"Gurgle gurgle..."
The sudden attack made Ace swallow several mouthfuls of bitter seawater, and at the same time, his lungs ran out of oxygen.
As the sensation of suffocation crept in, Ace, relying on sheer willpower, fiercely flung a Poké Ball.
A white light burst out of the water and landed on the capsized boat.
Bellsprout quickly shot out two Vine Whips, tightly coiling around Ace's body. Bellsprout rapidly reeled in the Vine Whips, pulling Ace swiftly to the surface.
But just then, a Water Gun shot towards Bellsprout, causing it to stumble.
However, Bellsprout was a Grass-type Pokémon, so the Water Gun's attack wasn't too powerful against it.
The Vine Whips carried Ace out of the water. Ace landed on the small boat, immediately spitting out a large amount of seawater, and amidst the water, faint traces of blood could be seen.
Bellsprout could ignore the Water Gun attack, but for Ace, the previous attack had already left him with a significant injury.
Now, Ace stood up and finally saw what kind of Pokémon had attacked them.
"Lapras!"
Looking at the Pokémon in front of him, Ace frowned slightly.
Lapras was known to be a gentle Pokémon, rarely engaging in battles with humans, and it enjoyed letting people ride on its back for travel.
Why would such a Pokémon attack their small wooden boat?
Even a Gyarados attack would have made more sense than a Lapras.
However, when Ace looked at its back, he understood the reason.
A harpoon, about a meter long and exposed, was embedded in the Lapras's back.
There was no blood flowing from the wound, indicating it was an old injury.
Perhaps it was precisely because of the harpoon in its back that the usually docile Lapras acted so aggressively.
"Lapras, Weakened State: Bacterial infection has reached the internal organs. If not treated quickly, it will die within three months at most."
Soon, a line of text appeared above Lapras's head, making Ace understand the situation.
Lapras, already aware that its life was nearing its end, was probably retaliating wildly against humans.
Ace shifted his gaze to the old man who had accompanied him; he was now quietly floating face down on the sea surface.
From the looks of it, he was probably beyond saving.
The small wooden boat had capsized, and Ace himself probably couldn't pilot it.
"Then... there's only one choice left..."
Ace focused his gaze on Lapras. To continue towards Cinnabar Island, he had to capture this Lapras and have it carry him forward!
"Zubat, Supersonic!"
Zubat darted out. Compared to Bellsprout, who was fixed to the small wooden boat during battle, Zubat could fight freely in the air, offering much greater mobility.
A hateful glint flashed in Lapras's eyes, and a faint veil enveloped its entire body. Supersonic hit, but Lapras showed no reaction.
"Safeguard, huh... Tsk, troublesome. Zubat, Steel Wing!"
Seeing his preferred status condition strategy blocked, Ace changed tactics. Zubat fiercely rushed towards Lapras.
Lapras suddenly opened its mouth, and an Ice Beam quickly shot towards Zubat.
Zubat crossed its wings and flapped them, rapidly changing direction. Its forward momentum abruptly shifted, causing it to plummet towards the sea below.
The Ice Beam missed. As Zubat neared the surface of the sea, it flapped its wings fiercely again. Its downward trajectory reversed, and it charged towards Lapras at extreme speed!
"Aerial Ace? No, not yet to that level. It should just be that its flying technique meets the learning requirements for Aerial Ace."
Ace's eyes lit up, and Zubat, with its incredible speed, slammed hard into Lapras.
Then it opened its mouth and bit fiercely into Lapras's neck.
"Absorb!"
As Ace called out, Zubat began to greedily drain Lapras's blood.
Lapras's face contorted in pain. It instinctively tried to dive, hoping to drag Zubat into the water.
But Zubat, under Ace's guidance, had mastered the essence of guerrilla warfare. After taking a bite of blood, it immediately retreated, giving Lapras no chance.
Lapras's diving motion paused, and an Ice Beam began to form in its open mouth again.
But just as Lapras was about to attack, Zubat opened its mouth and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, splattering it directly onto Lapras's face.
This was Lapras's blood, now sprayed onto its own face.
Mixed with the blood was a bit of Zubat's venom. Although ineffective against Lapras, which was covered by Safeguard, the slight toxicity irritated Lapras, making it involuntarily close its blood-stained eyes.
With its vision gone, Lapras's attack died before it could be launched.
Zubat seized this opportunity, bringing down a fierce Steel Wing onto Lapras's head, momentarily stunning it.
"Go, Poké Ball!"
Ace seized the chance, fiercely throwing a Poké Ball that directly struck Lapras.
Lapras transformed into a red light and was quickly drawn into the Poké Ball.
The Poké Ball landed on the sea surface and began to shake rapidly.
Perhaps it was too weak, but after shaking for a while, the Poké Ball stopped. Bellsprout extended a Vine Whip and retrieved the Poké Ball.
Ace opened the Poké Ball, and Lapras reappeared on the sea surface.
The Lapras now lacked its previous intensity; instead, it lay weakly by the side of the small boat.
Clearly, it was nearing its end.
The previous battle had hastened its demise!
"Luckily you met me, otherwise you'd be dead."
Ace sighed, then jumped onto Lapras's back. Lapras tried to resist, but its weakened body couldn't support such an action.
Ace reached the harpoon, gripped it with both hands, and then pulled with force. Accompanied by Lapras's cries and blood, Ace pulled the harpoon from Lapras's back.
Only when he pulled the harpoon out did Ace realize that it was designed with extreme cruelty, with numerous barbs near the tip. Once struck by this harpoon, it would be almost impossible for a regular Pokémon to remove it!
Even with someone like Ace pulling it out, the barbs would cause secondary damage to Lapras.
Ace tossed the harpoon into the sea, then returned to the small wooden boat and gently stroked Lapras's large head, comforting it. "Don't worry, I won't let you die. Trust me."
With that, Ace recalled the nearly lifeless Lapras back into its Poké Ball.
Spending five quest points, a brilliant light of perfect body restoration erupted from the Poké Ball.
This restoration took an exceptionally long time, lasting a full three minutes before the light gradually faded.
Then the system displayed a long list of hundreds of restored areas, leaving Ace dumbfounded.
Opening the Poké Ball again, this time, Lapras appeared beside the small wooden boat, full of energy.
Lapras examined its body with some surprise, then looked back at the place on its back where it had been injured.
The pain was gone, but even though the perfect body restoration had healed its wound, two ferocious scars remained there.
The scars didn't bother Lapras, but they reminded it that what had happened earlier was not a dream!