Gyarados unleashed its fury, capsizing the enemy ship in a single devastating strike. With their flagship destroyed, the pirates of the Great Shark let loose a deafening roar of counterattack.
The enemy line collapsed instantly. Without their leaders, who were locked in battle against Gyarados and Swampert, no one was left to rally them.
By sunset, the sea burned red beneath the fading light. The deck of the Great Shark was slick with blood, a grim testament to the cruelty and heroism of the clash.
The last enemy pirate fell, and the survivors of the Great Shark erupted in cheers. They had endured the slaughter. Victory belonged to them.
Corpses. Fallen Pokémon. Treasure beyond counting.
For pirates, chaos was the ladder to power.
Some knelt on the deck, weeping and raising their hands toward the bloodstained sky, as if the sun itself blessed their survival.
Silas wiped blood from his face and emerged from the cabin where he'd hidden during the worst of the fight. He staggered deliberately, feigning exhaustion. After all, he had taken down an enemy himself. Better to look battered then let it lent weight to his survival.
At the bow stood Madam Mira. In her hands dangled the severed heads of the two first mates.
Gasps rippled across the deck. The gentle, elegant woman they thought they knew now stood revealed as something colder, crueler, and far more dangerous.
"The two first mates plotted against our captain," Mira declared, her voice hard as steel. "Tonight, with the captain's own Gyarados, I have executed them both to purge their treachery!"
Her gaze swept the crew. Men who moments before were cheering now bowed their heads in silence, cowed by her ruthlessness.
Then Silas raised his fist and shouted with all the strength he could muster:
"Madam Mira is invincible! We support her as our new captain!"
"Silas pays his respects to Captain Mira!"
His young face flushed red, his voice carrying over the crowd.
The pirates glanced at him, startled, then one by one echoed his cry.
"Greetings to Captain Mira! Long live our captain!"
From high above, Mira looked down on them with icy eyes, her silhouette framed against the sinking sun. The afterglow crowned her in crimson radiance, a queen born of fire and blood.
Slowly, she raised her arms to the wind and declared, her voice rolling like thunder across the sea:
"I accept your loyalty! From this day forward, the Great Shark's banner will fly higher than ever before!"
"Long live Captain Mira!"
"Long live! Long live!"
The chant rolled across the waves. Above them, the Great Shark's sails cracked in the wind, carrying them toward a new horizon.
That night, under cover of dusk, the crew salvaged what they could from the wreck of the enemy ship. Tonight would be sleepless; everyone awaited tomorrow's distribution of spoils.
....
Silas lay on his bed, body heavy with fatigue. At his side, Spearow stood vigilant on the bedframe, its sharp eyes watching the door. Corphish and Carvanha rested in the water-filled tub he had converted from the cabin's bath.
When silence finally fell over the ship, Silas rose. Alone, he emptied his pockets and belt onto the small table. Spoils from the day piled high.
First came cash then thick stacks of Pokedollars.
"Three hundred thousand…" he muttered, stunned. "Murder and arson truly do come with golden belts."
This was just from a handful of bodies he'd looted during the chaos. If he had been able to strip them all… his eyes burned with greed. But a cool sea breeze through the window snapped him back to himself. He shook away the fantasy and returned to sorting.
Two Poké Balls clattered onto the table. Inside: a Tentacool and a Corphish.
Silas frowned. "Their levels aren't even high."
He scanned them with his Pokédex:
Beep! Beep!!
______________________________________
Tentacool — the Jellyfish Pokémon. Water/Poison-type.
Level: 16
Ability: Clear Body
Condition: Stable.
Known Moves: Water Gun, Acid, Wrap, Water Pulse, poison sting
________________________________________
Corphish — the Ruffian Pokémon. Water-type.
Level: 17
Ability: Shell Armor
Condition: Stable.
Known Moves: Vice Grip, Harden, Bubble Beam, Leer.
________________________________________
"Hmph. Together they'd fetch a hundred thousand Pokedollars at best on the black market." He set the balls aside. "Useless to raise… but still useful to sell."
At last, only one item remained on the table - a small, leather-bound booklet.
