Chapter 125: The Sunken Ship in the Deep Sea
Dozens of nautical miles away from the waters of Pallet Town, Ron was dressed in a diving suit, biting down on an underwater breathing apparatus. With a backward dive, he plunged into the sea. Lillie, who was also fully equipped, hesitated for a long time before following him into the water.
Greninja and Gyarados had already been waiting underwater for Ron and Lillie, and accompanying them was also the little Lugia.
The little Lugia was going wild with excitement in this sea area. After all, there were so many Pokémon to play with, and Ron took great care of it—providing good food and drink—so the bond between Ron and little Lugia was becoming stronger.
This time, little Lugia had also come along on Ron's adventure. Ron and Lillie lay on Gyarados's back as it carried them toward the ocean floor.
The reason Ron had come out this time was because of the Water Droplet Plate. Ron couldn't help but marvel at the greatness of this world's technology. He had found a mechanical research institute and, using Greninja's Water Droplet Plate as a model, had them develop a machine capable of detecting such plates.
Sure enough, within three days, the machine was created. It resembled a tablet computer and could receive a wide range of signals from plates. If there was a signal, it would emit a beeping alert.
Ron declared it to be "black technology." Then, while out at sea, the beeping sound suddenly rang out. Ron quickly checked the device and found that a plate was in the waters ahead.
When they arrived at the target location by yacht, all they found was seawater—nothing else. Ron guessed it might be on the seabed, so he took Lillie to pick out diving equipment, and the two of them dove into the sea.
There were many Pokémon in the ocean, but also a lot of ordinary schools of fish. Gyarados carried Ron and Lillie as it descended. The intense water pressure pressed in. Ron felt fine, but Lillie was already struggling.
Ron communicated with Gyarados and had it use Dive. A shield of energy enveloped Ron and Lillie, and Gyarados sped toward the seabed, with Greninja following quickly behind.
The light at the bottom of the sea was dim. Ron switched on the searchlight mounted on his forehead. Under the beam, the outline of a sunken ship not far away came into view.
Ron patted Gyarados's body, and it swam directly toward the sunken ship.
As they approached the ship, several Milotic blocked their path and, without hesitation, fired Hydro Pumps at them.
Greninja drew its Water Shuriken, unleashing a high-pressure water slash that blocked the Hydro Pump. With the Water Droplet Plate in hand, Greninja was truly in its element underwater!
Ron signaled Greninja not to act impulsively. At the same time, he used the power of Bond Phenomenon to slowly approach the Milotic, attempting to communicate with them and explain that they were just looking for something inside.
The Milotic firmly refused. Ron was helpless and had no choice but to send in little Lugia. At least it was a legendary Pokémon that lived in the sea. Even if they didn't respect little Lugia, surely they would respect its mother.
Little Lugia swam over and began to converse with the Milotic. From their conversation, Ron learned why they were so afraid and resentful of humans.
Milotic originally came from the Hoenn region and usually lived in its waters. Though a few resided elsewhere, their kind had migrated from Hoenn after a poaching gang appeared there, using guns and explosives to injure them and capture their kin. Helpless, the Milotic had to migrate to this place.
They sensed the presence of the legendary Lugia here and sought shelter, and Lugia agreed. So when little Lugia explained their intentions, the Milotic finally relented.
Still, the wary looks they gave Ron and Lillie made him feel helpless—and a bit heartbroken.
Once inside the sunken ship, Ron and Lillie understood why the Milotic were so guarded. In a corner of the ship gathered many juvenile Feebas and over a dozen wounded Milotic, all glaring at the two humans with eyes full of hatred.
Lillie tugged on Ron's arm, and from her eyes, Ron could see her sympathy. He nodded and motioned to Greninja, who immediately swam to the surface.
A moment later, Greninja returned carrying a large supply of Full Restores and Revive Herbs.
Ron and Lillie took the medicine and tried to help the Feebas and Milotic, but as they approached, the Pokémon rammed into them hard.
But they were either injured or just juveniles, and their impact was pitifully weak. Ron shook his head and hugged the Milotic that bumped into him. Regardless of whether it wanted to or not, he shoved a Revive Herb into its mouth, then poured the external healing medicine onto its wounds. Although it was somewhat wasteful to use it underwater, Ron didn't mind—he had plenty to spare.
Milotic could feel its body rapidly recovering and gave Ron a complicated look. Ron patted its head, the power of the Bond Phenomenon enveloping it, as he communicated heart to heart: "There are bad people among humans, but there are many more good ones."
Milotic nuzzled Ron's cheek to show its affection. Ron smiled at it, thinking, "Pokémon really are the best—simple, pure, and without guile."
Distributing the herbs and medicine to the Feebas and Milotic, Ron and Lillie also earned their trust. Ron was certain that, with a word from him, many of the Pokémon here would willingly be caught.
Milotic was also a very powerful Pokémon. Capturing one wouldn't be a bad idea. But now wasn't the time to think about that. Finding the plate fragment was still the priority.
Looking toward Lillie, Ron noticed she had already bonded with a Feebas. Watching the Feebas swimming happily around Lillie, Ron smiled, guessing that they might be going back with one more Pokémon.
Ron and Lillie entered the ship's cabin but found no trace of the plate. What they did find, however, were some golden tools and decorations. Ron wasn't interested, but Lillie—and, frankly, all females—loved sparkly things. Ron had no choice but to let Gyarados bring them up later.
The two searched the entire ship but still didn't find the plate. At that moment, little Lugia, who was still outside, began to cry out.
Ron and Lillie hurried outside and saw little Lugia digging in the seafloor mud beneath the ship.
Ron immediately realized: the signal indicated the plate was here, but that didn't mean it was inside the ship!
Greninja swam over and fired a Water Gun into the silt, churning up the water. After the sediment settled, a blue plate peeked out from the mud.
The Water Droplet Plate—discovered!