A crew of Contestants and Petrification
He could see men running around like ants on the incoming galley; the enemy was so close.
Item-M was standing near him, to his right, and looking out into the sea using the far-eye. She took the cylindrical bronze tube, tapering towards one end, off her eye, and took a deep breath. Like him, she too licked her lips as if the tastiest dish was coming to her in not but a few moments.
"What do you think?" Kai asked, a gentle breeze playing with his white hair. "They have brandished the Baratheon flag on their foremast, true. But their zeal surpasses common bounty hunters and freeriders. A few Contestants might have slipped themselves onto the ship, but…" He couldn't complete his words, as Item-M was already shaking her head.
"No, it's not that, master," she said, dropping a few paper fish into the sea. "You are right, I think. The entire crew is made of Contestants. You are rising on Order's kill list. An undeniably good thing, of course. It means you are advancing at a rate that even the Systems are thinking of you as a monster. Not to mention an even greater monstrosity that hides within you."
Kai snapped his head towards her. "Are you talking about Selene?"
Item-M nodded, a solemn gaze flicking across her old eyes. "I have already told you about the uncharacteristic advantage of graded Magical Beast," she said, reminding him of a discussion they already had gone through once. "A magical beast, more often than not, has the capabilities matching many grades higher than itself compared to Contestants. That's why when your serpent was an E- magical beast, it could handle itself against Contestants from the 4th floor, which is equivalent to D- grade.
"These gaps keep on decreasing as one climbs up the ladder of grades, though. It's also the reason for the rarity of magical beasts above C+ grades. They are not only hard to find but also harder to get."
Kai remembered the Eon Pokemon, and what she had told him about their grades, but didn't interrupt.
"With the Ghost Basilisk's grade being D-," she continued, after taking a brief pause, "I am sure she can make quick work of any 4th-floor Contestant on her own. And if I am not wrong about it, then she can even inflict mortal damage to 5th-floor Contestants. The only area where these magical beasts lack is intelligence. They are still beasts, after all. Add me to you and your beast, master, and I wouldn't question if Order were to even send a 5th-floor Contestant after us."
Kai sighed audibly. He pitied the fool standing by his side, and he realized that not even 100 years' worth of life was enough to give the people common sense when needed the most. Moreover, in his previous life, he had already confirmed that women were meanest to each other than they were to men.
"Is that what you think of Selene, Item-M?" he asked her, not unkindly, sensing the pulses of cold sensation inside his flesh. Selene was mad, and that was an understatement, he could tell. Nevertheless, she would not harm Item-M, not until he's capable of commanding Selene. "You should guard your tongue with more care when around me. One day, you will die not knowing how and why. Not even I could do anything about it, then. Selene is not someone you can speak ill of off-handedly whenever you want, and remain alive. Not anymore. If I were you, I would fear every slither and every turn of her head. Don't presume otherwise."
As Item-M face gained a sickly hue of yellow in fear, terror, and shame, Kai couldn't help but recall what he had learned after many experiments that had included fish and Selene's new Skill, Petrification.
A single gaze from her third eye could petrify any living thing. The rate of petrification depended on the target's size, and if he had guessed right, on the target's Stats. Yet, the horror of this Skill was neither in its rate nor its obvious effects, but in its very nature.
Using hundreds of crude and unscientific operations, Kai had found out that this petrification was limited to the outer layer of the live objects like an outer shell. It targeted only one organ. But that organ was the largest organ of all living things. Skin. Or an equivalent outer covering. Petrification petrified the skin, incapacitating all movements, but leaving the inner working of many organs and nervous system intact.
It was then that Kai had concluded that this Skill wasn't a killing tool, but an imprisoning one.
"They are coming!" Item-M's sudden shout brought Kai out of his reverie. He was shaking, he realized. His findings related to the Petrification had not only made him feel strong, but they had also troubled him. This wasn't the time for those concerns, though.
"Pass me the armor," he commanded her. "Stay around the ship, and assist me using Jet Wing whenever you can, but don't kill anyone. I must complete my Kill Count first. Prioritize the ship's safety. And take out Cocodile. It's time for it to see some action as well."
"Ahem!" Item-M cleared her throat, passing Kai a deep bronze-colored military jacket. "It's not Cocodile, master. It's Totodile."
Kai scowled and was about to reply, but thought better of it. He wore the jacket over his shirt and felt his Defense going up. This armor couldn't be named in the same breath as his Brigandine Bone Armor, as it only enhanced his Defense by 3 points and decreased his Agility by 1. But this was the only Item she could afford with the tiny amount of Mission Credits she had, he knew, and anything was better than nothing.
Shouts of men traveled over the salty water and reached his ears like the chattering of insects. Kai raised his head and looked at the incoming red beast. The galley was over twice the size of Actaea, and at its bow, Kai could see the silhouette of a single man standing upright like a mast.
'A 4th-floor Contestant?!' Kai guessed, and then, he saw this man flinging his hand, throwing a stone out, towards the sea. He didn't have to guess about this stone's nature for long, for a flash of red-colored, noiseless lightning shot out of it, and went into the sea, disappearing in the black-blue waters.
"A Pokemon Trainer!" Item-M barked. "Which one is it? It must be a water-type if it has directly entered the sea."
Kai didn't get to deliberate upon this too.
Suddenly, before he could even comprehend if his footing lacked strength or not, the entire ship rocked like a hand had grabbed it from the bottom, shaking it like a leaf.
As he fell, from the corner of his eyes, he saw Item-M taking herself to air, large paper wings appearing on her back, and for a moment, he thought of following her. But as he saw the sea, his mind changed. The thing living in his chest squirmed, and he called forth Golduck's blood essence. Steam rose off his searing body, and his figure transformed, becoming a charming, blue prince of the seas.
His kingdom welcomed him with a splash.
And what he saw beneath the rippling cover of the narrow sea widened his eyes.
Less in fear and more in greed, bordering on grotesque hunger.
*******
AN: Guess which Pokemon.