Pokémon Devil King

Chapter 371 Deep-Sea Observation Station

At 37 seconds, the ugly fish emerged.

He had a second piece of gravel in his mouth.

Then comes the third piece.

The fourth piece.

The fifth piece.

Each time it returns, its tail fin swings more steadily than the last time.

Each dive lasts for a shorter time than the last.

It adapts to this body of water, to the turbulent undercurrents, and to the cramped and oppressive space in the rock crevices.

On the sixth dive, an unexpected strong current suddenly surged out from deep within the rock crevice.

The ugly fish's figure thrashed violently inside, pushed by the current against the rock wall—

Jiuji raised his hand slightly.

But the next second, the ugly fish suddenly flicked its tail fin.

Its body flipped half a circle in the water, and with the propulsion of the current, it accelerated and rushed deeper into the crevice.

He then picked up the sixth piece of rock from a crevice in the reef.

As it emerged from the crevice, a wisp of sediment clung to the corner of its mouth.

Those black bean-like eyes looked at Jiuji, sparkling brightly.

You can't speak underwater.

Jiuji extended his index finger and gently tapped Ugly Fish's forehead through the gloves of his diving suit.

Well done!

Jiuji's wristwatch vibrated slightly.

After testing, these fragments are the energy stones needed for the mission.

Once you've taken these few pieces of rubble up there, your mission will be complete.

She raised her hand and gestured for the ugly fish to float to the surface.

But the ugly fish didn't follow immediately.

It turned its head and looked at the crevice in the rock again.

A moment later, it swam in again, flicking its tail fin.

This time, it stayed submerged for an exceptionally long time.

One minute and twenty seconds.

One minute and forty seconds.

Just as Jiuji was about to have Daidai investigate.

The ugly fish has emerged.

It swam up to Jiuji, and opened its mouth, tired yet excited.

A perfectly round gemstone, radiating a rainbow of colors, lay quietly in its mouth.

Latias Mega Stone.

*

After handing over the meteorite fragments needed for the mission to Flora, Jiuji confirmed the handover was correct under her slightly surprised gaze, and then left Green Ridge Harbor.

Flora watched her departing figure, then looked down at the energy stone in her hand, which still carried the chill of the underwater aura.

From diving to surfacing, it took no more than an hour.

The efficiency is frighteningly high.

The task status is refreshed on the wristwatch.

[Rare Energy Stone Collection in the Tidal Whirlpool Area - Completed]

[Points: 300 have been credited to your account]

Jiuji didn't care much about the 300 points; she was more concerned about something else.

Back in the spaceship's lounge, she carefully took out the unexpected find from the waterproof storage bag.

Latias Mega Stone.

The stone that the ugly fish had brought out from deep within the rock crevice was now lying quietly in her palm.

Kyuuki was looking forward to the next time he met Latias.

*

Eleven hours later, in the waters off Liuli City.

The spacecraft hovered 300 meters above the designated coordinates of the observation station.

Outside the porthole, the deep blue sea was calm and still.

Only at the far end of the line of sight can you see a few white columns of water shooting into the sky; that's the roaring whale pod breathing.

"Seven, contact the mission coordinator."

[Connected.]

The communication interface popped up, and a middle-aged man wearing a heavy yellow hard hat appeared on the screen.

Behind him was the swaying deck of the ship and several maintenance workers struggling with the cables; the howling sea wind almost drowned out his voice.

"Mission officer? Thank you for arriving so quickly!" The man's voice was broken by the waves. "I am Gouda, the emergency repair team leader of the marine research institute."

"The situation has changed a bit. Those big guys suddenly turned back this morning and are now circling around the observation station!"

"Our repair ship doesn't dare to get close at all!"

"What do you need me to do?" Jiuji remained calm as always.

"Please have your Pokémon help us disperse the Wailord horde."

"Or... at least attract their attention and give the maintenance personnel at least a 30-minute window, the longer the better."

Gangda wiped the seawater off his face. "We can't be sure if they're aggressive. A group of huge creatures, over thirty meters long, are swimming around us. We really don't dare go into the water."

"I understand." Jiuji cut off the communication and turned to walk towards the equipment compartment.

"Dragonite, you're in charge of aerial surveillance and watch out for shadows underwater."

"Dumb, Luna, Ugly Fish, come with me into the water."

As soon as the words were spoken, a fluffy little head peeked out from the soft cushion next to it.

Pichu's two ears stood straight up, and its dark eyes were wide open.

Jiuji paused, looking down to meet those expectant eyes.

"You stay on the ship and monitor communications with Seven."

Pichu's ears drooped down instantly, like two wilted leaves.

But it only wilted for a second.

The next moment, the little guy's ears perked up again, he patted his chest with his little paws, and nodded vigorously.

It's the strongest second-generation character, and it will never be a burden!

Three minutes later, Jiuji entered the water.

The diving suit kept out the coolness of the seawater, but it couldn't keep out the tranquility of the deep sea.

The visibility here is far better than in Green Ridge.

The visibility here far surpasses that of Green Ridge. Sunlight penetrates dozens of meters into the sea, casting shimmering ripples on the pristine white sandy seabed, creating a dreamlike scene.

In the distance, a three-story spherical building sits on the gentle slope of the underwater mountain range; this is the observation station.

Several huge scratches and dents are clearly visible on its metal shell, as if it had been ravaged by some giant object.

Around the observation station, a dozen enormous, suffocating shadows were slowly moving.

Wailords.

Even the smallest one is over twenty meters long.

The ugly fish swam beside Jiuji, and the frequency of its tail fin movements increased significantly.

It had never felt such a massive life form so closely before.

Curiosity, mixed with a touch of instinctive awe, made it instinctively rub against Jiuji's diving suit, seeking that familiar sense of security.

Jiuji raised his hand, signaling everyone to stay put.

[Luna, try communicating with them and ask if you can ask them to move away temporarily.]

Leave it to me.

Luna, wearing a diving mouthpiece, nodded.

An invisible waveguide force spread out, reaching the colossal object in the distance.

Almost instantly, the largest of the whales, the King Whale, suddenly stopped, turned around, and swam straight toward them.

For it, a distance of hundreds of meters is nothing more than a light sway of its tail fin.

An invisible pressure descended as it approached, and the water seemed to become viscous.

Jiuji and Daidai floated motionless in the water.

Luna remained calm.

Ugly Fish turned its head left and right, then silently snuggled against Jiu Ji's calf.

The whale king stopped ten meters away.

The shadows completely enveloped this seabed.

Its eyes were disproportionately small compared to its enormous body.

At this moment, it was like a deep well, staring unblinkingly at these "intruders" who were less than one-tenth of its size.