Bab 972: Evacuation
In a moment when no one was paying attention, Jackie stealthily entered the Team Aqua's experimental base. However, as soon as he entered, he noticed that the temperature inside was much lower than outside, and he couldn't help but shiver.
Despite being in the midst of summer, the temperature in the base was almost like winter.
The base had a complex network of corridors, and faint voices could be heard in the background. Jackie didn't know which way to go, so he randomly chose a direction.
Before he proceeded, he took out a Poké Ball and released a small-sized Kecleon, saying, "Kecleon, I'll need you to stay alert."
The Kecleon nodded, gradually becoming transparent, disappearing in the blink of an eye. However, it hadn't truly left, as the red patterns that flashed across the walls indicated that the Kecleon was still guarding Jackie.
As an experienced elite Ranger, Jackie possessed strong stealth abilities, and it didn't take long for him to infiltrate deep into the base.
Here, he observed many sealed laboratories, each containing bizarre and deformed creatures.
For instance, there was a creature resembling a Seaking, but with malformed and unsightly blue scales. There was one resembling a Slowbro, yet it had a pair of eerie eyes covering most of its face. Another creature, similar in appearance to a Horsea, had a limp, boneless body as though lacking bones.
All these strange creatures lay lifeless in their pools, which were filled with eerie green fluid. If not for their bodies slightly moving, one might think they were already dead.
As a rangers who protect Pokémon and ecosystems, Jackie couldn't help but feel his chest had become a volcano ready to erupt when he witnessed such a hellish scene.
Passing by several more labs, Jackie suddenly came across one where a repulsive, wart-covered Swampert was violently convulsing and rapidly decomposing, ultimately succumbing to death.
At that moment, a person in a white lab coat entered the lab. They glanced at the decaying corpse of the Swampert and then activated a communicator. Soon, the screen on the lab's wall displayed the image of a white-bearded man.
"Doctor, subject number 32 has perished," the person in the white lab coat reported to the elderly Mediterranean man.
Upon hearing the report from the person in the white lab coat, the elderly Mediterranean man replied indifferently, "Don't worry about those experimental subjects. The results of the experiments in this base have already been obtained. We will be leaving soon, and these experimental subjects serve no further purpose."
The person in the white lab coat then inquired, "What about experimental subject number 18?"
The elderly Mediterranean man pondered for a moment and said, "Well... handling experimental subject number 18 is indeed a problem. Taking it with us would be challenging, and leaving it here would be wasteful. I'll think of a solution."
The person in the white lab coat nodded and said, "Understood."
Afterward, the person in the white lab coat left the laboratory.
Once the person had left, Jackie quietly emerged from his hiding place. He glanced at the abandoned and lifeless body in the lab, his thoughts in turmoil.
After careful consideration, Jackie decided to conceal himself and gather information before the reinforcements arrived. He knew that he couldn't rescue these Pokémon on his own.
However, as he was about to turn and leave, the invisible Kecleon suddenly revealed itself. It extended its long tongue, coiled it around Jackie's waist, and flung him to the side. Immediately afterward, a powerful explosion erupted where he had been standing.
In the instant he was flung away, Jackie knew that he had been discovered. He quickly got back on his feet, entering a defensive stance. The invisible Kecleon swiftly leaped from the wall and positioned itself in front of Jackie.
In Jackie's line of sight, a burly man in blue attire, none other than Archie, walked in slowly. By his side was a fearsome and imposing Crawdaunt, the Pokemon that had attacked Jackie earlier.
This Crawdaunt was clad in dark-red armor, and its massive pincers exuded an intimidating aura. It was evident that it was something that not easy to be mess with.
"It seems that a little bug has infiltrated the base," Archie's rough voice rang out.
He cast a cold glance at Jackie and asked in a stern tone, "Are you a Ranger?"
Jackie was indeed wearing the typical uniform of a Ranger, making his identity obvious. However, rather than directly answering Archie's question, he inquired, "Who are you?"
Although Jackie could recognize their affiliation to the Team Aqua by their attire, he didn't recognize Archie as the leader.
The Team Aqua had long been suppressed by the Pokémon League, but Archie himself had never truly revealed his identity. As a result, not many people knew who he was.
However, Archie wasn't concerned about such matters at this point. The Team Aqua had already been exposed as a criminal organization, and in their current situation, maintaining anonymity held little significance. Thus, he chuckled and returned to Jackie's question.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Archie, the leader of the Team Aqua."
Jackie understood that the person standing before him held a high position within the Team Aqua, but he hadn't expected him to be the leader.
