A young man around the age of twenty-five was staring out to sea. He was wearing a yellow raincoat while on a fishing vessel. He had red hair, and blue eyes.

"Bill! Stop dawdling and get back ta work!" yelled his captain.

Grumbling, the now named Bill joined the other crewmen in hauling their catch onto the deck and into storage.

"Captain Ahab, with this, we met our quotas!" shouted one of the crewmen.

"Aye! Ok lads! Time ta go back ta shore!"

(Back on land, at the Cianwood City docks)

"Hey, Bill."

Bill turned and saw it was one of the other crewmen, "Yes, Kayaba?"

"What on earth do you keep thinking about?" asked Kayaba.

Bill was silent at first, before asking "Kayaba, do you think I could be famous, just like the Elite Four and the Champion?"

At that, Kayaba, the rest of the crew and even Captain Ahab, all stopped to stare at Bill. They all promptly began laughing.

"Funniest joke I ever heard!" said one crewmen.

"I can't believe he said that!" said another.

"Bill, remember when we applied to fight in the last war?" asked Kayaba in between laughing fits. "All of us applied to fight against the Ranger Union. You were laughed right out of the recruitment office!"

"You're always going to be a nobody, Bill! You don't even have a Pokemon!" shouted one of the other crewmen.

And the crew laughed some more.

"That be enough" said Captain Ahab, even as he was laughing. "Why don't we be fixing that? Let's be getting him a Pokemon," he said conspiratorially.

Catching on to their captain's plan, the crew managed to stop laughing, preparing for an even bigger laugh later.

"You'll really give me one captain?" asked Bill, suspicious of his captain's tone.

"Yarrgh," said Captain Ahab. "Well, it not be being the Wailmer I got from a Hoenn war buddy, but something that be suiting you a lot better."

The other crewmen snickered at that.

(At the beach)

At the Cianwood City beach, with everybody except Bill equipped with fishing rods, the crew and captain, sans Bill, casted their lines.

"They're planning something," thought Bill. "But what?"

Something bit on Kayaba's line.

"I got one!" he said as Kayaba began reeling it in. He pulled his catch out of the water, and it turned out to be a Magikarp.

"Brin' it here!" said Captain Ahab as he pulled out an empty Lure Ball and a normal Pokeball. He threw the Lure Ball and as it hit the Magikarp and pulled it it, he threw the Pokeball and said, "Wailmer, jump on tha' Lure Ball and make sure it be staying shut!"

Wailmer promptly jumped on the Pokeball, removing any chance of the Magikarp breaking out. Once the Lure Ball confirmed the capture, Wailmer bounced off to let Captain Ahab pick it up.

"There ya go lad!" laughed Captain Ahab as the crew entered their loudest laughing fit yet. "The perfect Pokemon for ya! Magikarp!"

Leaving Bill with his new Magikarp, relishing the glare he was giving them, Captain Ahab, Kayaba, and the rest of the crew went home.

Upon the sun setting and the night getting cold, Bill also went home.

(Bill's home)

Bill entered his home. It wasn't much, just a small house with a single bedroom that he inherited from his parents. He prepared a tank for his Magikarp. Though he resented what the captain and the rest of the crew pulled, Bill empathised with the Magikarp and released him into the tank so they could talk.

"You know why they caught you for me?" he asked as Magikarp turned to face him. "Because you were useless, meaning you were a perfect fit for me."

"Karp," sighed his Pokemon. Magikarp knew what it was like to be mocked.

"That's right, a useless Pokemon for a useless human like me. Everybody else considers me a nobody, you know?"

Magikarp nodded.

"I'm the Magikarp of the humans, destined to be mocked and laughed at until I…" it was then Bill realised something crucial.

Magikarp looked up and saw his newfound trainer's face slowly morph from misery to a wicked grin.

"That's right," said Bill as realisation dawned. "The so called useless Magikarp evolves into the mighty Gyarados!"

Magikarp began mirroring Bill's grin.

"Gyarados, one of the most feared Pokemon in the world. Gyarados, a Pokemon capable of ending entire civilisations in a single day throughout history. If I'm the Magikarp of the humans, then I can certainly become the Gyarados of the humans!"

Magikarp began splashing excitedly. Bill turned to him.

"And you, my friend," addressed Bill. "Want to join me in destroying these civilisations that dared laugh at us?"

His first Pokemon can only nod in excitement, looking forward to that day.

(The next day)

"Hey Bill! I heard you got your perfect Pokemon!" laughed a shopkeeper.

"You and that Magikarp are perfect for each other!" jeered a crew member from another ship.

"News spread quickly," thought Bill as he boarded the ship.

"How's the Magikarp?" heckled his crewmates.

"Shut up, just get to work," replied Bill.

His crewmates left him alone, all while laughing, not noticing Bill's grin.

"Yes, laugh while you still can. When we're ready, we'll be the ones laughing."

(That weekend)

While he was off work, Bill travelled out of Cianwood City, with several empty Net Balls. For their plan to work, he and Magikarp will need more recruits, and it must be done in secret. Eventually, he reached a river and released Magikarp.

"Okay, Magikarp. You know what to do. Go find any other Magikarp here and see if they're willing to join us in making them all regret mocking us as useless."

