"Ooh--"
The ethereal, melodious voice came through with a touch of joy.
The special frequency propelled the sound to travel over a long distance.
It's like dolphin songs, possessing a strong penetrating power.
Bam!
As the last Tentacool fell.
Before Beedrill, Abra, and Togepi could feel happy about their near-perfect cooperation, they were captivated by the beautiful sound.
Natsuhiko looked in astonishment toward the source of the sound.
What met his eyes was a graceful figure with light blue gestures, gentle eyes, and a large gray shell on its back. The shell's rough surface was densely covered with rock-like coral bumps, overall resembling a turtle except for its long neck and head.
"Lapras?!" Natsuhiko squinted his eyes, hiding the surprise and a hint of longing in his gaze.
Could there really be a chance encounter with a Lapras at Laplace Beach?
It was unexpected.
But looking at the Lapras delightfully preying on the ocean not far away, its head repeatedly diving and emerging with a mouthful of fish, Natsuhiko understood.
It's feeding, hunting.
Lapras also belongs to carnivorous Pokémon, feeding on oceanic fish and Pokémon.
The Sweet Fragrance released by Natsuhiko attracted a lot of Water-type Pokémon and fish.
The scarcity of food in the winter ocean made hunting considerably more challenging, thus drawing this Lapras.
This explanation seems quite reasonable?
Natsuhiko gazed ardently at this cheerful Lapras, discovering its unexpectedly superb qualities.
Whether in terms of skin color, the hardness of its shell, the spark in its eyes, or its graceful movements, its excellence was apparent.
This, of course, intensified Natsuhiko's desire for it even more.
"If there's a car, who needs a bike?"
Natsuhiko glanced at the nearby obedient Sharpedo.
Sharpedo trembled inexplicably inside.
Since they've encountered it, letting it leave simply is not an option.
"Abra."
"Abra—"
Abra nodded, understanding Natsuhiko's intent.
The rest of the Pokémon also understood Natsuhiko's intention.
Sharpedo appeared obediently by the shore, and with Abra's psychic powers enveloping him, Natsuhiko had no concern about being injured by its rough skin.
Togepi bounced onto Sharpedo's head, standing at its top star, its little eyes watching the Lapras with curiosity and closeness.
Their approach naturally attracted Lapras's attention.
"Ooh?"
Displeasure appeared in Lapras's eyes.
Natsuhiko and his Pokémon interfering with its feeding.
Especially Sharpedo's ill-intentioned gaze made it very uncomfortable.
"Oooh!"
Lapras opened its mouth wide, an ice-blue beam aimed straight at Sharpedo. A supremely low temperature instantly froze ice crystals across the water's surface, rapidly spreading and freezing the entire area of the ocean.
Fortunately, Sharpedo stopped in time; otherwise, not just it, even Natsuhiko atop it would have become an ice sculpture.
Seeing the vast frozen ocean before him, astonishment appeared in Natsuhiko's eyes.
"Such a strong Frozen Beam, the control of the Ice Energy is amazing."
Directly jumping from Sharpedo's back onto the ice.
Feeling the solid ground beneath and the cold seeping in, Natsuhiko spoke in a deep voice: "This Lapras is very strong, extremely strong, prepare yourself."
The surrounding Pokémon nodded collectively.
They could all sense it.
However, Lapras noticed that its attack couldn't stop the opponent and grew a bit angry.
How can someone be so inconsiderate?
"Oooh--"
Lapras held its head high, and its melodious sound spread, causing a light drizzle in the sky, gradually getting heavier.
Rain Dance.
These raindrops landing on Lapras's body were absorbed just like being integrated into its being.
"Water Storage Trait? Or Wet Body Trait?"
"Abra, play the role."
Hearing the words, Abra's eyes emitted a blue light, a strange psychic wave extending from it, connecting itself and Lapras, and Abra's trait changed once more.
Raindrops falling on it made Abra moan comfortably.
