Just as the captain finished speaking, a fisherman who had come to eat nearby also complained that he hadn't been catching any fish lately, coming home empty-handed every day, and that it was definitely related to paranormal events.
The captain gave a disdainful look. "Is it possible that your inability to catch fish is a problem with your technique?"
The angler, of course, wouldn't admit that he couldn't catch fish because of his poor skills; he insisted that it was all the work of a supernatural event.
Hearing the fisherman say that, Roy also remembered that he and the Annihilape had Harvest a poisonous fish that morning.
It's normal for you not to Harvest, but it's not normal for the Annihilape to Harvest nothing.
Therefore, the captain wanted to ask Roy to step in, since Roy was the apprentice of Agatha Christie, the Ghost-type Elite Four member of the Kanto region, and also a trainer specializing in Ghost-type.
He knew perfectly well that for any paranormal event, he should go to Ghost-type Trainers; they were more sinister than any Ghost type Pokémon.
At the same time, he didn't want to cause panic and wanted Roy to investigate secretly to help them find out what was going on.
Captain Witte also promised a generous reward upon completion of the mission.
"I see."
Roy didn't care about the amount of the reward, but wasn't this sea the Dead exactly what he needed?
He happened to have nothing better to do.
After accepting the captain's commission, Roy searched everywhere for the aura or energy of Ghost type Pokémon.
I searched everywhere on the ship, including the kitchen and all the cabins under the pretext of security checks, but I couldn't sense any Ghost-type energy or presence.
Professor Sakuragi was also very curious, so he followed Roy around on the ship, watching Roy occasionally push open the room door to sense Ghost-type energy, then Knob in disappointment and close the door.
Having Harvest nothing, Roy recalled the captain's earlier advice to thoroughly search the area, which meant that the thing that had caused the crew's panic was not on board.
Roy considered another possibility: was it possible that the paranormal phenomenon wasn't actually on the ship, but rather on the outside of the ship?
The more Roy thought about it, the Dragapult likely his reasoning seemed. He released Dragapult and had it carry him around the S.S. Anne for a while.
Even the two Dreepy, inside the cave entrance came out.
Dragapult carried Roy and the two Dreepy around the ship once. When they returned, Roy Knob at Captain Witte, saying there was nothing unusual about the ship.
That leaves only one spot: the hull underwater. That's the only place that hasn't been searched yet, but to explore that area, we'd have to dive down into the sea.
Although Roy had practiced diving under the waterfall at the Bruno Dojo, he was still worried that the supernatural phenomenon underwater might be powerful or possess some special abilities... his life was more important.
Roy finally settled on a method.
At night
Roy took out Universal Ghost-type Pokéblock he had made and placed it on the ship's deck. He then instructed the first mate to keep only a few dim, warm-colored lights on the deck and turn off all the other lights on the S.S. Anne.
The once brightly lit S.S. Anne was instantly plunged into darkness.
Roy slipped into the cabin and, along with the captain and crew, observed the situation on deck through the transparent glass.
Professor Sakuragi followed the group, equally curious about what had caused the strange events on the S.S. Anne.
In the darkness
The Ghostly Purple Pokéblock emitted a peculiar scent, drifting across the sea surface.
Roy knew that was the scent that could drive Ghost type Pokémon crazy, even Legendary Pokémon like Marshadow.
Time passed slowly, but the deck remained quiet and still.
"Roy, is your Pokéblock even working?"
The ship's somewhat impatient first mate asked Roy in a low voice.
No sooner had the first mate finished asking than the calm sea surface suddenly stirred, with countless ripples spreading outward from the center.
Finally, there was movement on the sea surface; a stream of seawater was Spit Up of the water, followed by a melodious Growl.
Why are there suddenly fountains in the sea?
Wrong!
Roy looked towards the sea and saw a Wailord not far from the S.S. Anne.
The fountains in the sea are also the work of the Wailord.
Roy wasn't surprised to see Wailord on the surface of the sea, but it seemed to be... the Wailord he had caught before.
Roy felt as if Wailord was reminding him of something.
"Bang!!"
Before Roy could understand what Wailord meant, to the astonishment of the crew, a huge anchor with chains was thrown onto the deck with a dull thud.
The entire ship rocked as the massive anchor slammed onto the deck.
Upon seeing this, the captain assumed that pirate boats had arrived and were trying to seize the ship. He wanted to order his crew to move out and prevent the pirates from boarding.
Roy, looking at the huge anchor-shaped object, seemed to remember something and quickly stopped the captain.
Then, under Roy's direction, all the lights on the ship were turned on the deck.
The chain holding the anchor retracted automatically, and what was brought aboard was not a pirate, but an old ship's rudder.
By the ship's lights, everyone could clearly see that above the anchor-like object was an old, round rudder.
The outer ring of the rudder is missing in several places, and two instrument panels are embedded on both sides of the rudder wheel.
The left dial is cracked and hollow, while the right dial features a red hand standing upright, resembling an open eye.
The rudder was missing two grips, its metal surface covered with rust left by seawater erosion, and its lower half consisted of an anchor and green seaweed.
"This is... Dhelmise?"
Behind Roy, Professor Sakuragi took out a Pokédex from his Spatial Bracelet and searched for information about the strangely shaped Pokémon in front of him.
The Dhelmise, completely disregarding the ship's lights and the gazes of the crew, peeked out from the seaweed clinging to the anchor.
The small cube, which was radiating a strong Ghost-type energy, was directly rolled into the seaweed and absorbed the Ghost Power contained within Pokéblock.
Roy, who was nearby, noticed that some of the bright green seaweed on the Dhelmise and anchor looked as if it had lost its moisture, curling into withered yellow filaments.
But after the delicious Ghost-type energy entered his body from the Pokéblock, the yellowing, whitening, and rotting upper part of the seaweed began to recover at a visible speed.
Sensing the Ghost-type energy that had brought him renewed life, Dhelmise swirled another Pokéblock into the seaweed.
Even if he dies, he wants to be a gluttonous ghost.