Changing into the Team Aqua uniforms, Natsui and Misty followed behind Shelly and squeezed into that small submarine.
The submarine truly wasn't big, not even as large as those mini-buses. Its shape was somewhat similar to a shark. Unlike the crudely made Magikarp submarine of the Team Rocket trio, this submarine had a lot of high technology. If nothing else, at least the giant circular window directly in front, which offered a wide field of vision and allowed one to see the scene ahead clearly, was much more advanced than the Team Rocket trio's Magikarp submarine.
Counting the pilot's seat, there was room for a total of six members inside. Because they had no experience operating a submarine, the two sat directly behind the pilot's seat, quietly watching Shelly expertly perform various operations.
It didn't take long before the submarine started up with a gentle shake.
Looking out the window, Natsui could see the submarine slowly sinking. Soon, the water level covered the entire window.
He didn't know if it was his illusion, but as they completely sank to the bottom of the water, the feeling inside the entire submarine changed along with it, becoming somewhat oppressive.
Shelly piloted the submarine, driving directly toward the sea through a channel carved out under the warehouse. She then identified the direction and, without using any map, relied solely on her memory to leave the shallow water area and head toward the depths of the ocean!
Don't let the small size of the submarine fool you; its speed was very fast.
The surrounding coral and fish Pokémon were left behind almost instantly.
Shelly even activated the autopilot to let the submarine sail automatically after confirming the direction via satellite positioning and nautical charts!
After doing all this, she leaned back into her chair. Although she really wanted to relax and carefully ponder how to handle this matter, the thought of the two enemies behind her made her nervous again.
Watching the dark-skinned beauty fidget uneasily, and knowing he'd need her cooperation later, Natsui decided not to put any more pressure on her. Instead, he casually brought up another topic, trying to ease the tension.
"How many years have you been in Team Aqua?"
Hearing that Natsui didn't mean to interrogate her and seemed to be just chatting idly, Shelly hesitated for a moment before speaking: "It's been many years. I was among the first batch of people to follow Archie."
"Then you must be the person Archie trusts the most, right?"
Shelly was silent for a moment. "No... I'm not. Whether it's me or the other Admins, actually, we have never been truly trusted by him. In the entire Team Aqua, the only person he truly trusts is himself."
Natsui nodded. This wasn't actually strange.
After all, as a leader, one couldn't trust one's subordinates one hundred percent; one also needed to maintain authority and a clear head.
"Can you tell me about the other Admins?"
Just as his voice fell, seeing Shelly unwilling to say more, Natsui smiled again. "You don't need to overthink it. I don't mean to target them specifically. It's just that I might have to deal with them later, so I need to understand them a little bit. It will make handling them more composed."
Shelly fell into silence again.
Bringing enemies into the base and going to destroy the leader's plan was already considered treasonous. Did she still have to reveal information about her companions?
If that really happened, she would truly become a traitor.
Thinking of this, she said faintly, "What does it matter if you know? What does it matter if you don't? Your Pokémon are so strong; none of us is your opponent."
Regarding her attitude, Natsui didn't mind. He just smiled: "Then at least tell me their names, right? Aren't we infiltrating? If I don't even know the names, wouldn't it be very easy to give the game away?"
Hearing this, Shelly also knew Natsui was right. She could only say helplessly, "Alright, listen well. Besides me, our Team Aqua has two other Admins, as well as some core members. You don't need to know about those core members; just remember the two Admins."
Speaking of this, she paused and continued, "The two Admins are Matt and Drip. Among them, you've already met and dealt with Drip at the Devon Corporation. And thanks to you, he is still locked up in prison and can't get out, so you don't need to worry about encountering him again."
"As for Matt, he is a burly man. Although he is somewhat simple-minded, he is a man of action. Because Archie helped him in earlier years, he is grateful and has completely taken Archie's ideals as his own. He wouldn't hesitate to give his life to realize those ideals. He is the second most tricky guy on this trip besides Archie."
