Not evolving Vulpix was a joke, of course. But evolving her too early would grant immediate power at the cost of stunting her growth. As a Pokémon blessed by Kyurem, her potential far exceeded others. She needed time to build a solid foundation before evolving. Let her grow and decide when she's ready, Su Feng resolved.
After introducing Vulpix to the stream, he stood and scanned the fog-shrouded deck with his headlamp. "A maritime realm… likely filled with Water-types. But why is the fog thickening?"
The sea lay eerily calm, moonlight barely piercing the haze.
"If any of you ever get trapped in a realm," Su Feng warned viewers, "remember: stay hidden and wait for rescue. Teams sweep realms within 24 hours. If you must explore, only do so if your Pokémon can protect you. Never engage wild Pokémon recklessly."
[Livestream Chat:]
[Wish I'd known this sooner… My cousin's still missing in a forest realm.]
[Got stuck in a flower field realm once! The Pokémon were so sweet!]
[You got lucky. Most realms are death traps. Listen to Feng!]
A metallic SCREECH ripped through the silence. The S.S. Anne lurched violently, nearly throwing Su Feng overboard.
"What the—?!" He steadied himself. Something massive hit us.
Investigating, he found another cruise ship embedded in the S.S. Anne's hull—pristine, untouched, yet utterly abandoned.
"Did this ship get dragged in too?" Su Feng peered into its dark corridors. "Ghost ship vibes…"
A bloodcurdling scream echoed from the S.S. Anne's cabin area.
"Someone's still aboard?!" Su Feng sprinted toward the sound, Vulpix clutched tightly.
Inside, a teenage girl cowered before a hulking Dusknoir, its glowing red eye fixed on her.
"Haunter, Shadow Ball!" Su Feng shouted.
The attack blasted Dusknoir back. The girl scrambled away, trembling.
"You… Who are you?!" she stammered.
"No time!" Su Feng grabbed her arm. "Run!"
Dusknoir roared, phasing through walls to pursue.
"Split up!" Su Feng shoved the girl toward a hallway. "Combusken, Flame Charge! Haunter, Confuse Ray!"
The distractions worked—barely. Dusknoir's Shadow Punch cratered the wall where Su Feng stood moments earlier.
"This way!" The girl yanked him into a storage closet, sealing the door.
Panting, she whispered, "I'm Lina. Th-thank you…"
Su Feng nodded, ear pressed to the door. Dusknoir's guttural growls faded.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
Lina hesitated. "I… hid during the evacuation. Didn't think realms were real…"
Su Feng facepalmed. Amateur.
[Livestream Chat:]
[Bro's face says it all.]
[Girl really said "let's play horror game IRL".]
[Dusknoir's gonna haunt my nightmares.]
Outside, the ships groaned. The realm's instability was worsening.
"Stay close," Su Feng ordered. "We're getting off this death trap."