The waters connecting Kanto and the Sinnoh Region.
In the Kanto Region, this stretch of sea was called the North Sea.
The Kanto Region lay to the south, and the Sinnoh Region to the north.
More precisely, the Sinnoh Region lay northeast of the Kanto Region, with a vast expanse of sea separating them.
Several shipping routes had been established across these waters, linking Kanto and the Sinnoh Region.
Lt. Surge had been sailing normally along one of those routes when he encountered this fog.
According to the usual route, there was a large island here.
At the center of the island was a lake roughly five kilometers in diameter, home to many Water-type Pokémon.
Quite a few wild Pokémon lived on the island, but there was nothing else there.
There had never been any danger before.
Now, however, it was shrouded in thick fog.
Lt. Surge shook his head. "Honestly, I don't even know whether I encountered anything. I don't remember a thing."
He was still a little embarrassed when he spoke about it.
After an unknown amount of time, Lt. Surge's S.S. Aqua had drifted ashore.
When he woke up, several fishermen had boarded the S.S. Aqua and were repeatedly patting his face.
It had made Lt. Surge think someone had performed surgery on him.
You're awake! You're a girl now!
Even stranger, none of Lt. Surge's Pokémon had sensed anything unusual. They seemed to have been fast asleep in their Poké Balls, too.
Only the S.S. Aqua's recorder showed that the ship had indeed disappeared from radar for a while-about eight hours.
The incident had immediately caught Lance's attention.
He had taken Dragonite on a patrol of the area.
Lance had not rashly ventured deep inside alone.
After all, no one knew what they might encounter.
It