The surf crashed against jagged rocks, sending sprays of seawater high into the air. The coastal winds carried the sharp tang of salt and seaweed, biting through Kina's damp gloves as she crouched low on a flat, slick stone near the shoreline. Her Goomy pulsed nervously at her side, the small dragon-like Pokémon vibrating slightly with anticipation.
Cyrus adjusted his wrist device, scanning the water with a calm precision that contrasted sharply with Kina's taut readiness.
"Y'know," Cyrus said, squinting out over the water, "when someone says 'let's take the scenic route,' this isn't what I imagine."He gestured toward the chaos churning in the shallows—waves breaking against jagged coral, spray flashing white against the sun, and something much larger moving beneath. The sea seemed alive with conflict, frothing and boiling as dark fins sliced through the water.
Kina followed his gaze, her hair whipping in the wind. "That's… a lot of movement," she said, shading her eyes. "What do you think it is?"
Cyrus tilted his head, already pulling a small scanning lens from his bag. "Judging by the body count potential? Sharpedo. Maybe half a dozen of them." He pressed the device to his eye. "And—oh, great. We've got company. Big company."
A massive shell broke the surface, barnacles clinging to it like ancient scars. The creature beneath rose slowly, dragging an aura of age and power with it. Its shell gleamed dull blue and stone gray, etched by time.
Cyrus's voice lowered. "You've gotta be kidding me."
Kina took a cautious step forward. "What is that?"
"Carracosta," he murmured. "Supposed to be extinct. Like, museum-piece extinct. You only see them in restored fossil data, not—" He gestured at the sea monster currently headbutting a Sharpedo out of the surf. "—whatever that is."
Kina blinked, stunned. "Then how—?"
"Pokémon don't always read the memos," Cyrus said, smirking faintly. "Guess the ocean didn't get the extinction notice."
Another wave broke, revealing three Carracosta locked in a brutal formation, shells crashing into Sharpedo like armored warships. Between them swam several smaller, sapphire-shelled Tirtouga—frantic, floundering in the current.The Sharpedo circled, blood in the water now. One lunged forward, snapping down on a Carracosta's flipper. The air split with the sound of impact.
Cyrus adjusted his scanner, watching the readings spike. "Power levels off the charts… and getting higher. Something's about to—oh."
The leading Sharpedo's body warped, fins sharpening like blades. A dark energy surged around it, its scarred hide glowing with veins of deep crimson light. The water erupted as the beast roared—Mega Evolution in raw, savage form.
"Well," Cyrus muttered dryly. "That escalated faster than a Team Rocket press conference."
Kina turned sharply toward him. "Cyrus, we have to do something! It's going after the Tirtouga!"
He gave her a side glance. "It's also a thirty-foot shark that just evolved mid-battle. I vote for not dying."
She clenched her fists. "Those Carracosta are protecting their young! You can't just watch them get slaughtered!"
"Watch?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow. "I'm studying. Totally different activity. Scientific observation. Very respectable."
Kina shot him a glare that could cut glass. "You're impossible."
"I've been called worse," he said, folding his arms. "Look, nature has its own balance. Predator, prey, survival—it's not my job to play ocean therapist."
"That's not balance," Kina snapped. "That's slaughter."
"And interfering just makes us the next course," he countered. "Believe me, Sharpedo don't discriminate."
Kina didn't answer—she was already looking at her friend closest to her leg. "Goomy, let's go!"
"Of course she's doing this," Cyrus sighed under his breath. "Because self-preservation is apparently optional today."
Her Goomy hit the ground, eyes wide and trembling but determined. "Use Water Pulse—help them push back the Sharpedo!"
The little dragon released a shimmering sphere of rippling water, colliding with the nearest predator's flank. The impact was small but enough to draw its attention."Fantastic," Cyrus muttered. "You just made it mad."
The Sharpedo wheeled, jaws snapping like steel traps. It charged, leaving a white wake behind it. Cyrus didn't think—he called for his little blue friend. "Ditto, intercept!"
His Ditto formed midair, body stretching and reforming into a second Sharpedo just before the two collided. The clash threw up a sheet of spray, hissing as the salt hit the rocks.
