sry for late post
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"We won!"
With the battle over, Caster, whose nerves had been taut the entire time, also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
This battle had been much easier than he'd imagined.
After all, his trump card, Power Boost, hadn't even been used yet, and the enemy had already been driven off.
If it had really come down to a desperate fight, Caster would have directly activated Power Boost and infused it into Gyarados, raising its physical attack by two stages.
Then he'd have little Pichu ride on Gyarados and use Helping Hand at the right moment, going all out in the killing struggle.
Anyway, Caster was specifically wearing a life jacket, so even if he fell into the sea, his life wouldn't be in danger for a short time.
Fortunately, the battle situation hadn't deteriorated to that point.
Seeing things going badly, the captain had fled faster than a rabbit, showing absolutely no attachment to the fight.
"Gyarados, Pichu. You both did excellent!"
Caster petted both Pokémon and activated several Energy Orbs to replenish their stamina.
Especially little Pichu, who had become the MVP of this wild battle, consecutively defeating two Pokémon with a brilliant record.
Because this little guy was small and hadn't evolved yet, opponents always failed to take it seriously.
But the more this was the case, the more it could display miraculous effects at critical moments.
"Roar~"
"Pii~"
As the Energy Orbs took effect, both Pokémon immediately squinted their eyes in enjoyment.
"We lost! The captain lost!"
"Things are bad! Run!"
On the illegal trawler, many crew members had been watching the confrontation between Caster and the captain.
Seeing the captain defeated and fleeing, the crew immediately began packing up their haul and evacuating, showing no attachment to battle whatsoever.
They were simply ordinary sailors. Despite having Pokémon under their command, their strength was far from impressive.
If even the captain wasn't a match, then they certainly weren't either.
They strapped on their packs, released Seaking, Seel, Corsola, and the rest of their Pokémon, donned their underwater respirators, and were swiftly carried by their Pokémon into the depths, disappearing beneath the water's surface.
Before evacuating, some crew members looked at the Lanturn in the hold that had already passed out but whose Deep Sea Scales hadn't been checked yet, saying with heartache: "What a shame about this whole hold of Lanturn. How many Deep Sea Scales must there be?"
"Are these criminals part rabbit or something? How does each one run faster than the last?"
Caster witnessed everything, but didn't rashly approach.
Instead, he waited until both Pokémon's conditions had recovered to their peak before directing Gyarados to approach the trawler.
However, just to be safe, Caster still patrolled the surrounding waters in a circle. Only after confirming all the criminals had left did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"This light is..."
As he approached the trawler, Caster immediately spotted a huge yellow lampshade hanging at the ship's bow. It looked somewhat like a Lanturn's antenna and was similarly flickering with electric arcs.
Caster's heart stirred, guessing this device might be what had attracted the Lanturn.
Because, according to the Pokédex description, the constantly flickering light on Lanturn's antennae was their only means of communication.
And this light very likely continuously broadcasts false or distress signals in all directions, drawing Lanturn over endlessly to be caught in one net.
"Gyarados, use Dragon Breath on that yellow light."
With a wave of his hand, Caster hurriedly ordered Gyarados to destroy the yellow light to prevent more innocent Lanturn from being lured over.
Under the searing breath, the yellow light instantly shattered and could no longer function properly.
Then, Gyarados lightly leaped and jumped directly onto the deck.
At this time, the trawler was completely deserted. All the criminals had already packed up their haul and scattered underwater during Caster's battle with the captain, fleeing far away.
On this specially made illegal trawler, Caster also saw metal lightning rods everywhere, which should be to prevent Lanturn riots.
"So many Lanturn? This is sinful!!!"
Caster, who had jumped onto the deck, came to the hold entrance and immediately saw the large number of Lanturn drifting unconscious in the water, densely packed, almost filling the entire hold.
This number must be several hundred!
Ordering Gyarados to stay alert on deck, Caster brought Pichu into the hold.
Inside the hold were several conveyor belt-like machines extending into the water that could continuously pull up unconscious Lanturn and place them on platforms, where Pokémon or crew members would check whether they carried Deep Sea Scales.
