Chapter 101: Eerie

Chapter 101: Eerie

It was like a city in hell—the entire base stood empty, devoid of the faintest trace of human presence.

Had it not been for the occasional signs of recent human activity still discoverable in certain spots, anyone would have believed this place had been abandoned long ago.

As the captain of the advance team for this operation, Max knew every detail of Gray Page Island by heart.

Back in the day, when Dark Star was expanding its influence into the Hoenn region, progress had been slow and difficult. They had too few personnel to spare, and the local Hoenn forces had pushed back fiercely.

To provide sufficient support for the operatives fighting on the front lines, the organization's high command, after deliberation, selected Gray Page Island—located in the waters off the Hoenn mainland—as their logistics and supply base.

The Gray Page Island base had played an enormous role in the organization's establishment of its Hoenn branch.

Though its importance had waned somewhat in the mid-to-late period, once the organization had secured a firm foothold in the Hoenn region, the island still housed a substantial number of resident researchers and a formidable security force.

Yet the scene before them now—like the final redoubt of humanity—carried an undercurrent of something deeply wrong.

"Captain, report!"

"No humans found inside the buildings."

A search team member came running up at a quick pace, reporting loudly.

Max furrowed his brow.

"What about bodies?"

"None found!"

"The buildings are clean—not even a drop of blood."

Strange...

Max's mind churned with confusion.

The security force on Gray Page Island, while not what one would call overwhelming, was hardly the sort to be wiped out without even having time to react.

Moreover, the moment headquarters received the distress signal, they had assembled their forces and rushed over aboard the organization's fastest transport, the Black Hole Type-2. Only a little over an hour had passed since the signal was received.

With a base of Gray Page Island's scale, there was no way the Magma Team could have cleaned up all the bodies and bloodstains in such a short time.

A chill crept up Max's spine.

He shook his head slightly and pressed further with the search team member before him.

"What about the data stored in the base?"

"Reporting, sir!"

"All data is intact. The archives show no signs of having been disturbed."

Something was off...

Max's thick brows knit together tightly, carving deep furrows between them.

The data wasn't missing, and there were no signs of a fight.

So what exactly was the Magma Team's purpose in attacking Gray Page Island?

Thick confusion flowed through his chest like icy seawater.

The advance team's duty was to survey the actual conditions on the battlefield and deliver a preemptive strike against the enemy.

Then, based on the real situation, if their combat strength proved insufficient, they would request further support from allies.

Conversely, if they had enough hands and confirmed there was no enemy threat, they could allow the research and medical units remaining in the rear to land and set up.

But this situation now—having encountered no enemies, yet unable to confirm safety—was rather awkward.

And this was precisely the kind of moment that tested the on-site commander's ability to think on his feet.

Max lowered his head, squinting in thought for a moment, and soon had a plan.

His thick arm pressed lightly on the microphone hanging by his ear.

"Attention, all team members."

"Teams 1 and 2, expand reconnaissance toward the west of the base. Teams 3 and 4, head east. Teams 5 and 6, follow me north."

"Everyone else, stay in position and hold."

"Signal immediately if anything happens. Understood!?"

"Received!"

"Received!"

"..."

Steady voices came through the earpiece.

Given the eerie situation inside the base, Max speculated that the original members of the Gray Page Island base had a high probability of still being alive.

Therefore, he chose to have the teams move in different directions, searching for survivors.

Before setting out, in order to increase the team's margin for error,

Max had requested powerful rented Pokémon from the organization for each team.

That way, even if they encountered enemies, they could hold the line for a while with their superior firepower and wait for reinforcements to arrive.

Even he himself, considering the unusual circumstances, had acquired a highly rated Pokémon from the rental pool, just in case.

Under Max's command, the advance team members moved in an orderly fashion,

silent and efficient, acting according to their assigned groups.

Max led his own team in a careful search toward the north.

The sky remained overcast, and a gray, hazy mist spread across Gray Page Island like a thin veil.

Melancholy, heavy clouds churned violently in the high altitudes,

and a deep darkness, like an invisible net, cast its shadow over the advance team members.

...

...

Suffocating.

Beneath the thick, moisture-laden dark clouds, the air was as hot as a sauna.

Dense sweat covered Max's forehead, dripping down his rough skin,

rolling and falling,

leaving glistening trails of moisture across the fierce scar on his face.

He raised his arm and casually wiped his face with his sleeve.

Max's expression was grim.

"Pah!"

He turned his head and spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the grass by the roadside.

It had been forty minutes since they had split up.

Still, they had found no trace of survivors.

Max wasn't surprised by this—he had long since mentally prepared himself for the possibility that the base's members had been wiped out to the last.

It was just...

His brown pupils swept across his surroundings with serious intent.

Ordinary tall palm trees, common dense shrubs—

nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But it was too quiet!

Not even the faintest chirp of an insect could be heard.

If it weren't for the faint rustling of swaying branches and leaves in the air,

Max might have suspected he had fallen victim to some Pokémon move with a sound-dampening effect.

Thinking back carefully, the entire way here, their group hadn't encountered a single wild Pokémon.

And this was Gray Page Island—known throughout the organization as a place teeming with Fire-type Pokémon.

Even he himself owned a Torkoal that came from this very island.

Eerie.

The sense of danger in Max's heart grew ever heavier.

Suddenly,

from the lush green bushes ahead, a violent shaking sound erupted.

"Alert!"

Max growled inwardly, his entire body tensing up.

In such an uncanny situation, any unexpected occurrence was enough to make him exercise the utmost caution.

"Rustle, rustle!"

The shaking of the branches grew more violent.

Max didn't dare blink, his gaze locked on tightly.

Behind him, his ace Pokémon, Gengar, hidden within his shadow, had long since opened its violet-red eyes.

Dark energy gathered,

a Shadow Ball poised to strike.

Creak—

A purple figure flickered in and out of view among the bushes.

Beneath the dim sunlight, a sharp, blade-like flash of white light reflected into everyone's eyes.

Sharp fangs, carrying a menacing aura, revealed themselves amid the dense foliage.