The Pokémon Domain—beside Azure Town, at the Raging Rapids Waterfall.
Water from Fair River surged endlessly from upstream, crashing down from the cliff into the vast ocean below, sending up ceaseless sprays of white foam.
Out on the sea, countless Magikarp could be seen moving swiftly through the water. They fought their way through the turbulent currents, charging straight toward the waterfall.
From time to time, large numbers of Magikarp were smashed back down into the water by the plunging torrent of the falls, hurled far away by the overwhelming force.
Yet even so, more Magikarp endured. With their mouths wide open, they struggled desperately to climb upward against the waterfall, their eyes locked firmly on the summit of the cascade.
The will to evolve supported their battered bodies, driving them to give everything they had in order to cross that fateful Dragon Gate and evolve into the far more powerful Gyarados!
"Magikarp, keep it up!" On the shore, the trainers of the Magikarp continuously shouted encouragement to their partners.
However, even such powerful determination only allowed these Magikarp to advance a little farther. The immense pressure of the waterfall's current eventually forced them back once more into the sea.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
The sounds of bodies hitting the water rang out again and again, as the wounded, battered figures of the Magikarp surfaced one after another…
On the shore, a large number of Bellossom had gathered. The moment they saw a Magikarp get injured, they immediately used Grassy Terrain to heal them.
These Bellossom, who had mastered Grassy Terrain, had naturally been arranged here by Aven himself. Although they had learned the move Grassy Terrain, it did not mean that Bellossom automatically possessed powerful healing abilities.
The injured Magikarp were excellent training targets for them. By treating these wounds, the Bellossom could continuously improve their proficiency with Grassy Terrain's restorative effects while also honing their Healer ability, healing moves and compassionate instincts.
And once healed, the Magikarp could quickly recover, allowing their training to become even more effective, enabling them to endure the scouring torrents for longer periods of time.
"Look! That Magikarp is still holding on!" Suddenly, a trainer cried out.
At once, everyone turned their gaze toward the waterfall. They saw a single Magikarp still swimming against the current, having already surpassed more than two-thirds of the climb!
"That's… that Magikarp from last time—the one that almost reached the top!"
"My goodness, why do I feel like this Magikarp is definitely going to succeed? It's going to make it!"
Amid the heated discussions of the trainers, the Magikarp continued its ascent, inch by inch swimming toward the finish line.
"Just a little more—just a tiny bit more!" On the shore, a commoner clenched his fists tightly.
His eyes were fixed on the Magikarp, as though he were seeing his own reflection within it.
He had once been a serf. When he first arrived in the Pokémon Domain last winter, he had been just like that Magikarp—drifting aimlessly, unable to see any hope at all.
But then, the policies of the Pokémon Domain had ignited a flame within his long-numbed heart, allowing him to see hope again, to see a goal worth striving for.
In the end, he succeeded. He rose to become a free man, and he even gained the recognition of a Magikarp, becoming a trainer.
And now, this Magikarp was just like him back then, standing before the same opportunity—to transform from a Magikarp into a Gyarados. He firmly believed that the Magikarp would seize this chance and cross that final Dragon Gate.
Closer—closer still.
The Magikarp pressed on relentlessly, pulling the hearts of everyone present along with it.
Finally, amidst the breathless silence of the crowd, the Magikarp successfully leapt over the waterfall, coming to rest in the river above the falls.
Blub-blub~
Bubbles spilled continuously from the Magikarp's mouth as it hovered there, momentarily unable to process what had just happened.
Only when it heard its trainer's jubilant cheers did it slowly turn around to look back at the waterfall behind it, gradually realizing the truth.
I did it.
The Magikarp smiled simply, its dull, wooden-looking eyes gently narrowing as a wave of pure joy washed through both its body and soul.
At that very moment, it felt as though its spirit and flesh had undergone a sublime transformation. A powerful energy, as if breaking free from a long-sealed constraint, suddenly burst forth.
BOOM!
In an instant, a brilliant white light erupted, completely enveloping the Magikarp's body!
"It's evolving!" The trainers watching from the shore all widened their eyes in unison.
As they watched the figure within the white light continuously change, witnessing the Magikarp successfully evolve into a Gyarados, the entire scene instantly erupted into cheers!
"It succeeded—another Gyarados has evolved!"
"How many Gyarados have successfully evolved just this month already?"
The knights stationed along the shore gazed at the scene with envy written plainly across their faces.
The Pokémon Domain was currently forming a Sea Guard, and one of the core requirements was to possess a Gyarados.
As a result, the number of trainers training Magikarp had surged dramatically during this period. Now another lucky individual had appeared—it was truly enough to make others jealous.
Soon after, their gazes shifted once more to the Magikarp and trainers below the waterfall, who had regained their momentum and resumed training. The number of Magikarp undergoing training was simply enormous; amid such fierce competition, it was only natural that a few pieces of gold would eventually be sifted out.
Azure Town, the temporary dock.
At this moment, a single ship lay quietly moored at the pier.
The entire vessel was constructed from ironwood, resembling a ship forged of steel itself, and it looked extraordinarily solid and durable.
"I never imagined it would be completed so smoothly," Daly said, standing on the deck with a look of heartfelt amazement on his face.
Originally, building an ironwood ship would have taken several months at the very least. Yet with the assistance of Pokémon, everything had proceeded with astonishing ease.
Beyond that, there was the ongoing construction of Azure Town itself. Large numbers of Geodude, Onix, and Rhyhorn moved back and forth tirelessly, transporting massive quantities of building materials in an instant.
In terms of stamina and raw strength, Pokémon possessed natural advantages that humans simply could not compare to. They were able to accomplish in an extremely short time tasks that would normally require vast amounts of manpower and resources.
After spending this period working alongside Pokémon, Daly realized that he was gradually becoming unable to imagine life without their assistance. He was certain that others felt the same way.
"The participation of Pokémon has truly brought about a tremendous transformation in human productivity."
"Prince Aven is indeed the most outstanding merchant of all. Relying on his own power, he has successfully completed a revolution in productivity!"
"And beyond that, there are the assembly-line factories. Where did Prince Aven even get such inspiration? To think that production efficiency could be increased to such an extent!"
"And the goods produced by those factories—every single one is an extremely valuable commodity, capable of generating endless wealth!"
As Daly recalled scene after scene he had witnessed within the Pokémon Domain, he could not help but sigh with genuine emotion. He could clearly feel a great wave of change sweeping outward from the Pokémon Domain, spreading toward Aspiration City, and even the entire Sinnoh Region!
"Next comes the trial voyage of the ironwood ship," he said, pulling his thoughts back. "If everything goes smoothly, then the Pokémon Domain's first long-distance voyage can officially begin."
(End of Chapter)