Magikarp dived under, and Bill waited for him to return. After a few minutes, he resurfaced with another Magikarp.

"Well done!" Bill said to his Magikarp. "Now go find some more friends."

As Magikarp dived once more, Bill turned to the second Magikarp.

"Hello, my name is Bill Kid. Did you know most humans dismiss you guys as useless?"

The second Magikarp nodded.

"Tell me, do even other Pokemon mock you guys?"

Magikarp nodded once more in confirmation.

"I see, the mockery is just that ingrained in everyone. They all mock us as useless," said Bill.

At this, Magikarp looked confused.

"My fellow people," Bill said in contempt, "They also mock me as useless. They said a Magikarp is the perfect Pokemon for me, and that we could be useless together."

His Magikarp resurfaced, this time bringing a lot more Magikarp. Other Magikarp, hearing Bill's speech as they wandered by, also came closer and listened.

"But the so called useless Magikarp has a lot of potential," continued Bill. "Magikarp can evolve into one of the mightiest Pokemon in the world, Gyarados. Everyone, humans and Pokemon alike, know this, and yet, they ignore our potential to continue mocking us."

All Magikarp present splashed in agreement.

"They're right about one thing though. I am the Magikarp of the humans. That means I have the potential to become the Gyarados of the humans," finished Bill as he gave a wicked grin that was mirrored by the Magikarp.

"So, who would join us in making them all pay for laughing at us, mocking us, and jeering at us?" he asked as his first Magikarp swam to be by his side.

They all agreed to join. Bill grinned and tapped his Net Balls and captured all of them, counting them as he did so.

"That's nineteen new recruits," he said to his first Magikarp. "Counting you, that's twenty Magikarp now, and twenty future Gyarados! Come on out all of you!" he shouted as he released his newly caught nineteen Magikarp. "We'll get stronger together, starting today!"

"Karp!" they chorused.

They started small. Every weekend, Bill travelled out of the city so they could train. The Magikarp began with swimming against fast currents, building their muscles enough for them to do a decent Tackle. Bill also did basic exercises so he could become stronger alongside his Pokemon. He did push ups, lifted rocks, and occasionally swam alongside his Magikarp.

To better coordinate their training, Bill has given them names. His first Magikarp was named First, his second Second, and so on.

Weeks passed, and as Bill and his Magikarp dived into the river as deeply as Bill could manage, Seventh and Thirteenth saw a weak glow and checked it out. Third and Fourth saw this and gestured to Bill, who promptly went to see what caught Seventh's and Thirteenth's eye. Seeing a weird stone, he dug it out with his hands and motioned to his Magikarp for them all to surface so he could see what it was.

"Now," Bill said as he gasped for air. "What's this? Any of you know?"

None of the Magikarp knew, but they could feel it somehow calling to them and indicated as such to their trainer.

"So we have a weird stone with an even weirder power," he said. "Ok, time for a break, and while you guys do what you want, I'll sit down and think about what this could be."

His various Magikarp left to do their own thing, with First keeping Bill company.

"The Magikarp felt a connection to it, so that narrows it down from infinite possibilities to who knows how many different things," thought Bill as he absent-mindedly rubbed First. "Is it like the Light Ball Pikachu could use to power themselves up? No, that doesn't sound right, but what could it be?"

Bill then saw a lone Beedrill pass by, and realised what the stone could be. He waited for his other Magikarp to come back before telling them.

"I think I figured it out guys," he said. "Here's a story I've heard from a sailor from Kanto. He said a long time ago, there was a ninja whose Pokemon companion was a Beedrill. Following so far?" Bill asked his Magikarp.

They nodded.

"Apparently, she and her Beedrill had a strong enough bond, and, with the help of special stones, were able to unlock more potential."

The Magikarp saw where the story was going.

"That's right. They used special stones. That sailor told me that you need two stones for it to work. He said one is called the Key Stone, and is held by the trainer. The sailor then said the other stone is called the Mega Stone, and is held by the Pokemon. He said not all species of Pokemon could do it, and a stone that's compatible with one species will not work for another species."

"Magikarp," said First, gesturing to the stone Bill was holding.

"That's right, what we have here, could very well be the Mega Stone of the Gyarados!" Bill grinned.

Eleventh splashed for attention, "Karp!"

"Yes?" asked Bill.

Eleventh gestured to the Gyaradosite, then to Bill.

"I know we don't have a Key Stone," answered Bill. "But, if we can find one, we can wreck even more havoc!"

Eleventh looked pleased with that answer.

As the weeks turned into months, their training began bearing fruit, with First, Ninth and Seventeenth all evolving.

"Well done!" said Bill. "But we can't get complacent now. Now that you three have evolved, let's learn some powerful moves."

The three Gyarados nodded.

"The rest of you," Bill said as he addressed the ones not yet evolved. "We'll be doing more training so you don't fall behind."

"Karp!" chorused the seventeen remaining Magikarp.

As the months went by, his remaining Magikarp began evolving one after the other. When Nineteenth finally evolved, Bill gazed at his twenty Gyarados in admiration.

"Well done, all of you," he congratulated them.

The Gyarados nodded in appreciation.

