Chapter 30: The Deleted Record and the Revived Deity
After entering the research institute.
Rio roughly surveyed the place where Takuma and his parents lived.
The space inside the research institute was actually very large, but more than seventy percent of it was occupied by books, documents, and some unknown machines piled up everywhere. Only a few slightly empty spots were available to walk on.
"Ah, this really is the standard state of a scientist's research lab," Rio complained inwardly while carefully dodging the books placed haphazardly everywhere.
After finally maneuvering past the various miscellaneous items scattered on the floor, Rio arrived at a workbench. On the table was a computer that was turned on, displaying lines of surveillance records. Takuma must have been looking through the entry and exit records here earlier.
Next to the computer was a half-empty cup of black coffee, emitting a slightly sour smell from having been left out for a long time. Beside it was a box of biscuits with only a few bites left, looking soft, probably due to moisture, without any hint of crispness.
Some printed documents were also scattered on the table. Red circles could be seen around some parts of the documents, with many comments and ideas written on them.
""On the Structure of Organisms", "The Theory of Energy Aggregation and Connection", "Conjectures on Super Ancient Pokémon", "Research on Biological Genetic Information Factors"..."
Casually flipping through the documents, Rio was surprised to find that the writing in this Pokémon world was quite similar to English from his previous life. In his past life, Rio had practiced English diligently because he often went abroad for international competitions, so now, looking at these words composed of the familiar 26 English letters, he could still clearly understand what was written.
However, the content of the articles made Rio frown deeply because he... couldn't understand it.
Although he could roughly guess the meaning of each word, when strung together, he had no idea what they were saying. This gave him a sense of déjà vu from his past life when he reviewed profound scientific papers while writing his thesis.
Steeling himself, Rio went through all the documents on the table. He could only vaguely guess that Takuma's parents were researching the origin of super ancient Pokémon and the structure of Pokémon. As for the specifics of their research, he really couldn't tell.
"Ugh, what should I do? I've asked the neighbors around. They said they met my parents and greeted them a few weeks ago, but they haven't seen any trace of them in the past few weeks."
Before long, Takuma walked in dejectedly from the entrance.
The neighbors hadn't seen them, the surveillance only had entry data from a few weeks ago, an unfinished cup of coffee, and leftover biscuits...
Rio, channeling his inner Detective Conan, thought rapidly. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration.
"The surveillance data!"
Without bothering to explain to Takuma, Rio pounced towards the computer and, grabbing the mouse with his paw, began to operate it.
"This paw is really hard to control the mouse with." When he was human, he could operate a mouse flexibly with one hand. But now that he had become a Pokémon with only three claws, if he focused on moving the mouse, he couldn't click the left or right buttons. This forced Rio to use both paws to barely manage the operation.
Fortunately, the computer system in the Pokémon world was not too different from the computers in his previous life. Only, the familiar "Windows" logo was now a "Silph" logo, indicating it was a product of Silph Co.
Silph Co. was a famous product manufacturer and seller in the Pokémon world. Many well-known products like Poké Balls and Potions were invented and produced by Silph Co.
Getting sidetracked. Back to the main point, Rio clicked open the last surveillance data entry:
A spirited man was seen cheerfully talking and laughing with a woman holding a large pile of documents as they opened the research institute's main door and walked in. Traces of resemblance to Takuma could be vaguely seen in the features of these two.
"These are my mom and dad, and this video is the last record. There are no records after this," Takuma said fretfully from the side.
Rio rested his chin on his left paw, tapping the workbench with the claws of his right paw.
"Don't you find it strange?"
"What's strange?"
"This entry and exit record only has the entry into the research institute, but no record of leaving it! And your home's surveillance comprehensively monitors the entire exterior of the research institute. Even if your parents didn't leave through the main door, it's impossible for there to be not a single bit of data. So, could there be such a possibility..."
"?"
"That the last record was deleted! And look, this coffee and these biscuits, they were left half-eaten. If they knew they were going to be away for such a long time, I believe a normal person would at least pour out the coffee or dispose of the biscuits. If there wasn't even time to clear away coffee and biscuits, then either your parents left in an extreme hurry and couldn't attend to it—but then it's unlikely they'd have the leisure to delete the recording."
"Or else... your parents were forced by someone and had no choice but to leave the research institute, and then certain people, to prevent their tracks from being discovered, deleted the recording!"
Hearing Rio's analysis, Takuma's eyes widened.
"Then, then what should we do?"
Rio struggled to operate the computer for a bit. For the first time, he found that his claws, which could pummel the heavens, earth, and even legendary Pokémon, couldn't handle a small computer. In a fit of pique, he jumped off the computer chair and pushed Takuma with his paws, gesturing for him to sit down.
