"Sigh..."
Naomi let out a long, weary sigh.
Only after conducting research alone in the wilderness did she truly realize how safe and comfortable it had been studying under her teacher.
Professor Elm might have been somewhat annoying at times, but that didn't change the fact that he was a Regional Professor.
The Johto League's protection of him was no joke.
Besides, Professor Elm himself wasn't a weak Trainer.
"The Trainer my teacher recommended seems to be just as unreliable as he is."
Naomi thought to herself.
The battle on the ocean continued.
The Trainers Professor Elm had hired to guard the research institute were naturally far from ordinary.
In fact, they were a professional team that specialized in accepting protection contracts. With several Pokémon at the Pesudo-Elite level, they had earned a respectable reputation throughout Johto.
Teams like theirs existed in every region, though their strength varied considerably.
It wasn't that Professor Elm didn't want to hire a stronger team.
Naomi simply couldn't afford one.
Keeping such a large group of Trainers and Pokémon employed every day cost an enormous amount of money.
Although Naomi's research institute and research project had already been approved by the League and received financial support, she couldn't spend all of that funding on security alone.
Pokémon research was anything but inexpensive.
Established laboratories with successful results could generate additional income.
For a newly independent researcher like Naomi, however, the League's funding was practically her only source of research money.
And even that funding could be reduced or disappear altogether, if her research failed to produce results.
As her mentor, the greatest help Professor Elm could provide was introducing her to trustworthy Trainers willing to work at discounted rates.
Everything else depended on her own efforts.
After all, he had gone through the exact same struggles himself.
"Boss, when is that procrastinating Trainer finally going to show up?"
A Trainer standing on the beach casually asked while chewing on a blade of grass.
At the same time, he commanded his Jumpluff to paralyze another group of attacking Water-type Pokémon.
Jumpluff excelled at controlling the battlefield with its spores.
More importantly, it was inexpensive and easy to raise.
Compared to Parasect, its ability to fly also gave it far greater mobility.
"Exactly! It's already been over half a month. We've taken quite a few losses."
Another burly man complained.
His partner was an Electrode, commonly nicknamed a "self-destruct truck."
Against Water-type Pokémon, Electrode possessed an overwhelming type advantage and fought with ease.
"As I said, quit complaining."
The team's leader sighed softly after hearing his subordinates.
"Think of it as repaying Professor Elm. Besides, Researcher Naomi is paying us well enough."
It wasn't really about the money.
If they'd accepted another assignment, they certainly wouldn't have been fighting this frequently.
Compared to their usual jobs, the effort required here far outweighed the reward.
Still, since Professor Elm himself had entrusted them with the mission, their integrity was beyond question.
None of them would simply abandon the contract halfway through.
"Damn it, I'd really like to beat up the idiot who's kept us waiting this long. If only I were strong enougg."
The burly Trainer, just like his Electrode, had quite a fiery temper.
The Trainer chewing on grass rolled his eyes.
"You already admitted you can't beat him, so what's the point of saying that?"
"I can challenge him to a duel between men."
The burly Trainer rolled up his sleeves and proudly flexed his muscular biceps.
Everyone around him burst into laughter.
Their team primarily specialized in Water-, Grass-, and Electric-type Pokémon.
Water-types handled defense and stalling.
Grass-types controlled the battlefield.
Electric-types focused on offense.
Years of teamwork had made them extremely well coordinated.
Although there were countless Pokémon gathered offshore, the terrain limited how many could attack at once.
As a result, they still maintained the upper hand.
The main reason they felt frustrated wasn't the fighting itself.
It was that nobody knew how long this situation would continue.
"Alright, everyone."
The leader clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"If everything goes smoothly, we should be able to hand this job over this afternoon. Keep your spirits up and drive back this wave. Let's not embarrass ourselves in front of whoever's replacing us."
He immediately issued commands to his Pokémon.
"Pelipper, use Air Slash!"
"Quagsire, use Mud-Slap!"
"Electrode, use Charge Beam!"
"Magneton, use Discharge!"
Hearing their leader speak, the others could only gather themselves and continue battling the rampaging Pokémon.
The fighting along the shoreline immediately intensified.
On the opposite side of the cliff.
"I seriously have to hand it to them."
Silas looked speechlessly at the map Professor Elm had given him.
"They actually built the Marine Research Institute on top of a cliff."
"Well..."
Brock scratched his cheek helplessly.
"The ocean is right below it, so maybe it isn't that bad?"
Building a research institute on a cliff wasn't just risky. Transporting supplies there would also be incredibly inconvenient.
Surely they couldn't rely entirely on Flying-type Pokémon.
That would be far more expensive than transporting goods by vehicle.
Since the institute was actually much closer to New Bark Town than Blackthorn City, Silas and Brock had only just reached its vicinity after leaving Blackthorn.