"You must be a high-ranking Ranger, right? I wonder how the League will react when they find out you've been captured," Archie taunted. Seeing Jackie remain silent, Archie laughed heartily and added, "Different Ranger uniforms signify different ranks, and your attire clearly marks you as a high-ranking Ranger. I have no intention of letting you leave."
After enduring so much under the League's oppression, Archie was eager to assert himself.
"Kecleon, use Icy Wind!"
Jackie's priority was to escape and avoid a confrontation with Archie, so while the latter was distracted, he commanded Kecleon to use Icy Wind as a distraction to create an opportunity for escape.
The hazy ice and snow blew toward Archie and Crawdaunt. However, Archie simply sneered, "Thinking of running?"
Before Archie could issue a command, Crawdaunt launched Swift toward the icy wind. With a cry of pain, Kecleon emerged from the ice and snow, It was hit by Crawdaunt's Swift before it could escape.
"Kecleon!"
Jackie gasped in alarm and halted his escape, waiting for the ice and snow to dissipate. Once their forms reappeared, he found himself facing Archie once more.
Crawdaunt, observing the situation, waved its massive pincers and unleashed a Crabhammer toward Jackie.
At that moment, a Sceptile appeared beside Jackie. Sceptile used Leaf Blade to intercept Crawdaunt's attack.
Having failed to escape, Jackie adjusted his posture and directed Sceptile to engage in a battle against Archie.
On the other side of the island, Jackie's apprentice had noticed someone tailing him after he flew off from the deserted island. He realized he couldn't afford to waste time and needed to seek reinforcements. Therefore, he urged his Magnezone to accelerate its flight.
Matt, aware that his presence had been detected, had no intention of hiding. He was confident that a mere young Ranger couldn't escape his grasp. Thus, he unswervingly pursued the apprentice.
Crobat is a Pokémon known for its incredibly fast flying speed. Additionally, with Matt's two Crobat, they had an advantage in strength compared to the Jackie apprentice's Magnezone. It didn't take long for Matt to catch up.
The apprentice was startled when he saw Matt approaching, but as a trainee Ranger who had excelled to enter the Ranger Union, he had quick reactions.
Under his command, Magnezone dropped a series of electromagnetic nets behind it. These nets were made up of Thunder Wave, and once the two Crobat touched them, they wouldn't be able to fly safely.
Although the apprentice's plan was good, for Matt, who was an executive of the Team Aqua, this level of obstruction was inconsequential.
Matt's two Crobat flapped their wings mightily, creating a flurry of Wind Blades that easily cleared the electromagnetic nets.
The boy, despite his efforts, couldn't shake off Matt's pursuit. His panic grew as he realized he was being relentlessly pursued.
Buzz... Buzz... Buzz...
Matt's two Crobat released Supersonic move, which surged toward Magnezone like a tide. After a brief wobbling of its body, Magnezone flung the boy into the air.
The boy and Magnezone plummeted straight into the ocean.
In a split-second decision, the boy retrieved a Poké Ball and recalled his disoriented Magnezone just before they hit the water.
Splash!
The boy plunged into the sea and vanished beneath the waves.
Matt quickly retrieved several Poké Balls and summoned several Water-type Pokémon to search for the boy.
"Find the boy who fell into the water!"
The Pokémon nodded and dove into the sea. After some time, they resurfaced and shook their heads, unable to locate the boy.
Frustrated by his failure to catch the boy, Matt looked at the rippling sea with a grim expression.
On the other hand, Yuga and Brawly, who had just left the Dewford Island breeding base and arrived at the beach, witnessed a Lanturn emerge from the water, carrying a boy on its back.
Because the breeding base was located right on the edge of Dewford Island, which was surrounded by the sea, it didn't take them long to reach the beach. There, they saw the Lanturn carrying the boy.
The Lanturn noticed Yuga and Brawly, and eagerly called out Yuga and others happily. Yuga immediately recognized the desperate plea for help.
As the Lanturn swam closer, Yuga could finally see the boy's face.
"Rand!"
Yuga exclaimed in shock, then quickly released his Lapras to carry the unconscious boy and the Lanturn back to the shore. By this point, the Lanturn was completely exhausted, and the boy remained unconscious.
It was a stroke of luck that the boy had undergone specific training as part of his journey to becoming a Ranger, including water survival. Without that training, it would have been impossible for him to escape from the sea with Lanturn.
Rangers, due to the nature of their profession, underwent various specialized training, including water escape. In addition, they possessed three types of Pokémon - Water, Land, and Flying - for their unique missions.
