The five of them swam vigorously for a long time. It was currently midnight, the darkest hour of the day. In the middle of the vast, trackless ocean, no one dared to swim too fast. Losing one's sense of direction at sea was a terrifying prospect.
Under Hisoka's lead, the group swam straight ahead for about fifteen minutes. Ash and the others were in a daze, simply following the figure in front of them; it seemed that only by keeping that silhouette in sight could they muster any confidence.
Nearly half an hour had passed since Hisoka and his companions had moved away from the S.S. Anne. Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from the distance. Looking back, the S.S. Annethat ten-thousand-ton behemoth of the seahad been snapped in half by the surging backflow of seawater. The screech of rending metal was hair-raising.
As the S.S. Anne broke apart, the speed at which it sank increased. Five minutes later, starting from the bow, the ship's massive silhouette had almost completely vanished beneath the horizon.
The sinking of a ship of that magnitude brought with it a cataclysmic man-made whirlpool. Even though Hisoka's group was quite far away, they could still feel the suction of the seawater dragging them back toward the wreckage.
Without a moment's hesitation, everyone swam forward with all their might to break free from the pull.
"Everyone, you can stop now!" Hisoka's voice rang out over the dark water. A beam of light suddenly appeared as Hisoka pulled a military-grade flashlight from his folding backpack. He shouted, "If you can see the light, swim toward me!"
"I see it!" Ash called out.
"We see it too!" Maggie and the others added.
The four of them swam to Hisoka's side. Under the flashlight's beam, their faces were still pale with shock. They felt a lingering dread; if they hadn't listened to Hisoka and left the ship early, they might have been buried in the sea along with the S.S. Anne.
"The S.S. Anne sank along the route to Porta Vista..." Hisoka wiped the seawater from his face and continued, "We can't keep swimming. It's too dark. We have to stay put and wait. Something this big will definitely bring in the police for support. We aren't far from where it sank. We'll wait for sunrise before seeking help."
Hisoka had become the group's backbone. Whatever he said, they did. After everything they had been through, their trust in him was absolute.
Hisoka checked his watch. It was 3:00 AM, three hours until dawn. Drifting in the ocean like this was dangerous; they were easy targets for wild Pokémon attacks. Moreover, if someone fell asleep from exhaustion, a disaster could happen.
However, he was prepared. Hisoka opened his military backpack and pulled out a vacuum-sealed, flattened rectangular rubber strip. This was actually an automatic inflatable raft. It was easy to use; once the vacuum seal was broken, it would immediately expand into a craft capable of carrying six people.
Under the astonished gazes of the other four, Hisoka tore open the packaging and tossed the rubber strip onto the waves. A second later, as if by magic, a simple blue inflatable boat appeared before them.
Ash stared with his mouth wide open, murmuring, "That... that is incredible!"
"Get on the boat first. Staying in the water is asking for a wild Pokémon attack..." Hisoka said, leading the way with a nimble leap onto the raft before reaching out to pull the others up one by one.
Brock patted the thick rubber layer and smiled. "I've seen this kind of self-inflating raft at an exhibition held by Silph Co. back then. I thought the price was too high, so I couldn't bring myself to buy one."
Ash looked excitedly at Hisoka, who was resting with his eyes closed. "Big Brother Hisoka, what do you do for a living? You're so cool!"
The kid was quick to change his tune; earlier he had just been calling him Hisoka, but now, after several close calls, it was "Big Brother Hisoka." Since Hisoka was three years older and had saved his life, the title was fitting.
"Bounty Hunter."
"Bounty Hunter?" Ash was confused; it was the first time he had heard of such a profession.
Hisoka smiled. "It's simple. People pay me, and I do the work."
"Oh!" Ash scratched the back of his head with a silly grin. With that explanation, the mystery surrounding the man seemed to vanish instantly.
After a night of terror and a desperate escape, the exhaustion hit the group like a tidal wave once they reached the safety of the raft. Everyone felt as if their eyelids weighed a thousand pounds.
Ash and the others fell into a deep sleep. Hisoka also felt the fatigue in his body, but he didn't dare relax. The sinking of a ship like the S.S. Anne didn't mean the trouble was over; the aftermath was not to be underestimated.
Just as a forest fire causes the Pokémon within to riot, the sinking of a giant vessel would severely disturb the Water-type Pokémon living in these waters.
Time ticked away. Hisoka, who had been keeping watch without respite, finally succumbed to his heavy drowsiness and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, a brilliant sun hung high in the sky.
He checked his watch. It was already 8:00 AM.
"Something's wrong!"
Hisoka's expression turned solemn. The surroundings were far too quiet. There were no bird calls, and not a single fish or wild Pokémon could be seen on the surface.
Roar!
A massive roar erupted from beneath the surface. A moment later, waves surged as a giant, blue, serpentine Pokémon emerged from the sea. It had a massive maw filled with sharp teeth that glinted with a metallic sheen in the sunlight.
"What's happening!"
The deafening roar jolted the others awake. When they saw the beast before them, they were filled with terror.
Misty, in particular, was in the worst state. She pointed a trembling finger at the monster and stammered, "It's a... a Gyarados! A Gyarados!"
When she was a child, she had accidentally crawled into a Gyarados's mouth. The incident had left a massive shadow on her young heart, causing her to shake whenever she saw this fierce Pokémon.
Gyarados was the evolved form of Magikarp, and its temperament was extremely volatile. Even a Magikarp raised by a trainer might stop listening to orders or even attack its own master after evolving into a Gyarados.
One could only imagine how aggressive a wild Gyarados would be!
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