"I understand." Natsui nodded with realization. "In other words, these two people are completely impossible to communicate with. Once a conflict arises, they must be subdued by strength."
Although the logic was correct, hearing it in Shelly's ears always felt a bit awkward.
Seeing the atmosphere was a bit dull, Natsui asked again, "Actually, I really want to know, since you know the philosophy you've been pursuing all along is wrong, do you still intend to continue?"
"What do you mean by that?" Shelly asked back. "Are you trying to persuade me to leave the organization? Hmph, although our methods were wrong, our philosophy isn't wrong! What is the problem with striving to build an ideal home for Pokémon? Even without Kyogre, we will always persist!"
"Is that really so?" Natsui shrugged. "But I feel the current world is very beautiful. As long as we cherish it a bit more and don't destroy it wantonly, that's enough. There's no need to change it completely, right? And even if it needs changing, I think we shouldn't use the power of Pokémon. Whatever the case, we should start from aspects like economics, environmental protection, construction, or strengthening morality, right?"
From the reflection on the round window, Natsui could clearly see a sneer appearing on Shelly's face. She said, "You have your reasons, but we also have our beliefs. I can't refute you, but you likewise cannot convince me."
Truly a stubborn woman…
Natsui shook his head and sighed with emotion. "I just feel it's a bit of a pity. A person as smart as you, who also has a certain amount of strength, shouldn't walk down a dark path until the end."
"What? You want to recruit me?"
"Recruit?" Natsui laughed. "I'm not some organization leader, nor do I have any grand wishes that need implementing. what use is recruiting you? I'm just chatting casually, feeling it's not worth it for you. Can you really be a member of an evil organization forever? Living in a world that can't see the light? People... always have to consider their future life."
Silence, still silence.
He didn't know if Shelly took his words to heart. After a long time, she said slowly, "That's really a big lecture. This doesn't seem like something you could see through at your age."
In terms of age, Shelly was obviously much older than Natsui, yet it was her turn to be lectured by him.
Hearing Shelly's sarcasm, Natsui changed his posture, putting his feet on the seat next to him, then clasped his hands behind his neck and turned his head to look out the window.
"I have no other purpose. If you don't want to listen, forget it. It's just that now that things have quieted down, seeing that you are a woman, I don't want to watch helplessly as you sink deeper and deeper, finally ending up like your companion Drip, ending up lonely in prison for a lifetime."
Shelly: ...
To the side, Misty sat obediently in her seat, trying her best not to make a sound or attract anyone's attention.
From the words of these two people, she sensed the verbal sparring of the adult world. This wasn't something a little girl like her, who hadn't experienced much of the world, could participate in.
Me, I'd better just watch the scenery outside the window obediently.
The submarine fell into a long silence. Just when Natsui thought Shelly wouldn't continue this topic, after quite a while, he heard her ask softly, "Do I... really still have a chance to walk out?"
"Of course you can." Looking back at her, Natsui could only see her long hair and couldn't see her expression clearly at this moment. "From the fact that you could wake up in time and think of stopping Archie, it shows you've already realized your mistake. This is something many people can't do. It can be considered atonement. If possible, when the final reckoning comes, I can vouch for you."
"And after that? What can I do?"
"Of course, do whatever you want to do. As long as you abide by the law, anything is fine." Natsui smiled. "Having lived for so many years, you wouldn't have absolutely no wishes or ideas, right? Of course, if you really can't adapt to a normal person's life, I have a place to introduce to you."
"What place?"
Natsui thought for a moment. "I have a group of followers in Kanto. Hmm... don't misunderstand, they are friends I made purely without any purpose. They are all very good people. If you can't integrate into the current society, you might as well go there to find them. I believe you guys will hit it off very quickly. Of course, all this is based on the premise that you sincerely want to leave Team Aqua. If you really make up your mind, then I'll tell you their specific location."
Seeing Shelly move her mouth as if wanting to say something, Natsui took the initiative to end this topic.
