"Completely lost contact?"
Leon's face tensed. Worry clouded his expression.
Still, he wasn't too shocked. He had already expected something like this might happen. So instead of panicking, he focused on what mattered more—getting answers from the researchers who finally had a moment to spare.
He looked at the short-haired female researcher in front of him and asked, "Then tell me. What exactly have you all been working on? And where did these sandstorms come from?"
"The research… the sandstorms…" she muttered, gaze drifting as she spoke. "It's a bit complicated."
"Complicated?" Leon almost laughed out of frustration. He knew what Rose was like—always in a rush, always trying to get multiple results from a single plan.
He didn't know the exact details of Rose's plan this time, but one thing was clear: this wasn't just another wild Pokémon riot. It was much bigger than that.
And what infuriated him most was how everyone seemed to be keeping something from him.
"It's actually just a basic ruins exploration," said Hagrid, adjusting his glasses. "But Squad B5 rushed the process and caused some unknown disturbance inside."
Leon scoffed at that. Without offering a reply, he pushed aside the tent flap and stepped into the raging sandstorm.
Behind him, the researchers exchanged uncertain glances. Some broke off toward the communications station; others followed after Leon.
Outside, the howling wind slapped against the tent. The hanging curtains puffed and flapped loudly, blown around by the sand-laced gusts. Leon raised his arm to shield his face, silently cursing his decision not to wear a cloak or something with more coverage.
Rose had once brought in a professional designer to tailor clothes and poses for him, but Leon had rejected all those flashy ideas.
Especially that big, red cape with many Galar company logos printed on the back.
Everyone knew pretty much every company in Galar belonged to Macro Cosmos. The logos might look different, but they were all part of Rose's empire.
And then there was that one-handed pose pointing to the sky...
Thinking about it now, Leon actually missed that ridiculous but thick and warm cape.
Pushing aside the useless thoughts, he reached down to his belt and pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Come on out, Charizard!"
"Chaaar!"
With a powerful roar, the orange, winged Pokémon shot into the sky. Its wings spread wide, nearly covering half the base from above.
This Charizard was huge and well-trained. It was Leon's ace. Its strength was around the early Elite level, roughly level 51.
Compared to the undefeated Champion he would one day become, Leon still had a long way to go.
"Charizard! Scout the area from above. Check out what's going on around here!" Leon shouted and stepped back into the tent.
"Zaard!"
Charizard let out another fiery growl, flames flickering from its mouth, then flew high into the air.
...
Meanwhile, a few hundred meters away from the base, Shiro and his group were still following the path Drednaw had carved through the desert.
"Chaaaarizaard!"
A thunderous dragon's roar pierced through the wind and reached their ears.
"That sound..." Shiro squinted his eyes, murmuring.
Drakloak also emerged from his shadow, curiously looking up at the sky. It had been a while since it heard a roar from a fellow dragon of the same level, and it couldn't help but feel a bit excited.
"Is that... Charizard? An Elite-level Charizard?" Shiro recognized the faint orange figure in the sky through the sand. The figure paused as if trying to identify them, then quickly flew away.
In this area, the person who could have such a powerful Charizard was most likely Leon.
"Looks like Leon's just up ahead." Shiro spoke as he quickened his pace.
After spotting Charizard, the group shifted from a fast walk to a light jog. Even Drednaw was pushed to move faster.
Before long, Shiro could vaguely make out the outline of a crumbling wall through the thick sandstorm. Beyond it, tall yellow-green tents swayed against the wind, their peaks visible above the ruin.
"This the place?" Marvin asked, glancing at Shiro. "No one's come out to meet us?"
Shiro didn't answer. His eyes scanned the surroundings. The off-road vehicles parked near the ruins sat empty. The whole camp looked oddly quiet.
Normally, before a sandstorm this intense rolled in, the company's teams would have already organized defenses with their Pokémon. Ground- and Rock-types would raise stone walls, Ice-types would reinforce them, and psychic shielding devices would go up to protect the site.
With all that, even the worst sandstorms could be held off, turning a camp like this into a peaceful safe zone.
Then they'd relax, have a good meal, and only afterward start planning how to get into the ruins and stop the storm.
But now, the camp looked deserted.
'Could Leon be the only one left?' Shiro wondered. 'Or maybe that Charizard was left to guard the site while he went into the ruins himself?'
Frowning, Shiro stepped past the ruined wall, entering the eerie quiet of the base.
The wall gave some shelter from the wind and sand, but not much. As Nessa and Marvin recalled their Drednaw and Mr. Mime, the group approached the largest tent at the center of the site.
The moment Shiro pulled back the flap, a storm of shouting hit him like a wave from a busy market.
"Who's in charge of the comms unit?! It's been broken forever, and still no one's fixed it!"
"Why isn't Leon making sure someone's on it?!"
"I already asked all of you! Not one of you gave me an answer!"
"Calm down. It's probably just the ruins' magnetic field acting up. It's not a big deal."
"We're cut off from the outside world, and you say it's not a big deal?!"
A bunch of researchers in white coats waved their arms while shouting over each other, all crowded around a black communication device that they were still trying to fix.
Amid the chaos, Leon stood off to the side, his white uniform dusted with sand. He looked tired, mildly annoyed, and only half-engaged in their bickering.
"Cooor!"
A sudden gust rushed through the tent as Shiro released Corvisquire. Its wings flapped once, sending the fabric walls rippling from end to end.
The researchers froze, stunned by the unexpected arrival.
Leon, on the other hand, looked a little surprised and walked over.
Without a word, Shiro pulled out his company-issued communicator, turned it to reveal the emblem on the back, and removed his metal face mask. Then, he raised his voice.
"Quiet, all of you! We're the company's special operations unit. We've safely arrived. Now, where's your leader?"
Leon confirmed the badge and identity, then gave the group of frantic researchers a sidelong glance before replying.
"I'm Leon. You've probably heard of me. For now, I'm the one in charge here."
Shiro nodded and signaled for the three people still stuck at the tent entrance to come inside.
Then he asked, "Where's Team B5? Weren't they supposed to be on par with A5 in terms of strength? Where are they now?"
Leon went silent, then turned to look at the researchers who had started gathering behind him.
**
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