Before long, David and his group were already nearing the outer sea, carried swiftly along on the back of Lapras.
Do not be misled by Lapras's calm, unhurried movements — on the open water, the Transport Pokémon is remarkably fast, capable of sustaining speeds well above two hundred and fifty kilometers per hour. In the ocean, only the most powerful predators at the top of the food chain could hope to match it. In truth, it was only Lapras's gentle, peaceful nature that kept it from being an outright terror of the seas. Should a Lapras choose to embrace battle, it would be an extraordinarily formidable Pokémon — a fact proven by none other than Lorelei of the Kanto Elite Four, whose Lapras stood as one of her strongest partners. The species' near-extinction in the wild, requiring active intervention and breeding programs by the Pokémon League, spoke not to weakness, but to just how coveted they had become.
As expected, the outer sea was a different world entirely. Pokémon here were far more numerous, the variety of species far richer, and the waters teeming with life compared to the calmer coastal shallows.
The locals, however, were not exactly welcoming.
✦ ✦ ✦
"These wild Pokémon really have no manners," David muttered.
This far out, the Superior-rank Lapras could no longer rely on its Aura to quietly deter nearby Pokémon the way it had closer to shore. Before David could even get his bearings, two Tentacruel surfaced without warning and launched a volley of Poison Sting directly at him. The distance was short, and his attention had been split by the Pokémon already engaged in battle around him. Only a timely pulse of warning from his Aura gave him the moment he needed — David hit the deck across Lapras's shell, the needles skimming past him in a sharp hiss.
"Kirlia!"
"Zorua!"
Seeing their Trainer attacked right before their eyes, both Pokémon were furious. Without waiting for a command, they acted together — Kirlia and Zorua each unleashed Psychic in unison, dragging the two Tentacruel up from beneath the surface before they could slip away.
David took a quick look at the two Pokémon as they were restrained.
Energy Level 38. Dark Blue aptitude. These Tentacruel were no pushovers — significantly stronger than the ones he had encountered closer to the coast. For an ordinary Trainer, dealing with even one of them would have been a real ordeal.
David dusted himself off and glanced at the time. About an hour left. He needed to move.
The outer sea delivered on its promise. Natural resources were abundant, and the Pokémon here were noticeably more powerful than anything found inland. Gorebyss, Qwilfish, Carvanha — species after species were reeled in, and David watched his ranking on the competition's live screen climb sharply, jumping six or seven places in a matter of minutes and edging him toward the top three.
The sudden shift in his ranking did not go unnoticed. Once others saw someone had taken the plunge and ventured out to the open water, they began to follow, one by one pushing away from the safer coastal areas and heading outward.
✦ ✦ ✦
It was around then that David noticed the man in black.
The figure had been lurking near the edges of the group for a while — quiet, withdrawn, keeping to himself. Now he had drifted closer. David, who had been focused on fishing, glanced up.
Something felt wrong.
It was not a reasoned conclusion, and David knew it might seem hasty without evidence. But his Aura did not lie. The moment the man came near, David felt it — a heaviness clinging to the man's presence, the unmistakable residue of bloodshed and deep resentment wound together in his Aura. It was subtle, but to someone who could read such things, it was unmistakable. A skilled Aura user could even gauge the honesty behind a person's words; what David sensed went beyond dishonesty.
Still, he said nothing. He was in the middle of a competition and had no time to act on a hunch. He would flag it to the relevant League authorities later when the event was over.
The two passed each other without a word, and for a moment it seemed the encounter would amount to nothing.
Then the token in the man's hand began to glow.
A brilliant, sudden light — and the man froze. Then his expression shifted from surprise to barely contained elation.
"So it was here after all," he breathed.
He had been searching for hours with his group and had found nothing. He had only stepped away briefly for air. And now, here it was.
David's eyes were drawn to the glowing pendant before he could stop himself.
"What is th—"
The words died in his throat as a violent shudder rolled up through Lapras's body from below. Then another. And another.
Directly beside them — precisely where the man in black had been standing a moment before — the sea split open. A massive whirlpool tore itself into existence, spreading outward with terrifying speed, pulling everything within reach toward its center.
"Oh no—"
The man in black didn't even finish his sentence. The vortex swallowed him whole before the words left his lips.
David felt his blood run cold.
He immediately directed Lapras to turn and flee. But they were simply too close. The Pokémon beneath the man's feet had been a Professional-rank Gyarados — and even that Gyarados was losing ground against the pull of the vortex. David's Superior-rank Lapras had no chance.
"Of all the rotten luck — why does this keep happening to me?"
David pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a long, resigned breath. Last time it had been Cloud City. Now it was Belon City. At this rate, he was going to be afraid to leave the house.
Across the competition zone, the panic was immediate. Every participant scrambled for shore, desperate to outrun the expanding vortex. Many made it. Many did not. The whirlpool grew steadily, consuming everything in its reach, and the competition — so full of energy and motion only minutes before — ground to an abrupt and unceremonious end.