Kinnow Island.
The day dawned crisp and clear. The just-risen sun shone softly in the sky, bringing with it a flurry of early-morning activity.
Miss Joy, the director of the excavation project, was overseeing the team on the site.
While supervising the excavation process, she then noticed Hisoka and Nurse Joy walking toward her with their bags.
"Cousin, are you leaving?"
She looked at Nurse Joy worriedly. "But your body has just recovered. Why don't you rest here for a few more days?"
After resting for three days, Nurse Joy had completely recovered from her injury. Nonetheless, she hoped her cousin would stay with her for some time. She was worried that the person, who was chasing after her, was still around.
Nurse Joy went toward her and shook her head slightly.
"Don't worry. I'm fully recovered. Besides, my Magikarp is still waiting for me back home. I already stayed long enough. God knows what he will do if I'm not there."
"Alas," Miss Joy sighed.
She knew with the character of her cousin, she would never change her mind that easily. Her cousin was more stubborn than a bull. She would only waste her time trying to persuade her.
Unfortunately, she couldn't follow her cousin. As a director of the excavation project, she must stay here at all times to ensure the project runs smoothly.
Hearing that Hisoka and Nurse Joy was leaving, the happiest person was undoubtedly Harvin, the head of the security. He was afraid that some kind of accident would happen because of their presence these past few days.
Under Miss Joy's order, he immediately prepared a boat for them.
"Hisoka, you're going back to Kumquat Island, right? Do you want to follow me back home? I want to check up on my Magikarp first. He's a giant Magikarp. I'm worried about him."
She placed her bag in the boat and looked at Hisoka.
His eyes lit up at that.
"Sure, no problem. I'm also interested in your giant Magikarp."
After that, they both got on the boat and started the engine. Soon, the boat slowly left Kinnow Island.
An hour later, they stopped at a small island about a few miles away from Kumquat Island.
"Welcome to my home."
When Nurse Joy got off the boat, she took a deep breath and sighed, "It feels good to be home."
Hisoka also set food on this island. Although the island was small, he found that it had all the necessary living conditions.
Coconut trees stood tall on the beach, providing some protection from the prevailing winds.
There were many different types of berries at the center of the island. There was also a small lake next to it.
Her house or local clinic, as she said, was made from trees covered with a thatched roof. The iconic red and white Pokemon Center logo was displayed above the door. All in all, the local clinic was quite simple.
She walked toward the lake and leaned forward.
"Magikarp? Are you there?"
After shouting for some time, there was no response yet. It seemed that Magikarp wasn't here at the moment.
"This lake should be connected to the sea, right?" he asked.
She nodded, "Yeah, Magikarp usually stays here and only swims into the sea when he goes out looking for food. Still, I'm worried about him. He has grown bigger and bigger recently."
She was worried sick about her Magikarp. Such an increase in body size put a great burden on Magikarp. Because of the rapid growth in body size, Magikarp had calcium deficiency, making him more aggressive. She had even seen him intentionally attacking the surrounding wild Pokemon.
Magikarp was known as the weakest Pokemon. He could only learn Splash and Tackle, very simple skills with zero threat. But after his body was enlarged several times, his strength also increased. The surrounding wild Pokemon could not hurt him, so she wasn't worried too much about his safety.
"Hisoka, why don't you rest for a while? I'll go look for Magikarp first."
"I'll go with you!"
Hisoka grabbed a Pokeball from his belt, "I have a Water-type Pokemon. She should be able to help us."
Just when they were about to leave, two figures suddenly jumped out of the lake along with the surging water.
"Seel!"
A Seel let out a cry as it was tossed into the sky by the surging water. After rolling a few times in the air, it started to fall.
"Got you!"
Nurse Joy saw that and quickly caught it in mid-air.
"It's alright. You're safe now," she comforted the frightened Seel in a soft voice.
Bang!
A red figure fell to the ground heavily. The Seel heard the noise and looked at it. To its horror, a red figure was staring at it with big pale eyes. It let out a frightened whimper and fainted in Nurse Joy's arms.
The red figure was the giant Magikarp that Nurse Joy had been talking about. His size was as large as a boat they had ridden previously. Heck, he was much bigger than his Rhyperior.
Below his hard scales was a thin layer of fat. Except for a few muscle fibers, almost all of Magikarp's body were bones.
After the giant Magikarp landed on the ground, he began flopping around, using his skill, Splash.
