Chapter 193:News of Dragon Island! The Challenge of the Ocean Cruiser!

The sea today was as calm as ever.

As of today, a week had passed since they set sail.

Since leaving, Manaphy’s level had increased to 55.

The treasures of the sea continuously provided energy for Manaphy.

Natsume's team had also added Frogadier, Lapras, and Indeedee.

In the two days following Squirtle’s evolution, Mudkip successfully evolved into Marshtomp.

“Marshtomp~”

The sea water gently swayed as Lapras floated peacefully there.

Lapras was definitely one of the most sought-after Pokémon for fishing enthusiasts.

It could take you to any body of water.

Streams, rivers, seas, even glacial areas—Lapras could take you there.

At that moment, Natsume was leisurely sitting on Lapras’s back, fishing.

He adjusted his sun hat and turned to Manaphy beside him. “Manaphy, have you heard any news about Dragon Island?”

Manaphy was also lying on Lapras's back, holding a cup of cola.

“Manaphy~”

Manaphy pointed forward.

Manaphy indicated that they were getting very close.

However, Lapras No. 1 couldn’t enter that area.

If they wanted to go, they would have to proceed on their own.

On the sea, Manaphy could gather all the information.

Naturally, Manaphy could help Natsume find Dragon Island.

“That’s great! We’re finally going to find it.”

The fishing line twitched slightly.

“Here it comes.”

Natsume said excitedly as he gave a strong tug.

“Manaphy~”

Jumping, jumping~

A Wishiwashi was pulled up.

Natsume's mouth twitched slightly, then he said irritably, “Wishiwashi, tell your little ones to keep their distance!”

“Wishiwashi~”

Wishiwashi Ruler swam over innocently.

“Natsume, a ship is coming.”

At that moment, Watanabe shouted to Natsume from Lapras No. 1.

Natsume looked up and saw a cruiser gradually coming into view.

What stood out the most on the ship was a water slide shaped like a Gyarados.

Many people and Pokémon were lined up to slide down into the pool below.

The deck of the ship was designed like a water park.

There were many people from various regions on it.

Clearly, it was a luxurious large cruise ship.

At that moment, someone on the ship waved a red flag excitedly toward Natsume.

“Do you want to battle?”

Watanabe shouted to Natsume. “That’s a challenge invitation at sea.”

“If you want to accept, just wave a green flag in response.”

Sailing on the sea might seem fresh for first-timers.

But as time passes, it can become boring.

Sailors at sea, having drifted for long periods, invented numerous forms of entertainment.

Sea battles were one such activity.

When two ships met, they could wave a red flag to initiate a challenge.

To accept a challenge, they would wave a green flag.

Of course, they could also wave a white flag to refuse the challenge.

This activity gradually evolved into a custom where any ships at sea could use flags to initiate battles.

“A rare entertainment opportunity; of course, I’ll accept.”

Natsume waved at Watanabe.

“Understood.”

Watanabe tossed a small green flag to Natsume.

Natsume waved the flag.

The two ships slowly approached each other and came to a stop, facing one another.

The area between them served as the battle arena.

Triggering Daily Task: Sea Battle

Quest Description: A sailor at sea has initiated a battle application; achieve ultimate victory.

Quest Reward: Treasure Draw *1

On the cruise ship, the commanding platform on the deck automatically extended outward.

A sailor on the ship walked up to the commanding platform.

“Come forth, Poliwhirl.”

Poliwhirl, a Level 26 Water-type Pokémon, appeared.

“Frogadier.”

Frogadier eagerly looked at Natsume.

“Alright, then you’re up.”

On the opposite cruise ship, a person dressed in a referee uniform floated on a Magnezone, making its way to the surface of the sea.

He began to announce the rules of the match.

As the people on the cruise ship saw a battle about to take place, they all surged forward to get a better view.

There weren’t as many people on Natsume's side, though.

“Manaphy~”

Manaphy called out, causing a large group of fish Pokémon to reveal themselves.

“Look, the Trainer sitting on Lapras has so many fish Pokémon around him!”

Someone on the ship exclaimed, “This is just incredible!”

“And there's Milotic!”

Another person noticed Milotic among the school of fish.

“It’s so beautiful.”

“Milotic~”

Milotic floated effortlessly on the water's surface, gently swaying its tail.

At that moment, the referee on Magnezone announced, “Battle begin!”

“Poliwhirl, use Water Gun!”

Poliwhirl, floating on the surface of the sea, took a deep breath.

It puffed out its cheeks, and a Water Gun shot out instantaneously toward Frogadier.

“Frogadier, dodge!”

Frogadier easily sidestepped Poliwhirl’s move and quickly swam towards Poliwhirl.

“Poliwhirl, use Mud Shot!”

“Frogadier, use Smoke!”

