"Pokémon?!" Misty was surprised when Ash said that, because she was only using an ordinary fishing rod meant for catching fish, but unexpectedly, she had hooked a Pokémon in the lake.
"On the count of three, we'll pull back together, then release, and wait for my next count," Ash instructed Misty.
"Okay!"
"One... two... three!" Ash and Misty pulled the fishing rod forcefully in unison, then relaxed slightly to let the Pokémon loosen its guard, and then pulled hard again.
They repeated this process for nearly a minute. The Pokémon below seemed to be getting annoyed, which Misty and Ash could feel as the resistance on the line lessened. They continued to pull the fishing rod, reeling in the line.
At the same time, Ash and Misty noticed a growing shadow in the lake, larger than they had anticipated.
"Be careful, it might be a Gyarados!" Ash suddenly remembered that Gyarados lived in this lake. His expression changed slightly, and he immediately warned Misty.
"What? Gyarados?!" Misty's face paled when she heard it might be a Gyarados. She was clearly terrified of this Pokémon.
"Don't worry, I'm here with you." Ash tightened his arms, providing Misty with a sense of security. He knew she had a psychological shadow regarding Gyarados.
When Misty was a child, she had fallen into a Gyarados's mouth, leaving her with a lasting fear. As a Water-type Pokémon Trainer, her fear of Gyarados was almost as strong as her previous fear of Bug-type Pokémon.
"Don't be afraid. Remember how you overcame your fear of Bug-type Pokémon? Gyarados aren't that scary!" Ash felt Misty trembling in his arms and offered comforting words while continuing to pull the fishing rod.
Upon realizing the Pokémon on the line was a Gyarados, Ash decided this was Misty's chance to overcome her fear, just as she had conquered her fear of Bug-type Pokémon. He knew she had the strength to face her fear, as he recalled that in the Sun and Moon series, Misty had a powerful Gyarados as her Trump Card.
Misty, who had been trembling, suddenly paused. Although she still trembled slightly, it wasn't as intense as before. It was clear she was starting to suppress her fear.
Someone once said that the best way to overcome fear is to face it. While this might not always be true, Ash felt there was some truth to it. How could one overcome fear without facing it?
As Ash and Misty pulled the fishing rod together, the shadow emerging from the lake grew larger and larger. It was almost certain that the Pokémon biting the hook was a Gyarados!
With a splash, a massive creature emerged from the water. It resembled a dragon, with blue scales and a milky yellow underside. It had a ferocious appearance, a huge mouth, and a blue horn like a trident on its head. This Pokémon was the infamous Gyarados, known for its ferocity!
After Gyarados appeared, the nearby Pokémon approached, especially Blastoise, who was already in the lake. Horsea, although slightly afraid of Gyarados, was willing to stand before it, concerned for Misty's well-being.
"Roar!" Gyarados let out a deafening roar, using its Intimidate ability. After scanning its surroundings with fierce eyes, its expression became dazed and dull.
Although it was the ferocious Gyarados, the undisputed ruler of this lake, its strength was only at the elite level.
The surrounding Pokémon varied in strength, with the weakest being at the Novice level. However, many were similar in strength to Gyarados, and a few had even surpassed it.
Gyarados couldn't help but gulp. Facing so many powerful Pokémon, even this ferocious creature flinched.
"Come on, command your Pokémon and attack Gyarados!" Ash released the fishing rod, held Misty's hand, and encouraged her.
"Hmm..." Misty nodded slightly, and after taking a deep breath, her expression became fierce, "Starmie, please use Swift!"
Starmie shook her body slightly, and then activated Ice-type energy. The ice-blue energy condensed in front of the gem and shot out in the next moment. A straight, ice-blue beam hit Gyarados directly, and faint ice crystals drifted everywhere along the way.
"Ho-!" Gyarados' face was contorted in pain. Although Starmie's strength matched its own, it was surrounded by many powerful Pokémon. If it fought back in its nest, would it provoke a group attack?
Hesitating, Gyarados failed to respond immediately and did not recover until the beam was right in front of it. Because of this, it missed the chance to counterattack!
The Ice Beam hit Gyarados easily, overflowing the moment it struck. The energy instantly froze the impact zone, forming a thin layer of ice.
"Roar!" Gyarados let out a painful cry, and after giving Starmie and Misty a vicious look, it fled in embarrassment and dived into the lake.
"Success... I succeeded! I defeated Gyarados!" Watching Gyarados flee, Misty froze for a moment, then excitedly turned around and hugged Ash, jumping for joy.
"Yes, you succeeded..." Ash patted Misty on the back and said with a smile.
"It turns out that Gyarados isn't so scary..." After a while, Misty paused. Her face was slightly red, and there was still a drop of sweat on her nose, but her eyes were full of joy.
Originally, Misty had an indescribable fear of Gyarados, but after successfully repelling it this time, her fear was significantly diminished.
It hadn't disappeared completely, but at least, when facing Gyarados again, she wouldn't be too scared to react.
"Oh, I'm so silly. If I hadn't let Gyarados go just now, I might have been able to capture it!" After recovering, Misty was a little annoyed.
"There's still a chance. I remember there are Magikarp at the Cerulean Gym, right? Perhaps you can take a Magikarp with you to train and evolve it into a Gyarados," Ash reminded Misty.
"Raising my own Gyarados... seems like a good idea." Misty's eyes lit up slightly, and she nodded.
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