Thanks for all the support on my Patreo-n so far! 3 advanced chapters at /xlucqs. I also posted the first two chapters of another story I have been working on, which is a MHA SI.

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  Please join! Let's make it active and easier to speak with other members of the community! The community is growing and is quite active at the moment! If you wanna discuss about Pokemon, send artwork and memes, or just speak to other people, then go ahead and join!

  Also I should note that this chapter is quite small. However you know I always follow up with a much bigger chapter when that is the case. In fact, from now on chapters will be much longer on average. The last three chapters on patreo-n have been longer than 4000 words.

  The view of Hutber's Port came into view— not the actual city itself, but the actual port. Although the town was called Hutber's Port, it wasn't just a port.

  It was a decent sized city which was warm and welcoming with a rich history rooted into the very walls of its buildings. Usually the city was very local—if you were walking down the streets and you saw someone it would be someone you knew for years.

  However, in more recent years with the rise in tourism in Porta Vista—mainly due to the beach in the neighboring city—it has changed its model, going once from a town which lived in its history to showing it to travelers.

  Shelly cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders, a strange feeling building in her body as the city view got closer. It was an ever-so-familiar feeling she used to feel.

  Still to this day she did not know what it was. Anxiety, nervousness, excitement, anticipation, fear. It could be either of them. It could be all of them.

  Back during the Gym challenges and the Conference League, right before a match—where you were left with nothing but yourself, your thoughts, and your Pokemon. It was times like that all preparation and tactics left your mind, replaced entirely by the thoughts of wondering if you could win.

  Some people ran away from that feeling, other people embraced it. Shelly just let it pass. She treated it as though it were a normal thing. She knew it would happen, she accepted it as a normal bodily response, and didn't let it control her.

  By the time her name was called—she was ready.

  But last time it did. A voice told her. Her mind went back to William—how he had utterly defeated her in an instant. How the feeling overcame her and clouded her judgment before she could even make sense of it.

  It wouldn't happen again. Shelly let the moment pass, turning that emotion and feeling into strength. And as soon as the moment passed, Shelly made her way into the city.

  It was a nice place. Unlike Hoenn, Kanto had been in a period of massive economic growth in the past 10 or so years. Its partnership with Johto to form the Indigo League had ultimately turned out to be a great decision.

  Being so close to one another, both of the regions had a long history of wars over territorial disputes and resources. The years of fighting led to both countries having a disdain and distrust for one another even when they are at peace.

  Eventually it seemed someone with a brain got into power and proposed:

  "Hey, instead of fighting each other, why don't we help each other?"

  And the rest was history. Now both Kanto and Johto—which made up Indigo—thrived through the mutual agreement which benefited both of their regions.

  Shelly still remembered the day the agreement was signed. She was on the ship, sitting in her father's lap as sailors cheered when both leaders of the region signed the agreement.

  If you were a citizen of Kanto, you were now a citizen of Johto—and vice versa. Abundant and scarce resources were swapped between the regions when needed. Companies like Silph Co now had an entire new audience to sell their product. Trainers could freely travel between the regions and have a much larger pool of Pokemon to choose from. The benefits were endless.

  Shelly drifted through the town, making her way through the compact streets and stone houses and narrow pathways which seemed to lead to nowhere. The town evolved into twisted, sharp and square angles.

  The very structure of the town was rigid and uniform—not a curve in sight.

  She continued walking upwards, but her legs burned in protest. She was fighting an uphill battle—literally. The town was built on a slope that moved steadily upward. Each step felt as though it were 20—the horizon was nothing but a concrete hill.

  The sounds of the city slowly left her ears— the subtle sounds of civilians going about their day replaced with an eerie silence.

  There were no more people around. Just her. Alone. Something moved in the distance.

  Her legs continued to ache—feeling as though they were on fire. She winced in pain.

  It was then that she saw it. A massive building—much bigger than any of the others—rested in the distance. It looked different—almost out of place—like it watched the entire town from above like a hawk.