'Seems like Water Storage, even better.' Natsuhiko thought.
"Psychic Arena."
Abra's Psychic Arena, amplified by its psychic powers, encompassed Lapras as well.
The next step was to conquer and capture it!
Just upon witnessing Lapras performing two techniques, Natsuhiko determined that if he could capture it, it would become his fourth Pokémon, even if it might again stretch his resources thin.
But it's alright.
Just work harder to earn money, excellent Pokémon are rare finds.
He gave Beedrill a signal with his eyes.
Buzz—
Beedrill fluttered out.
Lapras saw its intimidation had no effect, with the opponent even initiating an attack, it decided not to hold back anymore.
Opening its mouth, a transparent blue water ball formed in its mouth.
Water Fluctuation was thrown towards the charging Beedrill.
"Abra."
Following Natsuhiko's cue, Abra used Instant Movement, appearing between Beedrill and Water Fluctuation.
Water Storage Trait was triggered, Water Fluctuation not only caused no damage to Abra but became energy replenishing its strength.
Although not injured, the massive impact still forced it to retreat.
Yet, it was enough.
Creating time for Beedrill to close in.
"Buzz!"
Beedrill crossed its needles, searching for Lapras's weak spot, and charged forward, executing a Cross Cut.
Seeing its attack couldn't affect Abra surprised Lapras slightly, but faced with the approaching Beedrill, it showed no panic. Despite its large size, it moved nimbly, sliding across the ice to shift its body, meeting Beedrill's Cross Cut with its sturdy back.
Bam!
The attack successfully hit the target, but the damage wasn't as ideal as thought.
And having taken Beedrill's attack, Lapras let out a low cry, turning its head, a new ice-blue Frozen Beam spewed from its mouth.
"Togepi!" Natsuhiko frowned and called out anxiously.
"Chako-ee!"
Togepi blinked, using "Look at Me" to attract Lapras's attention. Beedrill utilized the recoil from the impact for a quick retreat, yet it got swept by the Frozen Beam on its wings.
Condensing crystals.
So strong!
This Lapras is indeed very strong. Its response strategies, counter methods, and reaction abilities are outstanding.
The fighting experience is far more abundant than imagined.
Very excellent, extremely excellent!
Even Beedrill, Abra, and Togepi together took a hit.
Buzz!
Seeing its wings frozen, Beedrill began to fall, but the golden pattern on its wings suddenly glowed. Tiny arc jolts shattered the ice, regaining its mobility in the nick of time before crashing.
Controlling its form, it watched Lapras intensely.
A fierce fighting spirit ablaze in its eyes.
This was a worthy opponent!
Beedrill was excited.
"Buzz!" Beedrill shouted, advancing instead of retreating.
Its body lightly trembled, and several shadows emerged around it, converging from all directions towards Lapras.
Yet Beedrill's usually effective Shadow Clone got wiped out amidst Lapras's dozens of ice shards, vanishing completely.
In no time it pinpointed Beedrill's real body.
Forcing Beedrill to adjust its strategy again.
Standing on the ice a distance away, Natsuhiko was truly astonished this time.
The Lapras's responses were too spot-on.
In terms of timing and method, it was impeccable.
As if it knew exactly how to handle every situation.
'Wait a minute, this one, could it be...owned by a Trainer?'
Even though this Lapras was Senior Level, it's extremely close to Elite Level, combined with its exquisite battle experience and tactics, making Natsuhiko suspect as such.
As this thought flashed in Natsuhiko's mind, the fervent Beedrill and Lapras clashed several times, with an equitable performance and an even distribution of advantages—a deadlock—and both Pokémon suffered injuries.
"Stop!" A furious feminine shout came from afar.
Just as expected.
Natsuhiko's mouth twitched, taking a deep breath.
Just as suspected, there's no way to be that lucky encountering a wild Lapras, exceptionally superb at that.
Furthermore, judging by the voice's tone, it seemed... not easy to deal with.