"We'll launch our attack on the anniversary of when First and I met," declared Bill. "That's in three months. In that three months, we can train some more, and get even stronger."

The Gyarados eagerly waited for that day.

"But of course," Bill said as he was grinning. "Let's do a test run to see how far we came. We are far enough away from prying eyes that we can do this without arousing suspicion. First?"

First came forward.

"Aim straight up, and fire the strongest Hyper Beam you can!"

Gyarados obeyed, and fired a massive attack into the atmosphere.

"Yeah!" shouted Bill. The Gyarados roared excitedly, sharing Bill's feelings on the attack.

(Three months later)

"Kayaba, where do you think Bill has been going every weekend?" asked one of the crewmen.

"Probably wallowing in self-pity," he answered. "He's been doing it since we got him the Magikarp."

"You talking about me?" asked Bill as he came aboard.

"Yeah," answered Kayaba. "We think you've been crying over the Magikarp we got you every weekend."

Laughing as they left, Bill thought, "Don't screw up now. Today's the day. We've waited a year for this day to come. Let them laugh now. We're ready. They're all waiting at sea at the agreed spot. Just a few more hours."

(Further out at sea)

~CRUNCH!~

"Did ye lads be hearing that?" asked Captain Ahab.

"Captain!" shouted Kayaba as he ran from below deck. "The hull has been pierced and we're taking on water!"

"Prepare the lifeb-"

A roar interrupted him as a Gyarados appeared.

"Shit!" thought everyone on the boat. Except for one.

"Ah, First, right on schedule," said Bill as he approached the Gyarados.

"Bill?" asked a confused Kayaba. "Explain yourself!" he demanded, but he wasn't sure he'd like the answer.

"Remember the Magikarp you gave me a year ago?"

The captain and the crew immediately regretted pulling that prank on Bill as he climbed onto First who had lowered his head to let him on.

"You called us nobodies," said Bill, as nineteen more Gyarados surfaced. "You called us useless. You mocked us. You laughed at us! Tell me, can you really laugh at us now!?"

Captain Ahab, Kayaba, and the rest of the crew didn't answer, afraid that would only prompt Bill's Gyarados to attack them.

"Hyper Beam will only kill them too quickly. We're going to make them suffer," declared Bill. "Second, Eighth and Fifteenth, Flamethrower!"

The three aforementioned Gyarados breathed out a scorching stream of flame that engulfed the boat. The crew screamed as they burned to death.

Bill called off the attack and looked at the charred and burning remains. He was pleased with the results.

"Well done you three. Part one is done. It's time for part two, and that's where the real fun begins!"

His Gyarados roared in eager anticipation.

(Back in Cianwood City)

A coast guard was on patrol when his Pidgey noticed something strange on the horizon. He took out his binoculars to see what it was. Other people on the harbor stopped and also wondered what it was.

"Is that Bill?" asked the coast guard as Bill got closer. He wondered how Bill was coming in quickly, but felt there were more pressing questions to ask first.

"Bill!" shouted the coast guard. "Where's the rest of the crew?!"

Bill ignored the question, and instead asked, "Remember when you all laughed at us?"

The crowd watching him looked at each other in confusion.

"Is he talking about when the recruitment office for the military laughed him out?"

"He said "us". I don't think he's talking about that. He's the only one the military officers did that too."

"Maybe it's the Magikarp prank?"

"What about it?" asked the coast guard.

"We hated that," answered Bill, as First revealed himself, rising up to show Cianwood City that the Magikarp that Bill got a year ago had evolved.

The crowd slowly realised what happened to the crew, before quickly realising they're next.

"Even as recent as this morning, people laughed at us!" yelled Bill.

"Everyone with Electric-types!" shouted the coast guard into his radio. "Come to the harbour! Bill has a Gyarados!"

"Fifth! Use Crunch! On that coast guard!" shouted Bill.

The people present became even more horrified when a second Gyarados revealed itself, and lunged at the coast guard with its fangs charged with dark energy, killing him, his Pidgey, and many others. All in a single bite.

"We have waited a year for this day!" continued Bill.

People began running as Gyarados after Gyarados revealed itself.

"You laughed at us when we were Magikarp!"

"He has twenty Gyarados…" muttered a terrified citizen.

"But, looking forward to this day, we grew stronger together and evolved! We're going to make you all pay!"

The Gyarados began charging Hyper Beam attacks.

"FIRE!"

They unleashed their attacks, destroying the harbour in an instant and causing significant damage to the city.

Many screamed before the attacks reached them and silenced them.

Many people and Pokemon died on this day.

CIANWOOD CITY DESTROYED! COUNTLESS DEAD!

COASTAL VILLAGES FOUND DEVASTATED! SURVIVORS SAY IT WAS BILL!

WHERE WILL TWENTY GYARADOS BILL STRIKE NEXT?

These were the only headlines one of the Nurse Joys of Olivine City could see. And then there were the conversations she overheard on her way back to the Pokemon Centre after picking up some supplies.

"Three quarters of Cianwood City destroyed. Unbelievable."

"According to the article, the authorities were all either injured or killed trying to stop Bill and his twenty Gyarados."

"One of his Gyarados killed a record twenty four people and a Pidgey in a single bite!"

