"Electric stone is a good thing," Swordfish mused while swimming around, shaking its head as it searched the surroundings.

  For the Swordfish, or for any species with electric stone as a skeletal element, it could be regarded as a "life element," akin to how crucial calcium was for the Earth’s organisms in Gar’s memory.

  In the Swordfish's body, electric stone primarily existed in the bone and the teeth in crystalline form, with smaller amounts distributed in the blood, interstitial fluid, and soft tissues. Conversely, these are the areas where the demand for electric stone is highest.

  What happens when there’s a calcium deficiency? Most notably, malnourished, small-statured, growing pains in children; fatigue, cramps, allergies in adults; and osteoporosis, shortening stature in the elderly.

  So, what happens if there's a shortage of electric stone, the "calcium" for Swordfish, even more important since it also enhances their electric attack abilities? You probably get the picture now.

  Yes, the Swordfish schools are now facing an electric stone shortage.

  When Thunder initially chose electric stone as a skeletal element, it was not only for its excellent electric attack enhancement but also for its hardness, lightness, and purity. There was also the convenient fact that there was an electric stone mine next to the nest. Although a gigantic beast inhabited it, as long as it didn't hunt for extended periods, and you didn't provoke it, you could dance or sleep on its head, and it wouldn’t care.

  Perhaps due to the proximity of an electric stone mine, the surrounding mud and sand also contained varying amounts of electric stone, and the area where the earlier Thunder Bugs frequently roamed happened to be within this electric stone-rich area. This gave Thunder (now Swordfish) an illusion: electric stone was as abundantly distributed on Twin Moon Star as calcium is on Earth, sometimes even appearing pure on the surface. Gar, having no recollection of what calcium looked like aside from the bones, thought, why not use such a good element as electric stone?

  Until recently, when the school had moved well beyond the range of the electric stone mine, Swordfish started feeling something was wrong. It wasn't because he couldn't find electric stone in the sand. His body had matured and was very healthy, requiring little electric stone—the benefit of being a main consciousness entity, though he hadn’t realized it.

  The first issue arose among the few dozen juvenile Swordfish that survived the earthquakes. After leaving the original nest, the juveniles continued to grow, but recently, their growth rate slowed significantly, failing to reach adult size standards. Some juveniles began darting around in sleep, luckily huddled among adults in the school, preventing them from falling behind. Their body coloration began to dull, especially the electric stone-covered tough skin, which started to degrade.

  All of this was noticed by Swordfish, who constantly monitored his species, but unable to identify the cause, he could only hope it was a temporary shock from the earthquakes that would resolve over time.

  But in reality, it wasn't a fantasy world where wishes could change the world.

  After juvenile issues were observed, older adults began showing similar symptoms. A few larger Swordfish started shrinking, their movements slowed, and even their electric flashes during hunting seemed to dim.

  “Could it be aging? But until now, I haven’t seen any signs of older creatures aging.”

  While juvenile problems could be attributed to earthquake shock, and older ones to aging, the simultaneous occurrence in both groups drew Swordfish’s attention. Although older adults could also be startled, in a world requiring constant caution, the species' issues surprised Swordfish, who had no choice but to tread carefully.

  Especially since these individuals' decline led to significant losses when hunting medium to small predators, a problem Swordfish couldn’t ignore.

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  At this point, perhaps instinctually, older individuals began wandering the seabed's mud and sand. Even when Swordfish attempted to steer them from predator-laden grounds, they sometimes resisted, increasing the risk of hidden predators but giving Swordfish an idea.

  Eating sand + body shrinking + sluggish movements = minerals in sand + growth issues = bone problems = calcium deficiency = electric stone.

  Why eat sand? Swordfish had only observed this behavior when searching for electric stone near the nest. In other circumstances, at least, Swordfish didn’t notice it.

  “Could it be searching for electric stone?”

  For Swordfish, it was an odd thought, though alternatives like sand aiding digestion existed. But Swordfish’s understanding of the current issue pointed to an electric stone deficiency, luckily deducing correctly.

