Chapter 111: The Drifting Man at Sea

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The next day, the weather was bright and sunny. A gentle sea breeze rippled across the ocean's surface, creating faint waves.

A Lapras glided steadily over the water, carrying two figures on its broad back.

Liam glanced at the person beside him—Lorelei—who was still hugging a PokéBall and grinning like an idiot. He couldn't help but feel speechless.

Finally, unable to stand her silly laughter any longer, he reached out and poked her arm.

"It's just a Dewgong. Do you really have to be this happy? You've been grinning non-stop since last night."

At his words, Lorelei immediately turned to glare at him fiercely before twisting her body away, presenting him with the back of her head.

She was clearly still upset about his earlier remarks about Articuno.

Seeing this, Liam sighed helplessly. Ever since he had muttered something under his breath about Articuno the previous day, Lorelei had been treating him coldly, barely showing him a pleasant expression.

This morning, he had even begun to suspect that she might leave without him. If that had happened, he really would have been doomed, left with no way to call for help.

Luckily, Lorelei wasn't that petty. In the end, the two of them departed together, bidding farewell to the group of Dewgong and Seel that had warmly seen them off from the floating Iceberg Isle.

Just the day before, thanks to Lorelei's relentless efforts, the frozen Dewgong and Seel had finally been freed from the ice.

The newly rescued Pokémon were immensely grateful to Lorelei, treating her as if she were family.

One particular Dewgong had refused to leave her side from start to finish, clearly growing very attached to her. In the end, Lorelei simply captured it, leading to her hugging the PokéBall all night in excitement.

Before leaving, she had also sternly reminded the Dewgong and Seel not to attack passing ships in the future. The Pokémon agreed readily.

And with that, Liam and Lorelei's adventure at Iceberg Isle came to an end. They boarded Lapras and continued toward their destination—Cinnabar Island.

Since Lorelei refused to speak to him, Liam also fell silent. He lay comfortably on Lapras' back, using his hand as a pillow, gazing at the drifting white clouds.

He amused himself by imagining the clouds forming various Pokémon shapes, thoroughly enjoying his little game.

"~Wooooo!"

Suddenly, Lapras let out a low cry and abruptly swerved, changing direction. Its four flippers paddled rapidly, splashing glistening seawater into the air.

"Huh? Lapras, did you notice something?"

Lapras' unusual behavior quickly caught Lorelei's attention. She hurriedly put away her PokéBall, stood up, and rushed to the front, wrapping one arm around Lapras' neck while shading her eyes with the other as she peered ahead.

"What's going on?"

Liam sat up in confusion, craning his neck to look forward but seeing nothing unusual.

"Lapras noticed something, but I'm not sure what yet," Lorelei replied. She continued scanning the horizon with a concerned expression, muttering under her breath, "I really hope it's not someone in trouble…"

Liam overheard her and suddenly recalled that Lapras were known to be gentle and kind-hearted Pokémon.

They preferred to live in groups in the ocean, and many people had witnessed them rescuing shipwreck victims, ferrying them to safety.

Rescuing people was part of a Lapras' nature. Given Lapras' reaction, something must have happened up ahead.

Realizing this, Liam could no longer remain idle. He quickly stood up, balancing on Lapras' back, and stretched up on his tiptoes to get a better view.

A few seconds later, Lapras let out another cry and sped up. Both Liam and Lorelei finally spotted a figure floating on the water's surface in the distance.

"There's really someone out there! And they're alone? There's no sign of any wreckage nearby—how did they even end up here?"

Lorelei immediately scanned the surrounding waters but found nothing—not even a stray piece of driftwood. Her confusion deepened.

Liam didn't say anything, but as they got closer, he had a strange feeling—like he had seen this person before.

"~Wooooo!"

Soon, Lapras reached the floating figure. The person was lying on their back, limbs limp like a ragdoll, completely motionless as the waves gently rocked them.

Lapras lowered its head and gently bit the person's clothing, lifting them out of the water and placing them on its back.

Now that he could see the person's face clearly, Liam's eyes widened in shock.

"Holy crap! Bruno?!"

Hearing his shout, Lorelei furrowed her brows and asked in confusion, "Liam, you know this guy?"

Liam nodded and quickly pressed his ear to Bruno's chest, checking for a heartbeat. To his surprise, Bruno's heartbeat was strong and steady. This only made Liam more puzzled.

He reached out and gave Bruno's face a few firm slaps.

"Hey, wake up! Wake up!"

Lorelei was immediately furious. She smacked Liam's hand away and scolded him with a glare.

"How can you be so rough with him?! He's your acquaintance, isn't he? And he's in this state—you should be more careful!"

But just as Lorelei was berating Liam, Bruno's eyes suddenly snapped open, staring directly at her.

"AHHH!"

Lorelei shrieked in shock and instinctively leaped behind Liam. When she realized what she had done, she blushed furiously, quickly covering her face with both hands like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

"Huh? Where am I?" Bruno mumbled groggily. "I was just sleeping in the ocean… how did I end up here? Oh—Liam! What a coincidence, hahaha!"

Liam: "…Bruno, why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be on a training journey? Why were you drifting alone in the middle of the ocean?"

Lorelei, still peeking from behind Liam, stared at Bruno warily, as if she had just witnessed something supernatural.

Bruno scratched his head and laughed.

"I was training! My Pokémon and I have been doing endurance swimming drills. We set out from the port a couple of days ago, and we've been swimming nonstop ever since. I must've gotten tired, so I recalled my Pokémon and decided to float on my back for a bit… then I guess I dozed off. Next thing I knew, I woke up here! By the way, Liam, your girlfriend is really pretty, haha!"

Liam was utterly dumbfounded. He did vaguely recall hearing that Bruno enjoyed swimming between islands using only his own strength. But to think it was actually true…

Out of reflex, Liam turned to glance at Lorelei. Her expression mirrored his—pure shock—except for the faint blush dusting her cheeks.

"Ahem. Bruno, she's not my girlfriend. You can joke around with me all you want, but don't make careless remarks about someone else's reputation. Haven't I told you before? I already have someone I like."

Bruno blinked. "Oh? You mentioned that? Ohhh, my bad, my bad. That was my mistake!" He then turned and sincerely bowed his head toward Lorelei in apology.

Lorelei stammered, "I-It's fine. I… I don't mind…"

But for some reason, Liam couldn't shake the feeling that there was a sudden, bone-chilling coldness behind him.

It must've been the sea breeze… Yes, that had to be it!