บท 1123: The Void Black Leaders

To understand what was happening outside, the Black Leader ordered his men to open the submarine hatch.

Upon stepping outside, the Black Leader saw a calm sea with a Suicune standing majestically atop the water. Without a doubt, this Suicune was the one that had just attacked the submarine, using its psychic power to pull the vessel to the surface.

The Black Leader noticed that as soon as he appeared, Suicune locked its gaze onto him, while his subordinates seemed as insignificant as flowers and grass by the roadside, not worth a second thought.

Suicune's target was solely him!

The moment their eyes met, the Black Leader quickly grabbed one of his subordinates and shoved him in front of himself. In the next instant, a beam of icy blue light pierced through the subordinate's chest.

Seeing this scene, the Black Leader felt a rush of fear. He hurriedly pushed away the lifeless body of his subordinate and shouted at the others, "What are you standing around for? Stop it!"

"Y-yes!"

His subordinates quickly complied and released their Pokémon.

The Black Leader had brought along elite members who specialized in commanding Water-type Pokémon. Soon, Suicune was surrounded by a throng of Water-type Pokémon.

With no intention of lingering, as soon as Suicune was encircled, the Black Leader stealthily released a Walrein, preparing to escape.

The Black Leader also had a Suicune in his possession, but it was just a clone and lacked the stamina for a prolonged battle. He wasn't foolish enough to pit it against the real Suicune; that would be akin to seeking death.

Moreover, the cost of cloning a Suicune was exorbitant, and the organization didn't have the luxury to waste resources on him.

He also knew that Suicune's pursuit of him was likely linked to the cloned Suicune; the dignity of legendary Pokémon was not to be trifled with!

At this moment, the Black Leader was unaware that the base within their organization that specialized in providing him with cloned Pokémon had already been destroyed, and even the researchers behind the clones had fallen to Suicune's wrath.

There were too many Water-type Pokémon attacking Suicune, and by the time it dispatched those surrounding it, the Black Leader had long since vanished.

Suicune stood on the surface of the sea, eyes closed, attempting to use its innate ability to locate the Black Leader. Known as the embodiment of the north wind, Suicune could command the winds over the sea to become its eyes whenever it wished. This was also why it could effortlessly track the Black Leader and his crew.

However, this time it miscalculated!

The Black Leader, having escaped on a Walrein, pulled out a locator device from his pocket and discovered that he was not far from the submarine belonging to Shep's family. He decided to pursue it.

Their submarine had been destroyed by Suicune, and in this vast ocean, the Black Leader was unable to discern his bearings. Following Shep's family's submarine was the wisest choice. Otherwise, relying solely on a Walrein, he would likely be worn out before even finding the coast.

Meanwhile, Suicune, unable to find the Black Leader, was about to leave when it turned and collided face-to-face with Gon and Hill, who had been following it.

Suicune had no intention of acknowledging them and was about to turn away when Gon called out to it.

"Suicune, if you want to find that person, I can help you!"

While Suicune was battling, Gon had secretly placed a psychic seed on the fleeing Black Leader. As long as they weren't too far apart, Gon could sense his location.

Gon and Hill had managed to follow Suicune without being detected, thanks to Gon's powerful psychic ability, which shielded Suicune's perception. This demonstrated the strength of Gon's psychic powers!

Gon's words successfully made Suicune stop in its tracks. It watched Gon and Hill warily, unable to understand what these two humans intended.

Noticing Suicune's wariness towards them, Gon removed his cloak and performed a Buddhist greeting towards Suicune, saying, "We are monks from Johto's Bell Tower, and our only purpose is to assist you!"

Upon hearing Gon's words, Suicune suddenly realized they were monks from Bell Tower! Bell Tower is the human organization most closely related to Ho-Oh and the three Legendary Beasts.

After contemplating for a moment, Suicune nodded to Gon, indicating its agreement to accept their help.

"Please wait a moment!" Gon said happily, then released an Alakazam.

This Alakazam was Gon's initial Pokémon, having evolved from Abra that had actively followed him. Although it wasn't Gon's strongest Pokémon, it was the one he worked most harmoniously with.

"Alakazam, I'm counting on you!" Gon said to Alakazam.

Alakazam nodded in understanding, its eyes flashing with purple light.

At the same time, the same phenomenon appeared in Gon's eyes. A special link formed between the psychic powers of the two, and their auras almost fused into one.

