Zane and the crew scrambled, wrestling the heavy, reinforced trawl net into the churning water.
Below the surface, a river of silver and blue bodies flowed past-hundreds, maybe thousands of prime bluefin tuna.
The moment the net hit the water, it was pulled taut with a groan of protesting rope and metal. The winch shrieked, threatening to buckle under the immense weight.
"The winch is gonna break!" the captain yelled, his face a mask of panic and awe. "There are too many!"
The other boats had drawn closer, their occupants staring in stunned silence at the spectacle. The water around Alicia's boat looked like it was boiling.
Chantal's smug expression had been replaced by wide-eyed disbelief.
In Jamie's livestream, the chat had gone from mockery to a waterfall of "WTF" and "OMG." His viewer count was exploding.
Just as the winch was about to give way, Alicia walked over to it. She placed her hand casually on the machine's housing.
Unseen by anyone, a sliver of her power flowed into the metal, reinforcing its molecular structure, hardening it from the inside out.
The tortured screaming of the winch ceased. It began to pull smoothly, powerfully, bringing the net up from the depths.
The crew stared, thinking the machine had just righted itself. Only Zane shot a quick, questioning look at Alicia.
The net broke the surface.
The sight silenced everyone for a hundred yards.
Hundreds upon hundreds of large, powerful bluefin tuna thrashed within the mesh, their silver-blue scales catching the California sun. It was a catch of mythical proportions.
In the control room, the director was on his feet, shouting into his headset. "All cameras on her! Drones, everything! Now!" He knew this single shot would define the entire season.
The net was hoisted onto the deck. The first scale they used to weigh the catch broke. They had to bring in an industrial-grade scale from the dock.
The final number was so large it seemed like a typo.
The show's on-site marine biologist stammered into his microphone, "This... this doesn't just break the show's record. It breaks the commercial single-haul record for this entire coastline. And to do it out of season... it's... it's impossible."
A dead silence fell, broken only by the whir of cameras.
Everyone stared at Alicia. She stood beside the mountain of fish, her expression as calm as if she were looking at a basket of laundry. The contrast between the sheer spectacle of the event and her profound stillness was terrifying.
Julius, Kian, and Jamie looked on, their faces ashen. Their plan to humiliate her had backfired in the most spectacular way imaginable. She hadn't just avoided embarrassment; she had performed a miracle.
The director's voice crackled over the PA system. "The challenge is over! The winners... are Alicia Ruiz and Zane Ryder!"
Zane let out a whoop of joy, looking at Alicia with a mixture of worship and suspicion.
Alicia's gaze went past him, toward the distant horizon. She wondered if this display would be enough to get the attention of a certain Sovereign.
On the internet, the hashtag AliciaTunaMiracle was the number one trending topic worldwide within minutes.
The world was debating whether it was a hoax, a fluke, or an act of God.
But one thing was certain. The name Alicia Ruiz was back.
