Chapter 141. Fishing in troubled Waters

Alex departed from Cinnabar City, steering his path southeast across the open sea toward the coordinates posted on the assassin board.  The sun shimmered off the rolling waves, its reflection broken only by the rhythmic motion of Gyarados cutting through the water. The ocean here was deep, impossibly so in places, but nothing that his reinforced dive suit or the power of his Gyarados could not handle. Below the surface, the water darkened to a twilight blue. Shafts of sunlight pierced through in long golden lances, revealing barren seabeds and eerily empty coral formations. There should have been life here. Schools of Magikarp, clusters of Tentacool, the occasional cloistered nest of Shellder. But there was nothing. No movement. No shadows darting just out of view. Just silence. Alex frowned inside his helmet, his eyes sweeping across the dark waters around him. "This doesn't make sense," he muttered to himself. "There were supposed to be nests all over this route." He checked the scanner on his display. The device pinged once, then fell silent. No activity. No life signs. Not even the lower-ranked Pokémon that usually swarmed near traveling trainers. His team was only at Expert Rank. Strong, but not enough to suppress wild Pokémon completely. They should have been mobbed several times by now. But the sea was still. Too still. "Trainers must have come through already," Alex thought. "I may be late to the party." Once Alex reached the coordinates, he saw an enormous rock formation on the ocean floor, stretching for a few miles in every direction. The formation looked unnatural, rising from the seafloor like a solitary hill in the middle of a lifeless plain. Its jagged surface clashed with the smooth and barren seabed around it. Almost no coral had taken root, a strange sight in these waters, as if marine life had never been given the chance to grow. It was the only visible structure for miles and the only lead he had to follow. Gyarados descended with Alex clinging to his back. The water grew colder and darker as they sank deeper, his reinforced diving suit adjusting to the increasing pressure.  The closer he got, the stranger the formation appeared. The rock was neither volcanic nor sedimentary. It looked carved, with sharp edges and symmetrical channels worn into the stone, as if the structure had once been artificial or intentionally shaped. Some areas bore marks that resembled scorch patterns or the residue of powerful energy discharges that had long since faded. After some time circling, Alex finally spotted it. A massive rupture in the rock wall, wide enough for Gyarados to pass through. The edges were smooth and blackened, as if something had blasted its way inside. Beyond it was a hollow interior, an enormous cavern of stone and shadow. He ran a scan. There was a strong residual energy signature from Champion ranked Pokémon, but no signs of life. No movement. Whatever had happened here was not recent, or whoever was responsible was already gone. They moved inside and entered what appeared to be a massive underwater training facility. The entire structure was flooded, with debris drifting slowly through the water. Buildings had been torn apart, walls cracked open, and shattered glass littered the seabed like frozen confetti. Despite the damage, it was clear this place had once been a major operation. Alex could see now why Gravik had chosen this location. The facility was enormous. There were open fields large enough to accommodate battles between Champion level Pokémon. Scattered around the complex were office towers, scientific laboratories, and training zones not just for Pokémon, but for human personnel as well. Some looked like standard gyms, others more like military compounds. He passed shooting ranges, reinforced sparring rooms, and what might have been simulators for tactical drills. The scope of the operation was staggering. "I'm definitely late. Makes sense, considering it took me nearly a week to get here after the coordinates were posted. Hopefully, whoever wrecked this place wasn't after the guns," Alex thought. Alex began his sweep of the buildings, pushing through collapsed corridors and broken doorways. He found a medical bay filled with rusted tools and empty supply racks. A flooded cafeteria where tables and chairs floated slowly under the dim emergency lighting. He passed by sleeping quarters and a full kitchen, each section showing signs of a rapid evacuation or a sudden attack. Eventually, he found their storage units. Rows of reinforced containers stacked against the walls, most still sealed. While the structure had been compromised by the water, the units themselves looked undisturbed. He approached one of the larger containers and pried it open, revealing a stash of supplies. Inside were clothes, armor, weapons, ammunition, spoiled food, broken machines, and scattered spare parts. "Jackpot!" Alex exclaimed.  