  The Obaba building. Owned by Nastina and her company. It was tall and dull. No signs. No colours. No people. Nothing.

  Where the building stood, the land flattened out. Behind the building was a small empty forest area— untouched by urbanisation. No doubt with Nastina next to it, that would change.

  Her neck moved upwards, eyes glaring at the top of the building. She imagined Nastina in her office, cackling as she drowned in money. The urge to storm through the building all the way there was hard to stop.

  She took a deep breath, calming herself.

  She couldn't. Not yet. First, she needed to get rid of her unwanted admirer who had been following her all the way up here. They had been hiding well—blending behind buildings and into alleyways—but not well enough.

  She could sense their presence—it was a toxic one, oozing poison.

  So instead of going to deal with Nastina, she would deal with her follower first. So instead of walking into the building right in front of her, she took a slight detour—making her way into the forest directly behind.

  Shelly remained on high alert, concentrating her ears as much as she could. Each crunch of a small twig, each brush past a plant—she heard it all.

  Good. They took the bait. Shelly thought. She spotted an open space just up ahead, and she stopped.

  "You can come out now," she said, finally turning around.

  The gig was up.

  Through the dense shrubbery and tall trees, a figure stepped out, wearing a cocky grin. "Just so I know for next time, what gave me away?" he asked, walking into view.

  "Many things," Shelly replied flatly. "So much so I'd recommend not doing it again."

  She instantly recognized the man.

  He was of average height, dressed in an all-black costume—including a cap. In the center of his chest was a red R. His bright blue hair stretched down the sides of his face, shaped into sharp swinging axes. He wore that same cocky grin she'd seen since the first time she had seen him back during the raid on the SS Anne—like he knew the punchline to a joke when no one else did.

  Why was he here?

  Proton laughed. "You cut right to the chase there. It's decent advice. I was never one for tailing and spying. I was more the killing kind. Though I wonder if I should listen to the advice of someone who will be dead in a minute." He said. "How can your advice be good if you failed to keep yourself alive?"

  Shelly's heart dropped. Dead? She crouched down slightly, right hand resting on her pokeball.

  "What do you mean? Team Rocket and Team Aqua are allies." Shelly said, visibly confused.

  Proton clapped, his voice taking on a tone as though he was speaking to a child. "Correct! On that, we are." He said. "Though I am confused as to how. Our boss betrayed your boss. He never had any intention of a partnership. He was just deceiving your boss. However, that has changed. The partnership still stands, and you and your team still stand in Indigo. Boss told me he meant to drive you out of here. Which means—our boss is spooked."

  "Your boss, what's his name…" Proton clicked his fingers. "Poseidon, that's his name. Fucking prick he is. What did he do to our boss to make him like that?"

  Shelly shrugged, feeling confidence come back to her. "That's between them to know. But that still doesn't explain why you're here."

  She was right previously in thinking something was wrong. Team Rocket's leader had betrayed William and Team Aqua. That was the reason why Lance was there. When William told her he had sorted it— she wondered what he meant.

  It seems blackmail was what he meant. Though she wondered: What dirt could he have on the leader of team rocket?

  Proton chuckled. He took off his cap and ran his free hand through his hair. "You're here for Nastina, right? That old hag is building a hotel in the water, and you want to protect the Pokemon and the environment. You're called Team Aqua, after all—anything that harms the sea, harms you."

  "How did you—"

  "Funny thing is, I'm here for exactly the same person. Though I'm not here to stop the construction of the hotel. I'm here to speed it up. You see, Nastina requested help from us not too long ago to take care of all the Pokemon protecting their silly little habitat. In exchange, she gets to build her hotel, and we get a nice lump sum of money. It's a win-win."

  Shelly narrowed her eyes. "You people are all the same. You'll do anything for money and greed."

