"Mr. Nakamura, have we caught enough?"
A young man dressed as a fisherman respectfully asked a middle-aged man standing on a large steel-plated ship.
The words were spoken in Sakura Island's national language.
Nakamura, the middle-aged man, stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the massive fish tank in front of him. Inside swam a small fish with a white body and blue fins, its eyes reflecting a shimmering blue glow.
It was Wishiwashi.
"A truly magnificent creature. What do you think, Shimagawa?"
Nakamura's deep voice echoed across the ship.
"Yes! Mr. Nakamura is absolutely right!"
Shimagawa, the younger man, nodded vigorously.
"I don't know how that damned Daxia unearthed these creatures called Pokémon, but it doesn't matter. If they have them, then our great Sakura Empire will have them too!"
Nakamura smirked.
Rumors had spread about Metro City's Pokémon Tournament, sparking interest worldwide. Some in the Western countries still dismissed it as a hoax, but not here.
Sakura Island was too close to Metro City to ignore such news. Their government had immediately dispatched spies to confirm the truth.
The results?
"Absolutely incredible! If we can harness the power of these creatures, our Sakura Empire will rise to dominance!"
Nakamura's eyes shifted toward the other fish tanks on board.
Inside, captured Tentacool and Krabby floated in confinement. Occasionally, sparks of electricity flashed through the tanks, causing the Pokémon to flinch and freeze.
The electric shocks weren't lethal—just strong enough to weaken and paralyze them.
"But Mr. Nakamura," Shimagawa hesitated before speaking in a low voice.
"From what we observed in Metro City, it seems that capturing Pokémon requires a special item… Poké Balls."
That was the problem.
They needed Poké Balls to properly catch Pokémon, but they couldn't enter Metro City without being detected.
Right now, they were technically illegally operating in Metro City's waters.
"Baka! Idiot!" Nakamura's expression turned sharp as he scolded Shimagawa.
"I've already sent someone to buy Poké Balls at an exorbitant price! Once we analyze the technology behind them, our great Sakura Empire will produce them ourselves!"
"Understood, sir!"
Shimagawa bowed deeply.
But deep down, he scoffed at Nakamura's overconfidence.
Analyze Poké Balls?
What a joke.
Even from the footage they had gathered, it was clear that Poké Balls weren't ordinary technology.
They could shrink and store creatures of enormous size, like Steelix, in a tiny capsule.
Such technology was completely beyond modern Earth's scientific understanding.
Shimagawa doubted even their best scientists could make sense of it.
"Prepare to set sail! We don't want to encounter those sharks!"
Nakamura ordered, turning away.
Their earlier teams had attempted solo Pokémon hunting missions in Metro City's waters—but those idiots either swam back in fear or drowned before making it home.
The reason?
Massive, ferocious sharks.
These waters were full of Sharpedo, and they made quick work of any fool who strayed too far.
Frustrated by the failures, Nakamura personally commissioned this steel-plated ship, confident that no shark Pokémon could pierce its hull.
Yet, after two hours, they hadn't encountered a single Sharpedo.
A pity… he would have loved to capture a few.
"By the way, catch more of those small fish before we leave. They'd make a nice decoration."
Nakamura gestured toward the tank of Wishiwashi.
"Yes, sir!"
Shimagawa bowed, then walked off to organize the next catch.
Once outside, he sighed.
"Greedy old bastard."
Though Wishiwashi were small, they were still Pokémon. Catching them wouldn't be as easy as fishing.
"Drop the nets!"
Shimagawa ordered as he reached the ship's edge.
Below, in the crystal-clear waters, a school of Wishiwashi swam peacefully.
He couldn't help but marvel at how blue and clean the East China Sea was compared to Sakura Island's polluted shores.
Not that it mattered.
Meanwhile, in the Distance
On a hidden speedboat, Chris Yuen and Edward Sterling were watching through binoculars.
"Hey, Chris, you sure these guys are poachers?"
Edward smirked.
"When I first saw them, I thought they were just regular fishermen, so I sailed over to say hello…
"Then they started speaking Sakura Island's language, and some guy who spoke English came over to 'explain' their business.
"Turns out, they're here illegally—and catching Pokémon."
Chris lowered the binoculars, his eyes narrowing.
"These guys must really love gambling with their lives.
"They're out here, in these waters, without a single Sharpedo sighting?"
Edward chuckled.
"Should we alert Metro City's police?"
He pulled out his phone, ready to call the authorities.
"Of course. These idiots don't even know what kind of mess they're in."
Chris agreed.
Then, he turned to Tentacruel, the massive jellyfish Pokémon floating nearby.
"Tentacruel, do me a favor. Call your friends and… 'handle' that ship."
Chris smirked.
"I'll make it worth your while."
Tentacruel tilted its head, watching the Sakura ship from afar.
It then let out a deep, echoing cry—not a refusal, but… something else.
"Wait… what is that?"
Edward raised his binoculars again.
Chris did the same.
Both froze.
A massive Wishiwashi, nearly one meter in size, was approaching the Sakura ship.
It wasn't alone.
Other Wishiwashi were gathering around it, glowing with eerie blue light.
The fish was growing.
"Holy sh—"
Edward's jaw dropped.
The single fish had merged with hundreds of others.
In mere seconds, it transformed into atitanic sea monster—ten meters long and seven meters tall!
A deep, thunderous roar echoed across the waters.
Then, it charged.
"Oh my god…"
Chris was speechless.
Steelix was huge, but this thing was monstrous!
Pokédex buzzed:
"Wishiwashi (School Form) - Water Type - Small Fish Pokémon
Ability: Schooling
Moves: Hydro Pump, Surf, Liquidation, Dive, Soak…"
"When weak Wishiwashi gather together, they combine their power to form a terrifying sea monster."
Chris and Edward both sucked in a deep breath.
"Well… those guys are screwed."
On the Sakura Ship
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
Shimagawa stumbled back as the colossal Wishiwashirammed into their ship.
The steel-plated hull crumpled like paper.
Captured Pokémon spilled into the sea, free at last.
"Oh~ lucky bastards. Some of them actually survived."
Edward scoffed as a few panicked sailors clung to broken planks.
Chris spotted several Sharpedo approaching from the distance.
The screams that followed?
Brutal.
Edward smirked.
"The ocean sure is a scary place, huh?"
Chris chuckled.
"Yeah… terrifying."
(End of Chapter)
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