No matter how chaotic the outside world became—
Red had only one priority right now.
Let Mudkip evolve.
In the backyard of Songzao Gym—
After completing its regular training, Mudkip continued pushing itself even further.
Among all of Red 's Pokémon—
It was the most hardworking.
And today—
It had finally reached the moment of evolution.
"Mudkip, come here."
Hearing Red 's voice, Mudkip removed its training weights and leapt from the river onto the shore.
Unlike ordinary Mudkip—
Though it still had a calm expression, its body was noticeably more muscular, with clearly defined strength beneath its sky-blue skin.
Red patted its cool body.
"I checked the forecast. There's going to be a rare heavy rain today."
"It's the perfect day for your evolution."
Mudkip's eyes instantly lit up.
Evolution—
Was something every Pokémon longed for.
Especially for one that had trained as hard as it had.
Its desire far surpassed that of ordinary Pokémon.
Hearing that Mudkip was about to evolve—
The other Pokémon gathered around to celebrate.
Castform transformed into a droplet form, happily bouncing on Mudkip's head.
Larvitar waddled over, hesitated for a while—
Then reluctantly took out one of its treasured lollipops and gave it to Mudkip.
Not far away—
Gary, Ash, Xiaowen, and the others watched, discussing quietly.
"As expected of Gym Leader… it's just a first-stage evolution, but the setup is huge."
"Yeah… I wonder how strong Mudkip will become after evolving."
Even Meowth, Jessie, and James watched with curiosity.
At that moment—
Castform and Tyranitar both looked up at the sky.
Dark clouds spread across the horizon—
A storm was coming.
The Pokémon all began preparing.
Among them, Castform felt it the most—
The power of nature itself was terrifying.
Drip—
A single raindrop fell.
Then—
The downpour began.
Red wasted no time.
He took out three nearly pure sky-blue energy cubes and handed them to Mudkip.
"Eat these quickly. Evolution consumes a lot of energy—you need to replenish now."
After eating them—
Mudkip immediately leapt into the river.
Under the storm, the gentle stream turned into a raging current.
Just standing there—
Mudkip could feel the immense pressure.
"It's time. Take off the Everstone."
Mudkip obeyed—
Removing the Everstone and tossing it aside.
In the next instant—
Evolution light enveloped its body.
Castform rose into the air—
Doing its best to stabilize the violent Water-type energy around Mudkip.
At the same time—
Tyranitar roared and stomped the ground.
The earth trembled.
The already swollen river surged violently—
The riverbed shifted, turning the water into thick, muddy currents.
Mudkip—
Was evolving into a Water/Ground-type Pokémon.
This natural environment—
Was perfect.
This method—
Was something Red learned from Professor Oak's research.
Instead of relying on external or artificial energy—
It used pure natural forces to drive evolution.
According to the research—
This "Natural Evolution" could enhance a Pokémon's potential.
Whereas artificially supplemented evolution—
Could increase immediate power,
But could not improve potential at all.
Now—
Mudkip's body glowed with blue and yellow light.
Its form began to change—
Its hind limbs strengthened, gradually shifting from a prone stance to an upright posture.
The evolution light burst—
And a powerful figure emerged.
Marshtomp.
Its body was sturdy and well-built.
Perhaps due to Natural Evolution—
Its skin wasn't the usual gray-blue,
But a brighter sky-blue, like Mudkip and Swampert.
Yet—
Despite the transformation—
Its expression hadn't changed at all.
Still those signature blank, knowing eyes.
With the evolution complete—
The storm was no longer needed.
Tyranitar, Castform, and the newly obtained Vulpix worked together—
The clouds quickly dispersed.
Warm sunlight returned to Songzao City.
Standing in the sunlight—
Marshtomp seemed to glow.
"Congratulations, Marshtomp."
Red stepped forward with a smile.
The other Pokémon gathered around, looking at it with admiration.
Marshtomp scratched its head shyly.
Red observed carefully.
After evolving—
Not only had its strength increased significantly—
Its previously exaggerated muscles had become more refined.
Its body grew larger—
But more balanced.
It felt…
Right.
Red opened its status panel.
And the moment he saw it—
His face lit up with excitement.
[Pokémon: Marshtomp ♂]
[Level: 22]
[Talent: High (Atk: 30, Sp.Atk: 24, Def: 25, Sp.Def: 23, Speed: 30, HP: 28) Total: 160]
[Ability: Torrent]
[Moves: Growl, Tackle, Water Gun, Rock Smash, Rock Throw, Bite, Mirror Coat, Counter, Yawn, Bubble…]
[Evaluation: A gifted Marshtomp with a calm personality and exceptional diligence.]
After evolution—
Marshtomp jumped straight to Level 22, becoming Red 's strongest Pokémon.
More importantly—
Its IV total had increased by 10 points!
It was now just one step away from top-tier potential.
Combined with its hardworking nature—
Red could already envision it dominating future battles.
And that day—
Wasn't far off.
Compared to that—
Red glanced at Larvitar, who was sadly inspecting its rain-soaked lollipop—
And sighed helplessly.
With Marshtomp's evolution complete—
Red 's first thought was simple:
Find an opponent and test its strength.
And as a Gym Leader—
He never lacked challengers.
Right on cue—
A voice came from the entrance.
"Excuse me, is this Songzao Gym?"
"A challenger from the Sinnoh region—Reis—has come to issue a challenge."
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