"Few trainers would even consider trying to raise a Gyarados, since they're statistically the most likely to kill their own trainers, and this guy has got twenty Gyarados all obediently listening to him?! Oh come on!"

The only thing people can talk about were the recent incidents and their perpetrator, the monster people have taken to calling Twenty Gyarados Bill.

(In a ruined village)

"Look at this," said Bill as he was reading a newspaper, while eating some food he looted from a home in the latest coastal village to fall victim to him and his Gyarados. He was also now wearing a stolen black coat and a pair of binoculars he took from the coast guard Fifth killed.

The Gyarados nearby, First, Fifth, Twelfth and Twentieth, turned to him.

"They started calling me "Twenty Gyarados Bill"," he said. "It joins all of you with me. I like it."

They smiled.

"Oh?" remarked Bill as he read more of the article. "Fifth, remember when you killed that coast guard and several others in one bite?"

Fifth nodded. He remembered his dramatic introduction to the world fondly.

"According to this, it broke the previous record!" said Bill excitedly. "At twenty four people and a Pidgey, you're now the record holder for the most lives killed in one Gyarados bite!"

Fifth beamed at the praise.

Bill then read the next article's headline to them, ""Where will Twenty Gyarados Bill strike next?" Actually, that's a good question. Where should we strike next?"

The Gyarados present shrugged. As Bill pondered the question, his various Gyarados returned from doing their own thing and were told what their trainer was doing.

"I've got it! We're close to Olivine City! We'll strike there next!"

The Gyarados roared in agreement.

(Several miles out to sea from Olivine City)

"Looks like they tried to prepare for us," scoffed Bill as he looked at the Olivine City harbour through the stolen binoculars. "They have lots of Electric-types on guard. As if that'd stop us."

His twenty Gyarados also scoffed.

"I don't think they noticed us yet. We can get them by surprise. Prepare to fire Hyper Beams," he ordered.

The Gyarados gathered the needed energy around their mouths.

Bill grinned, "You may fire when ready."

(At the Olivine City Harbour)

One of the Flaaffy assigned to guard the city from Bill was staring out to sea, trying to see if Bill was coming when it heard a sound. It had just enough time to turn to the source of the sound before the Hyper Beam hit it.

(Olivine City Pokemon Centre)

Hearing the sound of screaming, the Nurse Joy on duty ran out to see what was going on.

She immediately regretted it when one of Bill's Gyarados saw her.

"Sixteenth, use Earthquake!" ordered Bill.

The Gyarados obeyed, and slammed its massive tail into the ground. The ground opened up, and Nurse Joy screamed as she fell into the resulting chasm.

OLIVINE CITY ATTACKED! TWENTY GYARADOS BILL STILL AT LARGE!

EMERGENCY NATIONAL SECURITY MEETING TO TAKE PLACE!

"How the hell do we beat this guy!?" asked the Olivine City representative, who managed to survive, but not without losing an arm, to the other participants at the meeting. "We had hundreds of Electric-types on guard at the harbour! All of them died."

"At what level were they?" asked a blond man with brown eyes. He was also wearing a short sleeved blue jacket that didn't cover his lightning bolt tattoo on his shoulder. He was Denki Tekina, Electric-type specialist of the Johto Elite Four.

"Not sure. They were all volunteers."

"Arceus, did you really think type advantage was all you needed?" asked Denki exasperatedly. "If that's all there was to it, type-specialists like me would be easy to beat, and no one would be afraid of Gyarados in the first place!"

"I see…" said the chastised Olivine City representative.

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't utilise every possible advantage. Since Gyarados have a crippling weakness to Electric-type attacks, on paper at least, we'll use it as part of the overall plan to defeat Bill," stated General Javelin. He had brown eyes and carmine hair and wore a military uniform and a necklace with an unusual stone on it.

"I know," replied Denki. "But we cannot rely entirely on type advantage. That's what I say to every challenger with a Ground-type. No, we need to set a trap for Bill and catch him by surprise. When he's surprised, we launch our strongest attacks at his Gyarados. That won't kill them all, but if we keep the pressure up, they won't be able to recover."

"Well, we know where Bill's heading," said a military analyst. "It's obvious to everyone that he's following the coastline and attacking every coastal settlement he comes across. Goldenrod City is the next major city."

"Well, since we realised it too, we have started evacuations yesterday. The city is empty," said the Goldenrod City representative. "If you have to destroy a few buildings to defeat Twenty Gyarados Bill, I won't say I'll be happy, but I'll understand. Bill would destroy them all anyway."

"Ok, so we'll prepare a trap at Goldenrod," concluded Javelin. "What are the reports on the moves his Gyarados know?"

The military analyst looked at his notes, "Please remember that no one besides Bill can tell the Gyarados apart, so it is difficult trying to tie a specific move to a specific Gyarados. The only absolute certainty is that they all know Hyper Beam. The one Bill has named First in particular is capable of firing an especially powerful Hyper Beam. There was also the move Crunch used by the one named Fifth."

He sorted through his notes, and continued, "Survivors have also reported seeing Flamethrower, Earthquake, Ice Fang, Aqua Tail, Twister..."

"That's the one that took my arm," thought the Olivine City representative.

