Chapter 125: This Must Be Mind Control

One week before Hiroyuki completed his grand tour of the universe—having dismantled a corrupt Intergalactic Alliance factory, retrieved his companion Fuma, rendezvoused with the missing Zero, and lingered in the Land of Light for several days before finally making his smooth return to Earth—a small boat cut through the pitch-black sea, heading toward a dark, isolated island under the starlit sky.

When Tregear stepped onto dry land once more, he found himself on a deserted island. He extended his psychokinetic senses to scan the five-hundred-square-kilometer expanse; there were plenty of birds, fish, and insects, but not a single human soul.

No humans, perhaps, but there was one humanoid…

Tregear glanced silently at the person standing beside him, who appeared to be in high spirits. It was this man who, the previous night, had concluded his invitation with, “I’ll take you to see our research base,” and immediately dragged him downstairs, shoved him into a car, and sped all the way to the pier. The captain, looking like someone who had been pulled from a deep sleep but was forcing himself to stay alert, had eyes filled with a wordless accusation of “Don’t you people sleep at night?” yet he still piloted the boat away from the harbor.

And so, Tregear had been brought here.

If Hiroyuki were here, he would surely find this island familiar; it was clearly one of the filming locations frequently used by Tsuburaya Productions. The humans of STORAGE had studied the D4 weapon here, and Musashi had raised birds on this very ground.

Half the sky remained ink-black, with only a faint, pale line visible on the distant horizon. Ahead stood an eight-story white building—likely the limit for a foundation on such a sandy island. Next to this seemingly ordinary structure stood a makeshift building of similar height, constructed from modular panels. It was a giant, hollow cube, entirely empty.

“There isn’t a soul here.”

“Indeed. I had all unnecessary personnel removed from the island. After all, we’ll be transporting equipment and apparatus shortly, and too many people would only complicate things. From now on, only those I know intimately will be allowed on the island.”

“And I count as someone you know intimately?”

“Yes.”

After all, I’ve watched you grow up, how could I not know you well?

“…”

Tregear hadn’t bothered to hide his presence while scanning the island, so Captain Serizawa didn’t bother showing him the empty, massive cube. The equipment intended for that space hadn’t arrived yet, so he led him directly to the dormitory building and told him to pick a room.

By the time Tregear had randomly pointed to an empty dormitory, he vaguely recalled that he had never actually agreed to stay and participate in this project.

Tregear: “…”

It was still early enough to run, but for some reason, he found his feet rooted to the spot.

On the first floor, he saw a room that had already been furnished. Captain Serizawa introduced it, “This is my room.”

“You’re staying here too?”

“Hmm?”

Perhaps not expecting Tregear to ask this, Serizawa paused. His reaction made Tregear wonder if he had asked a foolish question.

“I am the person in charge of this project, am I not? Naturally, I must be here… If I hadn’t run into you, I would have handled this project alone. But since you’ve arrived, that is truly wonderful.”

His tone was brimming with genuine relief.

*You really intended to do a project of this scale all by yourself?*

*Wonderful?*

*What does that mean?*

Tregear began to seriously consider whether he should make a run for it. As Hiroyuki had said, if he truly wanted to escape, no one could stop him—not even the invincible Zoffy.

Early the next morning, small transport ships docked and unloaded tons of supplies, which laborers moved on carts into the warehouse built from modular panels.

The third day, the fourth day, the fifth day.

Captain Serizawa pushed open the door to the empty research lab and found Tregear sitting on a table, staring at a whiteboard covered in writing. He seemed lost in thought, so deep in contemplation that he didn't even notice someone else had entered the room.

He decided to stay.

It had been a long time since Tregear had truly "decided" to do anything. He had always acted on impulse; if he thought of something, he did it, and if he lost interest halfway through, he would walk away without a backward glance. Being spontaneous meant a lack of perseverance. Over the years, he hadn't accomplished anything he considered significant; he had merely wandered, sowing seeds of malice and watching them sprout with a detached sense of curiosity. Sometimes, he would lose interest before the seeds had even germinated, turning away without ever knowing the outcome.

But now, he felt drawn to this empty room. It was inexplicable—perhaps it was the influence of that Captain.

He could resist; he was lucid, and his mind was sound.

Yet, he still chose to stay, if only to "eliminate an incorrect answer," as Hiroyuki had put it.

In truth, reflecting on the hundreds of years he had spent wandering the universe alone, he realized he had been drifting in a daze, having long ceased to "seek answers." It wasn't until Hiroyuki mentioned it that he realized how long he had been truly lost.

His past scientific endeavors felt like a distant dream; it had been ages since he had sat properly before a table, an instrument, or a test-tube rack. The equipment the Captain spoke of had not yet arrived, leaving the lab empty, so he had dragged a whiteboard from the warehouse. With a marker in hand, he began to organize the details of the Taiga Spark Phase I and the Nebula Particle Project Phase II, fueled by his fading memories.

The more Tregear wrote, the more immersed he became. The Captain had entered quietly and stood by the wall for a long time, careful not to disturb him.

*Boom!*

A sound like tinnitus erupted from the depths of his ears, as if he had been suddenly plunged into the ocean, the sensation of immense water pressure crushing against his eardrums.

*This is…*

Both men reacted simultaneously. Almost at the same second, two waves of psychokinetic energy swept outward. Every light in the building flickered out, only to flicker back on a moment later.

Six nautical miles away, a giant beast had emerged. It was an adult King Tortoise, its longest dorsal spikes exceeding five meters. It was at least 150 years old, and…

Tregear immediately spotted the device installed in the creature’s brain, but… the chip had overloaded and burned out. The sudden, intense heat within its skull had sent the massive King Tortoise into a thrashing frenzy amidst the waves. Although it had broken free from the chip’s control, it was now in agony from the molten circuitry, and it was charging blindly toward the island ahead.

Tregear turned to look at the Captain standing beside him.

“…Did you burn it out with your psychokinesis?”

“…”

The man before him blinked, his expression one of harmless confusion.

“…I didn’t realize there were such delicate electronic components. Besides, they’re far too fragile.”

“…”

Tregear held back the retort that his circuit designs were not that fragile. It was precisely because his designs were efficient, cost-effective, and rugged that they were so highly regarded. Who could have guessed that the psychokinetic wave this man had emitted for reconnaissance would instantly vaporize a brain-control chip? Just how high was his power output?

“…It’s fortunate the equipment hasn’t arrived yet.”

Otherwise, most of it would likely be ruined by now.

The Captain felt a twinge of lingering fear. He hadn't done it on purpose. In the few months since arriving on Earth, he had noticed his abilities were amplified to a certain degree, but since there was no way to quantify this growth, he had been flying blind. Who could have imagined that a simple "probe" would melt every electronic component in its path?

“It’s coming this way. Four nautical miles.”

“Mm.”

“Three nautical miles. Two.”

A rumbling sound, accompanied by the screech of the King Tortoise, rode the sea breeze and slammed into the island’s only concrete structure. The window panes rattled violently in their frames, on the verge of shattering.

Tregear looked toward the man who had uttered that calm "Mm." Captain Serizawa was looking back at him, his gaze filled with what Tregear considered an entirely unrealistic expectation.

They stared at each other.

“…”

*This is mind control, this has to be mind control!*

Tregear, who had never accepted his fate, resignedly took out the Tregear Eye.