  Proton laughed. "That's the way the world works, honey. Money is my morals. Though I do find it strange— I saw your ship arrive earlier and recognized you from the raid we did together. The fact that we both arrived at the same time, with opposing goals is awfully convenient, right? I'd say it's fate. Fate has led me here to kill you. Well…maybe before you die, I'll make you wish you were actually dead."

  "Your boss won't appreciate breaking the agreement." Shelly said. "Are you not worried why he is so scared?"

  "My boss won't know. Neither will yours. You will die in this abandoned forest with no one but me as witness." Proton spat, hand drifting towards his pokeball.

  Shelly was the first to move. "Go, Taddy!" She shouted.

  "King, kill them!"

  It was an Arbok.

  The rain began—an effect of drizzle, her Pokemon's ability.

  "I fucking hate the rain." Proton muttered.

  "Use Belly Drum!" Shelly shouted.

  "Toxic!" Proton countered.

  "Push through it—get the Belly Drum off!" she ordered.

  Politoed continued to bang his belly in a rhythmic sequence. Even as the purple energy of Toxic consumed him, poisoning his body, he carried on with the attack until it was completed.

  Politoed's muscles swelled—thicker and more defined within his small frame. His attack power was now deadly.

  "Use Screech!" Proton commanded.

  "Dodge it! Bounce up into the air!" Shelly countered.

  Taddy nodded, jumping on his large, swirled belly and soaring upward. The Screech echoed into the forest, harmlessly dissipating into the atmosphere.

  "Keep bouncing!" Shelly shouted. "Use the trees!"

  Like a pogo stick, Politoed bounced and rebounded. Instead of charging in to attack Arbok directly, he used the momentum to build speed—bouncing off the ground and trees at unpredictable angles, accelerating with each jump.

  "Fucking frog!" Proton growled. "Use Sludge Bomb!"

  A poison ball soared through the trees. It missed, steaming and eating a nearby tree.

  Politoed was too fast.

  Shelly smirked. Instead of using the time to set up or shift the battlefield—change the weather or reposition—Proton had spent it attacking blindly.

  His Pokemon might be strong and intimidating along with himself, but there was no strategy behind them. He only knew brute force. He was a bully who only knew how to use his Pokemon in an aggressive way. Admin he was—but he was the admin of a team which took Pokemon from trainers using numbers and intimidation.

  Shelly would use that against him. That was how she would win.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  "Keep bouncing!" Shelly ordered.

  The momentum grew. Taddy became a blur—an afterimage darting around the battlefield.

  "Now! Facade!" Shelly shouted.

  "Behind!" Proton screamed in desperation.

  But Politoed was already there.

  Arbok didn't know what hit him. A 6 attack—devastating in its own right—made even stronger by the move. Taddy's move, powered by sheer strength and doubled in strength due to its poison status condition—struck like a meteor.

  Arbok fainted instantly.

  Shelly didn't take a moment to cheer or relax—she was in battle mode. This was life and death.

  "Now, jump back here and use Rest!"

  Taddy nodded, bounding back to his starting position. He closed his eyes and slipped into a deep sleep, his body beginning to recover as poison was replaced with sleep.

  "Fuck!" Proton snapped, withdrawing Arbok without a second thought. He recognized each second not spent attacking would be crucial.

  "Go, Smoker!" out came Weezing. Proton snarled in rage. "Use Thunderbolt, kill her!"

  Shelly raised an eyebrow. Not Haze? Her Pokemon was asleep, so she had no concrete way to counter it.

  "Sleep Talk!" Shelly said. There was a common assumption that Sleep Talk always chose a random move from the Pokemon move set. However, with enough training, certain moves could be prioritized over others when they were sleeping.

  As for the moves which were prioritized? Protect and substitute. In that order.

  A thunderbolt struck. Proton grinned. Though his grin fell when through the yellow flash of thunder he saw a great protective barrier surrounding Politoed.

  "Fuck! Thunderbolt again!"