"...Thunder, Scald, Giga Impact, & Thrash. But that's just what the survivors could tell us, and they understandably were more concerned with running than remembering what moves they were running from. Who knows what and how many other moves those Gyarados are packing."

"You know full well that any reliable intel is better than none," said General Javelin. "We'll just prepare for everything we could think of. Now, let's discuss the specifics of the ambush."

(Several Days Later)

Elite Four Denki Tekina, General Javelin, and the rest of military were lying in wait at the Goldenrod City harbour, all hiding from view. They had hidden bombs all over the harbour with the intent of luring Bill and his twenty Gyarados into their trap and doing as much damage as they can. If the Gyarados survive that, they'll move in and finish the job.

Javelin's two Kingdra were lying in wait in the sea, hidden, in case Bill was coming from below the surface. If that were to happen, the Kingdra are equipped with special devices so they could detonate the explosives themselves.

There were a few soldier patrols within Goldenrod City, in case there were citizens that didn't manage to evacuate or there were opportunistic looters.

One such patrol found a lone man wearing a black coat.

"Central Command, this is Team Twelve reporting. We have found a man and are moving to escort him out of the city," said the lieutenant in charge of Team Twelve.

"Excuse me young man," called out the lieutenant. "This place isn't safe. Please follow us."

The man turned and recognition filled his eyes.

"You," he said. "You were one of the ones who laughed me out of the recruitment office!"

The lieutenant vaguely recalled laughing at one person who looked too weak to join. Realisation dawned on him as the man opened up his coat to reveal a Lure Ball and nineteen Net Balls. He picked four of the Net Balls and released the Pokemon inside.

"Sixth, Tenth, Fourteenth and Eighteenth! Use Thunderbolt on him!"

"General!" said the radio device Javelin had. "Bill's inside the city! They came by land this time! Team Twelve have all already been killed!"

"Shit!" thought Javelin. "Kingdra!"

His two Kingdra surfaced.

"You two are to remain here, ready to detonate the bombs in case the Gyarados get close to the harbour!"

They nodded.

"Everybody else, to the city! We're stopping Bill NOW!"

"Yes sir!" chorused the soldiers as Denki ran ahead.

As soon as they saw Bill, riding on one of his Gyarados as he gave out commands, Javelin, Denki and the other soldiers released every Pokemon they had. The soldiers have a lot of different Pokemon. Denki brought out the Electric-types Ampharos, Raichu, Magnezone, Electivire, Jolteon and Electrode. Javelin released three Dragonite, a Charizard, an Aerodactyl and an Ampharos that wore a holder for a mysterious stone.

Bill noticed the stone and thought it felt familiar to the Gyaradosite they found almost a year ago, early in their training. His suspicions were confirmed when the man that looked like the leader of the military presence here produced a glow from his necklace.

"That's Mega Evolution!" shouted Bill. He turned to the Gyarados he was riding. "First, Giga Impact that Ampharos now!"

Coating itself in yellow and purple energy, First charged at the Ampharos.

"Evade!" ordered Javelin. Denki, the soldiers, and all their Pokemon tried to dodge, but First was too fast for Ampharos, and it was thrown far.

In shock at his Pokemon's situation, Javelin didn't notice until too late that Bill had also taken his Key Stone.

"At last, at long last," said Bill as he took out his Gyaradosite from his coat's pocket. "We have everything we need for a Mega Evolution of our own."

Horrified at the mere idea of a Mega Gyarados, Denki ordered, "Don't let him do it. Fire all your attacks at him now!"

Every Pokemon obeyed.

"Protect us!" ordered Bill.

Roaring, his other Gyarados formed a defensive barrier between Bill and the soldiers.

"It's finally time to see how deep is our bond," said Bill to First as he gave him the Gyaradosite.

"We were together when they laughed at us. You were there when I first had this idea."

The stolen Key Stone began glowing.

"We grew stronger together. You, were the first real friend I ever had!"

The Gyaradosite glowed in resonance with the Key Stone.

"Together, we shall destroy this world that once mocked us!"

First was enveloped in a powerful light, and after it died down, it revealed First had changed. His whiskers were longer, his undersides were now black, red scales were present and he had larger fins now.

"A Mega Gyarados…" muttered one soldier.

"I didn't even know that was possible," said another.

"We are so dead!" wailed one soldier in despair.

"Compose yourself!" ordered Javelin. "You're soldiers! If you break down crying, how can the civilians depend on us to protect them!"

"And remember this!" added Denki. "A good trainer is one who can adapt to the most unfavourable of situations!"

"Yes sirs!" said the soldiers as they rallied.

Battle raged all over the city. Though there were a lot more Pokemon fighting them than there were Gyarados, these Gyarados had underwent training to become some of the more powerful specimens of their species. Bill had seen to that.

Javelin, Denki, the soldiers, and their respective Pokemon managed to separate the Gyarados to break their coordination, but their own forces were also divided.

Dodging a Crunch from First, Denki had his Ampharos fire a Thunderbolt in return. It connected, but it didn't do as much damage as Denki thought it would.

"Even adjusting for the boost from Mega Evolution, it should have done more damage. Did it change types?" Denki asked himself. "Well, if no one knew a Mega Gyarados was even possible…"

First then fired a massive Hyper Beam and he and Ampharos barely managed to dodge that.