"First open this... then input... click it, yes, that's the one... open the registry... right-click, right-click!... click new... then go back to the desktop, quick, this last deleted record is in here, open it quickly and take a look."
Thank goodness I unintentionally learned how to recover deleted data on a computer before. Thanks to all the "teachers" who were "rescued" back then!
Rio gave himself a mental thumbs-up.
After some operations, a new file appeared on the computer desktop. Takuma eagerly double-clicked it open:
The recording was taken at night. The camera showed a calm outdoor scene, but several voices could be heard from inside the research institute.
"Who are you people?" a steady male voice said.
(This should be Takuma's father? Rio guessed.)
"There's no need to explain to you, Mr. Watanabe. You just need to know that your son, Takuma, is now in our hands."
Another sinister voice said smugly. Following a rustling sound, " rustling", it seemed something was shown to someone.
"Ah, Takuma! What have you done to my son!!!" a female voice, filled with anger and a trace of panic, said.
(Needless to say, this must be Takuma's mother, Rio thought.)
"Rest assured, your son is merely sleeping right now. However, if you do not obey the orders of our organization, I cannot guarantee what will happen."
"You despicable scoundrels!" Takuma's father berated them furiously.
The unknown person laughed smugly. "Despicable? That can be considered a compliment for us villains. Let's go, Mr. and Mrs. Watanabe. Use your skills and knowledge to serve our organization. As long as you participate in this sacred plan, you will know what the supreme power of a god is!"
Perhaps the fanatical speech left Takuma's parents momentarily speechless, or perhaps they knew they were helpless. They didn't speak again, and the recording quickly neared its end.
Takuma's parents were seen being held hostage by a group of people dressed in black, walking out of the research institute. Vaguely, an "R"-shaped logo was visible on the black clothes.
Finally, only one sentence remained: "This surveillance record cannot be left behind. Delete it..."
The recording ended there.
"Damn it! It's these people! I was kidnapped by these people and locked up in the experimental base!"
Seeing the people in black in the recording, Takuma slammed the table angrily. He remembered being trapped in the experimental base by these people before, and he never expected them to use him as a bargaining chip to threaten his parents.
"Takuma, can you tell me what your parents do?"
Rio asked with a serious expression.
"My dad is a scientist engaged in biological research, and my mom is a researcher at a Pokémon research institute. What's wrong?"
The "R"-shaped logo, black clothes, coercing scientists to work for them, the Professor's "mistake," the "power of a god" mentioned in the recording, and also, the super ancient Pokémon he had encountered before... Mew!
Rio recalled the famous villainous organization from the games and anime of his previous life, and their very well-known deeds.
"If I'm not mistaken, we're in big trouble!"
"Not just us, the entire Newmoon Forest, or First White Town, or even this whole region, will face a devastating disaster!"
"Ah?!!"
Takuma hadn't expected things to be described so severely and was momentarily stunned speechless.
Rio clenched his paws tightly, a sense of tension surging in his heart again.
I hope it's not what I'm imagining, otherwise, this will be a huge mess...
…
"Bzzzzzt," the sound of electric current crackled. On the top floor of a certain building, all the lights were extinguished, leaving only the faint green glow of the nutrient solution in a cylindrical incubator. Many thick, sturdy pipes were connected to the incubator, continuously transporting unknown substances. Several exposed wires were connected to something, twitching from time to time as if stimulated.
Suddenly.
A pair of purple eyes, tinged with black aura, instantly snapped open, filled with countless brutality and malevolence!
"Bang bang bang bang bang bang—" Countless glass objects, as if unable to withstand the pressure, shattered one after another!
The entire building shook violently!
…
"Chirp chirp chirp chirp—" "Squeak squeak squeak squeak—"
Startled cries of ordinary bird flocks and common animals echoed throughout Newmoon Forest. These ordinary birds all flew away from the forest into the sky, while various small animals living in the forest hid wherever they could, seemingly unwilling to show themselves again.
In Sunrise Valley to the west.
Machop involuntarily stopped what he was doing, taking a deep breath to try and calm the sudden palpitation in his heart.
And on the other side, Flower, who was chatting and laughing with the Oddish, suddenly felt a palpitation in her heart, and an inexplicable feeling of discomfort welled up from within.
She walked out of the valley and saw the Squirtle Boss and Scyther both frowning, looking towards a certain part of the forest.
In Crescent Lake to the south.
Countless ordinary fish scattered and dived into the depths of the lake. The entire lake, apart from the sound of the cascading waterfall, was completely silent.
The Golduck Leader, sitting upright on the giant rock in the center of the lake, felt a slight stabbing pain in its mind. It looked up, its profound gaze fixed on the dark clouds gathering in the sky and the torrential lightning storm brewing within them, about to roar down.
…
At this time.
At this very moment.
The deity had awakened!