The capture operation soon reached its final stage.
As more and more Team Rocket members were apprehended, only a few scattered stubborn elements remained on the entire beach. Seeing no escape, they were still putting up a futile resistance, but their struggle was destined to be in vain and they were quickly suppressed by the officers.
As for the subdued Team Rocket members, the officers first confiscated their Pokémon, then tied them together in groups with ropes and escorted them onto the helicopters.
Amidst this orderly operation, Natsui took Ash and the others to find Anabel, who was directing the operation, and told her about their next plan.
"You're going to raid Team Rocket's secret base?" After hearing this, Anabel didn't agree immediately but first expressed her concern. "I'm sorry, we're short on manpower and really don't have the resources to lead this operation. And I think the most important thing right now is to transport these captured Team Rocket members back to the police station first. This round trip will take a lot of time, so we really can't go and raid a Team Rocket base..."
Unlike Looker's steady yet bold style, Anabel, who held a higher position, was more cautious in her actions. She clearly wouldn't act rashly without preparation.
"It's okay," Natsui shook his head. "We plan to do this ourselves. But we might need your help with the clean-up work in the end."
Although she knew how strong Natsui was and that he had so many people helping him, Anabel was still not very confident about this plan.
"A Team Rocket base must be hidden in a very secret place, and it will definitely be heavily guarded. For just the few of you to go... it doesn't seem very safe, does it?"
Glancing at his companions, Natsui said with a relaxed expression, "It should be fine. We're not going to fight them head-on. If it's too tricky, we can just run away. And in the end, it was Team Rocket who attacked us first, so this is just us returning the favor!"
Seeing his insistence, Anabel thought for a moment and had no choice but to agree.
"Alright, I trust in your strength and know you wouldn't do something you're not sure about. Although I can't go with you, I will dispatch some support ships to you as soon as possible!"
Natsui actually didn't mind that the International Police weren't participating.
It was better this way. For this operation, he and his friends were enough. An army's value lies in its quality, not its quantity. Unless it was a major situation, he didn't really want the International Police to act with them. After all, having them around would be restrictive.
The reason he told Anabel was simply so that, just like now, she could handle the clean-up work after they had raided the base.
Not long after, when all the Team Rocket members on the island had been captured, Natsui and his friends waved goodbye and watched Anabel leave in the helicopter.
The roar of the rotors disappeared over the horizon, and the entire island became completely quiet.
Seeing that there were no outsiders, Shuichi dived into the water again. A short while later, he brought Silver back.
Everyone sat around, talking and laughing while waiting for Poliwhirl to return, cheerfully discussing their own performances just now.
In the battle, everyone, including Shuichi, had performed very well. And this experience had brought the two of them closer to Natsui's group.
At least, after becoming more familiar with them, the two of them talked a lot more. Especially Shuichi, who was no longer so reserved around them and treated them as true friends.
Looking at the battle scars all over the beach, Ritchie and Shuichi were filled with emotion.
This was the first time they had participated in such a large-scale battle.
It was understandable for Shuichi; after all, he was still young and not a trainer, and he lived on Oki Island all year round, so he naturally had no experience fighting others.
But Ritchie, although he had traveled to this day, participated in the Indigo Conference, and fought many strong people, and could be said to have seen a fair bit of the world, this was indeed the first time he had encountered such a melee. It made his blood boil and left him greatly shocked!
So, these people have often encountered situations like this, and they even have connections with the International Police...
Seeing that the group looked accustomed to it, Ritchie's resolve to give up on challenging the league and continue traveling to train himself was further strengthened!
As they chatted, the topic turned to Silver.
Silver was now the center of attention in the crowd. Not only were Ash, Misty, and the others focused on it, but even their Pokémon had surrounded Silver, reaching out to touch it from time to time, as if they were looking at some rare animal.
In fact, Lugia was indeed an extremely rare Pokémon. To be able to observe one at such a close distance was a scene that ordinary people could never imagine in their entire lives!
At this moment, looking at Silver, Shuichi suddenly remembered something and slapped his forehead, exclaiming, "Oh no, I almost forgot! Silver's mother is about to come pick it up!"
"Its mother!?"
Misty's eyes widened. "Do you mean a real Lugia... I mean, an adult God of the Sea?"
Shuichi nodded, stood up, and said to the group urgently, "You guys had better hide. Its mom doesn't like humans very much. If she sees you all gathered here, she might attack you!"
"Huh? Is its personality that aggressive?"
Ash scratched his head. Although his face showed a nonchalant expression, his body obediently stood up, ready to hide with the others.
But before they could move aside, the water surface by the sea suddenly exploded. And amidst the splashing water, a giant, silver-white figure emerged from the sea!
Its appearance was almost identical to Silver's, allowing them to recognize its identity at a glance—the God of the Sea, Lugia!
Compared to the juvenile Silver, the adult Lugia had an overwhelmingly powerful presence!
It spread its arms, looking down at the group of humans before it, its eyes showing undisguised hostility!
Seeing this, Shuichi quickly stood between Lugia and Natsui's group.
"God of the Sea!! Please don't misunderstand, they are good people! They just saved Silver!"
Silver also called out to its mother a few times, but despite this, Lugia was unmoved. The gaze it directed at Natsui's group was still full of vigilance!
Natsui had originally wanted to explain that he was here to protect them at someone's request.
But on second thought, even the priests of the Sea Shrine like Maya were probably no different from ordinary people in Lugia's eyes.
With this in mind, he decided to keep quiet. He just gestured for the others around him to slowly back away, giving this part of the beach to them.
And sure enough, this action immediately caused Lugia's expression to soften a bit, and the tense atmosphere instantly dissipated!
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