Chapter 63: Caught in a Crisis
After the Seadra swarm dispersed, the sea briefly returned to calm.
Suicune ran across the surface ahead of them, guiding the way. Each step left behind only the faintest ripple.
"Suicune, where are you taking us?" Raina asked softly.
Suicune didn’t look back. It merely tilted its head slightly and continued forward.
Raina lowered her gaze to the nautical chart, then looked up at the direction Suicune was leading them.
The route Suicune followed largely overlapped with the course marked on the new chart her father had given her. However, Suicune’s path avoided the hidden reefs and was far more precise than the markings on the map.
[VIP Chat Group]
[Ash]: Suicune is guiding them! That’s so cool!
[Pikachu]: Pika, pika!
[Professor Oak]: Suicune is renowned for its ability to purify water. The conditions in this region have deteriorated so severely that even the Seadra have become abnormal. Suicune may not be here solely because of Asher’s request—it may have sensed the abnormalities in these waters itself.
[Wallace]: In other words, Asher’s request happens to align perfectly with Suicune’s natural duty?
[Steven]: Brother Asher always accomplishes two things with a single action.
[Asher]: Steven, does your face still hurt?
[Steven]: It does, but you still have to admit that I’m right.
[Asher]: Come on, Steven. Let’s go outside for another walk.
[Steven]: Hmm? Ah... Brother Asher, don’t! Gets dragged away.
[Wallace]: ...
The video continued playing.
Eevee’s ears suddenly stood upright in Raina’s arms, and it released a wary growl toward the area ahead.
"Eevee!"
Raina followed its gaze.
Under the moonlight, a dark substance floated across the surface of the sea, resembling a layer of oil spread over the water.
It covered an enormous area, its irregular edges continuing to expand in every direction.
"This is..."
Raina’s pupils contracted slightly.
"Pollution?"
Suicune stopped and lowered its head toward the seawater beneath its paws.
It raised one foreleg, and a ring of purified water immediately spread across the surface. However, the contaminated area was far too vast for Suicune to cleanse quickly on its own.
Raina gritted her teeth.
"This again..."
At that moment, a weak cry came from beneath the polluted water.
"Fee... bas..."
Within the most heavily contaminated part of the sea, a small brown figure was struggling desperately.
"It’s a Feebas!"
Raina immediately recognized the Pokémon.
"Gyarados, bring it over here!"
Just as Gyarados prepared to charge forward, the surface of the sea suddenly exploded.
Water sprayed in every direction as an enormous black shadow slowly rose from the depths.
It was a Tentacruel.
However, it was far larger than an ordinary Tentacruel. Dozens of tentacles spread menacingly beneath the surface, each one glowing an unnatural dark purple.
Like the previous Seadra, its eyes shone with a frenzied red light.
Behind Tentacruel, more black shadows began emerging from the water one after another—more than a dozen Tentacruel, accompanied by densely packed swarms of Tentacool and Seadra.
"Eevee!"
Eevee’s fur stood on end.
Raina pressed one hand against its head.
"Stay calm."
Tentacruel’s tentacles wrapped around the Feebas.
Feebas struggled desperately, but the tentacles only tightened further, and its cries gradually weakened.
Raina clenched her fist.
"Gyarados, Dragon Tail!"
Gyarados roared and charged forward, its tail enveloped in green Dragon-type energy as it swung toward Tentacruel’s tentacles.
Tentacruel made no attempt to dodge. It sent another tentacle forward to meet the attack head-on.
Gyarados and Tentacruel immediately became locked in combat.
"Something is wrong with this Tentacruel."
Raina stared at its glowing red eyes.
"It isn’t being controlled in the same way as the Seadra. Its strength has also been enhanced."
Tentacruel released a deep cry.
Every Seadra and Tentacool simultaneously charged toward Raina.
"Dragonite, Hurricane!" Raina shouted.
A violent gale swept up the waves and crashed toward the Tentacool swarm.
Suicune stepped forward, releasing a rainbow-colored beam that swept across the surface of the sea.
Tentacruel’s movements paused for a moment, but it quickly returned to its frenzied state.
"It didn’t work?"
Raina frowned.
At that moment, a human figure slowly emerged from behind a nearby reef.
The man stood atop the rock wearing a black diving suit, an instrument held in his hand.
"As expected of a Water-type Elite Four member."
He raised his head, revealing a thin, gaunt face.
"You still managed to reach this place, even after we took control of the surrounding waters."
Raina stared at him.
"Who are you?"
"Me?"
The man smiled.
"I’m merely here to pull in the net. Every Pokémon in these waters is already under our control."
"Control?"
Raina swept her gaze across the red-eyed Pokémon surrounding them.
"Forcefully controlling them with drugs—is that your method?"
"The method doesn’t matter."
The man placed the device inside a waterproof bag.
"Only the result matters. Lugia is somewhere in these waters. We’ve waited a long time for this opportunity, and we can’t allow some little girl to interfere with our plans."
The moment he finished speaking, Tentacruel abruptly swung its tentacle.
It lifted the trapped Feebas high into the air before hurling it toward a distant cluster of reefs.
"Feebas!" Raina shouted.
The man sneered.
"Your Pokémon may be powerful, but how many opponents can you fight at once? Enjoy your battle with them. By the time you finish, Lugia should already be in our hands."
After saying that, he turned, leaped into the sea, and swiftly disappeared.
Across the water, the Tentacool and Seadra swarms launched their attacks simultaneously.
Suicune created a circular wall of water to block the front line.
Gyarados, Dragonite, and Blastoise also fought continuously to hold back the frenzied Pokémon.
"Come out, Gengar!"
Raina released Gengar, then placed her backpack on Lapras’s back.
"Gengar, Eevee, help Lapras hold these Pokémon back. I’m going to rescue Feebas."
"Eevee, Eevee?!"
"I’ll be fine."
Raina took a deep breath.
"That Feebas won’t last much longer."
Without waiting for Eevee to respond, Raina leaped into the sea.
[VIP Chat Group]
[Misty]: ...That child.
[Ash]: She isn’t even thinking about her own safety because she wants to save a Pokémon...
[Brock]: Ash, are you really one to talk? Aren’t you exactly the same?
[Ash]: I...
[Lorelei]: Even in such a dangerous situation, her first thought is still to rescue a Pokémon. That child truly possesses the qualities needed to become a Master.
[Bruno]: Strength can be cultivated, but a heart like that is exceedingly rare.
The video continued playing.
Raina swam around a protruding reef and finally found the Feebas.
It was wedged inside a narrow gap between two rocks, its eyes half-closed.
Raina reached out, gathered Feebas into her arms, and prepared to return.
At that moment, something cold wrapped around Raina’s ankle.
It was one of Tentacruel’s tentacles.
The Tentacruel had been lurking in the deeper water beneath the reef, waiting for its prey to approach on its own.
Tentacruel began dragging Raina toward the ocean floor.
Raina held Feebas tightly with one arm while desperately reaching for something with the other.
But the only thing her hand found was cold seawater.
[VIP Chat Group]
[Iris]: Oh no, oh no, oh no! Tentacruel dragged her underwater!
[Misty]: Raina!!!
[Wallace]: Where is Asher?! Do something!