Silas's ears twitched slightly.
"Sounds like the fighting is pretty intense."
Brock remained silent.
Because he couldn't hear anything at all.
During their journey together, he'd gained an even greater appreciation for Silas's absurd physical abilities.
If official records hadn't clearly documented Silas's deceased parents, Brock might have suspected he was secretly half Pokémon.
"Let's hurry."
"According to Professor Elm, they're almost at their limit."
He instinctively quickened his pace.
Silas immediately exposed his real motive.
"If Professor Elm hadn't shown you a picture of Researcher Naomi, would you really be this enthusiastic?"
"I'm supporting a League research institute as a Future Gym Leader."
Brock responded without missing a beat.
"There's nothing strange about that."
Technically he wasn't wrong.
Given his position as a Gym Leader Heir, assisting the institute was perfectly reasonable.
However...
"You're a Kanto Gym Leader Heir."
Silas stared at Brock with completely dead eyes.
"Not a Johto one."
"Ahem!"
Brock immediately changed the subject.
"Ninetales, what was that? You sensed Water-type energy nearby? We'd better go check it out!"
Without waiting for another word, he jumped onto Ninetales' back and dashed toward the opposite side of the mountain.
Silas shook his head helplessly.
"Gallade, I'm counting on you."
"Gallade."
The humanoid Pokémon standing beside him responded calmly.
Blue-violet psychic energy enveloped both Trainer and Pokémon.
The next instant, the place where they had been standing was completely empty.
"Pat."
"Hey! Focus! Once we finish this wave, we're done for the day."
Keita, the team's leader, felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Without even turning around, he impatiently waved his hand.
"Uh... I don't mean anything by it. I just wanted to ask if you still need help."
Silas scratched the back of his head.
"Hm?"
Keita immediately realized the voice didn't belong to any of his teammates.
Turning around, he saw a young Trainer wearing a face mask standing behind him with a Gallade.
After a brief silence, he nodded.
"Then we'd really appreciate the help."
"No problem."
Silas smiled.
"Serperior, Ampharos, let's go!"
"Serperior!"
"Ampharos!"
A green serpent and a pink Ampharos appeared atop the rocky shoreline.
Without needing any further instructions, both Pokémon immediately began gathering energy.
Keita's hand trembled as his pupils contracted.
A starter Pokémon was one thing but that was a shiny Ampharos.
The Gallade alone had already surprised him. Even if someone obtained a male Kirlia, most Trainers would evolve it into Gardevoir.
Very few chose Gallade, partly because a Dawn Stone wasn't cheap.
Besides, Gallade's popularity couldn't even compare with Gardevoir's.
At that moment, Keita suddenly felt that maybe the Trainer really had been delayed by something important.
Any thoughts of questioning him instantly disappeared.
That was the privilege reserved for truly powerful Trainers.
Countless glowing blue-purple leaves floated before Serperior.
Its crimson eyes radiated cold confidence and utter disdain toward its opponents.
Although Serperior had never been considered among the strongest members of Silas's team, that was only because the rest of his teammates were absurdly powerful.
"Serperior!"
With a graceful cry, countless Magical Leaf projectiles tore through the air toward the attacking ocean Pokémon.
For a brief moment, the gloomy sky itself seemed brighter from the leaves' radiant glow.
The razor-sharp leaves, overflowing with Grass-type energy, slammed into the ocean Pokémon.
"Moo!"
"Gwaa!"
"Hiss!"
Their cries echoed across the sea.
In the blink of an eye, every ocean Pokémon near the rocky shore had been swept away, leaving an enormous stretch of open water.
"Holy Is that an Elite-level Pokémon?!"
The guarding Trainers naturally couldn't miss such a spectacle.
Knowing reinforcements had arrived, they were astonished by the sheer strength of the newcomer's Pokémon.
"No not quite."
The Trainer who had been chewing grass immediately spat it out.
"It's probably still Pesudo-Elite level but it's very close."
He forced a bitter smile.
Honestly he would rather it actually was Elite level.
Otherwise, if they were supposedly at the same level, the difference in strength was simply too depressing.
Then something even more unbelievable happened.
Brilliant yellow lightning instantly covered nearly two-thirds of the nearby sea.
The violent electrical current was so overwhelming that even their own Pokémon instinctively retreated.
At the same time, dark storm clouds rapidly gathered overhead.
Within them, savage bolts of electricity surged continuously.
"Ampharos."
Silas calmly gave his command.
"Thunder."
Ampharos nodded with its usual adorable expression.
A split second later.
BOOM!!
Deafening thunder shook everyone's ears.
Every spectator instinctively opened their mouths in shock.
Massive bolts of lightning danced between sea and sky.