"I really wish I wasn't separated from my other Pokemon..."

Denki's Electrode, one of Javelin's Dragonite and several others were fighting Seventh. They were all behind cover as they avoided Seventh's Twister.

"Electrode!" it called out to Javelin's Dragonite.

"Nite?"

"Trode!" it gestured towards Seventh.

Nodding in understanding, Dragonite picked up Electrode and flew towards Seventh. Seventh opened it's mouth to fire but Dragonite threw Electrode inside, where it unleashed a powerful Explosion.

"That's one down!" celebrated the soldiers as Seventh's lifeless form fell with Electrode rolling out.

Then they heard a roar and saw Sixteenth come close enough to use an Earthquake attack at point blank range on Electrode.

Javelin was riding Charizard and was accompanied by Aerodactyl as they tried to search for his Ampharos. Against Bill's own Mega, they'll need to use Mega Evolution to even the odds.

"Tyl," muttered his Aerodactyl.

"We've been through worse," he answered. "And I have a spare Key Stone."

Denki's Magnezone, another of Javelin's Dragonite, and several of the soldiers' Pokemon were firing powerful Electric-type attacks at Second. It was severely injured but managed to hold on.

Then Eighth and Fifteenth came charging in and breathed Flamethrower everywhere to force the other Pokemon to let off their attacks.

Undaunted, the soldiers fired rockets at the injured Second, killing it. Angered, Eighth and Fifteenth turned and fired Flamethrower at the soldiers who evaded.

But one soldier tripped.

Before the attacks could reach him, Denki's Magnezone blocked the attack, giving the soldier enough time to regain his footing and escape.

Seeing Javelin's Dragonite protecting the soldiers and their Pokemon, Magnezone nodded to itself in satisfaction as it slowly collapsed from injury and exhaustion.

Eighth and Fifteenth closed in on Denki's Magnezone, and engulfed it in flame.

"Char!" roared Javelin's Charizard. He found Ampharos.

They landed and what they saw shocked them.

Ampharos was lying in a pool of blood. First's attack injured him enough to cause bleeding, and without prompt medical attention, Javelin's Ampharos bled to death.

Remaining calm even as he shed a single tear, Javelin said, "We'll defeat Bill."

He took the Ampharosite from its holder and Javelin, Charizard and Aerodactyl flew straight back to Denki.

And his Ampharos.

Denki's Raichu, Electivire and Jolteon as well as Javelin's third Dragonite were doing admirably.

Taking advantage of Raichu's Static ability, they were able to paralyze the Gyarados they fought and they, the soldiers and their Pokemon were able to kill five of Bill's Gyarados like that. Third, Fourth, Thirteenth, Seventeenth and Twentieth all fell to Raichu's Static.

Finding another Gyarados, Raichu charged forwards, ready to paralyze it.

Ninth saw him coming and used Ice Fang. Raichu dodged and came into physical contact with Ninth, paralyzing it.

As with the other Gyarados they did this to, all other Pokemon fired their best Electric-type attacks.

Roaring in pain, Ninth tried fighting back, but before the paralysis could wear of, it collapsed from all the accumulating injuries.

The other Pokemon fired one last attack, finishing Ninth off.

"That's six!" celebrated the soldiers. "Time for the next on-"

They then heard roars from all around them. The soldiers and Pokemon present looked around and were shocked to see that the remaining eleven Gyarados besides First had surrounded them. The Gyarados must have killed the forces they were fighting, but not without injury to themselves.

And they saw what they did to their comrades.

"So this is how we die," said a lieutenant, the highest ranking soldier present. He turned to the others and said, "Alright men and Pokemon! We could die helpless, or die fighting! What do you choose!?"

"Fighting!" chorused the other soldiers. Their Pokemon as well as Denki's and Javelin's joined in their chorus.

The soldiers opened fire with their weapons as the Pokemon launched their attacks, even as the Gyarados charged at them with their fangs surrounded by various elemental energies with the full intention of ripping them all apart.

"I must admit, Elite Four!" shouted Bill from atop First as they tried to search for Denki and Ampharos. "You've put up a far better fight than those pitiful Electric-types they tried to stop us with back at Olivine City!"

"I'm an Elite Four member! Of course I'd put up a fight!" thought Denki to himself as he and Ampharos remained hidden.

It was then that Javelin and his Charizard and Aerodactyl reached the area Denki was fighting Bill at, but they couldn't see Denki.

Bill however could see them.

Charizard and Aerodactyl flew out of the way of First's Water Pulse attacks. Aerodactyl used Ancientpower on First to distract him long enough for Charizard, who was still carrying their trainer, to reach safety.

While Bill and First were distracted, Denki came out of hiding and waved to Javelin and his Charizard.

Charizard landed near them and they all went back into hiding before Bill could notice.

"How's the battle going?" whispered Denki.

"You don't know? What happened to your radio?" whispered Javelin back.

"It got damaged."

Javelin then realised Denki does not yet know of his Pokemon's deaths. He heard the communications on how Electrode was killed with an Earthquake attack, Magnezone was burned to death and finally, and his own heart ached at this, how Raichu, Electivire and Jolteon, as well as one of his own Dragonite, were all torn apart, but not before they and the group they were with killed two of the Gyarados that surrounded them.