The psychic link significantly enhanced Gon and Alakazam's perception. A few minutes later, Gon spoke up, "I've sensed the other party's location. Let me guide you."

Suicune nodded in agreement, and after a moment of thought, it lowered its body, signaling Gon to ride on its back, allowing for greater speed.

Though surprised by the original Suicune's actions, Gon obediently climbed on. Seeing this, Hill also attempted to mount but was ruthlessly rejected by Suicune.

Who do you think I am, to allow just anyone to ride me?

"Holy Son…"

Hill looked troubled. His duty was to protect and take care of the Holy Son; if Suicune refused to let him accompany them, wouldn't that render him ineffective?

Gon, feeling helpless, said, "Uncle Hill, you should return to Lilycove City and wait for me. With Suicune by my side, I won't be in any danger!"

Upon hearing this, Hill could only comply. He couldn't oppose Gon's decision to help Suicune.

On a solitary island in the sea.

After traveling for a day at sea, Shep's family found a small island to rest for the night before continuing their journey.

In the evening, as they cheerfully prepared dinner by the seaside, a man wearing a black mask slowly approached on a Walrein.

"Who are you?"

Seeing the suspicious figure suddenly appear, Jack immediately stood up, his face filled with vigilance as he barked a reprimand.

"Hehe…"

The Black Leader let out a strange laugh and commanded the Walrein to attack Jack.

Just moments ago, the Black Leader had been listening to Shep's family's joyful laughter and watching them enjoy their meal. He suddenly decided to abandon his plan of trailing them and instead aimed to directly kidnap them to lead him to the Temple of the Sea.

Being alone at sea, starving and freezing was not the way a leader of the Heaven Organization operated!

A blue beam of light shot straight at Jack but was blocked by a Floatzel that leaped out from the side, using its aqua tail to shield Jack.

"Enemy attack!"

Jack yelled, and the members of Shep's family, who had been enjoying their meal, immediately entered a state of readiness, releasing their Pokémon. Even Max let out his Amaura, which couldn't exactly be considered a combatant.

"I advise you to surrender quietly," the Black Leader said with a strange laugh.

"Who are you? What is your purpose?" Jack asked seriously.

"I know who he is; he's from the Heaven Organization!"

May's voice suddenly rang out, directly exposing the identity of the Black Leader. She and Ilima had been kidnapped by the Heaven Organization before, so she was particularly familiar with them.

Moreover, this masked man was someone May had seen before.

"Heaven Organization?" At this moment, Jack had already confirmed the other party's purpose for being there.

"Oh, so there are people who know about us!" the Black Leader said in surprise. "Looks like we're quite famous!"

Seeing that the masked man didn't recognize her, May found it a bit strange; they had met before. After she and Ilima were captured by the Heaven Organization, it was this masked man who led the rescue. He shouldn't have forgotten her so easily.

Due to Yuga's involvement, that kidnapping attempt by the Heaven Organization had failed. Logically, the other party should have a stronger impression of her from a failed mission.

In fact, it wasn't surprising that the Black Leader didn't recognize May, as he was just one of many cloned Black Leaders. Whenever one Black Leader died, a new one would immediately take his place.

Everything about this new Black Leader, including his memories, was under the control of the White Leader. If the White Leader didn't want him to remember the failure of that kidnapping, then the Black Leader wouldn't have that memory.

It was a pity that the Black Leader mistakenly believed he was the true power behind the Heaven Organization, while his brother, the White Leader, was merely his subordinate.

In reality, what he saw of the Heaven Organization was exactly what the White Leader wanted him to see. The true nature of the Heaven Organization and its background was completely hidden from him.

The cloned Pokémon the Black Leader used and the organization's laboratories were all managed by the White Leader. If the Black Leader showed any signs of rebellion, he would be immediately dealt with. The Black Leader before May and the others was the thirteenth; the one who had rescued them from the kidnapping was the eleventh.

Why did the Black Leader always use cloned Pokémon instead of training his own? Because it was unnecessary; who knew how long each new Black Leader would live?

If he trained his own Pokémon, the sensitive creatures would inevitably sense that their master had changed. Once or twice might be overlooked, but after multiple instances, it would become impossible not to notice.

The purpose of the cloning laboratories in the Heaven Organization was twofold: first, to replicate the cloned Black Leader, and second, to provide cloned Pokémon for the cloned Black Leader.