Silas opened it, and his eyes widened. "This… is a training manual for Corphish?"
Page after page detailed everything from skill drills and feeding methods to tactical pairings and even emotional bonding. By the time he reached the end, he was lost in its depths.
Stamped boldly across the final page were six characters:
Produced by the Pokémon League's Breeding Division.
Silas sucked in a breath. "An internal breeder's manual… priceless."
How had a lowly pirate possessed such a treasure? He could only guess it had been stolen off an Alliance trainer.
What he didn't know was that the man he'd killed had once been just that a direct heir of the Alliance, driven into piracy after his family was destroyed in political purges. The manual had been purchased with Alliance merit points, a relic of a ruined life.
Silas locked it away carefully in his cabinet. 'This will be the cornerstone for Corphish's growth. I can't afford a single mistake.'
Only after securing his spoils did he finally collapse onto his bed, exhaustion dragging him into sleep.
.....
Morning came with the cries of Wingull outside his window.
"Good morning, Corphish," Silas yawned, pulling food from his cabinet. He placed pellets of standard water-type chow in a dish, then added a single glittering Pokéblock.
"With your appetite, one's enough."
Corphish snapped it up eagerly. Silas shook his head, half-smiling. "A few berries worth fifty Pokedollars… turned into a Pokéblock worth five hundred. The profit margin is insane."
His hands clenched. "I have to learn to make these myself."
That was the path of a true breeder: learning massage techniques like a Pokémon masseuse, emergency healing like a medic, and most importantly creating individualized training plans and Pokéblocks.
While his Pokémon ate, Silas grabbed a plate of curry rice from the mess hall. He'd grown richer overnight, but still ate frugally only adding extra meat cubes.
The curry's spice burned pleasantly on his tongue when a dish slid suddenly onto his table. The savory aroma of Slowpoke Tail filled the air.
Silas looked up. Across from him sat Gutian, smiling warmly.
"Eat up, little Lad," Gutian said cheerfully. "I ordered too much. Let's share."
Silas chuckled. "Brother Gutian, looks like you made a fortune in yesterday's spoils. This tail… can't have come cheap."
He picked up a piece and tasted it. Sweet, delicate, melting instantly on his tongue.
Gutian only smiled wider. "All thanks to the captain. Without her, we wouldn't be sitting here enjoying this feast."
Silas understood perfectly. Gutian wanted his support. With the first mates dead, Mira would soon need to appoint replacements. Ambitious old hands were already circling.
"Brother Gutian," Silas said smoothly, "I've been troubled lately about raising my Corphish…"
Gutian caught the hint immediately. He pulled a worn booklet from his pocket and slid it across the table. "These are my notes on Crawdaunt. And if your Corphish needs practice, my Crawdaunt will always lend a claw."
Silas tucked the booklet away with a smile. "Your efforts for the Great Shark won't go unnoticed, Brother Gutian. I'll be sure to mention them to my teacher."
Though still just an apprentice, he shamelessly called Mira "teacher." In politics, you told people what they needed to hear.
Gutian left satisfied, and Silas rose to stroll the deck. Unlike other pirates, weighed down with chores, he walked freely.
But as he looked around, his smile faded.
"Only two others from my group remain alive," he murmured. Almost every other newcomer had died in yesterday's slaughter.
"Being a pirate is too dangerous. Someday… I'll leave this ship behind. I'll wash my identity clean."
Ahead, a dozen pirates huddled together, trading spoils. Curious, Silas joined them.
One man lifted a Poké Ball. "Level 20 Swellow-to-be. Just a little more training, and it'll evolve. Already knows Aerial Ace."
Bids flew quickly. Many had lost their own Pokémon in the battle and needed replacements.
Silas was given a seat without question. No one dared to offend a man so close to the captain.
Eventually, the Taillow was sold for 140,000 coins. Low for its level but fair, considering taming another trainer's Pokémon was never easy. Sometimes, it backfired completely.
Silas leaned back, watching. The game of pirates was dangerous. But in danger… opportunity always thrived.
<><><><><><>
(End of chapter)