Summoning Japan to Xadia

Chapter 3: First Signs of Difficulty

"Location map of Japan and Xadia." More information at the end of the chapter.

UPDATE: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 have been edited with changes and additions—Full details are at the end of the chapter.

ponikyan.co.jp (website of The Ponikyan Times)

Dead "sea monsters" beached in Okinawa village

2027/1/5 11:12

[image]

Unknown large creature on Aharen Beach = Tokashiki Village, Okinawa (Photo by Megumi Fujita)

Two unidentified creatures were found washed ashore on Aharen Beach in Tokashiki Village, Okinawa early on January 1. Both of them died.

One was kept alive for 21 hours. Police officers, volunteers, and officials from the Ministry of the Environment tried to keep it wet and oxygenated by throwing water over the gills. They only partially submerged the creature in the water to prevent it from escaping. It was part of a desperate attempt to safely transport it to a whale research laboratory affiliated with the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). It died in its special water tank shortly after it was loaded onto the JS Osumi.

French marine biologist, Dr. Jacques Conseil, claims he managed to measure the creatures. The creature that died earlier was nearly 70 meters long, around the same length as four regular coach buses. The other that survived longer was small at three meters.

The locals have started calling them "sea monsters" due to their unbelievably large size. In the north, the term "hyochakushin" is becoming popular. Like the namesake whale gods of coastal medieval Japan, these creatures have been beaching themselves on Japanese shores in the past four days, turning up dead in their dozens with other new species of fish.

"If we are to believe the government," Dr. Conseil explained, "That we have been transported to another world, then it is possible that these animals are confused. What used to be ocean suddenly became land."

The new Hyochakushin have green, whale-like bodies but they are not mammals. The gills indicate they are a species of fish. The body is covered in red stripes, with one thick line running up and down its back. Its fins are as big as the wings of a private jet.

In the afternoon of January 2, Acting Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ryui Himura apologized for the death of the captured Hyochakushin in a joint press conference with the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of the Environment. 

Himura took responsibility for their failure to keep the creature alive and admitted he discouraged extra precautions on an unknown species to speedily deliver it to JAMSTEC. 

"It is not a total loss. The carcass can still provide us with a mountain of information," Himura said. "It will help us learn about the biology of its species."

The beached creatures were first reported by an officer of the Naha Police Tokashiki Substation. The officer was setting up signage and posters all over the beach to inform readers about the "Cabinet Order on the Closure of Public Seaside Facilities and Access Points to the Sea."

The locals and stranded tourists quickly gathered at nearby roads and buildings with a good view of the beach.

"It is an amazing sight." A local man watching the beach said. "I always thought things like that only exist in fantasy or science fiction."

An American woman squeezed through a crowded room with other gawkers on the third floor of Hotel Sunflower. It has a commanding view of the beach. The hotel management charges ¥150 for each interested viewer.