White smoke instantly enveloped the sea surface.

Poliwhirl attacked wildly into the smoke.

Unfortunately, its blind fire clearly lacked the accuracy to hit Frogadier.

“Frogadier!”

From within the smoke, Frogadier burst out with a Quick Attack!

Bam~

Frogadier slammed into Poliwhirl, knocking it into the sea.

This Poliwhirl had the ability Water Absorb, so Frogadier couldn’t use Water-type moves on it.

However, Frogadier’s attacking options didn’t rely solely on Water-type moves.

“Poliwhirl, use Bubble Beam!”

After being knocked into the water, Poliwhirl immediately unleashed Bubble Beam.

A multitude of bubbles shot toward Frogadier, blocking its path of attack.

“Frogadier, retreat.”

Frogadier swiftly swam backward, evading the Bubble Beam attack.

Natsume watched Frogadier and said, “Don’t rush. In times like this, you need to pull back slowly and look for the perfect moment to strike.”

“Frogadier~”

At this time, the bubbles began to disperse.

“Charge in!”

Frogadier rushed toward Poliwhirl again.

Poliwhirl swam back to the surface.

“In terms of strength, we won’t lose.”

“Poliwhirl, wait for it to get close, then use Pound!”

“Now, Pound!”

“Frogadier, use Double Team!”

Bam~

Poliwhirl swung its arm forward.

However, its attack only connected with a clone.

Pound!

Bang!

Frogadier's palm heavily struck Poliwhirl.

“Once more!”

Pop~

Another resounding slap echoed out.

“Use Fling to toss it into the air!”

“Frogadier!”

Frogadier grabbed Poliwhirl's arm and threw it forcefully.

Poliwhirl was tossed into the air.

After being hit repeatedly on its head, it spun like a Gyro Ball in the air.

This caused Poliwhirl to become dizzy and lose its balance.

Frogadier initially wanted to follow up with another attack.

However, seeing Poliwhirl's condition, it was clear that there was no need for a final blow.

“Poliwhirl, lose battle capability! Frogadier wins!”

The referee announced the result.

Applause and laughter erupted from the crowd on the cruise ship.

“What a shame, get out of here.”

The sailor looked a bit embarrassed. “I just didn’t perform well.”

“A loss is a loss; don’t make excuses.”

Someone pulled the sailor down, and then a dark-skinned man stepped up to the commanding platform.

“Next up is me.”

As he spoke, he took out a Poké Ball. “Come forth, Drednaw.”

Natsume quickly glanced at Drednaw’s data.

Drednaw was a Water/Rock-type Pokémon at level 38, comparable to Feraligatr's level.

Feraligatr was one that Natsume had brought from the Cloudtop secret realm.

The first time Natsume saw Feraligatr, it was also level 38 and had quite a temper.

However, Feraligatr had now leveled up to 41 and had become much calmer.

Although Feraligatr’s temperament had improved considerably, it was still relatively compared to the Pokémon on the farm.

“Feraligatr, you’re up for this match.”

“Feraligatr~”

Feraligatr eagerly rubbed its fists and swam toward Drednaw.

On the cruise ship,

“Come on, Boatswain! If you lose, you might just lose your position!”

“Show them what we’re made of!”

The Boatswain laughed, “Don’t worry.”

“You all know my strength, right?”

After saying that, the Boatswain began to issue commands: “Drednaw, use Rock Tomb!”

Natsume casually responded, “Feraligatr, dive into the water and use Liquidation to charge!”

Feraligatr quickly submerged and shot toward Drednaw at high speed.

Feraligatr’s level was higher than Drednaw’s.

This battle was clearly going to be much easier.

Bam~ Bam~ Bam~

Large rocks crashed down into the water, but not a single one hit Feraligatr with any accuracy.

“Drednaw, use Razor Shell!”

Drednaw immediately spun in place, watching Feraligatr charge toward it.

“Feraligatr, hit its belly!”

“Feraligatr!”

Feraligatr swiftly dove beneath Drednaw.

Bam~

The spinning Drednaw was sent soaring into the air by Feraligatr.

“Now's the time, Water Pulse!”

Feraligatr let out an excited roar as a blue water ball formed in its hands.

Bam~

The Drednaw, which was descending toward the water's surface, was blasted back into the air by the impact of Water Pulse.

“Drednaw!”

Drednaw frantically waved its claws while in the air.

“Feraligatr, jump up and use Slash!”

“Feraligatr!”

Feraligatr leaped high from the water’s surface and came down with a powerful paw strike against Drednaw.

Bam~

Drednaw was slapped back into the water.

With a huge splash, the incapacitated Drednaw floated back up.

Applause erupted from the tourists on the cruise ship once again.

The sailors looked stunned.

“No way, the Boatswain’s Drednaw lost so quickly.”

