Splash!
Kingdra, its scales charred black and smoking from the electricity released by Electroweb, plummeted from the sky.
Its massive two-meter body crashed into the sea, sending several-meter-high waves exploding upward.
Chen Mo hadn't told Pikachu to hold back.
Kingdra wasn't like the Dusknoir they had encountered in Crescent Moon Town.
Showing mercy to an enemy openly hostile toward them would have been irresponsible to Pikachu.
However...
At this moment, Chen Mo wasn't paying attention to Kingdra at all.
Instead, he turned toward the few Tentacruel in the distance who were quietly, cautiously trying to slip away.
Half of their bodies had already sunk beneath the sea.
"You can't leave!"
The instant Chen Mo's voice rang out...
Every Tentacruel shuddered violently.
They froze in place.
The ruby-like gems atop their heads flashed frantically, clearly indicating a heated private discussion.
Yet in the end...
They obediently stayed where they were.
The more Chen Mo watched, the stranger the situation became.
Just as he was about to have Lapras move closer...
A deep ship's horn echoed behind him.
The Wingull had arrived.
As the enormous vessel slowly approached the coral sea...
The Horsea clan immediately became restless.
They recognized it.
A human ship.
At the same time...
Chen Mo noticed that many Horsea were glaring at him with eyes full of hatred.
Some looked prepared to fight to the death.
He sighed softly.
"Kingdra is only unconscious."
"It isn't dead."
"And I never intended to wipe out your tribe."
"My goal has always been exactly what I said—"
"To stop the fighting between you and the Tentacruel."
"So..."
"What are you still staring at me for?"
"Hurry up and pull Kingdra out."
"I can heal it."
Compared with the resources available on land...
The ocean actually possessed greater overall abundance.
However...
Because of land's unique environment...
Each side held different advantages.
At least when it came to healing Pokémon...
The countless varieties of Berries growing on land gave terrestrial habitats a slight edge.
"Professor Mo, everything's been taken care of."
Standing aboard the Wingull...
The yacht's manager directed the crew as they temporarily settled every injured member of both the Horsea line and the Tentacruel line aboard the ship.
There were so many wounded Pokémon...
That nearly the entire deck...
Along with every public area on the vessel...
Had been filled.
Carrying his camera...
Hao Tianyu faithfully recorded every scene.
The livestream chat immediately exploded.
[This is way too tragic... Look at the Tentacool in the upper left corner! Both of its tentacles are gone, and its whole body is covered in wounds. Can it even survive?]
[Professor Mo summarized the battle so calmly just now, but seeing it in person... it's much worse than I imagined.]
[That's what a war of extermination between two species looks like.]
[Professor Mo said he had both tribes bring out every Pokémon injured in previous battles. Looking at how many there are... there must have been plenty who died before they could ever receive treatment.]
[I'm getting old... I can't bear watching this. Since Professor Mo has basically resolved the situation, I'm going back to sleep and checking the results tomorrow morning.]
Since it was well past midnight...
The audience was much smaller than during the day.
Even so...
The barrage of comments remained endless.
Everyone was discussing the conflict between the Tentacruel and Horsea tribes.
Chen Mo was far too busy to read any of it.
While Gengar handed out Potions, Antidotes, and other medical supplies...
Chen Mo instructed the sailors on how to use each item properly.
"When I leave this to you..."
"I'm counting on everyone."
He bowed deeply before the crew.
With Marshadow secretly protecting everyone...
And Jirachi's wish power watching over them...
Every sailor moving around the ship was completely safe.
Even if a confused Pokémon suddenly woke up and attacked...
Nothing would happen to them.
But...
Only Chen Mo knew that.
The sailors didn't.
From their perspective...
They were voluntarily risking their lives to treat dangerous wild Pokémon.
No matter what...
Chen Mo genuinely owed them his gratitude.
The ship desperately needed more helping hands.
Several Pokémon were in extremely critical condition.
The sooner treatment began...
The greater their chances of survival.
Half an hour later...
Under Chen Mo's guidance...
The most seriously injured Pokémon had finally escaped immediate danger.
"Professor Mo, please get some rest."
"We've already learned how to treat them."
"We'll handle the rest."
"Exactly!"
"You've been working nonstop all night."
"How can we let our honored guest keep doing everything himself?"
"Please, go rest!"
Faced with everyone's sincere concern...
Chen Mo didn't refuse.
Because...
He still had something else to do.
On the deck...
The unconscious Kingdra still lay motionless.
Three Seadra stood guard beside their king.
Not moving even a single step away.
Their eyes remained filled with vigilance as they watched the nearby Tentacruel.
Although no battle had resumed...
The atmosphere remained unbearably tense.
Then...
Chen Mo's voice broke the silence.
"Do you still want to keep fighting?"
The Seadra and Tentacruel looked over simultaneously.
The young trainer who had insisted on treating the wounded was slowly walking toward them.
But...
Not only him.
Behind Chen Mo...
Alongside his own Pokémon...
Were members of their tribes as well.
Tentacool.
Horsea.
Both marched together.
"...?"
The Seadra and Tentacruel looked utterly bewildered.
From where they stood...
Pokémon belonging to two opposing species...
Were standing surprisingly close together.
As though...
They had already set aside their hatred.
Just as confusion and anger began rising within them...
Chen Mo spoke again.
"If you still want to continue this war..."
"My suggestion..."
"Is to first take a good look at the companions lying around you."
"Look carefully at the wounds covering their bodies."
"You don't possess adequate medical resources."
"So after every battle..."
"Can you honestly guarantee every one of them survives?"
