Chapter 104: Meeting with Shiba, Breaking into the Base
On the second day, Ryan and the other two arrived in Azure Town, preparing to board a boat for Red Rock Isle.
Ruby, observing the somewhat dejected Ryan, asked curiously, "Ryan, what's wrong? You haven't been in high spirits since last night."
"Nothing, just feeling a bit down," Ryan replied. He pulled a silver feather from his pocket and held it up to the sunlight, where it shone with a silvery-white glow.
This was the reward for collecting Lugia's information in his Pokédex quest. Last night, Lugia had summoned Ryan simply to inform him that it had given birth and was currently raising the young Lugia near Silver Rock Isle, a small island in the Whirl Islands. The League had informed Lugia that Ryan was accompanied by several legendary Pokémon who might attempt to capture a young Lugia, so Lugia had made a special trip to discuss the matter with Ryan.
This was also what frustrated Ryan. According to Lugia, the League had apparently passed this news to every legendary Pokémon clan they could reach. He probably had to start with fully-grown legendaries if he wanted to befriend them in the future; forget about young ones. Fortunately, the feather the system had given him was a consolation prize. With it, Ryan could ask Lugia for a favor.
He hadn't dared to tell Lugia that Team Rocket's underwater base was probably also on Silver Rock Isle, so he still had to go. But Lugia would probably be able to sense him there, since Celebi was still perched on his shoulder. Legendary Pokémon still had a sense of connection, and that was to keep them from intruding into each other's territory.
Seeing Ryan staring at the feather, Rosa said, "Oh, Ryan. The Whirl Cup will be around for another eight or nine days. Where should we go first?"
"First, to Yellow Rock Isle," Ryan said, putting the feather away. "We'll meet someone there, then take a boat to Silver Rock Isle. By the time we've sorted things out, the tournament will probably be starting soon, so it won't be too late to go to Red Rock Isle to compete."
The boat to Yellow Rock Isle arrived, and Ryan and the other two boarded, arriving at Yellow Rock Isle by noon.
Yellow Rock Isle wasn't much of a tourist destination, but it did have aquaculture, with many fruit trees and other things. It was also famous for its handicrafts made from the horns of Corsola.
The crafts were truly excellent, and Ryan and his friends bought some. After lunch at a restaurant, Ryan called to confirm the meeting place.
Upon arriving, they encountered a muscular man on the beach. Ryan was a bit surprised and asked, "Champion Bruno, why are you here?"
Bruno glanced back at Ryan, nodded, and said, "The League has sent me here to help you. We hope to resolve this quickly."
Ryan walked over and said, "I'm fine with quick, but how are we going to get there? And what's the battle plan?"
"We'll go there by submarine and then engage in direct confrontation," Bruno said without hesitation.
Ryan and the other two were speechless. "You call that a battle plan?" It just meant an all-out attack.
But thinking about it made sense. With an Elite Four-level expert at the helm, the personnel in that secret base probably weren't too powerful. Ryan felt at ease and let Bruno lead the charge. The rest of them could just provide support from behind.
Bruno then gave a few instructions, and only then did Ruby and Rosa realize what they were going to do. Bruno made a phone call. A submarine emerged from the sea nearby, and then a motorboat was launched, taking Ryan and Bruno aboard.
The submarine was a small space. Besides the pilot, there were three other combatants, totaling eight people, including Ryan and his crew. Ryan was speechless. Only seven could fight. Bruno was truly skilled and daring. With such a small crew, he dared to invade Team Rocket's base. Ryan was in awe.
A rather dull journey followed. After a day, the submarine finally reached the waters near Silver Rock Isle.
"Finally here?" Ryan asked. "How do we attack?"
After all, they were underwater. Were they supposed to swim across?
"Just ram it!" Bruno shouted.
Ryan's mind raced. The submarine slowly advanced, eventually spotting the underground base. But the base's personnel had also spotted the submarine. Several submarines emerged from the base, firing torpedoes and other weapons at Ryan and his crew.
"Don't worry! This is a massive League-built ship, it's very sturdy!" Bruno shouted. "Go full throttle, ram it!"
The pilot replied, then drove full throttle towards the base. Several torpedoes struck the submarine, causing it to stagger, but this did nothing to hinder its progress.
Then, at full speed, the submarine smashed through Team Rocket's base and charged into it. Ryan and his companions immediately emerged from the submarine, watching the water pouring into the base. He realized that this must be the sealed area where Team Rocket's submarine had been stationed. The water would flood in quickly, and it would likely be completely submerged.
"Gyarados, use Hyper Beam to clear a path!" Ryan dispatched his own Gyarados.
Without a word, Gyarados used a Hyper Beam to blast a massive hole through a wall. Ryan and his companions, wearing wetsuits, leaped onto Gyarados, who led the charge into the base.
"The water's going to flood in soon, so we need to move quickly," said Bruno. "I'll lead the charge, and you guys cover me."
Bruno then unleashed his incredible strength, using Machamp, Hitmonlee, and Hitmonchan. The three Pokémon charged into the assembled Team Rocket crowd, barely breaking a sweat against any of them.
Ryan also unleashed Dragonite and Greninja, along with Gyarados, and the three of them rampaged through the crowd.
"How weak! Is this really Team Rocket's base?" Ruby commanded her Pokémon.
Ryan was also skeptical. The Team Rocket members here were simply too weak. They weren't even at the level of elite trainers, let alone Elite Four-level fighters. They were all just grunts.
The only ones he considered noteworthy were Cassidy and Butch (Butch: "My name is Butch!"), but even they were just average grunts. The others were just a bunch of minions.
Something's wrong, something's truly wrong. Ryan couldn't help but feel a sense of dissonance, something odd, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Even after they'd taken the entire base, they still hadn't encountered any serious resistance. They then captured the Team Rocket members, and the League began collecting data. The base was run by a man named Dr. Namba, who was researching ways to harness the power of legendary Pokémon to enhance the strength of other Pokémon.
While it felt a bit futile, their target was Lugia, and it was likely that the League had learned of this and decided to take over the base.
As Team Rocket's data came in, Ryan spotted something familiar: a red Gyarados.
His doubts grew, a sense of something odd, but he couldn't put his finger on it. While pondering this, Ryan's eyes widened when he saw something among the collection. He rubbed his eyes vigorously, and after confirming he had seen it correctly, he said, "I'll take that thing. Is that okay, Bruno?"
(End of Chapter)
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