Although Magikarp was weak, it had tenacious vitality. Its strong immune system allowed it to survive in the most polluted of waters. It could also survive on without water for a long time.
An omnivorous Pokemon, Magikarp liked to eat aquatic plants and seaweeds as well as small fish.
The giant Magikarp flopped on the ground wildly. It seemed he was in pain.
He wanted to help it, but he didn't dare to get too close to him. A swing of his large tail was enough to put him in a hospital for a week.
"Take care of this Seel. I'll handle this matter."
Nurse Joy handed the Seel to Hisoka and walked toward Magikarp.
She believed Magikarp would never hurt her. They had been friends ever since she rescued him while she was still a young child.
Seemingly aware that someone was approaching, Magikarp looked up slightly. When he saw the familiar Nurse Joy, he couldn't help but let out a cry of excitement.
She held Magikarp and gently stroked his head.
"Sorry for being late. Give me a sec. I'll have something that will solve your problem."
She didn't blame Magikarp for hurting the Seel. Although he had been acting strange recently, she knew that her long-time friend had a kind personality.
"Chansey, can you bring my box?" she called out loudly.
"Chansey!"
As soon she heard Nurse Joy calling for her, she immediately trotted over with a medical box.
"Thanks a lot."
Petting Chansey's head, she then opened the box. A few days ago, she traveled to Kinnow Island to find special calcium tablets to solve Magikarp's calcium deficiency.
She grabbed a bottle, opened the cap, and poured the content into Magikarp's mouth.
Magikarp swallowed them all. Soon, Nurse Joy could see that the medicine was taking effect as he relaxed his body.
"You're fine now."
Magikarp, who felt much better now, rubbed against her cheek, making her laugh. She then patted his head, "Get ready!"
Suddenly, something incredible happened. Hisoka saw Nurse Joy lift Magikarp with both of her hands and throw him into the lake.
"Wow!" he murmured in disbelief.
He never expected that such a gentle Nurse Joy had a terrifying power underneath her lean body.
The water splashed high as Magikarp adjusted his body in the water. His head then popped out of the water as he quickly went to her, looking quite happy.
"Get some rest, okay?"
She smiled and kissed his head lovingly.
???
He was pretty sure he saw that Magikarp blushed just now before he quickly disappeared under the water.
"Magikarp was raised by me, so I'm quite used to his antics."
She explained to Hisoka, chuckling slightly.
Following that, Nurse Joy invited him to have lunch with her. She had prepared many kinds of dishes made using the ingredients found around the island.
"If you are free, you can come to visit me later in the future."
She carried a bag of freshly picked berries and walked toward Hisoka.
"Here, take this. This place is a bit far from Kumquat Island, so be careful on the way."
"Thanks. I will come by if I have time."
Hisoka took the bag from her and put it inside his bag. He then walked toward Milotic and rode on her.
"I have sent the evidence to the police. They will take action soon. I will also tell the Hunter Association about what happened. I think it's better if you lay low for a while. Those guys might still be around."
He assured her that Team Aqua would soon be caught. After all, she was nearly caught by them. If it weren't for Hisoka, she might already be dead by now.
"I understand," she nodded firmly.
She still remembered how those guys killed the surrounding wild Pokemon before.
As long as Team Aqua was still in the Orange Islands, she secretly swore that she wouldn't let them go. These guys deserved to stay in prison all their life.
Soon, Hisoka left the island while riding on Milotic.
Nurse Joy stood at the beach, watching Hisoka's back until he disappeared from view. Suddenly, Magikarp jumped out of the water and quickly swam toward her.
She crouched down and petted his head. While sitting next to Magikarp, she recalled what Hisoka said to her earlier.
He had told her that Magikarp was preparing for an evolution. Earlier, he had asked Gardevoir to scan Magikarp's body and found that his evolutionary factor was highly active.
It wouldn't be too long before he evolved.
A giant Magikarp would be a spectacular sight when he evolved into a Gyarados. Even if Magikarp had not undergone any training, once he evolved, his combat power would have a major boost.
Magikarp and Nurse Joy had been together for a long time. Although Magikarp had his own Pokeball, she never treated him like a partner but more like her child.
Earlier, she had asked Hisoka to take Magikarp away, but he refused. Magikarp's relationship with Nurse Joy was too close. It would only hurt them both if they were separated from each other.
To be honest, he wasn't confident that Magikarp would listen to his order after he had evolved. He would not listen to his orders at all. It was more likely that he would retaliate against him.