  This time instead of a protective barrier, a strange looking plushie creature was replaced with Taddy. The creature stood motionless as the thunder hit it. The plushie disappeared—replaced by politoed who was still asleep.

  And then, it woke up.

  "Hydro Pump, now!"

  "Dodge it!" Weezing desperately floated to the side, narrowly dodging the attack. It hit a nearby tree, creating a large circular shaped indent.

  "This fucking rain," Proton growled, wiping his wet face. "Use Sunny…" He sounded like he couldn't remember the move. "Use Sunny Day!"

  Wrong choice—especially when you should be more worried about the 6 attack. Shelly thought. The rain also wouldn't last forever— though the stat boost would if nothing was done about it.

  The rain cleared, replaced by a bright glaring sun bearing down layers of heat, but that didn't do anything to stop Politoed. Taddy pounced forward.

  "Body Slam!" Shelly ordered.

  Taddy's body slammed into the Weezing with devastating force. However, that seemed to be a part of Proton's plan/

  "Now—Self Destruct!"

  Shelly's eyes widened. "Get out of there! Protect yourself!" she screamed.

  A blinding light erupted from Weezing, consuming the battlefield—then, a thunderous explosion. Shelly was forced a step backwards from the force, covering her face as bits of dust and rock flew past her.

  When the explosion settled, both Politoed and Weezing lay on the ground—burnt and unconscious. She looked at her partner's body, visibly sad.

  Luckily it wasn't fatal. He did well.

  Proton grinned. "Got ya." He looked at Shelly, not even sparing a glance at his downed Pokemon—to caught up in hatred. There was no remorse in his expression.

  Self Destruct was a dangerous move. It should only be used one or two times a month at most. Repeated use over a short period of time could cause long-term damage to a Pokemon's body—it was a move which quite literally exploded the Pokemon's body from point blank, but Proton didn't seem to care.

  "You're up, Seacare!" Shelly threw her pokeball, and out came her Vaporeon.

  "Fang, you know what to do," Proton mirrored the action, sending out his Golbat.

  Shelly acted quickly. "Seacare, use Calm Mind!"

  "Get in close—Poison Fang!" Proton shouted.

  Vaporeon managed to set up a Calm Mind just as Golbat's fangs grazed her skin. The poison sank in. Golbat swung its purple wings, moving back in for another attack.

  "Sand Attack!" Shelly ordered.

  A burst of sand flung straight into the Golbat's eyes, disrupting its vision mid-flight. Vaporeon stepped out of the way.

  "Now, Work Up," Shelly commanded.

  Vaporeon took advantage of Golbat's momentary blindness, channeling her energy. Her stats were now boosted—1 in four different areas.

  "Get in close!" Proton shouted. Golbat returned for round two.

  But Vaporeon was too slippery. Too fast. Shelly had trained her mainly for speed and health.

  "Another Work Up!"

  If Golbat was fast, Vaporeon was faster. It was time to end this.

  "Now—Baton Pass!"

  Seacare vanished in a shimmer of light, recalled into her pokeball.

  Spots— her Azumarill—emerged a moment later, carrying with it the massive surge of energy from the Baton Pass. Two boosts in Attack and Special Attack, plus a singular increase in Defense and Special Defense.

  And to top it off, it had the ability Huge Power. To put it simply, Azumarill was unstoppable now.

  This was Shelly's playstyle: building up and breaking down stat changes, then taking advantage of them.

  "Golbat, get rid of its stat changes!" Proton barked, though Shelly wasn't even sure if he knew the move.

  Golbat nodded, a white haze spilling from its wings and blanketing the battlefield.

  "Jump up!" Shelly shouted.

  Azumarill leapt, soaring above the haze, then did exactly what they'd practiced a hundred times before.

  It began to clap—but with its monstrous power, those claps echoed like sonic booms, vibrating through the air and directly dispersing the mist into the surrounding forest. The haze that would have reset its stats evaporated under the crushing claps of Azumarill's boosted strikes.

