Gyarados were extremely vicious Pokémon. In some places, they were even called gods of destruction, and before evolving, they already had a reputation as regional menaces.
For Pokémon Ecology Investigators, Gyarados were dangerous Pokémon to be avoided whenever possible, or at least approached as little as possible.
With Magikarp's tenacious vitality and widespread distribution, Gyarados were not especially rare either. Almost every trainer specializing in Water-type Pokémon owned one.
In terms of combat capabilities, these Pokémon were pretty good. Catching and taming them was just rather difficult.
Magikarp were easy to catch. Even a child of a few years old could successfully catch one with a Poké Ball. But when Magikarp evolved, their brains underwent restructuring, causing drastic changes in their personalities.
Some Gyarados still remembered their time as Magikarp after evolving, but more of them cast aside those hazy memories, forcing their trainers to start over from scratch.
"Good thing the river hasn't frozen over yet."
Picking up a bucket beside him, Xin Mu caught the Magikarp and put it inside without needing any help from his Pokémon.
Wild Magikarp came in all sizes. With sufficient nutrition, large Magikarp living in the sea could grow to over two meters long.
Magikarp living in city drainage ditches were much smaller. This one, which had ended up here by accident, was even somewhat malnourished, making it a particularly tiny specimen.
"Meownei! I'm going to release this Magikarp. Put the things we bought earlier in the fridge!"
Xin Mu shouted toward the window, then headed outside carrying the bucket.
He had no compulsion to collect Pokémon, and since he had little interest in Gyarados, releasing it into a river was the better choice. Judging by its size, this Magikarp had probably lived in some drainage ditch before. If it had really been