At that moment, the Boatswain also felt a bit embarrassed.

He looked pallidly at the middle-aged man beside him.

This middle-aged man was the chief officer of the ship.

He looked at the Boatswain and said, “It seems you haven’t been training your Pokémon much since your promotion, huh?”

The Boatswain awkwardly replied, “I’m sorry.”

“Forget it; let's see how I perform next.”

After the chief officer finished speaking, he headed toward the commanding platform.

“I'll be next. Is that alright?”

Natsume casually responded, “Of course.”

“Let’s go, Mantine.”

This was a Level 56 Mantine, which was quite high.

Clearly, this Trainer's status on the ship must be significant.

“Feraligatr, we're switching Pokémon too.”

“Feraligatr.”

Feraligatr stepped aside.

Natsume looked at Milotic and said, “Milotic, it's your turn.”

“Milotic~”

Milotic swam to face Mantine.

The chief officer called out loudly, “Mantine, use Air Cutter!”

“Mantine~”

Mantine flapped its wings, unleashing invisible blades that sliced through the water's surface toward Milotic.

“Milotic，use Twister!”

“Milotic~”

In front of Milotic, Twister quickly formed.

The energy from Air Cutter was instantly disrupted by the swirling Twister.

After blocking Air Cutter, Twister flew back toward Mantine.

“Such strong Milotic!”

A sailor on the ship exclaimed, “The chief officer’s Mantine isn’t even a match!”

Milotic was a near-Champion level Pokémon.

The strength gap between them was significant.

Therefore, even a simple clash of moves immediately showcased the difference.

“Who is he?”

“With this level of strength, he can't be an ordinary Trainer, right?”

The chief officer, watching Milotic’s Twister, quickly commanded, “Mantine, bounce and fly up!”

“Milotic!”

Mantine soared out of the water, dodging Milotic's Twister.

Milotic looked up slightly.

Boom~

Raging bubbles shot out instantly, directly striking Mantine as it had just bounced into the air.

With a loud crash, Mantine tilted its wings and fell into the sea.

Splash~

As Mantine landed in the water, the Twister began to swirl again.

Mantine lost all control of its body within the whirlpool.

The chief officer quickly called out, “Mantine, are you okay?”

Mantine's current condition was clearly not good.

It flipped over and immediately lost its ability to battle.

The referee looked at Natsume’s Milotic in surprise before announcing, “Match ends.”

“Mantine has lost its ability to battle; Milotic wins.”

“Wow~”

“As expected, Milotic’s beauty and strength are proportional.”

The tourists on the ship glanced at the sailors with a look of disbelief.

“Seriously? Why does it seem like they’re losing even faster?”

“The security strength on this ship is way too weak!”

Natsume looked at them and asked, “So, what’s the plan? Do you want to continue?”

The chief officer hesitated for a moment, then recalled his Mantine before taking out a new Poké Ball.

“Go, Pelipper.”

The chief officer thought, “There’s no way to win this one.”

“But if I lose just like this, it would be quite embarrassing.”

He planned to have Pelipper use a few moves in the air, at least to create a big spectacle with exploding moves.

That way, even if he lost, he could explain it away.

“Dragonite~”

On the deck of Lapras No. 1,

Dragonite lazily took to the air.

“Dragonite~”

It was my turn, it was my turn~

“Dragonite, do you want to play?”

“Dragonite~”

Dragonite nodded, then pointed at the recreational facilities on the ship.

Dragonite asked if it could play after winning.

Natsume smiled and said, “Let’s discuss it; that should be fine.”

“Dragonite.”

The chief officer’s eyes widened as he watched Dragonite take off.

His legs felt weak.

Who could possibly defeat that?

“Truly the Natsume, the gym leader of the Japan league.”

Suddenly, a powerful voice came from behind the chief officer.

“Captain.”

“Captain, you’ve arrived.”

The chief officer quickly stepped aside to allow the Captain to pass.

Natsume scratched his head. “Looks like I’ve been recognized.”

Noticing he had been spotted, Natsume took to the air.

“Captain, are you the next opponent?”

The Captain shook his head slightly. “I certainly won’t be an opponent for Natsume, the gym leader.”

“Sorry, I can't let you enjoy yourself.”

The sea battle task was complete.

Quest Reward: Treasure Draw *1

Natsume shrugged slightly. “Not at all; everyone is having a great time.”

“Additionally, I’d like to discuss something with the Captain.”

“Go ahead.”

Natsume said, “My Pokémon want to play on your ship for a while, if that’s alright?”

The Captain smiled. “It’s our honor to host you aboard the Royal Dragonite.”

“Royal Dragonite?”

At that moment, Natsume noticed a plump Dragonite statue in the middle of the cruise ship.

Natsume became curious. “Why is it called the Dragonite?”

“Is there a story behind it?”