The seawater was freezing.
It carried a heavy, suffocating weight, as if Kashiwagi were forcing himself into a space where he didn't belong.
Clutching an underwater respirator in his mouth, Kashiwagi grabbed onto Aggron to search for Mawile and Max. He quickly spotted the tail of that Gyarados near the bow of the ship's hull.
The predator seemed intent on diving into the deep.
Thump, thump!
He patted Aggron's back, and the massive Pokémon immediately gave chase at a surprising speed, its thick tail thrashing through the water.
They had to catch up before the "Big Monster" needed to surface for air; after all, Kashiwagi's lungs were only built for surfing, not diving. He could float, but he couldn't stay submerged indefinitely.
Aggron understood the urgency and pushed downward with all its might.
Before long, they actually hit the seabed. The surroundings turned pitch black, and every step Aggron took kicked up massive clouds of silt and sand.
How deep are we?
Kashiwagi realized that in his haste, he hadn't considered the depth. But since his lungs hadn't collapsed from the pressure yet, it probably wasn't too extreme.
Seeing that they were still failing to close the gap—and with the Gyarados about to vanish into a nearby trench—Kashiwagi crawled to Aggron's side and gave it a sharp look.
In the next instant:
Crackle-pop!
Electricity sparked between Aggron's horns, transforming into a bolt of lightning that pierced through the water and struck the Gyarados dead center. Kashiwagi had let go of Aggron just in time to avoid the worst of it, feeling only a momentary shudder.
The Gyarados, possessing a fourfold weakness to Electric moves, roared in agony. It instinctively loosened its grip on Max.
This was the opening Mawile had been waiting for.
Mawile clearly couldn't swim, but it could certainly hold its breath. Seeing its chance, it yanked Max back. With electricity flickering around its small fist, it defied the water's resistance and slammed a punch directly into the Gyarados's fin!
BAM!
The current exploded.
Max was left dazed and half-electrocuted; the air he'd been holding nearly escaped his lungs. Fortunately, Kashiwagi and Aggron arrived just in time. The former shoved a spare respirator into Max's mouth and recalled Mawile into its Poké Ball.
Just as they were about to ascend...
"Mph! Mph!"
Max pointed frantically at the pained Gyarados, his eyes wide.
Kashiwagi gave him an exasperated smack on the forehead but, after a second's thought, tossed an empty Poké Ball at it anyway.
Without waiting to see if the capture succeeded, he grabbed Max to begin the ascent. Suddenly, he realized they were surrounded; several more Gyarados had appeared, their massive silhouettes visible through the dark water.
His heart sank. He looked up, only to see groups of professional rescue divers approaching with various Water-type Pokémon.
These rescuers blocked the swarm, giving Aggron the chance to breach the surface.
-----
Above the Surface
Gush!
Aggron poked its head out of the water, spraying jets of sea foam from its vents, looking thoroughly annoyed. Kashiwagi and Max stood on its broad back, gulping down the fresh air.
"I-I'm so sorry."
Max was shivering violently, his teeth chattering from the cold. He apologized with deep shame. "If I had been more careful, this never would have happened."
"It wasn't entirely your fault."
Kashiwagi shook his head and waved toward an approaching lifeboat carrying Max's Kirlia. "Trainers face danger all the time. You've been in tighter spots than this before; the key is responding correctly."
"Yeah!" Max replied softly. He then realized he was holding an extra Poké Ball—the Gyarados captured at the bottom of the sea. "Big Brother Kashiwagi?"
"I have no interest in an ordinary Gyarados; you can find those anywhere."
Kashiwagi reached out, took a rescuer's hand, and boarded the lifeboat. "Besides... I already found my prize."
He turned and smiled at Max, holding up a large, grayish-white round stone he had retrieved. It was riddled with holes and looked heavy, yet it gave off the illusion of being light as air.
"What is that?"
"I'll tell you once we're back on the ship. Good work, Aggron." Kashiwagi patted Aggron's head and recalled it.
After Max shared a tearful hug with Kirlia, he stubbornly tried to hand the Gyarados ball back. "I don't think I can keep this. I might have hooked it by luck, but I don't have the strength to control it. Our levels don't match at all."
"...Fine."
Kashiwagi didn't push. If Max didn't want it, he'd send it to Pyrite Town. A Gyarados would have a very promising future watering trees back there.
-----
Max had lost his fishing rod, but Kashiwagi had made his catch.
Neither had any desire to continue with the tournament. After showering and changing into dry clothes, they met up in the lounge.
On the table sat the milky-white stone, perfectly still.
"This is a Pokémon?" Max pulled out his Pokédex and scanned it.
Beep!
The Pokédex reacted instantly, broadcasting the stone's true identity:
----
Pokemon: Cursola, Galarian Form. (The Coral Pokémon.)
Type: Ghost-type.
Description: It is said to have originated from ancient Corsola that perished due to sudden environmental changes. If you accidentally kick it thinking it's a stone, it will curse you."
----
"A regional variant of Corsola! A Ghost-type!" Max was stunned, turning to look at Kashiwagi.
Kashiwagi explained, "Under the sea, it floated up and got wedged against Aggron's shoulder. I thought it might reveal itself, but it didn't, so I just brought it up with me."
"Whoa..." Max's eyes sparkled with curiosity toward the Galarian Corsola, but then he hesitated. "If you grabbed it from the seabed, will it curse you?"
"I was worried about that at first, but it seems it won't."
Kashiwagi reached out and touched the Galarian Corsola, lowering his voice like an incantation. "Come on out... come on out..."
A few seconds later.
"...Sola?"
A low, faint sound echoed. Wisps of white mist drifted out from the holes in the round stone, forming ethereal, ghostly coral horns. Two red lights flickered on its front side.
Galarian Corsola had awakened. It glanced at Kashiwagi and a nervous Max, then promptly closed its eyes. The coral horns vanished.
Galarian Corsola went back to sleep.
"...Eh?" Max's nervous expression froze. "What just happened?"
"Since the two of us aren't threats, it deactivated its attack mode. This species is naturally listless and lethargic. I offered to let it drain some of my energy, and it didn't even want it." Kashiwagi looked helpless.
The Ghost-type Pokémon his clues had led him to was a total slacker—and a ghostly slacker at that. He really didn't know what to say.
Max couldn't help but think of his father's Slaking. That Pokémon was a slacker too.
He asked, "If it's like that, does that mean you can't catch it?"
"Oh, I already did. It didn't put up any resistance at all." Kashiwagi pulled out a Poké Ball and gave it a little shake.
"...Huh?"