Kina turned to him mid-chaos. "See? You do care!"
He barked a laugh. "Care? No. I just like living, and watching you die would ruin my afternoon."
"Liar!"
"Probably," he admitted.
The battle raged—Carracosta slamming their massive shells into the Sharpedo swarm, Goomy firing pulse after pulse, Ditto-'pedo darting through the foam in counterattacks. The Mega Sharpedo was the worst of them, tearing through the current like a missile, its glowing fangs leaving streaks of energy in the surf.
Then, for a moment, the water cleared—and Cyrus saw it.One Carracosta, bleeding, cradling a small Tirtouga under its shell. It was shielding the youngling from the Mega Sharpedo's charge. Every instinct screamed at him to step back, to let it happen. But his voice—sharp, cynical, but still human—betrayed him.
"That's… damn noble," he muttered.
Kina glanced at him, sweat and sea spray mixing on her face. "Then help me."
He sighed, shaking his head. "You're gonna be the death of me."He grabbed his field transmitter from his belt and pointed it toward the water. "Overload pulse, frequency four-two-nine—disruption field, now!"
The device whined, sending a burst of resonant energy across the shallows. The Mega Sharpedo recoiled, snarling, as blue light crackled through the foam. The pulse disoriented it just long enough for the Carracosta to slam forward—its shell smashing into the predator's jaw. The sound was like a thunderclap.Then silence—broken only by the waves.
The Sharpedo, bleeding and furious, turned tail, the rest of its pack following. The Mega energy faded, its body shrinking as it vanished into deeper water.
Kina exhaled, dropping to her knees in the wet sand. Goomy slithered back beside her, exhausted but beaming.Cyrus crouched nearby, watching the Carracosta. The massive Pokémon regarded him with eyes like deep oceans—old, knowing, unreadable.Then it turned and swam away, the younger Tirtouga close behind.
Kina's voice broke the silence. "You saw that, right? Carracosta. Actual, living Carracosta."
Cyrus nodded slowly. "Yep. Extinct my ass."
She laughed breathlessly. "How's that for your data logs?"
He smirked. "Oh, they're gonna love this back at the lab. 'Field report: extinction status—oops.'"
Kina grinned despite herself. "You can't tell me that wasn't worth interfering for."
He gave her a long look, half smirk, half something softer. "You call it interfering. I call it avoiding a guilt complex. Tomato, tomahto."
"Admit it," she pressed. "You wanted to help."
"Sure," he said dryly. "Right after I weighed the moral implications and my odds of being eaten."
She rolled her eyes, standing up and brushing sand off her knees. "You really have a way of killing your own moments."
"Occupational hazard," he said, straightening his jacket. "Scientists don't get the luxury of sentiment. It clouds the data."
"Then maybe your data's missing the point," she said, her tone gentle but firm. "There's more to learning than measuring."
He didn't answer right away—just watched the water, where the last ripples were fading.Finally, he said, "Maybe. But I still measure better than I moralize."
Kina smiled faintly. "Progress."
He shot her a sideways look. "Don't get used to it."
As they turned back toward the path, the wind picked up again, carrying the scent of salt and ozone. Cyrus pocketed his scanner, already muttering notes under his breath."Carracosta—alive and kicking. Tirtouga in small pods. Pokédex inaccuracies up to, what, eighty percent now? The world's basically trolling us."
Kina laughed, glancing at him. "Or maybe it's reminding us it's bigger than we think."
He paused, half smiling. "Yeah… or it just hates being cataloged."
Their steps crunched along the rocky coast, the sunlight catching on wet stone. Behind them, the ocean swelled and receded, its secrets sinking once more into the deep.Cyrus looked back only once, expression unreadable. Then he muttered to himself, "Extinct species, moral debates, near-death by shark. Not bad for a Thursday."
Kina shook her head, grinning. "You're impossible."
"And yet," he said with mock seriousness, "irreplaceable."
She rolled her eyes again, but her smile lingered. "Come on, genius. Let's get your precious data logged before the tide comes back."
As they disappeared into the city, the waves lapped quietly behind them at the shore—where somewhere, deep beneath, something ancient moved again.