The ocean Pokémon were completely engulfed in brilliant yellow electricity.
The overwhelming pressure convinced everyone present that only an Elite-level Pokémon could unleash such an attack.
"Gulp..."
Amid the roaring thunder, everyone could clearly hear themselves swallowing.
The storm clouds gradually dispersed.
Silence returned to the sea.
One unconscious Pokémon after another floated to the surface.
Those that still retained enough strength were completely terrified.
Without hesitation, they fled into the distant ocean alongside their companions.
None of them understood why such an overwhelmingly powerful Pokémon had suddenly appeared.
Everything had been fine for such a long time.
"Ampharos!"
Having completely withdrawn its power, Ampharos happily called out to Silas.
"Excellent work."
Silas praised it without hesitation.
Even accounting for the favorable environment, Ampharos's Thunder perfectly showcased both its talent and hard work.
"Serperior..."
Serperior slid over unhappily until it reached its Trainer.
"You did great too."
Silas quickly reached out and gently patted its head.
Only then did Serperior smile in satisfaction.
With a graceful twist of its body, it wrapped itself snugly around Silas's upper body.
Silas paid little attention to Serperior's affectionate behavior.
Instead, he thoughtfully observed the retreating ocean Pokémon.
Staryu, Slowpoke, Golduck, Tentacruel, Krabby, Chinchou.
He suddenly turned toward Keita.
"Were there this many different Pokémon species here from the very beginning?"
"Huh?"
Keita finally snapped out of his daze.
"Y-Yes. That's right."
Their entire team could barely hold back the ocean Pokémon.
Yet this man had driven them away with only two Pokémon.
By comparison did that mean his two Pokémon alone were worth more than twice their entire team?
Keita found that almost impossible to accept.
He had met plenty of powerful Trainers before.
But this one was on an entirely different level.
Especially that shiny Ampharos.
Its lightning carried both overwhelming destruction and vibrant life simultaneously.
The contradictory sensation was enough to make anyone feel dizzy.
Silas, however, wasn't paying attention to Keita's thoughts.
After receiving confirmation, he frowned.
Something wasn't right.
Very wrong.
Based on Pokémon ecology, even in the ocean it was rare for more than two or three different species to share the same territory.
Competition over food and territory would normally lead to constant conflict.
Only a handful of species capable of coexisting peacefully or whose diets didn't overlap could live together.
Even then, occasional disputes were inevitable. A coalition of six or seven different species launching a coordinated attack
He had never heard of such a thing.
Silas suddenly became interested.
No wonder Professor Elm had said the situation was troublesome.
Clearly, he hadn't been referring to the strength or numbers of the ocean Pokémon.
He meant the mysterious cause behind their coordinated attacks.
Unless that cause was found, even if they drove the Pokémon away today, they'd simply return sooner or later.
"Return, Serperior. Ampharos."
"Pidgeot."
"Let's take a look from above."
Silas immediately sprang into action.
After all as long as he solved the problem, that was all that mattered.
"Pidgeot!"
The majestic Pidgeot shot into the sky with Silas on its back.
Within moments, both of them vanished into the distance.
"Boss was that"
One of the team members finally spoke.
Keita nodded solemnly.
"Yeah."
"That should be the Trainer they hired as reinforcement. His strength is unbelievable."
There was unmistakable bitterness in his voice.
Silas was obviously very young.
Even hiding his face behind a mask couldn't conceal that fact.
Keita couldn't help feeling that his own twenty or thirty years of hard work had all been wasted on raising Magikarp.
"I think I know who he is."
One team member hesitated.
"That Pidgeot looks exactly like the one belonging to Ho-Oh's Messenger."
Silas's Pidgeot had appeared publicly many times.
Photos and information about it had long been circulating on the PokéGear forums.
Being recognized wasn't surprising.
"Ho-Oh's Messenger..."
The security team exchanged glances.
Oddly enough, they all felt a little better.
"Huff... huff..."
Naomi hurried down the nearby path, breathing heavily.
Seeing that Silas had already disappeared into the sky, both surprise and disappointment appeared on her face.
"He already..."
She looked helplessly toward Keita.
Keita smiled wryly.
"Don't worry."
"He probably went alone to investigate the source of the problem."
"There's nothing we can do to help."
"We'll just wait here."
"That's right, that's right~"
A cheerful voice suddenly echoed from the distance.
"Beautiful young lady."
"I'm Brock from Pewter City in Kanto, a friend of his. May I have the honor of knowing your age?"
"Or perhaps would you be interested in sharing a cup of tea with me?"
Within only a few seconds, Ninetales carried Brock to everyone's side.
The security team and Naomi all found several question marks appearing above their heads as they stared blankly at the dark-skinned young man who had suddenly arrived.
..
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