Fortunately, at the critical moment, someone's Pokémon used Protect, blocking the blast of blue flames spewed by the Gyarados.
High above, the Pidgeot finally regained its composure and launched a swift counterattack. Semi-transparent blades of wind slammed into the Gyarados, causing it to cry out in pain.
However, just as the Trainer was about to throw a Poké Ball, the battered Gyarados dove straight back into the ocean, retreating without a moment's hesitation.
A collective sigh of disappointment rippled through the onlookers on the Eros Milotic.
"So close!"
"They should have thrown the ball earlier!"
"See? That's what happens when you provoke a Gyarados for no reason. Look how fast it ran!"
Kashiwagi listened to the chatter, but his heart remained uneasy. He hurried to the ship's railing and peered down at the churning waves.
"Max! What are the chances of a Gyarados swarm following a Magikarp school?"
"Eh?" Max, who had been enjoying the spectacle, responded immediately. "That depends on the number of Magikarp. If the population reaches a certain density, the likelihood of a Gyarados pack appearing is actually quite high."
"Would you consider this a high density?" Kashiwagi turned back, pointing downward.
Max seemed to realize the implication. He rushed to the edge and looked down, only to see the deep blue water replaced by a staggering mass of red. Countless Magikarp were swarming beneath the ship—enough to give anyone with trypophobia a severe case of the creeps.
"There's so many!" Max shouted in shock, before suddenly remembering his own luck. "And I still can't get a single one to bite?! That's just unfair!"
Kashiwagi was speechless. "Is that really what you're worried about right now?"
"Haha..." Max gave an awkward laugh.
"Don't worry, Big Brother! The Eros Milotic's hull is equipped with the same protective shielding as the Battle Arena. We won't sink even if we're swarmed by Pokémon, as long as you don't actively leave the ship's protection."
"...Well, that's a relief." Kashiwagi thought back to the S.S. Anne, which Ash had been on—that ship had capsized due to a storm's massive waves, not necessarily a Gyarados attack. In recent years, large-scale Pokémon attacks on humans were quite rare.
-----
In the distance, the lifeboats and lure boats, seemingly worried that the lone Gyarados would call for reinforcements, began racing back toward the Eros Milotic.
As they expected, the Gyarados wasn't about to take that humiliation lying down. It returned with nearly twenty of its kind in tow, chasing the lifeboats with predatory fury.
"Look at all those Gyarados!"
"Is the tournament going to be cancelled?"
"Is the ship okay? We won't be sunk, right?"
"Pipe down, kid! Even twice that number wouldn't matter. Last year, hundreds of Sharpedo tried to chew through the hull and didn't leave a scratch. Shut your trap!"
The surrounding conversation helped Kashiwagi relax. He watched with curiosity as the lifeboats dodged and defended against the swarm, making a break for the Eros Milotic's auxiliary docking bay.
Seeing their prey escape, the Gyarados swarm completely surrounded the luxury liner.
Suddenly, they began to circle the ship in a synchronized rhythm. The sky was rapidly swallowed by oppressive black clouds, and the once-calm sea transformed into a chaotic expanse of towering waves.
"A group-effort Rain Dance!" Max looked at the Gyarados, his expression one of profound awe. "You don't see a sight like this every day."
Kashiwagi felt a vibration and turned his head. Several large loudspeakers had emerged from one of the Eros Milotic's decks, emitting high-frequency infrasonic waves.
The Gyarados swarm recoiled in visible pain, their concentration broken. Within moments, they sank beneath the surface and vanished.
A few minutes later, the dark clouds dispersed, revealing a clear, sunny sky once more.
"Talk about top-tier security," Kashiwagi muttered, impressed by the technology of the outside world. A problem as thorny as a Gyarados swarm had been resolved in less than a minute.
He leaned over to look down again. The dense school of Magikarp had also vanished.
"Big Brother Kashiwagi! Let's keep fishing! Once the Gyarados leave, the aquatic Pokémon that were hiding in fear will surge back up. This is our chance!" Max said excitedly.
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Max's rod began to tremble violently.
"It's a big one!" Max's eyes lit up. He pulled the rod and prepared to reel in, but whatever was below was massive. Instead of reeling it in, the force nearly yanked him forward.
Kashiwagi, seeing him about to tip over, moved to help, but Max yelled:
"I've got it! I can do this! The rules say no help!"
The basic rule of the Fishing Tournament was that the entire angling process had to be completed solo; you could only use your own Pokémon's help once the catch was out of the water.
Seeing Max focusing his energy, bracing himself against the railing while reeling, Kashiwagi relaxed and called out:
"Don't be in a hurry to pull it up! Tire it out first! Let it exhaust itself!"
"Got it!" Max shouted back, the veins on his forehead bulging from the effort. He wedged his feet firmly against the bottom of the railing. Kirlia cheered him on, and Mawile joined in the shouting.
Unfortunately, as a novice fisherman, Max was still too green. In the battle of wits with the dark shadow beneath the waves, he miscalculated. Thinking the prey was exhausted, he went for a heavy reel—only to be met with a sudden, violent tug.
That single jerk sent Max's center of gravity over the railing. He began to plummet toward the sea.
"Let go of the rod!"
Kashiwagi's expression changed instantly. He tossed his own rod aside and lunged forward, reaching for Max's clothes while shouting.
Max couldn't react in time. He was yanked again by the fish, causing him to miss Kashiwagi's hand.
"Kir-lia!" Kirlia tried to use its psychic powers to catch its Trainer, but Max was falling too fast, quickly dropping out of its line of sight.
The surrounding crowd erupted in screams as they saw the boy fall.
"Mawile!"
"Maw-wile!"
Under Kashiwagi's command, Mawile vaulted over the railing. Glowing particles from Magnet Rise swirled around it as it intercepted Max mid-air, grabbing his jacket a second before he hit the water.
Fortunately, the fishing deck was quite high above the surface, preventing Max from becoming completely submerged.
"T-That was terrifying..." Max looked down at the deep blue water, his face pale with shock.
"When it's time to let go, let go! Why are you trying to out-muscle a Pokémon? You almost turned yourself into human bait, you know that?" Kashiwagi shouted over the edge, sounding both relieved and exasperated.
Max looked embarrassed. "Hehehe... I just didn't want to lose the rod."
As he spoke, a dark shadow in the water below rapidly expanded. In an instant, a massive, gaping maw erupted from the surface!
"Look out!"
"ROAR!"
Mawile, spotting the enemy, tried to gain altitude, but it wasn't faster than a Gyarados that had been lying in wait for a calculated strike. The predator clamped its teeth onto Max's shoe, using its falling weight to drag both the boy and Mawile down into the depths.
In that same heartbeat, Kashiwagi had already leaped from the ship. During the freefall, his gaze turned cold as he snapped open a Poké Ball.
"Aggron!"
"ROOOAAARRR!!"
Enveloped in a terrifying aura, Aggron plummeted like a meteor into the sea!
SPLASH!
"Someone jumped in!"
"Rescue team! Over here! Someone's been dragged underwater by a Gyarados!"
Amidst the chaos, several more people dived in, and the lifeboats that had just reached the bay turned around and sped toward the scene.