Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom (200 - 398)

Chapter 239: Finding Someone to Divert Hatred

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"Archie," murmured Matsuda upon seeing the approaching figure.

Team Aqua, an organization aiming to expand the oceans' area to dominate the world alongside Pokémon.

The League is aware of its existence, but because they operate covertly in the Hoenn region and rarely cause trouble, they haven't taken drastic measures against them.

Archie is a mid-level elite-four veteran trainer, and Matsuda isn't sure if he could face him.

But, whether or not he can, the situation is already set.

The League has detected nothing unusual on the S.S. Anne; everything he is doing is on his own.

By chance, he discovered something strange in Yamamoto and, since he needed funds to continue his experiments, decided not to report it to the League.

He planned to capture Yamamoto when he committed an act against the League, securing a good reward.

Besides, he had some valuable items he needed to buy in Hoenn, so he took the opportunity to achieve both goals.

In his mind, Yamamoto was merely a quasi-elite four-level trainer, someone he could capture easily.

But upon facing him recently, he found out that Yamamoto had already reached the initial elite-four level.

Despite this, Matsuda was still confident he could capture Yamamoto.

He knew Yamamoto had allied forces and considered that the newcomers might be powerful, but he assumed they would, at most, be at the initial or mid-elite-four level.

Matsuda admits he underestimated the situation. Although he already called the League, which will arrive in an hour, by then Team Aqua could have taken what they wanted from the ship and captured most of the passengers.

"Archie, can't you hold back any longer?" Matsuda asked aloud.

"Hehe, it's not that we're impatient," Archie replied sarcastically. "This is just a favor we're doing. Right, Yamamoto?"

Yamamoto hesitated for a moment but finally nodded respectfully. "Yes, boss."

The Team Aqua leader, Archie, is a seasoned elite-four-level trainer, and he had three Executives at a similar level to Yamamoto.

Although one of them contacted him before, today it seemed Archie had decided to intervene personally, leaving his Executives at the base.

Archie's confrontational attitude made things even more complicated.

Team Aqua's base has always been at sea, and finding its exact location is nearly impossible unless the League decides to dedicate significant resources and time to the search.

Suddenly, Cain's figure came to Matsuda's mind.

"I hope that boy can escape," Matsuda thought.

Originally, when Cain didn't flee immediately, Matsuda hadn't said anything because he thought that if things got complicated, he could easily protect him. But now, the situation had spiraled out of control.

...

Meanwhile, Cain silently watched Team Aqua members from the shadows. After boarding the ship, under the command of what seemed to be a leader, they quickly took control of the S.S. Anne.

Many sailors, already part of Team Aqua under Yamamoto's explicit or implicit orders, began to subdue those loyal to the ship's captain.

Then, from the lower decks up, Team Aqua members started joining those who came up from the submarine, capturing everyone they encountered.

Cain was hiding in the upper stands of the battlefield, watching as they captured one person after another.

A Team Aqua member held a stack of documents, checking each person against the list.

If someone matched the information, they were separated and guarded by a specific group.

Cain noticed a pattern: those who stood out in the tournament organized by Yamamoto were selected.

"Could they be trying to recruit promising trainers, take them to Team Aqua's base, and brainwash them into joining?" Cain thought.

The chosen ones didn't seem to be people of high rank; most were common trainers. Those from influential families weren't touched, even if they were skilled.

Clearly, they didn't want to incur those families' wrath so soon.

A few families might not be a threat, but if they united and pressured the League, the League would have to act, at least to eliminate some Team Aqua members and provide an answer to those families.

However, if they only capture common trainers, the League will merely make a few token moves and then abandon the case. After all, the Hoenn region isn't entirely under the League's control.

In this region, many forces are intertwined, and the League cannot afford to lose its influence with rash decisions.

This is why Team Aqua operates with such impunity.

If this is the case, Jin shouldn't be in trouble; at least he has a guaranteed status as a League-affiliated trainer.

Though he might be an exception, given his skill, capturing him alone wouldn't prompt the League to take drastic action.

It all depends on whether Jin is promising enough for Team Aqua to take the risk.

Cain, barely able to look after himself, didn't worry about Jin, even though Jin might consider Cain a close acquaintance.

"Something doesn't add up. If they're only after a few trainers, it doesn't justify Team Aqua mobilizing so many resources. The old Matsuda still hasn't appeared, which means they're keeping him at bay."

"In our conversations, Matsuda hinted at his disdain for Yamamoto, indicating that the opponent is weaker than Matsuda. So, whoever is holding him off must be an elite-four-level Team Aqua trainer."

"Team Aqua isn't like Team Rocket; they're still in their infiltration phase and don't have as many elite-four-level trainers. Matsuda is a veteran elite-four-level trainer, at least of initial or mid-level. To hold him off, the opponent must be at least mid-level. Could Archie be directly involved?"

The more Cain thought, the more likely it seemed, suggesting that they sought more than just some common trainers on the ship. Perhaps these trainers were only a distraction.

"That means they could also be looking for a very valuable item. Or, maybe they haven't taken it yet, waiting for the elite-four trainers' battle to end to secure success before retrieving it. If so, there's still a chance to act." Cain's eyes sparkled with determination, abandoning his initial idea of giving up.

"Yamamoto isn't the type to entrust a valuable item to others. He probably has it in his room or even carries it himself. But now, the elite-four trainers are fighting on the upper deck. Going directly would be suicide. I need someone to draw attention first." Cain murmured as a plan began forming in his mind.

(End of chapter)