Pokémon: Above the Top-Chapter 274: Ghost Ship at Sea

Ever since Ralts had been taught a hard lesson by Sato, its reckless tendencies had toned down significantly.

But the real reason was that most of the group's Pokémon avoided it entirely, treating it like air.

Even Joseph's Kirlia seemed to carry both fear and resentment toward Ralts and made no effort to engage.

And the only one who was still willing to speak with it was the appearance-loving Pichu... but Ralts didn't know how to interact with Pichu.

Friend? Enemy? None of those seemed to fit...

Either way, as long as Ralts didn't stir up trouble again, Sato truly treated it like a background ornament, completely ignoring it aside from supplying Dark Energy.

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"Captain, is everything alright ahead?" In the bridge, Mark looked through the window at the storm clouds gathering in the distance, clearly uneasy.

"The storm clouds are moving in a different direction from us. We'll slow down and navigate around the edge to ensure safety first."

The captain was a middle-aged man with graying hair, usually quiet, performing his duties with strict professionalism.

"Thanks for the hard work, Captain. We're not really in a rush," Joseph said casually, holding Togepi in his arms.

"Wouldn't matter if you were, I don't gamble with lives," the captain replied bluntly.

Joseph tugged at Mark's sleeve, signaling him not to speak carelessly.

By now, everyone had retreated to the cabin.

As the ferry got closer to the storm clouds, the sea wind howled louder and louder. The temperature outside dropped drastically, and the sky turned dark.

Even the Wingull that had been following the ship earlier were now huddled in corners of the vessel, trembling.

The captain's serious demeanor wasn't without reason. Encountering bad weather at sea always carried real danger, no matter how skilled the crew or how powerful their Pokémon were.

After another half hour, the storm clouds loomed directly ahead. The flickering flashes of lightning within made Sato's scalp prickle.

When faced with nature's wrath, even Pokémon powers paled in comparison.

"Captain, reporting in! The storm cloud's area is expanding, our current route is about to intersect with it!"

Suddenly, a crewmember in the cockpit shouted anxiously, staring at the navigational display.

"How long is the overlap? How long would we be inside?"

"Well... the cloud's still expanding. Without changing course, we'll be inside it for at least thirty minutes."

"Hard port! Full turn!"

"Aye!"

The quick exchange between captain and crew raised tension in everyone's hearts.

At that moment, no one dared to speak. A heavy silence filled the cockpit.

Only the pounding rain and wind against the glass broke the quiet... loud, erratic, and deeply unsettling.

The truth was, the ferry's original route was already set toward port side. So even with the new orders, the passengers could only watch helplessly as the ferry drifted closer and closer to the storm.

The captain continued to issue commands, and the crew moved swiftly to carry them out.

Not wanting to interfere, the three exited the bridge and found a quiet window to observe the storm's progression from a distance.

Another ten minutes passed. The ferry's path had completely deviated from its original course, but it still couldn't escape the ever-expanding storm front.

As the storm clouds covered the sky directly above the ferry, the surrounding sea was suddenly swallowed in darkness.

The ferry began to rock violently from side to side. Enormous waves crashed against the hull, each one more terrifying than the last.

Sato tucked Pichu inside his coat, and Mark returned Togepi to its Poké Ball.

As for Ralts, as long as there was Dark Energy nearby, it could use a portion of its psychic power to keep itself levitating. Ironically making it the least affected by the ship's rocking.

The three of them clung tightly to the handrails and chose not to return to the lower cabins. If anything went wrong, being closer to the deck would make escape easier.

The ship rocked violently for nearly half an hour before finally settling down.

Just as everyone thought the crisis had passed, the ferry suddenly jolted, as if it had struck something.

Once it stabilized again, Sato and the others exchanged glances and immediately ran up to the deck.

Stepping out, Sato found they were still within the storm clouds, yet the nearby sea was eerily calm, with barely any waves.

"S-Sato!"

"What is it?"

Hearing Mark's call, Sato turned quickly. Only to see a massive wooden ship standing silently off the ferry's rear-right side.

Sato had to tilt his head up just to barely see the edge of its enormous deck.

The crewmembers who followed them out couldn't help but cry out in surprise. Even with all their time at sea, none of them had ever seen anything like this.

"Kids, our ferry accidentally collided with that vessel. Fortunately, it's an old wooden ship, its lower hull has been severely eroded by seawater. Our damage is minimal."

At that moment, the captain came over, and after recovering from his own shock, calmly explained the situation.

"I see. Thank you. By the way, do you know anything about that ship's origin?" Sato asked, pointing to the massive vessel.

"Judging by the material and structure, it's likely several centuries old," the captain replied slowly, then continued after a pause, "We usually call ships like this ghost ships. Best to keep our distance."

"Mhm, agreed!" Mark nodded furiously, clearly spooked.

Once the captain left, Sato continued staring at the ship in silence. It wasn't until Mark tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Should... we go back?" that Sato moved slightly.

"Just wait a bit." Sato stepped closer to the ghost ship, remaining perfectly still.

"Gengar!"

"Gengar~"

Gengar silently emerged from Sato's shadow, its expression unusually complex, hesitant and conflicted, yet brimming with desire.

"There's something on that ship you want?" Sato and Gengar had been partners long enough that Sato could guess its feelings from just the slightest expression.

Gengar nodded. As soon as it approached the ghost ship, it had felt a force calling out to it. The excitement had stirred its energy enough for Sato to notice.

But before Gengar could enjoy that excitement, the captain's words had clearly made it hesitant.

"Joseph, take care of Pichu for me. I'm heading up there."

"Sato, you..." Joseph instinctively took Pichu into his arms, momentarily stunned.

"Let the captain and the crew know to wait a bit. I'll be back soon," Sato said, already turning to leave.

"Sato, didn't you hear the captain? That's a ghost ship... it's dangerous!" Mark rushed forward, grabbing Sato's arm, face full of worry.

"I'm not afraid of anything, least of all ghosts. Don't worry," Sato said, patting Mark on the shoulder with a helpless smile. "Gengar found something good up there. I'll go with him. You two wait here, it'll be fine."

With that, Sato released Sharpedo and launched himself toward the ghost ship with an Aqua Jet.

Behind him, Ralts quickly used its power to lift itself and followed close behind, eyes full of frustration from beneath its bangs.