Sailing was actually quite dull.
After the initial novelty wore off, Sato and the others quickly fell into boredom.
The three-masted boat wasn't a cruise ship, so aside from basic food and lodging, there were virtually no recreational activities onboard.
Sato wanted to train his Pokémon, but the space on the deck wasn't enough to allow for full-scale training.
After thinking for a long time, Sato decided to take them swimming. Out here in the vast ocean, you never knew when a battle might break out, relying only on Sharpedo wouldn't be enough.
Of course, Gengar didn't need to. It wasn't affected by terrain and could float quickly even in the water.
The one who struggled the most was Houndoom. Learning wasn't difficult, but as a Fire-type Pokémon, swimming the same distance drained over twice the stamina compared to the others.
The training turned out to be surprisingly effective.
"Boss Sato is so hardworking! Arbok, you go swim too!"
Mark watched Sato swimming with his Pokémon and gave him a thumbs-up in admiration, then casually pushed Arbok, who was just watching, into the water.
"Char?"
Arbok looked at its Trainer in shock. 'Weren't we supposed to share joy and hardship? I'm no longer your precious darling!'
"Come on, Arbok!" Mark waved both hands, clearly indicating that he was staying on deck to cheer from the sidelines.
"Sato, come up when you're done. I've prepared afternoon coffee!"
Joseph came over with Chansey and Wigglytuff, each carrying an assortment of desserts, instantly capturing Mark's full attention. He even stopped cheering.
Arbok: 'Heartless Trainer!'
Sato then continued the training on his own. They had only just begun.
---
After another half hour, when Sato could barely see the outline of the ship, he recalled all his Pokémon except for Sharpedo.
"Let's go back." Sato climbed onto Sharpedo's back, gripped tightly, and said, panting.
"Shar!"
Whoosh!
Sharpedo shot forward, slicing through the surrounding waves like a speedboat, rapidly catching up with the ship.
There was no way Sato and the others could swim as fast as Sharpedo, so during their training, Sharpedo had essentially been serving as a bodyguard.
Oh, and that thick-skinned shiny Sharpedo too!
Sato sneered at it.
Not interested was not interested. He stood by his own Sharpedo. Although… it felt like he had forgotten something?
After boarding the ship, Sato took the wooden bucket Joseph handed him and washed off all the seawater from his body.
Then, draped in a towel, he sat down in a chair and casually tossed a piece of 'Napoleon' cake into Sharpedo's mouth, before picking a slice of 'Black Forest' cake for himself.
"Sato, how are you settling in?"
At that moment, Archie stepped onto the deck and walked straight over to them.
"Yeah, pretty good. Archie, want a piece?"
"Sure! I came to let you know that the ship will be stopping at a place called Rosen Island this afternoon for a day. You can get off and explore when we get there."
Archie grabbed a small croissant and said this while munching.
"Captain! What's special about Rosen Island?" Mark, who had just eaten and was now sunbathing on a lounge chair, sprang up when he heard "get off the ship."
"Haha, you'll see when you get there." Archie took a slice of strawberry cake and turned to leave.
"Finally, we get to go ashore. These past couple of days have been so boring. Arbok..." Mark stopped mid-sentence and suddenly froze. "Where's Arbok?"
"Probably… still in the ocean."
Sato grabbed two chocolate cream puffs and tossed one to Sharpedo, finally remembering what he had forgotten earlier.
"Ah! Arbok! Sato, how could you just throw my darling into the ocean and not care!"
"You threw it yourself."
Mark turned to stone on the spot. The sea breeze blew, and he shattered into pieces.
Joseph shook his head and quietly picked up the last sandwich cookie. "Still so impulsive."
"Sharpedo, go find it."
In the end, Sato still sent Sharpedo to retrieve the Arbok that was already exhausted from swimming.
Arbok lay on the deck in despair, not even getting a single piece of the afternoon coffe dessert.
It was just furious!
…
That afternoon, the three of them disembarked from the ship in high spirits. After being told to return before 9 a.m. the next morning, they eagerly headed toward the port.
The island was called Rosen Island, and as they entered the port, they were immediately hit by an exotic atmosphere full of distinctive local flavor.
As outsiders, Sato and the other two were enthusiastically approached by nearby merchants who eagerly promoted their products.
Mark casually picked up a clay pot, the bottom decorated with a pattern of a large blue fish.
"What's this?"
"Kyogre, a legendary super-ancient Pokémon. It can expand the sea, but it can also cause disasters!" Sato explained from the side.
"Nonsense! How could Kyogre cause disasters? It's the great deity that ends droughts!" a stout old woman glared at Sato, her tone full of both anger and reverence.
Sato coldly stared at the old woman, and his presence was so heavy that she couldn't speak for a while.
"Sato, let's go." Joseph grabbed the bewildered Mark with one hand and pulled Sato with the other, dragging them both away without giving them a chance to argue.
Because just moments ago, people had gradually begun to gather around, clearly drawn in by the mention of the name "Kyogre."
"The residents of Rosen Island seem to all worship Kyogre," Joseph whispered to the others after pulling them into a secluded corner.
The three looked around carefully and realized that throughout the port -on roads, buildings, the locals' clothing, and everyday items-, Kyogre motifs were everywhere.
Many small trinkets featured simple patterns, with just a few strokes outlining the majestic Kyogre.
The most elaborate depiction was on a stained glass wall in a clock tower. Depending on the viewing angle, the Kyogre on the glass seemed to swim, creating a rather mystical effect.
"It's Sir Archie!"
"Sir Archie, it's been so long since you've come back!"
"Sir Archie, this is some freshly picked Kelpsy Berry from my family. Take a basket and try them?"
"…"
Sato watched the scene unfold from the corner, finding it hard to believe. Archie was surprisingly well-loved here.
And the locals' warmth didn't seem fake at all.
Suddenly, Sato thought of the fact that the legendary Pokémon worshipped on this island was Kyogre… and Archie's future target was also Kyogre.
Could there be a connection between all of this?
Also, Maxie was nowhere to be seen!
The three of them watched as the crowd surrounded Archie and escorted him off into the distance. In that moment, their desire to continue sightseeing completely vanished.
"Let's follow him and take a look!"
"Alrighty!" Mark agreed immediately.
Joseph's eyes also flashed with thought. What he was wondering was… could it be that Archie was a native of this island?