"...You can't."
"So."
"If you're willing to watch your companions slowly die in agony..."
"If you're willing to see your entire tribe disappear through endless warfare..."
"Then fight."
Among territorial species...
Migratory species...
And wandering species...
The wanderers were a special case.
Migratory tribes...
Because they possessed a clear destination...
Were sometimes forced to abandon members unable to keep up.
Just like the Butterfree couple Chen Mo had once encountered in Evergreen Forest.
Cruel...
But unavoidable.
As for the tribes that valued their companions the most...
Those were usually the territorial species.
To survive fierce competition...
Every individual member mattered.
Over time...
That naturally forged stronger unity than in most other kinds of tribes.
Therefore...
If he wanted to mediate between Kingdra's clan and the Tentacruel...
This was where he had to begin.
Sure enough...
After Chen Mo's reminder...
The Seadra and Tentacruel instinctively looked toward the wounded Pokémon lying across the deck.
Once the hatred born from territorial conflict temporarily subsided...
Silence fell over both sides.
Just as the viewers had guessed...
Not every injured Pokémon had been fortunate enough to survive until Chen Mo arrived.
Before he reached this sea...
Many had already died from earlier battles.
Blood...
And grief...
Had become the fuel sustaining this endless hatred.
Yet at this very moment...
Those same losses became the reason to finally stop and think.
Every Pokémon present asked itself the same question.
If we keep fighting...
How many more of our own will die before this ends?
Chen Mo quietly observed the emotional shifts in both tribes through Eye of Detection.
Feeling the time was right...
He was just about to take another step forward—
"KINGDRAAA!!!"
A furious roar erupted behind the three Seadra.
The next instant...
A dazzling flash burst overhead.
Kingdra—
Who had supposedly been unconscious—
Had already leapt high into the air.
Avoiding its three companions...
Its eyes burned with endless rage.
Dragon-type energy rapidly condensed.
Dragon Pulse was forming once again.
Seeing this...
Standing behind Chen Mo with the camera...
Hao Tianyu's pupils shrank.
The attack...
Was aimed directly at them.
But...
Something moved even faster than Kingdra.
A pair of enormous black hands shot skyward...
So fast they were nearly invisible.
They seized Kingdra completely.
Pinned in place...
Kingdra could no longer gather Dragon-type energy.
It could only glare downward in furious hatred.
Very quickly...
It found the culprit.
A large purple Pokémon.
Gengar?!
Kingdra couldn't understand.
That bizarre Pikachu from earlier had already been terrifying enough.
But now...
This Gengar...
Its eyes glowing with an eerie light...
Filled Kingdra with an even deeper fear.
What kind of trainer is this human?!
Kingdra rarely left the coral sea.
Still...
It had heard stories about the outside world from its own tribe...
And from other marine Pokémon.
A human commanding Pokémon...
Was already unusual enough.
But...
A human whose Pokémon were all this powerful?
That was beyond comprehension.
Nevertheless...
Kingdra had no intention of surrendering.
Nor did it intend to abandon the war against the Tentacruel.
Because...
If it gave up now...
How could it ever face the companions who had died defending their home?
How could it repay them?
Kingdra struggled desperately against the giant black hands.
What it didn't know...
Was that Gengar was currently empowered by Marshadow.
Those black hands represented the strength of a Legendary Pokémon.
Kingdra might be the ruler of this sea...
But even at full strength...
The gap between it and a Legendary remained unimaginably vast.
"Haa..."
Seeing the immediate danger resolved...
Hao Tianyu finally let out a breath of relief.
Yet through the camera...
He noticed something.
Chen Mo's expression...
Hadn't relaxed at all.
"As expected..."
"The most troublesome one..."
"...is still Kingdra."
Chen Mo frowned as he looked at the restrained sea king.
This ruler of the coral sea...
Was even more stubborn than he had imagined.
Convincing Kingdra to truly abandon its hatred...
Would not be easy.
Just as Chen Mo pondered how to resolve Kingdra's obsession...
The Horsea behind him...
As though they had silently reached an agreement...
Bounced forward together.
Little by little...
They gathered beneath the suspended Kingdra.
"Haah... haah..."
All of them looked upward.
Begging Kingdra to stop attacking.
Again and again...
They explained that Chen Mo had saved Kingdra...
And every wounded member of their tribe.
At the same time...
After hesitating for a long while...
The three Seadra—
The strongest and highest-ranking members beneath Kingdra itself—
Also hopped over.
Joining the Horsea.
Together...
They pleaded with their king.
"King..."
"You..."
Kingdra stared at the three Seadra in utter disbelief.
Although everyone belonged to the same tribe...
Relationships still differed in closeness.
These three Seadra...
Had been Kingdra's closest companions long before it evolved into their king.
They were comrades...
To whom Kingdra could entrust everything.
Past.
Future.
Life itself.
If necessary...
It would gladly die for them.
Yet now...
"King... King..."
"Even you... have betrayed me...?"
Kingdra's entire body trembled violently.
Its struggles became even more frantic.
Fresh blood seeped from scales that had only just begun healing.
It paid no attention.
At this moment...
Kingdra seemed to have lost the last remnants of reason.
It was on the verge of becoming nothing more than a maddened beast.
Then...
Chen Mo stepped forward.
Looking directly into Kingdra's eyes...
He spoke solemnly.
"Haven't you realized it yet, Kingdra?"
"Your tribe hasn't betrayed you."
"They're simply tired."
"Tired of this endless conflict..."
"A conflict where more and more of their companions are wounded..."
"...and die."
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