He took out his space bag and began stuffing it with salvageable supplies. It didn't contain actual space. It worked like a Poké Ball, converting matter to energy and back seamlessly, so he didn't have to worry about it filling with water. Still, the items would probably be wet when they came back out. Fortunately, the bullets were made of energy crystals, so the water hadn't affected them. The armor and guns might be a different story, but if he had space left, he'd take them anyway. Rhea might know how to salvage them. Once he emptied the containers, Alex returned to the training grounds. There might still be more supplies scattered around. After a quick sweep, he found a few additional ammunition, but they were nothing compared to what he had pulled from the main storage. He made his way to what appeared to be the main office building, only to find it had been thoroughly cleaned out. Whoever cleaned up the place had taken all the humans and Pokémon, whether alive or dead, along with any device that could store information, leaving behind only the most basic supplies. Fortunately for Alex, they had no interest in the weapons and armor. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Alex searched every remaining building and salvaged whatever he could. By the end, only one place remained unexplored, the submarine bay. There must have been a way to move large supplies in and out of the facility besides using Teleport, so Alex circled the entire interior until he found a cave. Inside, he discovered an empty submarine bay, its metal walls covered in algae and drifting silt. Along one side were tubes that looked like emergency escape pods, and every single one had already been used. And, to his surprise, there were even more storage containers tucked into the far end of the bay. He got to work, quickly emptying them into his pack until it was completely full. In the end, he had to leave behind some equipment that looked too damaged to salvage, trading it for more bullets instead. Rhea had a point. More energy crystals meant more drones and more security. By the time he finished, the bag was almost entirely filled with ammunition. Rhea would surely appreciate the increase in supplies. Once he reached the final container tucked away in the back, Alex was met with a surprise.  Inside were several pods that looked like they were meant for emergency escape, likely the same kind used in the tubes he had found earlier but never loaded into them. All of them were empty except for one. Inside was a woman wearing a slightly disheveled secretary's uniform, her body curled weakly in the pod's harness. She looked thin and pale from going without food for days, but her breathing was steady. Her shoulder-length black hair framed a tired face with soft green eyes, and she appeared to be around 5'8" (1.73 m) tall. She stared at Alex with wide, pleading eyes, but her body remained motionless. She was clearly too weak to do anything else. It was obvious she did not have much time left. Her eyes begged to be saved, even though she was clearly one of Gravik's henchwomen. "She might be able to tell me what exactly happened here," Alex thought. "Better yet, she might be able to tell me where to find Gravik." He took out a harness and secured the pod to Milotic before making his way out of the base. This had been his last stop, so he was ready to leave. He signaled for Gyarados and the others, and together they ascended toward the surface. Once they breached the water, Alex released Hydreigon and fastened the pod to her before recalling his water team. Climbing on Hydreigon, he flew to a nearby island where he released Arcanine, then teleported back to the farm. It took a few trips, hopping between islands the same way they came, before finally arriving home. Alex removed his suit and released his Pokémon, keeping Clawitzer at the ready with a Heal Pulse prepared. Then, he carefully pried open the pod. The woman barely managed to glance at him before whispering, "Don't take me to the League," and then passed out. Clawitzer fired a few Heal Pulses for good measure before looking at Alex. The woman's injuries were fine but she was clearly in need of medical attention. "That should take care of the decompression sickness, but it won't fix the starvation and dehydration," Alex said. "I just realized we don't have proper medical personnel on the farm. I need to ask Nyx to handle that as soon as possible. I can't let someone die just because I overlooked something so important." He looked at the woman, still unconscious, and weighed his options carefully. He didn't know much about medicine beyond what he'd learned from treating himself. Years of sparring had taught him how to clean and dress wounds, set broken bones, and manage infections. But starvation and dehydration were a different matter entirely. All he could recall was getting stuck with a needle and somehow feeling better afterward. "Rotom, what are the basic steps to treat hunger and dehydration?" Alex asked. "To treat a person suffering from hunger and dehydration, begin by assessing their vital signs, including pulse, breathing, and responsiveness. If stable, initiate rehydration with small, frequent sips of room-temperature water or an electrolyte solution. Do not administer solid food immediately, as this may cause refeeding syndrome." "Begin nutritional support with easily digestible, low-fat, and low-protein foods such as clear broth, diluted juice, or rice porridge in small portions every two to three hours. Allow the individual to rest in a quiet, warm environment and monitor for signs of nausea, confusion, irregular heartbeat, or weakness. After 48 to 72 hours of stable intake, gradually introduce light proteins and more substantial nutrition. Continuous observation is recommended to ensure safe recovery." "Sounds like a job for Lina. Let's just hope she doesn't die because of her own request." ----- Support me on Patreon patreon/babywrath