Beyond that, there was no other use!

Why did the White Leader go to such lengths to keep the Black Leader—a person who no longer existed—alive? Only he knew the answer to that.

"Hmph... Even if you know my identity, it won't help you at all!" After saying this, the Black Leader once again commanded the Walrein to attack Jack.

However, Shep's family and May would not allow the Black Leader to attack Jack unimpeded. Under their command, each of their Pokémon unleashed their skills in retaliation.

The Walrein managed to block most of the attacks, but Jack's Floatzel hit a vital spot with a Water Gun, causing it to fall lifelessly to the side.

As a ranger, Jack didn't have many Pokémon, but each one was an elite.

The Black Leader, accustomed to using the cloned Pokémon provided by the organization, felt somewhat outmatched commanding a regular Walrein. He looked at the fallen Walreinand sneered.

"I didn't expect to underestimate you!"

Saying this, he released another Pokémon, this time an Aegislash.

If Yuga were here at this moment, he would certainly recognize that the scars on Aegislash's shield were identical to the treasures stolen by Ariana from Lawrence III.

The strength of Aegislash was completely unmatched by the Walrein from before; it quickly dispatched Jack's Pokémon and those of Shep's family.

After defeating all the Pokémon of Shep's family, Jack, and May, the Black Leader found some ropes from the submarine and proceeded to tie them up one by one.

"This little guy is Manaphy? It looks pretty good!"

Pulling Manaphy away from May's arms, the Black Leader looked at it with a gaze full of interest.

"Wah wah wah…"

Separated forcefully from May, Manaphy began to cry loudly. Being just a few days old, it had no ability to resist the Black Leader.

The Black Leader, who had been in a good mood, found himself increasingly irritated by Manaphy's cries; the once-cute Manaphy suddenly became repulsive in his eyes!

His good mood vanished in an instant. The Black Leader spoke in a deep voice to Aegislash beside him, "Make it quiet!"

Upon hearing this, Aegislash delivered a swift strike to Manaphy's vital points, and it instantly fell silent. If it weren't necessary to keep Manaphy to find the Temple of the Sea...

"Manaphy!" Seeing Manaphy lose consciousness, May immediately called out in worry, but the Black Leader didn't even spare her a glance as he walked away with Manaphy.

Whenever the Black Leader was in a bad mood, he wanted to cause trouble. He looked at the Pokémon lying on the ground and decided to kill them all, thinking they were useless anyway. Having those few people and Manaphy was enough.

"Aegislash, come here and take care of all these!" The Black Leader pointed at the fallen Pokémon on the ground.

"No!"

Upon hearing the Black Leader's words, May and the others were furious, glaring at him with righteous indignation. The youngest among them, Max, was so frightened that he began to cry.

But the Black Leader couldn't care less about May and the others' feelings.

Just as Aegislash raised its sword to strike at Max's Amaura, a Water Gun suddenly appeared and knocked Aegislash flying.

With a loud thud, Aegislash crashed to the ground, enveloped in black mist. Only a shield and a sword remained at the spot, with no signs of life left.

Aegislash was a cloned Pokémon, and its lifespan was already extremely short. Now, after taking such a powerful blow, it had lost all signs of life.

Seeing the Suicune that suddenly appeared before him, the Black Leader's brows furrowed in disbelief.

This shouldn't have happened! After cloning the Suicune, the Heaven Organization had gained an in-depth understanding of its abilities and had methods to counter its pursuit. Why had they failed?

Could it be ineffective? After all, it was their first time using it. The Black Leader began to wonder if he had been fooled by that damn doctor!

Or could it be because of that little monk?

The Black Leader's gaze fell on Gon, who was on the back of the Suicune, and the Alakazam floating beside him.

"Truly relentless!"

The Black Leader cursed silently and began to pull out Poké Balls. Six more Aegislash identical to the previous one appeared before him.

Looking at the Aegislash blocking his way, the Black Leader felt a pang in his heart. If these Aegislash were taken out, the organization wouldn't be able to provide him with a team of similar strength for at least a year.

Yet the Black Leader couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. Logically, the organization shouldn't be this poor!

If the Black Leader at that moment had the memories of the eleventh Black Leader, he wouldn't have found it strange at all. That's because a large sum of money had been spent to clone the Aerodactyl, Archeops, and a Suicune, all of which had been dealt with by Yuga under the eleventh Black Leader's command!