Yumachi Pier was located near Rampurchi City, serving as a regular departure point for ships bound for Maiden's Peak.
Sam gradually came to a realization—bad luck really was contagious.
After spending too much time with Ash and the others, even he had started running into misfortune.
He rushed—both anxiously and cautiously—toward Yumachi Pier, but in the end, he still failed to catch the last ship heading for Maiden's Peak.
There was no choice.
He would have to wait until tomorrow.
"Sam! Sam!"
A familiar voice called out from behind, causing Sam to freeze on the spot.
…What?
Didn't Ash and his group still have work tomorrow? Why were they here today?
"Why are you here?" Sam asked, his voice rising unconsciously.
"Oh," Brock replied honestly, "we finished our job early because we performed well. The boss let us off today."
Sam pressed a hand to his forehead.
His head was starting to hurt.
He had deliberately left Rampurchi City early to avoid getting involved in the giant Tentacruel incident—yet fate clearly had other plans.
So much for avoiding the plot…
---
Since they had all missed the last ship, Ash, Misty, and Brock decided to kill time by fishing along the beach.
"Sam, want to join us?" Ash asked, noticing that Sam seemed to be in a bad mood. "Fishing might help you relax."
At this point, there was no escaping destiny anyway.
Sam sighed inwardly.
"Sure. Let's go together."
The group sat along the shoreline, fishing rods in hand, waiting patiently.
An hour passed.
They caught nothing.
No rare Water-type Pokémon.
Not even a Magikarp.
Just as everyone's patience was about to run out, a small Horsea suddenly appeared in front of them.
The moment Sam saw it, he sighed softly.
Here it comes…
The plot was officially starting.
He glanced back at the city behind them, his expression complicated. If things continued like this, Rampurchi City would soon be submerged beneath the sea.
"It's a Horsea! It's so cute!" Misty instantly lit up, clearly enamored with it.
"This Horsea seems injured," Brock said after a careful look. His keen observation immediately picked up on the problem.
"What should we do? There's no Pokémon Center nearby…" Misty hesitated for a moment before making a decision. "Alright, I'll capture it and take it to the Pokémon Center."
Sam rolled his eyes internally.
If she wanted to catch Horsea, she could've just said so—there was no need to dress it up with such noble reasoning.
Using Detective Eye, Sam had already checked Horsea. Its strength and potential were both quite good, but he had no intention of capturing it.
He did lack a Water-type Pokémon, but what he wanted was a rideable Water Pokémon—preferably a Gyarados.
Recently, he had been searching for a suitable Magikarp, but none had met his standards. With the system backing him, Sam wouldn't casually capture a Pokémon with mediocre potential.
"Ho… Horsea…"
Horsea cried out weakly, as if trying to convey something.
It took a deep breath and spat out black ink into the air. Within the ink, vague images of Tentacool and Tentacruel appeared above the surface of the sea.
"It looks like it's trying to tell us something," Ash said quietly.
"Right now, treating its injuries is more important," Misty said firmly. "Go—Poké Ball!"
Horsea was too badly injured to resist and was captured without struggle.
The moment Misty picked up the Poké Ball, she sprinted toward the nearest Pokémon Center.
"Misty, wait for me!" Ash quickly ran after her.
Once they were gone, Brock turned toward Sam.
"Sam… did you notice something?" he asked. "You've seemed distracted, especially since Horsea appeared."
Sam let out a slow breath and turned to face him.
"We might be in trouble, Brock," he said seriously. "No—more accurately, this city is about to be in serious trouble."
Brock's heart sank.
He knew Sam wasn't the type to exaggerate. If those words came from him, then the danger was real.
"Sam," Brock asked gravely, "what did you discover?"
"Have you noticed how many Tentacool are gathering near Yumachi Pier?" Sam said, pointing toward the sea.
Brock followed his gaze.
Not far away, clusters of Tentacool floated densely together, the red gems on their foreheads gleaming ominously in the sunlight.
At that moment, Brock also realized—
Something was very wrong.