"Alright, let's leave future matters for the future. Now back to business. Look at the map; the submarine has slowed down. Have we reached the destination?"
Hearing Natsui mention it, Shelly looked down and saw that indeed the submarine had reached the preset location. She took a deep breath, discarded distracting thoughts, turned off the navigation, and began manual control.
As the submarine surfaced, they rose to the sea surface, bathing in the sunlight once again.
Appearing before them at this moment was an archipelago composed of hundreds or thousands of small coral reefs and islands. These small islands weren't tall; the highest was only a few meters above sea level. At a glance, it looked like a complex maze.
Controlling the submarine, although there were no special markers anywhere, Shelly turned left and right. Relying on her memory, she easily entered the complex waters and sailed toward the depths of the archipelago.
"Perk up." She took a deep breath and said, "We are about to run into others. Don't blame me for not reminding you. If you get discovered, that has nothing to do with me!"
"Don't worry." Natsui said indifferently, "At worst, I'll just fight my way through."
Shelly: ...
She didn't know how many times she had been left speechless, but knowing this man indeed had such strength and wasn't joking, she couldn't be bothered to pay attention to him. Instead, she controlled the submarine to continue forward.
After sailing for another few minutes, they saw from a distance several Team Aqua members standing on a larger small island, standing guard there.
The submarine stopped at the water's edge near the small island. Shelly opened the submarine hatch and was about to go out. However, just before she climbed out of the hatch, Natsui didn't forget to exhort her: "Remember, we are on the same boat now. Don't try any tricks!"
"Rest assured, I'm even more worried than you!"
Rolling her eyes at him, Shelly climbed out of the hatch, got on top of the submarine, and took the initiative to greet those Team Aqua members.
"Matt, where is the leader?"
Because the hatch wasn't closed, Natsui could hear the conversation of the people outside clearly.
While Shelly was speaking, he also focused his gaze on the man leading those Team Aqua members.
This was a rather burly man. His physique was extremely tall and large, and he was covered in muscles from head to toe, just like a boxer!
He had a buzz cut, was shirtless, and had thick chains tied around his neck and waist—who knew what they were for. And on his chest, a huge Team Aqua logo was printed!
From Shelly's words, Natsui knew this should be the Admin named Matt she mentioned earlier.
Seeing Shelly, Matt frowned. He didn't answer immediately but looked into the submarine first. Seeing vaguely only two figures wearing team uniforms inside, he paid no further attention and asked in a deep voice, "Why did you come back suddenly? Weren't you leading people near Mt. Chimney?"
"Don't mention that for now." Shelly said quickly, "Tell me first, where is the leader? I have urgent matters to find him!"
"He has already taken people to the cave entrance where Kyogre is hiding. Calculating the time, he should have arrived by now."
Shelly's expression changed. Without time to say anything more, she turned around and jumped back into the cabin, hurriedly closed the hatch, started the submarine again, and sailed deeper inside.
Only after leaving Matt's line of sight did she say to Natsui, "We are a step late. Archie has already taken people to find Kyogre!"
"I heard everything just now." Natsui sighed and began checking his equipment. "It seems we have to prepare for the worst!"
After arriving at the other side of the archipelago, the sea area in front of them became suddenly open and wide again. On a large island to the side, Natsui glanced casually and discovered a lighthouse!
"Where exactly is Kyogre?"
"Right under this island. You guys sit tight; I'm going to advance at full speed now!"
Just as her voice fell, as Shelly pushed the control stick fiercely, Natsui only felt his body shake, and then he saw the submarine sinking rapidly, sailing toward the deep sea under the island.
The speed this time was extremely fast.
After sinking for more than a minute, in the dark deep seabed, a very concealed cave entrance appeared impressively before their eyes!
Seeing this, Natsui had to marvel at Team Aqua's formidable capabilities.
In such a concealed place in the vast ocean, he really didn't know how they found it, or exactly how much energy they spent. But presumably, it must be the result of hundreds or thousands of people working busily for many years!
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