I Know I Can't Replace Your Brother

Unseen Opportunities

Chapter 8: Unseen Opportunities 

Evening was falling on the sea-faring city of Alto Mare. The nocturnal Pokemon were beginning to stir, while the diurnal Pokemon began to bed down, and the human denizens of Alto Mare followed suit. Obscured by the waves, hidden away from the last prying eyes of sunlight, Team Phreatic’s submarine remained bustling with life.

Shelly stood on deck alone, watching the darkening sky. Despite the calming sight, a feeling of foreboding cloaked the air around her. Brodie’s mission report had returned, and it had been a resounding success: in fact, one could call it more than a success. But it worried Shelly. She had only read about the Doctor in incident reports. To have him there, on the submarine, in person? It was a time bomb waiting to go off, and Shelly could only hope that it wouldn’t be when she and her team were around to witness it.

Shelly stood there, considering her options, as the arrival of the stars faded into twilight. Hailing from the horizon was a plume of smoke and the sound of roaring engines, and Shelly prepared for the anticipation of what was to come.

The jet touched down on deck, and within moments, it had swiftly adopted the form of a car. Brodie, as quickly as he had arrived, slammed the brake pedal, smiling cockily with a wink as he presented the car’s other occupant. 

“Returning from active duty, boss!” 

Brodie made a mock salute, which Ditto mimicked on his shoulder. Shelly disregarded them, peering deeper into the vehicle. The face of Dr. Yung peered back, smiling as formally as if there was nothing wrong at all. 

“Dr. Yung, I presume?” she asked with a hard expression.

Dr. Yung looked up at Shelly, his purple eyes sharp behind his glasses. He straightened his teal hair in an obvious attempt to appear humble.

“Indeed,” he answered in a smooth voice. “And you must be Shelly. Former admin of Team Aqua, but now the founder and self-appointed head of the newly christened Team Phreatic.”

Shelly shot Brodie a glare. He merely shrugged. 

“Hey, I had to say something to garner faith with him.”

“Faith. Right.” 

Without breaking eye contact, Shelly threw three round objects from her belt. In a single burst of light, her Pokemon assembled beside her. Carvanha drew close to the vehicle, Crawdaunt remained on guard, and Walrein stayed a loyal and protective shield as always. Neither Yung nor Brodie were perturbed, but the air had changed significantly. 

“Ah, the old gang,” said Brodie, a nostalgic whim in his eye. “Reminds me of the good old days.”

“Silence, unless we might just revisit those times here and now,” Shelly glared deeply at Dr. Yung. The man’s smile only grew wider. “You will find I am neither as trusting or as gullible as my subordinate. You will remain here, under the watch of my Pokemon, unless you can convince me that you can be of benefit to Team Phreatic.”

Dr. Yung adjusted his glasses. “Ah, but my dear Shelly…” 

“Do not refer to me as such!” she said, irritation thick in her voice. “You will refer to me by name, and if you can convince me of your worthiness, you may refer to me as your boss.”

“So I take it “boss lady” is off the table?” inquired Brodie sarcastically. 

“Silence!” 

Crawdaunt snapped a claw just below Brodie’s chin. Brodie flinched, and despite a quick recovery of composure, had slunk back further into his seat.