Denki noticed his expression. "What happened? Are my other Pokemon okay?"

Javelin had trouble answering.

"Tell me!" begged Denki.

"Denki," said Javelin as he steeled himself. "Your Pokemon were powerful, but…"

"No…" said Denki as he and Ampharos realised what happened.

"While they managed to defeat several of Bill's Gyarados, there were still a lot more," continued Javelin.

"Please, Arceus, don't let it be so," prayed Denki.

"They're dead, killed by Bill's Gyarados," finished Javelin.

"NO!" shouted Denki.

"Did you hear that?" Bill asked First. First nodded. "It came from over there, let's go."

First went in the direction Bill pointed at.

Javelin saw Bill and First coming and turned to Denki.

"Listen Denki, and you Ampharos," he said as Denki and Ampharos tried to stop their tears. "In war, we always have to be prepared for the absolute worse outcome, while doing our best to avoid it. We can't turn back the time, and we can't bring back the dead."

That didn't stop Denki from crying further, so Javelin continued.

"However, what we can do is get the bastards that killed them. Besides, you were the one that said that a good trainer is one who can adapt to the most unfavourable of situations," he concluded and smiled as he gave Denki his spare Key Stone and Ampharos his Ampharosite. He then spoke into his radio, "This is General Javelin. Lure all the Gyarados besides First to the harbour! We're making use of those explosives! Denki and I will handle First and Bill!"

"Yes sir!" was the response.

Composing themselves, Denki and Ampharos turned to each other and prepared to Mega Evolve.

"You were my first Pokemon. You were the one who helped me find my other five Pokemon."

The borrowed Key Stone began glowing.

"You were the one who landed the winning blow at the Johto League finals. For all those years we spent together, thank you."

The Ampharosite glowed in resonance with the Key Stone.

"Now, we'll avenge our friends together."

His Ampharos was enveloped in a powerful light that even Bill and First could see despite their view of it being obscured. After it died down, Ampharos now had white fur on its head and tail.

"Just so you know, Mega Evolution can change a Pokemon's type. Mega Ampharos is now an Electric/Dragon-type," said Javelin.

"I figured as much when I realised Bill's Mega Gyarados is no longer a Water/Flying-type. I suspect it's now Water/Dark," replied Denki as he and Ampharos came out of their hiding spot and unleashed a powerful Thunder, surprising Bill and First.

Finding the remaining nine Gyarados looking over their fallen comrades, a soldier turned to his Vaporeon and said, "Well, ready to become bait?"

His Vaporeon nodded, and fired a Hydro Pump to get the Gyarados attention.

"Come get us!" shouted the soldier as he turned and ran alongside his Vaporeon.

Enraged by the taunt and upset over their comrades' death, the Gyarados gave chase.

"Aqua Tail!" ordered Bill.

First coated his tail in aquatic energy and tried to swat Javelin's Charizard and Aerodactyl away.

"Up!" ordered Javelin as he fired his gun towards Bill and First and they flew higher. "Aerial bombardment!"

"What kind of move is that?" thought Bill before he realised both Charizard and Aerodactyl were coming in for a Giga Impact.

"Protect!" and First formed a green shield.

As soon as it wore of, Denki seized the opportunity, "Wild Charge!"

Ampharos coated itself in electricity before making a reckless charge towards First, dealing some damage to itself but greatly injuring First.

Having been told of their trainer's plan, Javelin's two Kingdra were waiting for the soldier who drew the short end of the stick to come with the remaining Gyarados.

They saw him and his Vaporeon running impossibly fast as they tried to stay ahead of the pursuing Gyarados.

He and Vaporeon jumped into the water and the other soldiers and their Pokemon came out of hiding to slow the Gyarados down with their attacks. The Gyarados stopped at the harbour, not following their initial prey into the water, and returned fire.

That was the moment the Kingdra were waiting for. Using the devices they were given, they activated the bombs, engulfing the Gyarados in a massive explosion.

The soldiers and their Pokemon who had remained far enough away from the bombs averted their eyes or took cover. When the explosion ended, they looked at the results.

Caught in the explosion, and still carrying their earlier injuries, the last nine Gyarados were all killed.

Every soldier and Pokemon celebrated in victory.

"General! The trap was a success! The only Gyarados left is First!"

"Good! Now come to our location! First and Bill are giving us a lot of trouble! My Charizard and Aerodactyl were knocked out and I had to return them!" was Javelin's reply. He looked to Denki and Ampharos.

Ampharos and First were now firing Hyper Beams at each other. The beams of energy met each other in between the two combatants, with neither side yielding.

"Push forwards!" shouted Bill, and First moved forwards, pushing the energy towards Ampharos.

"You too!" shouted Denki, and Mega Ampharos did the same, with Denki following to provide his Pokemon with moral support.

In a stalemate, both sides continued forwards, each trying to push the accumulating power of the Hyper Beams towards the other. Eventually, mere meters separated Denki and Ampharos from Bill and First.

"You two are going to die!" declared Bill.

"So will you two," stated Denki.