At the end of the inspection platform was also a conveyor belt machine. After being checked, the Lanturn would be transported by conveyor to the stern of the hold and dropped back into the sea.
The entire process was like an assembly line.
Whether catching fish or seizing Deep Sea Scales, everything was extremely efficient.
Caster didn't even dare imagine how many Lanturn would fall victim in a single day.
Only now, all these machines had been completely destroyed, broken in half from the middle.
"This water also has problems. I need to get these Lanturn back to the sea as soon as possible!"
Looking at the pool full of sleeping Lanturn, Caster was deeply worried.
"Lan~"
Just then, one Lanturn in the pool groggily woke up.
Seeing the unfamiliar environment, the pool full of fellow victims, and Caster, this "bad guy," Lanturn had a stress reaction.
Even though its spirit was listless and its body weak, it still swayed its antenna and released a large amount of electric current that enveloped everything around it.
Electric-type move: Discharge!
"Pii~"
Pichu was greatly alarmed and hurriedly blocked Caster's front.
However, the electric current shooting toward Caster had only flown a few meters before it deviated from its trajectory and was absorbed by the pointed rods in the hold.
It turned out the hold also had numerous metal lightning rods installed throughout.
The Lanturn's Electric-type moves had been safely neutralized!
Instead, the other Lanturn in the pool, due to the water's conductive properties, were jolted numb by their companion's electricity.
"Lan~Lan~Lan~"
Under the current's effect, more Lanturn woke up.
When they saw clearly where they were and recalled the scene of being caught in the huge net, their eyes turned blood red, looking at Caster with hatred.
Zzt zzt zzt!
They instinctively released electric currents to attack Caster, only to have them all absorbed by the hold's lightning rods.
Not only was it useless, but it caused them to be shocked themselves, charred on the outside and tender inside, their injuries becoming even worse.
"Lanturn, please calm down. I'm not a bad guy, I'm here to rescue you..."
"Pii~Pichu~"
Caster tried to awaken the Lanturn's rationality, and little Pichu helped too, but it was completely useless.
Seeing the electric current ineffective, some Lanturn began using Water Gun wildly, while others emitted strange sonic screeches.
Before long, the entire hold full of Lanturn had descended into chaos.
"Oh no, that sound just now was Supersonic. These Lanturn have fallen into a confused state!"
Watching the densely packed Lanturn rioting uncontrollably, Caster's expression changed drastically.
But the hold's pool was too deep, and the conveyor belt was broken. Plus, the water in the pool had drowsiness-inducing properties, so these Lanturn were actually in very poor condition, yet they couldn't escape the hold's pool.
Moreover, the riot had already begun. Unless these Lanturn exhausted their stamina, it would be impossible to stop.
"I can only wait for Officer Jenny and the others to handle this..."
Caster sighed, feeling helpless.
Right now, he only has one Pikachu and a Gyarados.
He could handle rough work like fighting, but delicate work like soothing Pokémon emotions, he really couldn't do.
"But if this continues, these Lanturn's condition and injuries will probably worsen further, right?"
Looking back at the listless Lanturn in the pool, Caster was about to leave the hold.
But just then, a captivating song suddenly came from the sea, seeming far yet near, ethereal and melodious.
Under the song's embrace, the Lanturn who had fallen into confused frenzy actually gradually calmed down.
"This song... seems able to purify Pokémon's negative emotions?"
Watching all this, Caster's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.
A normal Sing move would only cause Pokémon to fall into Sleep status, like singing god Jigglypuff.
But a miraculous song that could soothe Pokémon emotions, that was something else entirely.
Before long, as the Lanturn in the hold regained their rationality, the song from the sea also began to grow quieter and lighter.
"This is the vast open sea, so could it be..."
Caster's heart stirred as he thought of a possibility, and he hurriedly ran to the deck outside the hold.
He looked around trying to find the source of the song, but simply couldn't discern it, and there was nothing on the sea surface except continuously surging waves.
Seeing the song about to disappear, Caster took a deep breath and shouted: "Manaphy..."
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