Chapter 100: Dark Clouds

Chapter 100: Ominous Clouds

A cloudlike weight as heavy as lead hung over the wide earth, dark and oppressive. A piercing, feral shriek echoed through the roaring wind.
A murky, dim mist drifted and spread slowly, while a cold, damp breath coiled through the air. A storm was brewing over the mountains.

*Tap—tap—tap!*
In the long dim corridor, quick, dense footsteps carried urgency, spreading impatience through the underground base.

As if disturbed by the noise, Merg’s hand, which held a test tube, trembled twice.

*Hiss—*
Dark green, thick liquid dripped from the mouth of the tube, etching a deep black pit into the hard stone floor.

Dangerous white vapor rose in curling plumes.

“Damn it!”

With a frown, Merg muttered a curse. He tore off his face shield, then slammed his gloved hand hard against the desk before turning sharply toward the exit. He was about to march to the door—
to see who dared to make noise in the Darkstar Research Division.

*Click.*

Before he reached the doorway, the iron door outside burst open. A sharp change in temperature sent a blade of icy air flooding into the warm interior. Merg folded his arms across his chest and shivered.

At the doorframe, a short-haired young head, turquoise-black at the tips, appeared.

Seeing the familiar face, Merg could do nothing but rein in his temper.

“Zek, what are you doing here?”

“We already discussed yesterday. My experiment is at the critical stage.”

“Don’t bother me unless it’s urgent.”

Zek’s youthful expression showed a flicker of surprise when Merg returned to the bench and resumed his work without haste.

“Didn’t you check your phone?”

“Hm?”

“The Organization sent a new notice.”

He seemed to search for words, then paused.

“It’s a mess to explain. Just look, and you’ll know.”

Merg eyed Zek warily, removed his white gloves, and pulled a smartphone from the backpack in the corner.

One finger drummed over the screen as he sneered, “Don’t pull one of your stunts on me.”

“If you’re going to send me another horror video like last time—”

“You’re definitely not leaving today,” he said.

His words cut off.

Merg turned his face toward the doorway, disbelief in his eyes. “How dare they?”

Zek only nodded deeply.

“But still, even so, isn’t this supposed to be the Combat Unit’s job?”

“What can I, an experimenter, do?”

“Come on, don’t involve yourself.”

“And if something happens while you wander off?”

Impatient, Zek waved a hand.

“I still have to alert the others.”

“Hurry and pack up. The plane departs in twenty minutes.”

“Don’t get left behind!”

*Bang!*
The iron door slammed shut.

In the dim light, there was a loud rustle of folding uniforms and equipment being packed, then another burst of frantic footsteps.

At the workbench, the clear glass tube lay overturned.
Dark green, viscous droplets fell one by one, slowly.

…
…

Above the dark, expansive sky, a massive metal rotor howled; violent, spiral gusts spread outward in ringing currents.

A giant beast of steel raced through the air.
On its icy black shell, raindrops froze into faint pale frost.

The fully armed operators sat in the cabin without a word, safety harnesses tight across their torsos, heads low.

At their waists, Darkgray Poké Balls bearing the Darkstar standard trembled with every collision of high-altitude wind.

Suddenly, a broad-shouldered man with a dark violet black-hole badge pinned to his chest brusquely unbuckled his harness and rose.
With his right hand he grabbed an overhead bar. Veins bulged. Coiled, knotted muscle surged over his arm.

He faced the team, black face set, a long, savage scar cutting across it like a blade, hard as iron.

“Listen up, all of you!”
“The Lava Pack jackals stole our Greypage Island.”
“Today—”

His roar was swallowed by the roar of the wings.

Under the overcast sky, the iron giants moved in formation, pressing forward toward their destination.
Ash-gray haze rolled around them.

…
…

Greypage Island sat where Unova Continent met the Azure-Silver Sea, facing across the water from Rogue Cape.
It covered 3,760 square kilometers; tropical foliage on the island was dense and lush, yet because of its remote position and harsh conditions, few humans had ever set foot there.

On the eastern side, Mount Lagon rose to 3,647 meters.
Three hundred and more years had passed since its last eruption.
People had long forgotten the all-enveloping pall of ash that once blotted out the sky, and the meteor-fast rivers of blazing lava.

It lay there like a beast concealed in shadow, quietly licking its own wounds, its feral gaze sweeping the land.

*Da-da-da...*
The rumble of many rotors boomed in the air. Dozens of heavy transports circled high above, churning the sky.

Though they had reached the island’s airspace, they waited with unnerving patience, slow to descend as if expecting something.

“Kara!”

Below the hulls, several seams cracked open.

Poké Balls fixed in steel restraints were thrown open at once; red light flickered within.

In an instant, more than a dozen flying-type Pokémon burst out beneath the transports.
Slender, brilliant crests swayed in the wind, invisible currents winding themselves around their twin wings. They snapped upward—waves of air erupted, and sonic booms cracked.

Like a stroke of yellow lightning, a Pidgeot tore through the sky.
Its eyes, sharp as honed blades, scanned the clusters of buildings on the ground; with its height-gained vision, it found hidden enemies.

For a long moment it seemed to confirm that all was clear.

Then the Pidgeot gave out a high, piercing cry that rippled through the air.
Inside the dark cabin, the iron-blooded man pressed the black Bluetooth earpiece at his ear.

“Everyone, descend and prepare to land!”

In unison, the steel giants orbiting overhead began a slow descent.
Rotors spun faster, heaving waves of dirt across the ground.

*Thunk!*

Metal struck earth.

The cabin doors flew open.
Dark-gray Poké Balls were flung out one after another.
An alert, stern mood spread among the Pokémon.

Though they were of different kinds, they shared one thing:
immense strength, and the iron scent of fresh blood coiled around their sharp claws.

With heavy helmets and cold firearms, the Darkstar operatives moved out in perfect ranks, boots on the hard ground sounding like muted thunder.

The iron-blooded man stood like an iron pillar, hands clasped across his chest, eyes merciless and steady, staring at the empty facility before them.

A resolute voice crackled through their earpieces:

“Search!”