Days flew by as the cruise ship glided smoothly across the sea.
Sebastian's vessel was bound for Mistralton City in Unova for a gathering. With no special events scheduled, passengers simply enjoyed their leisurely time aboard.
During this time, Cole occasionally crossed paths with Danny, but their encounters amounted to nothing more than glares. Sebastian vigilantly monitored his uncle, preventing any disturbances on the ship.
Cole maintained his solitude throughout the voyage, keeping interactions minimal — which made for a peaceful journey.
Meanwhile, Daisy's dedicated practice paid off as she mastered both Double Team and Teleport. Though she hadn't perfected the techniques yet, continued practice would smooth out any remaining rough edges.
Kricketune, too, was settling into life with Cole — or rather, finding its place alongside Brionne.
The two Pokémon had become constant companions over these days. The singer and musician formed a natural duo, with Brionne's songs accompanied by Kricketune's melodies. Their harmonious performances seemed to spring from years of practice rather than their recent acquaintance.
After training sessions, Cole and the others would often pause to enjoy the pair's impromptu concerts — creating moments of pure tranquility.
Today, the ship anchored near a small supply island — a waypoint designed for large vessels making inter-regional journeys to restock and rest.
Though large cruise ships rarely needed such stops, carrying ample provisions for their journeys unless emergency circumstances arose.
Here, Cole would part ways with Sebastian, as continuing onboard would take him straight to Unova.
Once docked, he adjusted his spatial backpack and went to bid Sebastian farewell.
"Brother Bash, thank you for all your help." Cole said warmly.
Sebastian replied with a broad smile, "This is nothing! You're Alfred's brother — helping you out is the least I could do! Your berries are delicious. Alfred told me you cultivated them yourself. If you really want to thank me, just send me a few pounds next time."
Cole readily agreed, "A few pounds? When you visit my orchard, I promise you can eat your fill."
"Hahaha!" Sebastian laughed, "Good, I'll definitely visit when I get the chance."
After exchanging pleasantries, he personally saw Cole off the ship.
From aboard, Sebastian waved and called out, "Goodbye, little brother Cole! Until we meet again!"
His first impression of Alfred's brother was quite positive.
Standing at the port, Cole waved back at Sebastian.
Once the cruise ship had sailed away, he turned to Daisy beside him, "Alright, Mom, let's go."
"Garde~" — Let's go!
Having just disembarked, Daisy was in high spirits and cheered at Cole's words.
Though the cruise ship offered many entertainments, she had found it rather dull. After a few days, her initial excitement had faded.
This supply island had no permanent residents — just one supply station with minimal staff.
Cole entered the station with Daisy, hoping to purchase supplies and learn about the surrounding area to plan their next move.
"Welcome!"
A young woman in a blue uniform greeted him warmly, her hair tied in a ponytail.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" She asked.
"Hello, do you sell inflatable boats? I'd like to buy one." Cole said.
He had originally planned to travel by sea directly on Gyarados, but after several days on the cruise ship, he thought it might be more comfortable to have Gyarados pull an inflatable boat instead.
"In...inflatable boat? Yes, we have those. Would you like me to show you?" The young woman's voice wavered strangely for a moment, but quickly returned to normal, and Cole didn't notice.
Soon, he followed her to the inflatable boat section, but something felt odd.
Along the way, the young woman passed several colleagues without any acknowledgment — they simply walked past each other with blank expressions.
At first, Cole wondered if she just had poor relationships with her coworkers. But as this happened repeatedly with different people, it seemed too strange — surely she couldn't be on bad terms with everyone?
"Here are all our inflatable boats in various models. Please take a look at which one you like."
The young woman maintained a gracious smile throughout their interaction, but Cole sensed something wasn't quite right.
That's when he noticed thick cobwebs hanging on the distant shelves. When he ran his hand along the nearby shelf, it came away covered in dust.
He looked at the young woman questioningly, "Don't you clean here regularly? There's so much dust accumulated."
The young woman's smile froze, and her voice became strange.
"What... are you saying? Dust... dust..."
But then she quickly composed herself.
"Oh, you mean the dust? I'm so sorry, the island has been quite windy lately, so dust accumulates easily in the store. We'll pay more attention to it."
Hmm? This was an island, not a desert. Even with wind, this much dust couldn't appear suddenly — and such fine dust couldn't have accumulated in just a day or two.
Cole wasn't the only one who noticed something was off. Daisy had also sensed something unusual about the young woman.
"Garde?"
She looked puzzled at the young woman, but that sense of something being wrong vanished so quickly that Daisy wondered if she had imagined it.
"What's wrong, Daisy?" Cole asked his mother.
"Garde~ Garde~" — Nothing, probably just my imagination.
Daisy shook her head.
Cole furrowed his brow. For a Psychic-type Pokémon with such keen perception, experiencing an illusion seemed highly unlikely.
If she had also noticed something strange about this supply station...
To avoid raising suspicion, Cole didn't press Daisy further. Instead, he pointed to an inflatable boat and said to the young woman, "I'll take this one."
The young woman smiled, "Alright, I'll have someone bring the boat to the entrance later. For now, please come with me to complete the payment."
"Okay, please lead the way." Cole said, keeping his voice steady.
"Please follow me."
At the checkout counter stood a short man with cropped hair, wearing the same blue uniform as the young woman.
"Hello, welcome."
