“Closed?”
“Obviously.
If you made over two million in sales in a single day, you’d take a break too.”
“If I made over two million in a day, I’d work myself to death for fifty days straight, then lie around for the rest of my life!”
“He already has enough money to lie around forever.
He only opened the shop for fun.
Yesterday, he sold out every single item in one go, so there’s no point keeping the place open.
Besides, I heard something happened over at Rat Reef, so that’s probably why he went out.
Don’t forget, his real identity isn’t just shop owner.”
“Oh, right, right.
I almost forgot.
Still, I’m so jealous!
Over two million in one day…”
Two souvenir shop owners in the scenic area looked at the rolling shutter pulled down over Blake’s shop, along with the note posted on it saying he was out on business, and could not help feeling envious.
At that very moment, Blake was already out at sea aboard Uncle Sam’s boat, less than fifteen nautical miles from Rat Reef.
Although Rat Reef was called a reef, to someone who did not know the area, it looked more like an island.
It was formed by a connected stretch of reefs.
At high tide, the rocks were hidden underwater, but once the tide went out, large patches of reef would emerge, forming a rocky area two or three kilometers across that looked almost like a small island.
Ships approaching for the first time could easily run aground if the crew failed to check the nautical chart, had no Water-type Pokémon to warn them, and happened to arrive during high tide.
The sharp reefs would slice directly into the bottom of the hull, and the wreck Blake and Uncle Sam were heading toward today was one such unfortunate ship.
The wreck had been stranded there for quite some time.
What made it interesting was that it had run into a particularly unlucky tide.
It sailed in while the water was high, but halfway through, the tide receded, leaving the ship stranded directly on the rocks.
The position it got stuck in was especially awkward.
Because of its own weight, the ship had been torn into two halves.
It had not fully snapped apart, with the keel barely connecting both ends.
One section had sunk into the water, while the other hung above the surface of the sea.
The part Blake and Uncle Sam were heading for was the upper half—the section above the water that had been converted into a shelter for people in distress.
“Stop here for a moment!”
Blake called out to Uncle Sam and the others.
Professionals handled professional matters, and the moment Uncle Sam’s crew heard him, they immediately stopped the boat.
“Give me a second.”
Blake took out a charm and hung it around his neck.
Then he pulled out a small water flask, dipped his finger inside, and touched two drops of water to his eyes.
He closed them, relaxed his mind, and then suddenly opened them.
Buzz—!
A hum rang out, though no one except Blake could hear it.
In the next moment, everything in his vision turned purple.
He stared at the distant wreck, and gradually, the ship seemed to draw closer, expanding within his sight.
“Black.
It’s definitely a Ghost-type Pokémon.”
Blake nodded.
This ability came from his family’s special power.
It could only be used to observe Ghost-type Pokémon or what people commonly called evil spirits.
In this purple-tinted field of vision, Ghost-type Pokémon appeared black, while evil spirits appeared red.
As for the water in the flask, it was dew gathered from the rare leaves of a Phantump.
It could amplify the sensory range of this ability.
Why did it work that way?
No one could really explain it.
“Can you tell what Pokémon it is?”
Uncle Sam had seen Blake’s father perform something similar before, so he was familiar with what Blake was doing and immediately asked.
“Not yet, but I have a guess.
By the way, are the Tentacruel ready?” Blake asked again.
“They’re ready!
Tentacruel and Tentacool are among the Pokémon we have the most of.
Same goes for Wingull and Pelipper.”
Uncle Sam nodded.
“Good.
I’ll try to calm it down first.
If that doesn’t work, we may have to battle.
You don’t need to help me fight.
Just help make sure it doesn’t get away.”
Blake nodded as he spoke.
“You’re planning to catch this Pokémon?”
The moment Uncle Sam heard that, he naturally guessed what Blake intended to do.
“That’s right!
If it really is what I think it is, then I’ll try to catch it.
Of course, it still depends on what the Pokémon wants.
I don’t force Pokémon.
At most, I’ll find a place and let it leave.
This area isn’t suitable for it to live in, and it could affect the other Pokémon here.”
Blake nodded again.
“So, what Pokémon do you think it is?” Uncle Sam asked curiously.
“A Ghost-type Pokémon that needs Flying- and Poison-type moves to handle, lives in the sea, and…
here’s another hint.
It’s something every ship has.”
As Blake spoke, he tapped the chain beside him with his foot.
It was the iron chain attached to the ship’s anchor.
“Wait.
You mean that one?”
Uncle Sam finally reacted.
Having been neighbors with Blake’s family for several generations, Uncle Sam was probably most familiar with Ghost-type Pokémon after Water types.
Since there were not that many Ghost-type species to begin with, he immediately thought of a Pokémon James—Blake’s father—had mentioned years ago.
“That’s right.
A Grass- and Ghost-type Pokémon.
That said, there’s one important thing to remember about Dhelmise.
The huge ship’s wheel and anchor aren’t its true body.
The seaweed wrapped around them is.
So if it really tries to run, make sure any Poison-type attacks aim for the seaweed, not the wheel or anchor that look easier to hit.
Attacking those parts won’t do much to it.”
Blake confirmed Uncle Sam’s guess, then took out a drawing he had prepared in advance from his waist pouch and unfolded it.
The picture showed the traditional appearance of a Dhelmise.
Yes, only the traditional appearance.
This was a real world, after all.
There was no way every Pokémon would look exactly the same, especially one like Dhelmise.
Its ship’s wheel and anchor were both replaceable equipment.
No one could guarantee that a Dhelmise would not find a better-looking anchor or wheel and abandon its original ones.
Something like that was entirely possible.
Of course, in most cases, to ensure it could still move properly, Dhelmise would not choose anchors or wheels that were too massive or heavy.
They usually searched sunken old sailing ships for parts.
But no one could guarantee that the seaweed of this particular Dhelmise was not especially lush.
According to Blake’s family records, the largest Dhelmise discovered so far had been wrapped around the anchor of a 100,000-ton cargo ship, an anchor that weighed five tons.
That gigantic anchor was already a powerful weapon in itself.
It did not even need a move.
Simply flying up and dropping down was enough to ruin someone’s day.
That was why saying “the Pokédex is for reference only” or “the Pokédex is only a best guess” was not a joke.
It was something that had truly happened.
“All right, we understand.”
Uncle Sam and the crew members accompanying him all nodded.
“Still, don’t worry too much.
Dhelmise usually stay on the seafloor and rarely come ashore, so their battle strength generally isn’t that overwhelming.
So then…
are you ready, Gastly?”
As Blake spoke, he looked down at his own shadow.
“Gastly!
ᕦ(・ᄇ・)ᕤ”
Gastly floated out from Blake’s shadow and curled his tongue, trying to imitate the motion of flexing both arms.
Unfortunately, since all he had was a tongue, the gesture only made him look adorable!
Still, Blake would never look down on Gastly for that.
Quite the opposite—he was just as excited now.
“Good.
Then let’s see whether this Pokémon can become a new member of our family!”
“Gastly!
ヾ(●´∀`●)”
“Hahahahaha!
That’s the spirit!”
Seeing Blake like this, Uncle Sam burst into laughter.
Now that was what youth should look like!