While Rangers could capture wild Pokémon for use, those Pokémon sometimes had limitations in strength and abilities.
Rangers, in addition to their own training, are indeed required to cultivate their own specialized Pokémon. These numbers don't have to be many, but the key is that they should be elite Pokémon, including Water, Land, and Flying types. These three are essential for Rangers.
Lanturn was a Pokémon that provided to Rand by the Ranger Union after he became a Ranger.
After successfully becoming a Ranger Trainee, Rand graduated from the Youth Training Camp. The Ranger Union assigned him a mentor, who was none other than Jack Walker, whom Yuga had meet.
With Yuga's assistance, Rand and Lanturn quickly regained their consciousness. When Rand opened his eyes, he saw Yuga and Brawly.
"Rand, how did you end up here in such a state?" Yuga inquired with concern, not understanding how Rant had made himself so embarrassed.
"Yuga?" Rand was still a bit groggy from just waking up. "What are you doing here?"
Yuga explained, "I had some business on Dewford Island, and I happened to see your Lanturn carrying you in the sea. What about you? How did you end up here?"
Upon hearing Yuga's question, Rand immediately thought about his mission to call for reinforcements. He proceeded to explain the entire situation to Yuga in detail.
After listening to Rand's story, Yuga and Brawly learned that Rand and his mentor, Jack, were the Rangers sent by the Ranger Union to deal with the Pelipper and Wingull situation.
"You say you discovered the Team Aqua's base?" Yuga asked in surprise.
Rand nodded and said, "Yes, Jack is still there, gathering information. We need to get there with reinforcements quickly; otherwise, Jack might be in danger."
Having clarified the situation, Yuga turned to Brawly and said, "Brawly, take Rand to the police station. I'll go to the uninhabited island that Rand mentioned to meet up with Jack."
Rand immediately chimed in, "I'll go with you and guide the way."
Yuga shook his head and said, "Leave the guiding to your Lanturn. You go back with Brawly first, and then guide Officer Jenny and the others."
Rand understood that now was not the time to be stubborn. After a brief moment of silence, he nodded in agreement.
Given Rand's injuries, Brawly released a Hariyama to carry him back.
Once Rand and Brawly had left, Yuga, riding his Dragonite, followed Lanturn's lead to fly toward the uninhabited island.
Meanwhile, on the uninhabited island, Matt was already back. After informing Archie about his failure to capture the escaping boy, Archie did not get angry. Instead, he immediately sought out the Mediterranean old man.
"Professor, this place is exposed. We need to leave quickly, or the League will send someone here soon."
The Mediterranean old man was a helper sent by Team Rocket to assist Archie, and Archie had great respect for him.
Though Archie held a grudge against the League, he knew that the current Team Aqua was no match for the League, and he couldn't competr with the League's elite trainers. He had to reluctantly choose to retreat.
"I understand. I'll get my team to pack up right away."
After thinking for a moment, he said to Archie, "Division Leader Archie, could you please get your team to prepare the 18th experimental subject? I intend to take it with me."
Archie also understood the situation regarding the 18th experimental subject and nodded, saying, "I've got it."
Yuga's Dragonite was incredibly fast. By the time he flew over the uninhabited island, Archie was already leading his team in transferring equipment onto a submarine.
Upon seeing Yuga, Archie's expression immediately changed.
"It's him who's come!" Archie muttered under his breath.
"Professor, are we ready? League's people are here," Archie urged the Mediterranean old man.
The Mediterranean old man also noticed Yuga in the air and asked, puzzled, "Isn't he just one person? Division Leader Archie can handle him directly, right?"
The Mediterranean old man was well aware of Archie's strength, even though he carried a heavy responsibility. He didn't want to rely on his seniority.
Archie shook his head and said, "It might not be that simple. He is Shimizu Yuga."
The Mediterranean old man was taken aback, "He's Shimizu Yuga?"
Shimizu Yuga was a well-known name, and the Mediterranean old man was also familiar with him. He held a high position within Team Rocket, and he knew some things that others didn't, such as the fact that their boss once had tried to recruit him.
"Yes," Archie confirmed with a nod.
The Mediterranean old man pondered for a moment and said, "It seems we won't be able to take the 18th experimental subject with us today. It's a good opportunity to test its strength. Release it and have it hold off Shimizu Yuga."
Yuga saw that the Team Aqua was about to leave the island and he was ready to intervene. But then, the sea's surface churned, and the temperature in the vicinity suddenly dropped rapidly.
Next, a terrifying Pokémon rolled its body and emerged from the sea.
" This is…"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone