Location from Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver by Game Freak / Nintendo
The largest lake in Johto, north of Mahogany Town — where a red Gyarados circles the surface, where the water has been made turbulent by Team Rocket's radio transmitter, and where Lance is waiting on the shore when you arrive.
The Lake of Rage is a convergence: Team Rocket's science project, the Red Gyarados, Lance's investigation, and the player all arriving at the same time. The radio waves from Mahogany forced Magikarp to evolve prematurely, producing the abnormal coloring. The lake's been churning ever since. The Red Gyarados is the game's first guaranteed shiny Pokémon encounter — it can be caught or defeated, but you will fight it. Its red color is unnatural, a product of forced evolution, and capturing it is the game's way of letting the player take something unusual from a bad situation. Lance's presence is the handshake into the main story arc: he knew about Team Rocket, came to investigate, and waited for backup that turned out to be you. He rewards you with HM Whirlpool after the Mahogany base is cleared. The lake settles.
A wide, deep lake in the mountains north of Mahogany, the surface unsettled and the water a darker blue than it should be. Near the center, a Gyarados — shiny, red, enormous — circles with an agitation that matches everything else about the lake. Lance stands at the water's edge. He's been here a while.
Also known as: Lake of Rage