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"The sense of crisis hasn't gone away… it's getting stronger. Just what is coming?"
In his room, Sato was meditating while levitating cross-legged in the air using his Psychic abilities. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, which glowed with a faint blue light, and gazed out the window at the calm sea with a puzzled expression.
As a Beginner psychic, Sato had not yet touched upon higher techniques such as true future sight. However, after more than three months of practicing the Heart Meditation Method, his sixth sense—what he called his heart sense—had begun to awaken.
Thus, his ability to sense impending danger was far sharper than an ordinary person's. During his deep meditation just now, he had once again sensed an approaching crisis, prompting him to cut short his training.
Although the sixth sense was somewhat elusive and not always reliable, Sato decided to stop meditating and leave his room.
Caution was the key to his survival so far, and as a Psychic, he had to place greater importance on his intuition than most.
Due to the midnight storm, many people on the ship had been unable to sleep. As a result, the cruise ship was brightly lit in the pitch-black night, standing out conspicuously on the dark sea.
Sato made his way to the deck and leaned against the stern railing to enjoy the breeze. Eventually, he took out his fishing rod and began fishing.
The deck was already crowded with insomniacs, gathered in small groups, sharing their experiences during the storm.
"Looks like you can't sleep either, Tyler. Well, neither can I. I'll keep you company. We two bachelors might as well night-fish until dawn."
Not long after Sato cast his line, a middle-aged man with disheveled hair approached, carrying a fishing rod. He smiled wryly at Sato, then glanced enviously at a young couple kissing nearby.
"Good evening, Mr. Todd."
Sato recognized the man as one of the ship's anglers. He nodded in acknowledgment before turning his attention back to the glowing float on the water, maintaining his usual demeanor.
Todd didn't mind Sato's coolness. Smiling faintly, he cast his line with practiced ease and sat quietly to fish.
Sato's fishing skill soon proved itself—his bobber dipped sharply, and with a quick crank of the reel, he hauled up a flopping Magikarp.
However, upon seeing that the catch was a Magikarp with an individual value of only 125, Sato promptly released it back into the sea. He rebaited his hook and cast his line again.
Nowadays, Sato had high standards for his catches. He would only keep a Magikarp if it was golden (shiny), and for other Water-type Pokémon, he required an individual strength value of at least 160.
Because of these strict requirements, although Sato efficiently hooked Water-type Pokémon one after another, he almost always released them back into the sea.
This "wasteful" behavior pained Todd and the other sleepless anglers nearby, who were barely catching anything themselves.
Soon, another angler who was on friendly terms with Sato couldn't bear it any longer. He swallowed his pride and approached Sato to specifically buy the Water-type Pokémon Sato didn't want.
Two hours passed, bringing the time to around 4 a.m.
During this time, Sato hadn't managed to catch any high-value Water-type Pokémon, but he had earned nearly 20,000 Pokédollars from the other anglers.
With a splash, another lively Magikarp broke the surface as Sato reeled it in.
Once on deck, Sato's Lanturn zapped the Magikarp with a Thunderbolt, neatly knocking it out.
A fisherman waiting in line behind Sato quickly stepped up, capturing the Magikarp in a Net Ball.
Sato then skillfully took out an old communicator from his pocket. After confirming the payment notification on the screen, he prepared to cast his line again.
But before he could cast again, commotion from the deck caught his attention.
"Look! There are a bunch of small boats heading this way!"
"There's fog rising over the sea… it looks weird. Almost like it's chasing those little boats!"
"I think I see fire in the fog… but it's a creepy blue flame! Gives me chills…"
With many insomniacs gathered on the deck, most were either enjoying the breeze or chatting idly. So, the moment something unusual appeared on the water, someone quickly noticed.
Hearing the chatter, Sato felt a jolt of alarm. He immediately reeled in his fishing rod and hurried toward the starboard side of the deck.
The seasoned fishermen also grew grim as they heard. Having roamed the seas for years, they knew many strange tales. Faces darkening, they followed Sato.
Sato leaned against the bow railing on the starboard side and looked out at the sea. With the help of the ship's lights, he could see small boats carrying people desperately rowing toward the cruise ship. Behind them, a thick fog was rapidly spreading, dotted with strange, glowing lights.
Judging by the scene, the people in those boats were fleeing in terror from the strange mist glowing with ghostly flames.
From the looks of it, the people in the boats were fleeing for their lives, terrified of the bizarre, luminous fog pursuing them.
"Those people are pirates. But what is that fog behind them? My Psychic energy can barely penetrate it."
Sato extended his Psychic senses and quickly confirmed the identities of the people in the boats. At the same time, he felt a deep sense of apprehension toward the strange fog.
The ship's crew were experienced sailors. As the small boats drew closer, veteran crew members quickly recognized the people on board.
"Pirates! All passengers, return to your rooms immediately! All crew members, report to the deck for defense!"
Alarms blared across the ship, and instructions were broadcast to both passengers and crew.
The sleepless crowd of gawkers turned pale and scrambled back to their cabins in panic. Thanks to the crew's experience, no stampede occurred.
"Oh Arceus… the legends were true… that fog... that's the Death Mist. The ghost ship is coming… we're doomed!"
At that moment, one of the fishermen near Sato seemed to recognize something terrifying. His face filled with despair, he collapsed onto the deck, his eyes vacant with hopelessness, and began crying out like a madman.