When the man spotted Cole, his smile faltered for a moment before quickly recovering — a change that didn't escape Cole's notice.
"Garde~ Garde~"
Suddenly, Daisy tugged at Cole's arm, pointing and calling out.
Cole followed her gesture and froze. The inflatable boat he'd just purchased was floating in mid-air, drifting lazily toward the station's entrance.
Cole: (⊙▂⊙)???
He turned to the young woman with an unspoken question: Is this what you meant by having someone bring it to the entrance?
This was definitely paranormal!
The young woman hadn't expected such a slip-up. When she noticed Cole had spotted something wrong, her eyes began emanating an eerie red light.
In an instant, the young woman collapsed to the ground, along with the cashier and other employees who had been walking around.
The supply station plunged into darkness as the surroundings transformed. Cole and his companions found themselves in a pitch-black, mysterious space.
"Hee hee hee..."
"Ha ha ha..."
"Keh keh keh..."
...
Bone-chilling laughter echoed all around them, reverberating endlessly in their ears.
Cole maintained his composure. A red light flashed at his waist, and Heliolisk materialized beside him.
"Helio~"
Its neck frills expanded to maximum size, releasing an explosive burst of light that instantly illuminated the dark space.
Looking around, Cole saw the space teeming with Ghost-type Pokémon of various sizes and forms — Gastly, Haunter, Shuppet, Duskull, Sinistea...
Startled by the sudden brightness, the Ghost-type Pokémon scattered in panic, creating a scene like a hundred ghosts parading through the night.
Several of the more composed Ghost-type Pokémon formed Shadow Balls and hurled them at Cole, Daisy, and Heliolisk.
With a wave of Daisy's small hand, a transparent Light Screen materialized before them. The Shadow Balls crashed against it, bursting like black fireworks.
Another red flash came from Cole's waist, and Brionne appeared beside Heliolisk.
"Brionne, Rain Dance!"
"Brio~"
Brionne nodded, shooting a blue orb skyward. Dark clouds soon gathered overhead in the black space.
Then Cole commanded, "Heliolisk, Electric Terrain, then use Charge!"
"Helio!"
Heliolisk nodded, its body instantly bathed in electric light. A sparkling electric carpet spread outward with the Pokémon at its center.
As Cole directed Brionne and Heliolisk, the Ghost-type Pokémon began recovering from their initial shock, launching a barrage of attacks at the group.
Daisy struggled to maintain her defenses against the onslaught of ghostly attacks.
Seeing her difficulty, Cole released Carbink from its Poké Ball.
As a defensive specialist, Carbink's presence immediately bolstered their position. With its support, Daisy regained her composure, creating Light Screen and Reflect barriers around the group.
A light rain began falling from the sky.
"Heliolisk, Thunder!"
At Cole's command, a blue lightning bolt split the dark space, striking the Ghost-type Pokémon.
The rain had soaked the Ghost-type Pokémon, making them excellent conductors. The electric strike sent most of them crashing to the ground, leaving only a few evolved ones barely standing.
Cole seized the moment, "Brionne, Disarming Voice!"
"Brio!!!"
Brionne unleashed its sound waves — no longer gentle and melodic, but fierce and lethal.
Due to Brionne's Liquid Voice hidden ability, the Fairy-type Disarming Voice transformed into a Water-type move. The water-covered Ghost-type Pokémon felt their droplets begin to vibrate.
The vibrations coursed through their bodies, and with a surge of intense pain, the remaining Ghost-type Pokémon collapsed.
Though the Ghost-type Pokémon had fallen, Cole and his companions remained trapped in the strange space, unable to return to the supply station.
Suddenly, Daisy sensed impending danger. A pillar of fire descended from above, shattering both Carbink and Daisy's light screens instantly.
BOOM!!!
The group vanished in an explosion of roaring flames.
As the rain gradually extinguished the inferno, no trace of the group remained — Daisy had teleported everyone to safety at the crucial moment.
Cole stared at the scorched ground, shuddering. If not for Daisy's quick thinking, they would have perished.
Looking up toward the source of the magical flames, he saw a Pokémon floating in the air, dressed in a purple magical robe and pointed witch's hat.
A Mismagius.
Now it made sense why the space hadn't vanished when the Ghost-type Pokémon fell — this entire realm was Mismagius's illusion.
The mass teleportation had taken its toll on Daisy, who had only recently learned the technique. Her face had grown pale from Psychic Energy depletion.
Cole kept his eyes on the hovering Mismagius while gently clasping Daisy's hand. Blue light flickered in his eyes as he established a psychic link with her.
Under his psychic support, her color began to return.
Boom~ Boom~ Boom~
Mismagius fixed its gaze upon the group as crimson flames materialized around it. The scorching heat warped the space and vaporized every falling raindrop.
This time, Mismagius took a more calculated approach, projecting waves of Psychic Energy.
"Leave this place! Leave this place!"
Mismagius's message reverberated with menacing threats, its demeanor fierce and hostile.
Cole asked calmly, "Why are you controlling the people at the supply station? If you're having troubles, we can discuss them — we'll do our best to help you. Please release these people."
At his words, Mismagius's psychic waves intensified.
"Don't need it! Humans are all liars — all liars! Leave this place! Quick, leave this place!"
The overwhelming waves of psychic energy pounded against Cole's mind, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.
✲✲✲
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