng's expression darkened, and he rushed toward the pair.

"His injuries are… severe."

He knelt beside the boy, ruffling Liu Qiaoqiao's hair gently. He didn't recognize her—but there was no time for introductions.

Riiiip—!

With one swift motion, Lu Liangpeng tore open Zhou Xiaofei's blood-soaked shirt.

Though he was a mage, his S-class physique gave him the strength to do it with ease.

But the sight beneath made his heart pound.

The damage dealt by Li Jian—who had been in a berserk, death-infected state—was terrifying.

An S-class Contracted Beastmaster, even under death's corruption, could shatter a normal child with a single kick.

Zhou Xiaofei's chest was caved in, with fragments of bone poking through his flesh. The severity of the trauma was enough to knock any adult unconscious—yet this boy had endured it for so long.

"Xiaofei-ge…"

Liu Qiaoqiao had never seen anything so terrifying. Her lips trembled, and tears flowed like a broken dam.

So this is what Xiaofei-ge had been enduring all along?

The more she thought about it, the harder it was to hold back her sobs.

But she understood: the old grandpa was here to save him.

She clenched her fists and bit her lip, stifling her cries so as not to distract him.

"So… that big guy is Magikarp's evolved form?"

"It evolved because its trainer was in mortal danger?"

"No wonder… it's so enraged…"

Even Lu Liangpeng, a man accustomed to war and carnage, couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.

Zhou Xiaofei was truly at death's doorstep.

"If you die… Su Bai will probably tear this entire city apart."

Now he understood why Gyarados was so out of control.

He, too, had Pokémon. He knew the bond between trainer and Pokémon could run deeper than blood.

Especially Zhou Xiaofei—though they hadn't interacted much, he often saw the boy holding a giant red Magikarp every time he visited the Pokémon Center.

He didn't know why these S-class Death Beasts had appeared, but he could not let this boy die.

Even if Zhou Xiaofei had been a stranger, Lu Liangpeng would still do everything in his power to save him.

But Zhou Xiaofei wasn't just a civilian—he was an employee of the Pokémon Center.

Su Bai never stopped praising this excellent young man.

There was no time left.

Lu Liangpeng reached into his robe and pulled out a healing potion and a sacred scroll.

Frankly, with wounds this severe—like he'd been hit by a truck—even the best hospitals in Su Bai's old world might not be able to save him.

But this world, though harsh, had its miracles.

As the principal of Haicheng No. 1 High School, Lu Liangpeng had access to some very rare items.

Without hesitation, he poured the S-tier recovery potion onto Zhou Xiaofei's chest and unfurled the Spring Rebirth Scroll, crafted by an S-tier Priest.

Gentle light radiated from the scroll.

Shattered bones began to mend.

Torn flesh began to regrow.

Zhou Xiaofei's faint, erratic breathing began to stabilize.

"Now… we leave the rest to fate."

Lu Liangpeng let out a long breath.

He had just emptied the last of his personal treasures.

Only now did he finally glance skyward.

That's when he noticed—the rain hadn't stopped pouring, and yet not a single drop was falling where they stood.

All of it… was being drawn toward Gyarados.

It was summoning the water—controlling it.

Now surrounded by a massive water sphere, Gyarados faced off against the remaining two Death Beasts.

One of them was still biting into its back, deeper than ever.

Its razor-sharp teeth had nearly pierced all the way through Gyarados's thick body.

But Gyarados didn't falter.

Instead, it lunged forward and sank its jaws into the injured Death Beast, the one that had been struck earlier by the falling boulder.

At that moment, as if sensing that its trainer was safe, Gyarados glanced at Lü Liangpeng.

In its bloodshot eyes, the old man clearly saw it—

Gratitude.

With its trainer safe, Gyarados became even more ferocious.

The sheer brutality of the battle made even someone as experienced as Lü Liangpeng flinch.

Gyarados's fighting style was simple—trade injury for injury.

One of its blue whiskers was torn off.

Its dorsal plates had been bitten and shattered.

Its thick neck had been punctured clean through by enemy fangs.

But Gyarados didn't retreat.

If anything, it became even more berserk.

Zhou Xiaofei's survival seemed to have broken the last restraint holding it back.

CRRRACK CRRACK CRRACK—!

A series of sickening cracks echoed out as the Death Beast caught in Gyarados's coils was twisted like a corkscrew, its body contorted into an unnatural spiral.

And then—it died.

Even the two giant fangs embedded in Gyarados's body were ripped clean off.

The pain was excruciating—but it only fueled its fury.

The last Death Beast pounced again, sinking its jaws into Gyarados's armored back—tearing off a massive chunk.

It was trying to bite through Gyarados's neck—to finish it.

"ROOOAAAAAR!!!"

Gyarados howled to the heavens.

Inside its massive body, a powerful force was gathering.

It was a feeling—it had to release it, or explode.

Lü Liangpeng's eyes widened.

And beside him, Liu Qiaoqiao pointed excitedly and shouted:

"Grandpa! Look!"

"Gyarados has a little sun in its mouth!!"

There was no need for her to explain.

Lu Liangpeng had already seen it.

Right there—in Gyarados's maw—a blindingly hot, radiant orb was forming.

A miniature sun.