Lectures #34

Elena shifted her weight, looking down at the Mega Sphere in my hand. "Before we get into that, look closely at the Grizzbolt you just captured. Did you notice anything unusual about it?"

I frowned, thinking back to the ferocious battle. In the chaos, I hadn't paid much attention to the details. "No, not really. It was a bit hard to focus on anything other than not getting killed."

"Well," she said, taking the sphere from me and activating its display mode. The image of the Grizzbolt appeared, frozen in a moment of mid-roar. Elena pointed to a scar just above its left eye, a jagged line that cut through the fur and skin.

"That scar," she said quietly. "It's distinctive. I know it well, because I carved it into the damned thing's face...."

I squinted at the image, the memory of the beast's ferocity still fresh in my mind. "What does a scar have to do with you going ballistic back there?"

Elena's eyes hardened as she began to recount her story. "It happened about a year ago, back when I still had a team... Our mission was to capture the last wild Grizzbolt and hand it over to the Free Pal Alliance. They're a bunch of nutcases who believe that capturing pals is some sort of cardinal sin, but that's beside the point..."

She paused, her expression darkening with the memory. "We tracked the Grizzbolt for weeks, through the harsh terrain of the desert. Finally, we managed to corner it, and that's when everything went wrong. We were ambushed by an unidentified group right in the middle of the fight."

"Ambushed?" I asked, my interest piqued. "By who?"

Elena shook her head. "We never found out. They were highly skilled, well-equipped, and relentless. We lost many good people that day. The Grizzbolt escaped in the chaos, and we barely made it out alive. When we confronted the PDF about the attack, they claimed they had no idea who was responsible."

I glanced at the scarred image of the Grizzbolt, the pieces starting to come together. "And now, here it is, on one of their wildlife sanctuaries."

"Exactly," she said bitterly. "The same Grizzbolt that escaped us. The same scar. The PDF lied to us. They either knew who attacked us or did it themselves. The point is, they wanted the Grizzbolt for themselves, and they were willing to let us die to get it."

The weight of her words settled over me. It was a lot to take in, and the implications were staggering. The PDF's deception, the loss of her team, and now this beast resurfacing in their territory—it all pointed to a deeper, more insidious plot.

I felt a surge of sympathy for Elena, but the fact remained that her impulsiveness had almost cost us both our lives. "I'm sorry to hear what happened," I said, my tone firm but compassionate. "But something like this can't happen again, not if you want to have a place at my base."

Elena's eyes flashed with defiance. "I did tell you to stay out of it."

I couldn't help but feel irritated by her stubbornness. "As I said, that's not an option. You might see me as just some clueless fellow who got lucky enough to land a wristwatch, but that doesn't give you the right to act out without permission-- putting both our lives at risk!"

She crossed her arms, clearly unconvinced. "So what, you're going to lecture me now?"

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my temper in check. "Working for me might be just an easy way to get a better life for you, but as long as you're part of my team, you're my responsibility. It's my job to ensure your well-being, and I can't do that if you intend to act unhinged all the time."

Elena's defiance wavered for a moment as she absorbed my words. She looked away, the anger in her eyes slowly replaced by something else—perhaps regret or understanding. "I... I just couldn't stand seeing that thing again, knowing what it represents. I lost friends, people who were like family to me. And seeing the Grizzbolt here, in the hands of the PDF, it brought all that pain back."

"I get that," I said, my voice softer now. "But charging in without a plan, without considering the consequences, isn't going to help anyone. If you'd simply explained what happened, I would have helped you all the same."

Taking another pause to gather my thoughts I continued. "You can rely on me to watch your back, but I need to trust you not to go ballistic again if this arrangement of ours is going to work."

She nodded slowly, the fire in her eyes dimming. "You're right. I let my emotions get the best of me. But I won't let it happen again. I promise."

"Good," I said, feeling a bit of the tension ease from my shoulders. "That's enough lectures for one day... we still need to catch an Eikthyrdeer and make it back to the base before the damned Cattiva sneaks into the cabin and starts scratching the furniture again..."

Elena just offered me a wry smile and a nod as she turned away and began rummaging through dead soldiers' pockets.

Not one to waste an opportunity to mock me, Vito materialized beside me, an amused grin splitting his face. "Oh, captain, my captain..." He shook his head and chuckled. "The cool seargent act... it doesn't suit you..."

I felt my brows twitch at his comment, but I simply chose to ignore him.

...

Laying prone atop a high cliff, I peered down at the convoy moving below, watching as it snaked its way through the rugged terrain. An Eikthydeer, its antlers almost luminescent in the dim light, dragged a large carriage covered in cloth. Several men, all clad in black outfits with masked faces and hoods, flanked the carriage on all sides, their hands gripping pistols and shotguns.

"I wonder what they're hauling..." I muttered, my curiosity piqued by the heavy security.

Beside me, Elena was also lying prone, her eyes fixed on the same scene. "Whatever it is, it's probably something expensive," she murmured, turning her gaze to me. "What do you want to do?"

I glanced at her, a smile playing on my lips. "I want to snatch whatever the hell it is, of course."

Elena chuckled softly. "I thought the same thing. It's a shame we can't use the Grizzbolt, though. It would make this a walk in the park."

I sighed, the memory of our last encounter with the Grizzbolt flashing in my mind. "It can't be helped. The Grizzbolt hates your guts."

She rolled her eyes, a wry smile on her face. "Yeah, well, it remembers me just as well I remember it..."

Indeed, the Grizzbolt held a grudge. In normal circumstances, it would just growl and glare at Elena, but the creature was intelligent. During battles, it would target her indirectly by using area-of-effect electric attacks whenever it had the chance. I knew this for a fact because the Grizzbolt had tried and failed multiple times already whenever we took it out hunting.

Still, having it as a trump card was reassuring, and right now, I didn't think I needed it. The Palbnagos Islands were filled with dangers, but none were impossible to overcome.

Marvel World, on the other hand, was a breeding ground for world-ending threats. Although the Grizzbolt wouldn't put up much of a fight against such beings, it could still protect me from most threats. Besides, Elena couldn't go to Marvel World, even if I wanted to take her, so I wasn't complaining.

In any case, it had been three days since we returned from the Wildlife Sanctuary. Naturally, we decided on a brief rest to celebrate the success of the task, which was a resounding success.

Not only did we manage to find and capture the Eikthydeer Terra, but we also ended up capturing the Grizzbolt and a Petallia as well. Capturing the Petallia in particular felt like hitting the jackpot due to its expertise with gardening and tending to the crops, almost doubling our wheat and berry production all on her own. But I digress.

After the short celebration, I checked the wristwatch to see the next task. It was very simple: attack the Rayne Syndicate Tower and defeat whoever was occupying it.

Naturally, I had no intention of attacking the tower right now since I'd been away from Marvel for a long time, and it was time for me to go back. However, I figured scouting their territory and getting a measure of their numbers and how well-armed they were wouldn't hurt, leading to the current situation.

"Well..." I said, standing up as I retrieved my crossbow. "Let's get on with it. No point in watching them any longer..."