  Her entire strategy revolved around stat changes—and she'd made sure she had a counter for Haze. Infact, she had many counters.

  Proton could only stare in disbelief.

  "Now—Play Rough!" Shelly commanded.

  Azumarill appeared in front of Golbat, carrying a surge of fairy type energy with it. Golbat tried to counter, but Azumarill was quicker. Her Pokemon we're on a completely another level.

  One-hit KO.

  Golbat was done.

  Everything had fallen into place.

  Now she had a super-boosted Pokemon whose attacks hit like trucks. It also had a slight boost in defense in case of anything unexpected. This was how she planned her fights. One Pokemon on her team with a specific number of stat changes could run away with the whole thing.

  Azumarill had attack. It had defense. And now, taking advantage of the short lull in the battle—it had rain.

  Shelly looked across at Proton. That man didn't know how to fight—how to use his Pokemon in battle.

  He wasn't a trainer. He was a bully.

  She had already won.

  …

  …

  …

  And soon, her prediction came true.

  One by one, Proton's Pokemon fell—until all six of them were down. In the end it was anticlimactic.

  Spots stood tall. Barely harmed.

  For all of his talk, Proton was a coward. Instead of backing up the cocky and confident persona he put on, the moment he lost, he turned around—escape at the forefront of his mind.

  He barely made it a couple of yards before Azumarill tackled him down.

  Shelly strode over.

  "You won't kill me. You don't have the balls," Proton spat.

  Shelly retrieved her knife. It shook in her hand...

  Could she really kill someone? Could she really go down this path?

  Joining a villain team was one thing, but killing someone was another thing altogether. She would be going down a path she couldn't return from.

  The knife continued to shake in her hand, wrestling with the decision. She… she…couldn't.

  She would accept whatever consequences came her way for keeping this man alive.

  But just then—she didn't know what compelled her to do it—but she looked to the side.

  She saw a small lake. Usually it would be filled with Pokemon. They probably retreated below due to the sounds of battling. She pictured them playing on the lake.

  She blinked, her eyes blurring—and then suddenly the scenery changed. Instead of playing, they were… dead. Floating on top of the body of water—eyes lifeless. Across from her, Proton stood proudly with a sadistic smile on his face, taking in all the deaths he caused.

  And it was then she realised. This path she refused to go down—a path for the sake of her morality and goodness—was a path that would cause death and destruction, simply because she refused to do the hard stuff.

  Someone had to do it.

  Some people deserved to die. But because no one went down this path, because no one had the guts to eliminate these people—they roamed freely, getting away with stuff.

  If she needed to go down this path—to save lives—then she would take that burden.

  She would become a killer to rid the world of evil, and to protect her goals and ideals. All for the greater good.

  "I knew it. Did Poseidon get you off the street? You don't have the guts, gir—"

  Shelly's hand jerked, and with a sudden swipe, the knife cut all the way across Proton's throat.

  Proton couldn't believe it. He looked at Shelly, eyes wide, hands clawing at his throat like he was trying to put the blood back in.

  "Huff…" Shelly took a deep breath.

  She watched as Proton writhed in agony—survival instincts kicking in, trying everything he could to stay alive.

  It was futile.

  The green grass was stained red. He dropped to the floor—lifeless.

  Shelly looked at the motionless body on the floor.

  She had just killed someone.

  The walk back from the forest was long and quiet. She had killed someone—Shelly had just killed someone. The realisation sent shivers through her bones and caused a strange tingling sensation to shoot up to her neck.

  But it needed to be done. That was what she told herself. The man was evil—sadistic—and would have done the same to her. If he went back and told his boss it could cause more conflict in the future between the two teams. She didn't want that just as soon as William solved the issue.

  Instead he lay buried six feet beneath—in a forest where no one would ever find him. His body would slowly rot and decay, surrounded by dirt, body used as fuel for the trees.