  Finally suspecting electric stone deficiency, Swordfish linked it to adult issues, juveniles' problems, and memories from human life of calcium deficiency symptoms, recalling times he lacked calcium as a child.

  Calcium is a major component of human bones, just as electric stone is for Swordfish skeletal structures.

  Swordfish confirmed: the school faced an electric stone deficiency.

  Perhaps the first diagnosis of illness on Twin Moon Star, albeit crude and error-ridden.

  But Swordfish had no time for other thoughts. After recognizing the problem, he acted promptly. Whether or not the older individuals showed deficiency signs, they, along with juveniles, rested at a temporary nest Swordfish located. Meanwhile, Swordfish led over two hundred remaining healthy adults in a search for an electric stone mine centered around the temporary nest.

  Swordfish might find electric stone mines, but they couldn’t communicate findings to Swordfish. In such a perilous ocean, scattering the school to search could leave few survivors by the time a mine was discovered.

  Thus, Swordfish primarily conducted the search, benefitting from mental powers, though seemingly stunted in the aquatic stage, still extending a range encompassing thrice his body length. Though short of visual range, this all-around scan could indicate surface electric stone presence, saving time checking individual mud and sand patches.

  “Electric stone isn't that great,” Swordfish lamented during fruitless days of searching, expanding his range, despite the growing number of "calcium"-deficient individuals in the nest. Forced to let them rely on plankton and plants for sustenance while searching for scant electric stone in the surrounding sand only slightly alleviated symptoms. Healthy Swordfish guarded the nest, awaiting Swordfish’s seemingly impossible good news.

  This increased Swordfish’s search range, with rising danger.

  ※※※

  A spark of electricity pierced the serene shallow sea, drawing Swordfish's attention during the electric stone search.

  Though potentially dangerous, whether the spark was from a kin member or not, Gar’s experience with the only known electric stone mine and the sole non-controlled electric species, the Thunder Beast, co-existing at one location, compelled Swordfish to lead the dwindling group of less than a hundred adults toward the spark source, not missing any potential electric stone mine location.

  “If I had led the school back to the previous nest upon first noticing juvenile issues, perhaps we wouldn’t be in this situation.” Swordfish once thought this. Now, with most of the school’s combat strength diminished, Swordfish could only continue searching for electric stone mines with the shrinking school.

  Yet Swordfish knew, even if he returned to that period, he wouldn’t decide to go back. Pride meant nothing; the essential point was further developing the Swordfish, which Swordfish believed necessitated venturing out, eventually facing current issues.

  Perhaps returning would prepare them, but what about the time wasted?

  Electric stone deficiency wouldn’t cause immediate death; all losses came from diminished combat prowess leading to predator attacks on nests, explaining six temporary nest relocations already.

  “Six. Hopefully a lucky number.”

  Swimming, Swordfish smiled bitterly. Failing to find the mine meant two paths: return to the original nest, though reaching it with even a tenth of their current number would require a miracle; or enter a reproductive phase and return to the biological editing space, hoping 8051 offered solutions or alternative skeletal elements, though this posed risks, especially given increased electric stone needs during reproduction, unacceptable for Swordfish.

  Ideally, finding an electric stone mine remained paramount, so Swordfish persevered through predator attacks while hunting, leading the school in intensified searches.

  Thus contemplating, Swordfish led the school to the site of the earlier spark.

  A newly formed crack, likely from recent earthquakes, exposed a once-flat area.

  Around and within the crack, a vast expanse of silvery crystal reflected the moonlight, reigniting Swordfish’s nearly cold heart.

  “Damn electric stone mine, finally found you.”

  How long had it been? The pressure on the entire school nearly overwhelmed Gar, once an ordinary student who had only led a class. This electric stone crisis might be a trial.

  Excited, Swordfish prepared to rush forward but abruptly halted both himself and the school.

  That initial allure to the site—was it…

  Enemy? Ally?