The Hyper Beams then destabilised, and engulfed all four of them in a massive explosion.

Javelin ducked behind cover. When the explosion ended, he checked what happened.

In one direction, he saw Bill and First, dying. In the other direction, he saw Denki and Ampharos, dead. Deciding that if Bill escaped now and gathered more Gyarados, it would all be for nothing, Javelin ran towards Bill and First.

"Your other nineteen Gyarados are all dead!" he declared as he pointed his gun at Bill. "Surrender!"

Bill ignored him and instead turned to First, "Hey, First."

First moved his head towards Bill.

"No talking! You've killed enough people to earn the death penalty countless times over!" said Javelin as he prepared to shoot.

"We did it," said Bill as he smiled.

This confused Javelin, and he held off on shooting.

"No one wil-" Bill started coughing. "No one will ever laugh at us again."

First also smiled, and they both died together.

The other soldiers arrived.

"General, what was that huge explosion we saw!? It was almost as big as the one we set off at the harbour!"

"Denki's Mega Ampharos and Bill's Mega Gyarados fired Hyper Beams," answered Javelin. "Coming from two Mega Pokemon, the attacks were more powerful. And both Pokemon were already very powerful in their base form."

"Where's Denki?" asked another soldier. His general turned. The soldiers followed his gaze and saw Denki and his Ampharos, both dead.

The soldiers remained silent for a while, before one of them asked, "Sir, your orders?"

"Gather all the dead. The deaths on our side will all be returned to their families."

"What about Bill and his Gyarados? Our background checks revealed he had no surviving family."

"We'll bury them somewhere."

TWENTY GYARADOS BILL IS DEAD! THE NIGHTMARE IS OVER!

ELITE FOUR DENKI TEKINA KILLED BY BILL! TAKES BILL DOWN WITH HIM!

"Bill's rampage is over, thank Arceus."

"The coastal settlements we have left can now sleep easy, knowing Bill's dead."

"I heard that people are returning to the places he destroyed. They're rebuilding."

"Hey look at this. The T.A.T.O are going to hold an emergency summit to discuss how to prevent this from happening again."

(A week later, at the T.A.T.O summit)

"So in summary," said Professor Oak, presenting with Professor Juniper. "We propose limiting the number of active Pokemon a trainer is allowed to have."

"With certain allowances," added Professor Juniper. "For example, gym leaders are required to have teams capable of fighting at any badge level. By necessity, we have to allow them an exemption from this if you accept our proposal."

The representatives of the various T.A.T.O nations looked over the handouts they were given by the pair once more. It contained details on the infrastructure needed to enforce the limit, how it works by locking Pokeballs not designated as active, preventing all of a trainer's Pokemon beyond the limit from being out at the same time, and special devices to override the limit where needed.

The Kalos representative then asked, "While this looks ideal, how did you two come up with something so comprehensive on such short notice?"

Professor Oak turned to her and answered, "We didn't. It was something we've been working on for a while when we noticed a disturbing trend of criminals overwhelming their victims by having a lot more Pokemon."

"Doctor Boxer spent a lot of sleepless nights helping us put this together, trying to create something that could actually enforce a Pokeball limit when Sam asked for his help. Lab testing have provided promising results. Well, in between all the explosions from the prototypes that didn't work at least," said Professor Juniper.

"Twenty Gyarados Bill was just the most devastating incident yet, and what prompted Cedric and I to come forward with our proposal now," finished Professor Oak.

The Sinnoh representative then asked, "In your presentation, I noticed that you didn't specify what the limit is going to be. Why is that?"

"That's the reason we haven't come forward sooner," admitted Professor Oak. "We have to consider a lot of factors and have yet to decide on what the limit should be."

"We have to consider Pokemon availability, accessibility of food for the Pokemon, Pokemon hostility, all sorts of things," said Professor Juniper. "I fear that we may have to simply choose an arbitrary number."

"Six."

"Pardon General?" said the Johto representative.

"Denki Tekina only ever used the same six Pokemon his entire career," stated Javelin. "If we have to resort to using an arbitrary number, we're going with six."

"Any arguments against?" asked Professor Oak.

There were none. All representatives moved to accept Professor Oak's proposal of a Pokeball limit and Javelin's proposal of making the limit six in honour of the deceased Elite Four member.

The agreement became known as the Denki Tekina Protocol.

POKEBALL LIMIT NOW IN FORCE!

TRAINERS NOW ONLY ALLOWED MAXIMUM SIX ACTIVE POKEMON!

"Damn, I got ten Pokemon. What am I going to do?"

"Read the full article, moron. It explains that you'll still have them with you, they just can't all be out at the same time. It also says that gym leaders and certain other people will be allowed Pokeball Limit Jammers."

"Does it say how I can get one?"

(Blackthorn City)

After attending a memorial for all those killed by Bill and his twenty Gyarados, Javelin went on leave from the military and returned home so he could mourn the deaths of his Ampharos and one of his Dragonite in private.

Entering the home of the Dragon Tamers clan, he hugged his wife and children and gave his wife the recovered Key Stones and Mega Stones before going straight to his room, and cried.

"May there never be another Twenty Gyarados Bill," were his final thoughts before he fell asleep.