Preparing for Battle!

"Put-put-put-put, put—whew—"

As the engine sputtered out, Blake and the others finally arrived near the wrecked ship. The situation here was complicated, and the boat could no longer get any closer. From here on, they would need the Pokémon's help.

Tentacruel, Sharpedo, Wailmer, and several other Pokémon were released at once. Everyone switched transportation, and the group of nine entered the wrecked ship.

"Be careful. This place has been abandoned for too long. Some parts of the floor are no longer sturdy, and it's very slippery too."

Uncle Sam said.

"Then why didn't they inspect the place when they turned it into a temporary rescue station?"

Blake carefully stepped across the broken deck. The slippery sensation beneath his feet made him deeply uncomfortable.

"There was no helping it. This wasn't an official rescue station, after all. People just voluntarily left a distress beacon, along with some food and water. Besides, most ships have electronic detection systems these days, so this place isn't really that useful anymore."

Uncle Sam shrugged. If something had not happened here, they truly would not have wanted to get involved. Still, it represented everyone's hard work from back then.

"Forget it. There's no point talking about it now. Leave three people here to wait. If it gets away, you can intercept it here."

Blake spoke to three fellows who looked like triplets. Honestly, it seemed that multiples were particularly common in this world. Blake had seen quite a few sets of twins and triplets growing up.

"Then you three get ready here. And what about the rest?"

Afraid that the three boys would not listen, Uncle Sam specifically reminded them before asking again.

"I've studied the map. Without factoring in breaking through the walls, there's one more exit inside. We'll split off another three people to go there. Then Uncle Sam, one other person, and I will go in and find that thing!"

Blake had long prepared his strategy. He was not afraid of Dhelmise fighting him. He was more worried about Dhelmise running away. Those kinds of Pokémon were extremely vindictive.

"Very well, we'll do it that way. You, you, and you—go to the other exit. Circle around from outside. Don't go through the interior."

Uncle Sam was an old hand himself. Once he confirmed that Blake's plan had no major loopholes, he made the decision and assigned everyone their tasks.

Once the assignments were settled, the remaining three plunged into the wrecked ship to begin their search. Blake kept his ability active the entire time, while Gastly hovered at his side to guard against any sudden problems.

"This location... seems to be the captain's quarters?"

Blake's ability became clearer at close range, allowing him to see the target's location precisely. He had actually used this ability before during his battle with Lulina. At the time, the Haze created by Gastly had made it impossible for anyone to see what was happening. Everyone except Gastly himself and Blake, who had activated his ability, saw only darkness. Yet to Blake, it had been as bright as day. The same was true now.

"That's strange. Dhelmise shouldn't be able to stay out of the water for too long, but since we approached, why does it seem like it hasn't moved at all?"

Blake spoke uncertainly. It was not that he was being overly suspicious. Ghost-type Pokémon were simply too unusual. Any small detail could lead to a completely different outcome.

"Is there a problem?"

Uncle Sam came over and asked.

"For now, it probably isn't a big problem. If it doesn't move, that saves us from chasing it everywhere. Still, it's strange. Normally, Dhelmise becomes dry and uncomfortable after staying out of water too long, but even from this far away, I can feel that it's in a good mood."

"Geh? Σ(⊙▽⊙"a"

Gastly was also shocked upon hearing Blake's words. In a good mood? Seriously?

"I'm starting to doubt my own ability. Normally, I shouldn't be able to sense it this clearly, unless this Dhelmise's happiness is already so high that I can perceive it this clearly even without a bond between us."

Blake said uncertainly.

"Don't overthink it. Let's move."

Uncle Sam patted Blake on the shoulder. He knew Blake was nervous. After all, this was Blake's first time properly going out and handling a problem on his own. James had brought Blake along for some simple jobs before, but having someone lead him was different from taking action himself. What was more, this was Blake's first time personally trying to catch a Pokémon. Being nervous was only natural. It was no big deal. Everyone had gone through it.

"Yeah."

Blake nodded, and the group set off again. Since they knew their target was hiding and refusing to come out, things became much easier. There was no need to take detours. They headed straight for the captain's quarters and soon reached the corridor outside.

"I'll watch one end of the corridor, and he'll watch the other. The rest is up to you."

Uncle Sam patted Blake on the shoulder and released his Pelipper. On the other side, the sailor released a Crawdaunt. The two stood at opposite ends of the corridor to cover Blake, while Blake took a deep breath and approached the door to the captain's quarters.

"Ready, Gastly?" "Geh! (p≧w≦q)!"

Gastly nodded excitedly. As always, he loved fighting—especially prank-like battles against different opponents. What was more, this was a tactic he and Blake had developed together. They had never used it in front of outsiders before. Even Lulina did not know about it, since she had never lasted through even half of this tactic.

"Good! Go, Gastly!"

"Geh! ψ(*｀ー´)ψ"

Blake kicked open the already rotten door, and Gastly immediately flew inside. The Pokémon within, which had been absorbed in its own world moments earlier, did not have time to react. It was startled by the sudden intrusion. Blake had guessed correctly—the Pokémon inside was Dhelmise.

"Rrrrumble!"

Startled, Dhelmise immediately began shaking its body to express its anger. Who was this? How rude!

"So it really is Dhelmise? I'm here to negotiate!"

Blake opened with the bearing of an ancient master sorcerer, raising the Cleanse Tag in his hand. Aside from repelling weaker Pokémon, the Cleanse Tag had an even stronger repelling effect on Ghost-type Pokémon. Although the Dhelmise before him looked huge, according to Blake's senses, it was not actually very strong.

"Rrrrumble!"

Dhelmise was furious. Who started negotiations by kicking down the door?!

"You're affecting the lives of other Pokémon here. You have to leave."

Blake did not care what Dhelmise thought. He extended his hand, and a faint purple-black aura appeared. It soothed Dhelmise while also allowing him to understand its thoughts as much as possible. This was a manifestation of his clan's ability.

"Rrrrumble! (No! There's something good here that I need!)"

Feeling the aura surrounding its body, Dhelmise found it very comfortable. Its anger subsided considerably, but considering its own interests, it still shook its body in refusal.

"Something good? You mean the thing inside that safe?"

As soon as Blake approached the captain's quarters, he noticed what was different about this place. There was an extremely dense concentration of Ghost-type energy here. It seemed this was why Dhelmise had left its usual habitat.

"Rrrrumble! (Don't even think about taking it!)" Seeing Blake look toward the safe, Dhelmise thought Blake wanted to steal its treasure. Without another thought, it spun its body at high speed and charged straight at Blake.