"Are you sure you really did not see a single Pokémon? Not even a Magikarp?"
Silas questioned Clauncher again and again.
Magikarp might not be considered particularly powerful, but if even Magikarp could not survive in a body of water, then no other Pokémon could possibly live there either. Such a place was generally referred to as a dead zone.
"Cher!"
Clauncher nodded firmly. It had just swum along the entire coastline, even peering into the crevices between rocks and coral reefs, yet it had not found a single Pokémon.
"If not even one Pokémon can be seen, this is bad, very bad."
Signaling for Clauncher to come ashore quickly, Silas understood clearly what such a situation implied.
There could be many reasons, but the most likely was that some powerful and ferocious Pokémon had arrived nearby and driven all the others out of its territory.
"Clauncher, please go call Veluza over."
No matter what, he had to find out the truth. After all, this was practically at his own doorstep.
"Cher!"
Clauncher swam upstream to fetch Veluza.
Sensing the change in Silas's mood, Litten nudged him gently with its head and took the initiative to let Silas rest his hand on its body.
"Meow."
Litten extended its little claws, as if to say that Silas should not worry too much, because it would protect him.
"Yes, yes." Silas smiled in response and stroked Litten's fur with his palm.
Before long, Veluza and Clauncher returned. Cyclizar came along as well. The three Pokémon looked toward Silas, waiting for instructions.
"Veluza, please swim around the nearby waters and search for any dangerous Pokémon that might be lurking. If you encounter anything, do not engage first. Come back and report to me."
Veluza shook its body. The fish flesh hanging along its sides tilted slightly as it flicked its tail and shot toward the deep sea like an arrow released from a bow.
With Veluza searching, Silas felt relatively at ease. At the very least, its safety was guaranteed.
"Cyc!"
(What about me? What should I do?)
"Cyclizar, go call the Heliolisk over to help. Be prepared in case a battle breaks out."
Electric type Pokémon were the best choice for dealing with marine Pokémon. The vast majority of Pokémon living in the sea feared electricity.
After receiving the task, Cyclizar dashed off without delay.
At Silas's side, Clauncher and Litten stood to his left and right like loyal guardians, responsible for protecting him.
Meanwhile, near Route 12 in the sea area close to Azure Bay, Veluza arrived.
On the seabed lay a broken airship, split cleanly into two halves, resting silently in the depths.
Ordinarily, shipwrecks like this would become ideal gathering spots for marine Pokémon.
Yet this place was eerily quiet. Aside from the ripples caused by Veluza's movement, not a second Pokémon could be seen.
It did not approach rashly. Its pink fins sliced gently through the seawater as Veluza cautiously observed the surroundings of the wreck.
Suddenly, its extraordinary perception began frantically sounding an alarm. Danger was silently drawing near.
Before Veluza could react, a vine whip like tentacle lashed out like lightning. Its sharp tip pierced deeply into Veluza's body, injecting a mixture of toxins reminiscent of Tentacruel and Dragalge.
In an instant, signs of poisoning appeared. A deep purple blotch spread across its body as the virulent toxin intensified over time.
The attack did not stop there. Another tentacle shimmered with light and swayed before Veluza's eyes.
Even with its battle hardened spirit, Veluza felt dizzy at first, its consciousness gradually growing hazy.
The attacker was not trying to defeat or kill it, but to control it, to turn it into a puppet.
Had it been any other Pokémon, it would already have fallen under control. Yet Veluza remained conscious. Its very identity was not erased or tampered with.
It still remembered Silas's instructions before leaving.
Taking advantage of the opponent's confidence, Veluza suddenly swung its tail and rammed downward into the reef below.
A muffled thud echoed. The pink fish flesh beneath its body shattered from the impact.
For Veluza, the flesh was not important. The central fish bone was its true body.
With the bone exposed and fractured, it was like a person breaking a finger. The pain was sharp and excruciating.
The intense agony snapped Veluza free from the daze of mental control. In the brief moment when the tentacles loosened slightly, it violently shook its body. Two pieces of poisoned fish flesh tore off and sank into the sea.
Because of its signature move Fillet Away, its stamina dropped, but in exchange its Attack, Special Attack, and Speed rose drastically by two stages. The poisoning effect also vanished.
From the initial ambush until now, only a dozen seconds had passed.
The toxin had not been the attacker's own and was far less potent. It had not yet seeped into the marrow.
Freed from restraint, Veluza did not hesitate. It immediately swam back. The information had to be delivered to Silas.
Behind it, from the upper half of the broken airship, a massive squid glowing brilliantly in the deep sea slowly emerged.
It let out a silent roar. Around it were countless pairs of hollow eyes.
From large Tentacruel, Dragalge, and Mantine to small Magikarp, Shellder, and even Clauncher, none were spared. All had been hypnotized and controlled.
They had become members of the puppet army under this mysterious Pokémon's command. No wonder Clauncher had not found a single Pokémon earlier. Every Pokémon within several nautical miles was gathered here.
With a wave of its tentacles, the puppet army surged like a tidal wave, pursuing Veluza's direction of escape.
As for the giant squid itself, it remained hidden in the shadows, its cunning and cautious nature displayed to the fullest.
Sure enough, Pokémon modeled after squids were nothing good.
On the surface of the sea, layers of dark waves rolled. They were formed by countless Pokémon stacked together, creating a terrifying spectacle.
On seaweed and coral along the seabed, faint green glimmers flickered. One of those lights detached and chased after Veluza, attaching itself to its body and stabilizing its deteriorating state so it could endure the return journey without collapsing halfway.
"Half an hour has passed and Veluza still has not come back."
Silas checked the time repeatedly and paced back and forth. The longer it took, the more worried he became.
Clauncher volunteered several times to go search, but Silas refused each time.
If Veluza had not returned and Clauncher disappeared as well, that would be even worse.
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar, who had been looking out over the sea, suddenly cried out and pointed with its claw into the distance.
Following its direction, Silas saw a pink dorsal fin cutting through the surface.
It was undoubtedly Veluza. But its condition…
As it drew nearer, its miserable appearance became clear.
Several deep scratches marked its head, so deep that bone was visible. The fish flesh that once hung along its sides was gone, revealing pale pink bones.
Most crucial of all, the longest lower fin had been severed, causing it to swim crookedly.
Clearly, Veluza had been attacked.
"Veluza!"
Silas's heart tightened. He leaped into the water, grabbed Veluza, and carried it ashore first.
"Vel!"
Now temporarily safe, Veluza hurriedly recounted what had happened. Its gaze turned toward the deeper sea. The enemy was still behind it.
"Cyclizar, get ready. There are enemies behind."
After reminding Cyclizar, Silas handed over the command to it for the moment.
He examined Veluza's body first. Fortunately, only one fin had been broken. It was within bearable limits.
Veluza's weakened state was due more to mental trauma.
Silas used strong medicine to stabilize its condition, then returned it to its Poké Ball.
He called Litten over and asked it to take Veluza back to the ranch to find Meganium for treatment.
Litten picked up the Poké Ball and ran off swiftly. Silas stood beside Cyclizar as, on the horizon, a deep and towering wave began to appear.
(End of Chapter)