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The leaden thick fog was like an eternal curtain, shrouding the entire sea area.
The bow of the wave breaker was like a blunt knife, slowly and firmly slicing through the viscous mist.
The sea breeze blew against his face, carrying a strange smell of salt and rotting vegetation.
The air humidity was astonishingly high; fine droplets of water condensed on the railings, sliding down the cold metal.
The electronic pokédex in Ariel's pocket emitted a short burst of static noise; the screen flickered a few times before going completely dark.
He took it out, glanced at it, and stuffed it back in expressionlessly.
As expected.
Curator Stern had warned him long ago that the magnetic field of the Southern Isolated Island was extremely chaotic, and any precision electronic equipment would become scrap metal here.
"Creak—"
The hull of the wave breaker let out a groan of being overburdened, and its speed slowed down once more.
In the thick fog ahead, a massive shadow that made one's heart palpitate loomed indistinctly.
That was not a mountain, but the back of a giant beast prostrate on the sea surface—hideous, ancient, and radiating a primordial aura.
The Southern Isolated Island had arrived.
The ship docked at a pier built from giant reefs and crude wooden planks. One by one, the Machamp serving as laborers jumped down, tying thick ropes to the stone pillars.
Their movements were steady and powerful.
"Ariel."
Curator Stern turned his head and looked at the young man walking down the gangway.
"This island is very wicked. I came here once on a ship when I was young; ten people went in, and only three came out alive. If something feels wrong, retreat immediately and wait at the pier for the wave breaker's return trip. Don't push yourself."
His gaze passed over Ariel and looked toward that bottomless primeval forest, his eyes filled with lingering dread.
Marius also followed and jumped off the ship; he wasn't as worried as his father.
He looked at Ariel, a light shining in his eyes.
"Brother Ariel, my dad is right, but I also believe in you."
The youth clenched his fists.
"I will work hard to become stronger in the Orange Archipelago. When you return, I will definitely be able to help you!"
Ariel looked at him; this child had a drive that was completely different from his father's.
He didn't say much, only reaching out and giving Marius's shoulder a firm squeeze.
Some promises do not require words.
"Curator, thanks."
Ariel turned to Stern.
He nodded and said no more.
"Weavile."
With his soft call, a red and black figure appeared by his side like a ghost.
Ariel pulled the X-Scissor HM from his pocket and handed it over.
This HM, which recorded a high-power Bug-type move, was quite suitable for Weavile.
Weavile's crimson eyes stared at the disc; it could feel the pure energy contained within.
It extended its sharp claws, its fingertips gently touching the center of the disc.
There were no earth-shattering sound or light effects.
A string of complex data streams lit up on the surface of the disc, and then, as if it had completed its mission, it silently turned into a handful of silver powder, slipping through its claws.
At the same time, a majestic surge of Bug-type energy followed Weavile's fingertips, pouring into its body like a flood breaking through a dam.
"Wu!"
Weavile let out a suppressed low growl, its body arching slightly as if undergoing some kind of transformation.
Its claws were covered with a thin film of energy that was difficult to perceive with the naked eye.
Ariel watched quietly; he knew this was the data stream optimizing Weavile's muscle memory and attack patterns.
A few seconds later, Weavile abruptly raised its head, its eyes glowing with intense red light.
It moved.
Without warning, its body turned into an afterimage, its claws crossing in front of it.
"Swish!"
In the air, a blood-red cross-strike flashed and vanished, the sharp wind even leaving two shallow white marks on the hard reef.
Fast, ruthless, and lethal.
The corner of Ariel's mouth finally curled into a nearly imperceptible arc.
With this move, Weavile's coverage was completely rounded out.
Whether it was Dark-type, Psychic-type, or certain grass-types with annoying defenses, they would all be turned to dust under this strike.
This was the first insurance policy he had taken out for this trip to the isolated island.
The wave breaker's siren let out a long blast; it was time to go.
Watching that familiar ship slowly reverse and disappear into the thick fog again, Ariel was the only one left on the pier.
The sound of waves crashing against the reefs, the unknown cries coming from deep within the forest—it was a deathly silence.
Ariel turned around, his back to the sea.
He opened the precision map Stern had given him and took the cave photo Yuki had given him from another pocket.
The background of the photo was a stretch of mountain rock that appeared sulfur-yellow.
Comparing it to the map, he quickly locked onto his target.
The center of the island, that active Crater that emitted white smoke year-round.
The mega stone was right there!
He put away the map and photo, tightened the shoulder straps of his backpack, and stepped into that primeval forest that swallowed all sunlight.
Venturing in alone.
Upon entering the forest, the world changed with a single step.
Overhead were massive canopies at least three layers deep, interwoven airtight, completely cutting off the sky.
Only scattered spots of light, like stingy rewards, filtered through the gaps, casting swaying shadows on the thick humus ground.
The air was stagnant, hot, and humid, mixed with the smell of earth, rotting plants, and the musk of unknown beasts; breathing it into the lungs made one's chest feel tight.
The vegetation here was oversized to an excessive degree.
Ordinary ferns grew taller than a person here, the edges of their leaves bearing sharp serrations.
Tree roots were like sleeping pythons, gnarled and coiled on the surface, cutting the ground into rugged unevenness.
Ariel walked steadily with every step, his senses pushed to their maximum.
"Rustle..."
A strange sound came from the bushes on the left.
Ariel didn't stop, and he didn't even glance over with the corner of his eye.
The next second, a green shadow pounced out as fast as lightning, its wide-open mouth revealing two rows of fine, sharp teeth.
It was an Ekans.
However, before it could get within three meters of Ariel, a red and black shadow was even faster.
"Pfft!"
Weavile's figure appeared behind the Ekans, its sharp claws already retracted; it gave a gentle flick, shaking off blood that wasn't even there.
That Ekans froze in mid-air, its body snapping into two pieces from the middle, the cut as smooth as a mirror.
An instant kill.
From beginning to end, Ariel had not issued any commands.
This was the tacit understanding he and Weavile had cultivated over a long time.
"The Pokémon here are too aggressive."
Ariel stopped and looked around.
Since he entered the forest, this was already the fifth wave of attacks.
Although they were all low-level wild Pokémon that couldn't pose a threat to Weavile, continuing like this would needlessly consume a lot of stamina.
This was not what he wanted.
He took a red and white Poké Ball from his waist.
"Come out, Krookodile."
A red light flashed, and a massive, fierce-looking desert overlord slammed heavily onto the ground.