◉◉◉◉◉
The thick gray fog still hung over the ocean as the small white yacht glided forward, its lights glowing faintly through the haze.
On the deck, Allen held a large purple tin decorated with images of strange yellow-and-blue berries. He scooped out handfuls of biscuit-like treats and scattered them over the waves.
Beside him, Trevor looked on with a mixture of jealousy and heartbreak. "Allen, you better pay me back for these! That's the latest Chiara Fruit Biscuit from Dekker Snacks Company the passionfruit flavor! I barely managed to get a pack!"
"I'll pay you back after the mission," Allen replied distractedly, tossing another generous handful into the water.
The pale-blue biscuits gave off a light, fruity scent as they bobbed in the waves, slowly breaking apart into soft crumbs that sank into the depths.
Drifblim floated nearby, its red eyes curious.
"You sure this is going to work?" Trevor asked skeptically.
"Of course," Allen said. "Passionfruit berries are a favorite among Water-types. Even if these are just biscuits, the scent is strong enough to lure wild ones in."
He gave the tin back to Trevor and kept his eyes on the rolling black surface ahead.
"Drifblim, be ready we should see movement soon," Allen murmured.
"Blim~" The Ghost-type drifted in a slow spin, signaling it understood.
Minutes passed. The yacht rocked gently, everyone tense except for Trevor, whose occasional crunch of a biscuit broke the atmosphere.
The sea stayed calm. Allen frowned.
Strange… the scent is strong. Wild Water-types should be swarming by now. Unless… there aren't any here at all?
Blub-blub…
Suddenly, bubbles rose to the surface.
"They're here," Allen said under his breath, shooting Drifblim a glance. The Pokémon swayed, focusing its energy.
The bubbles grew larger and more frequent until a dark shape began to form beneath the surface. A small whirlpool began to spin.
Drifblim's body glowed bright violet, its red eyes flashing.
"Shadow Ball!"
A spinning orb of dark-purple energy formed and launched straight into the whirlpool's center.
Boom!
Spray exploded outward, rocking the yacht. Allen gripped the railing to steady himself, eyes locked on the water.
The waves settled, and for a moment… nothing.
Blub-blub!
Then, a faint splash, an unconscious Qwilfish floated belly-up to the surface.
"Blim~!" Drifblim's hollow voice rang with delight as it drifted forward.
Allen exhaled slowly, relief easing the tension in his shoulders.
Helping this Drifblim was partly for Snorunt's sake, but also to prevent any trouble.
A starving Ghost-type could be dangerous. And with their main target waiting on the island ahead, he didn't want injuries before even landing.
Besides, in this strange fog, having a local guide would be invaluable.
Drifblim hovered over the limp Qwilfish, its four long tendrils wrapping tightly around the Water-type.
Its body shimmered faintly with purple light, the red flower-like organ beneath it opening as a strange suction pulled green energy from the Qwilfish's body in shimmering motes.
"Blim…"
The Drifblim's once-deflated body swelled, becoming full and round again. Below, the Qwilfish's once-shiny scales dulled as its body went limp.
With a casual flick, Drifblim dropped the lifeless fish back into the sea, then twirled happily in the air before returning to the deck.
"Blim~! Blim!"
Snorunt finally spoke up, relaying the translation. "It says… it'll guide us out of the fog."
Allen grinned. "We'd appreciate that."
"Yeah—thanks… crunch—thanks!" Trevor mumbled through another mouthful of biscuit.
Glowing faintly with violet light, Drifblim floated to the bow, standing guard like a figurehead on a pirate ship.
The fog began to thin as they sailed, sunlight piercing through in golden shafts that danced on the water.
When the last wisps cleared, Allen waved farewell to their guide, who lingered only briefly before drifting away into the distance.
He turned forward again, the call of seabirds faint in the warm breeze.
We're almost there.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!