Chapter Fourteen: King Carp – Have You Ever Been Struck by a Fish Tail?

"I have a feeling that even if Magikarp charged in right now, it would probably be knocked out in an instant," Zhao Fang muttered, frowning as he watched the fierce battle between Officer Jenny and the Aqua Squad. He had considered running back to ask Nurse Joy for help—after all, with her Pokémon, she might be able to assist Officer Jenny. But the problem was, after all the distance he'd covered, he was now so far from Nurse Joy that by the time he ran back, explained the situation, and brought her here, Officer Jenny would likely have already lost.

"What a despicable bunch. Pidgeot, use Wing Attack on those two men!" Officer Jenny, barely dodging the Poison Sting from Tentacool, shouted orders to her Pokémon. Yet Pidgeot's Wing Attack was intercepted by Crawdaunt. Back and forth, both sides clashed fiercely, but Officer Jenny was gradually losing ground.

That Sharpedo—its Rough Skin ability was injuring some of Officer Jenny's Pokémon whenever they attacked it. Worse yet, Sharpedo kept trying to attack Wobbuffet.

"Wait, I can try that too. Magikarp's Tackle doesn't work on Pokémon, but it should be fine against people." Zhao Fang's eyes lit up as he looked at the two Aqua Squad members standing behind their Pokémon. In fact, the battle between Aqua Squad and Officer Jenny had taught Zhao Fang this very tactic: directly attack the opposing trainer, preventing them from giving commands to their Pokémon, and the battle would quickly turn in your favor.

Zhao Fang doubted the Aqua Squad's Pokémon had the sense to act independently. After all, it's the intelligence and bond between humans and Pokémon that allows trainers to dominate in this world. The same species, when raised by a trainer, are usually much stronger than their wild counterparts, which is one reason wild Pokémon are willing to be captured.

Zhao Fang quietly lay low in the grass. The smell was unpleasant; autumn had come, and leaves were falling and rotting on the damp earth, making the air thick and musty. Still, he endured the stench, inching forward to avoid being discovered by the Aqua Squad.

After crawling for a while, Zhao Fang parted the bushes and peeked through. He was now almost at the center of the battlefield—a little further and he'd be behind the two Aqua Squad members.

"If only I had the ability to teleport, or if I could move faster, I could solve this much more quickly," Zhao Fang muttered, quickening his crawl. He'd just seen Officer Jenny falling further behind—her Growlithe looked badly injured, though he wasn't sure exactly what had happened.

When Zhao Fang finally reached the rear, he saw Officer Jenny surrounded by her four Pokémon, who were shielding her from incoming attacks.

Silently, Zhao Fang took out a Poké Ball and released Magikarp. "Magikarp, do you see those two over there? In a moment, splash yourself forward to build up speed, then use Tackle—hit that man right on the head," he whispered, pointing toward the man who had sent out Sharpedo.

As long as he took out one of them first, the other would be easier to handle. All he needed to do was strike before the enemy Pokémon could react. Still, plans rarely went smoothly, so just in case, Zhao Fang fished something out of his backpack and gripped it tightly in his hand.

"Go, Magikarp!" Zhao Fang whispered, tightening his grip on the handle.

Magikarp immediately slapped its tail hard—using Splash, but this time the move had an unexpected effect: the fish shot forward, accelerating straight toward the man named Ashu.

"What was that? Magika—" Ashu, alerted by the sudden noise, turned his head just in time to see a bright orange Magikarp twisting its tail and slamming its whole body into his face.

Having been focused on the ongoing battle, Ashu reacted too late—he couldn't dodge, and Magikarp crashed right into him.

"What the hell? Where did this Magikarp come from?" the burly man beside him blurted out, dumbfounded by this bizarre turn.

Magikarp's Tackle landed; Ashu staggered backward, dazed, though he didn't lose consciousness—it was, after all, just a Magikarp, and this wasn't water. The blow left him dizzy but still awake.

"This little—Sharpedo!" Ashu didn't have time to question why a Magikarp had come flying at his face. He saw Magikarp preparing to Tackle him again.

Sharpedo, still locked in battle and awaiting orders, heard nothing—except, suddenly, a sharp clang.

"Duang~"

Sharpedo turned its head in confusion, just in time to see its temporary trainer collapse to the ground, knocked out cold by Zhao Fang, who stood wielding a black, heavy object.

"Thank goodness... Magikarp, quick! Tackle the big guy with the beard!" Zhao Fang wiped the sweat from his brow and hurriedly issued the next command.

He hadn't forgotten that there was still a burly, bearded man in front of him.

However, the time it had taken Zhao Fang to act had given the bearded man enough of a warning. Dodging quickly to the side, he avoided Magikarp's attack and stomped down on Magikarp's body.

But the bearded thug had forgotten he was facing more than just a Magikarp. As he looked up, he saw Zhao Fang swinging his weapon down with all his might.

"A frying pan?" The thug took the blow on his head but Zhao Fang's strength wasn't enough to knock him out.

"Interesting, kid. You actually tried to hit me with a frying pan?" the thug sneered, kicking Magikarp away as he clenched his fists and began advancing on Zhao Fang.

Ten kilos was heavy, but nothing he couldn't handle—he regularly worked out with twenty-five kilo dumbbells.

Watching the burly man approach, Zhao Fang grew anxious. With his physique, a few punches from this guy and he'd be finished.

"What should I do?" Zhao Fang gripped the frying pan tighter as the thug drew closer. He would have to risk it and hope Magikarp was okay.

He glanced worriedly at Magikarp, when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blue dart by.