  Instead of the corpses of Pokemon resting on the sea—it was the corpse of one man. The only witnesses were herself, her Pokemon, and Proton's Pokemon. Shelly had already taken care of the last one. Before burying him she had taken his Pokemon—they were innocent.

  Their actions were caused by Proton who raised and trained them that way. They didn't deserve to be buried for eternity for being molded the only way they could. Instead they would be siphoned off to various members of Team Aqua in order to strengthen the team.

  It had been her first proper battle in a while. The last one was during the semi-finals of the Conference League, where she lost to a Grass-type specialist named Gardenia.

  Still, the stakes in the stadiums could never be compared to the thrill of a life and death battle. In the stadium if you lost, you would walk away. Here there was no such thing. Proton promised he would perform unimaginable things on her before killing her—it was a fight bigger than life and death.

  Shelly cleaned herself up as best as she could. She knelt down by the river, taking off her mask and washing her sweat-filled face. Her clothing was covered in dust and water which took a persistent hand to get rid of.

  Civilization returned shortly after. The concrete ground felt foreign to her—the absence of chirps, cries, and rustles from the forest made the silence feel unnatural. She took a brief moment to glance back at the trees.

  Two people had walked in there. Only one had walked out. And the person who walked in had not been the same one who came out.

  She had prepared herself for change—but real change only came through decisive action. And the actions she had taken in the forest were proof of that. She was no longer the scared and nervous girl William had picked up. She had become something else entirely.

  Shelly turned her gaze back to the building ahead. The thoughts she once had about confronting Nastina were still the same—only it felt as if they were thoughts from two different people.

  Her Golduck left her Pokéball.

  "Hey girl. Can you surround me with psychic energy and send me flying upwards?" she asked. She knelt down slightly to her Pokemon's height and pointed toward a window located near the top of the building. "Do you think you can send me at an angle with enough force to break through the window?"

  Golduck put a hand on his chin and paced around the area behind the building. He lifted his hand and traced a diagonal line—testing the angle. Then he nodded. Shelly came over.

  "Here? Okay."

  Shelly was then surrounded in a bright pink aura. It rested on her skin like an extra layer of her body. She floated upwards. The only way she could describe the energy was bubbly and soft, like a marshmallow suit covering her.

  SWOOSH

  Shelly zoomed through the air, flying upward at a 60-degree angle. The ground fell away beneath her—she was flying straight toward the building. Instinctively, she covered her head with her arms and tucked her knees into her stomach.

  SHATTER

  The glass broke like sticks against the force of the psychic energy and momentum. She crashed into the building, her feet hitting the carpet floor awkwardly as she tried to regain her balance. Golduck followed behind, entering through the now-broken window.

  Nastina looked bereft of emotion. One moment, she had been sitting in her office, calmly going about her day—and the next, an intruder and their Pokemon had smashed through her top-floor window. She snapped to attention, mouth open wide.

  "Secur—"

  "Disable!" Shelly commanded.

  Nastina stopped speaking. She moved her mouth—but no sound left it. If Disable was complex enough to prevent a specific move from being used, then it could also block something less complicated and more broad—like speech.

  "Golduck, use Psychic on the door and this little woman here. No one gets in."

  Shelly took a deep breath, glancing at the surroundings.

  The office was extravagant and luxurious—a sharp contrast to how the building looked from the outside. From the outside, it appeared abandoned. Inside, it looked like a mansion.

  In fact, it slightly reminded her of the Crestwell Mansion.

  The walls were decorated with various paintings, none of which she could understand the appeal of. Probably worth millions. The carpet was furry and soft—most likely from the body of some exotic Pokemon from across the world. A large mahogany desk sat in the centre of the room, with an expensive bottle of wine and two glasses resting beside it.

  Expecting someone else, I presume? Well, not anymore.

  Shelly stalked across the room, her footsteps slow and deliberate. She was in control now. No need to rush. She walked over to the woman surrounded in a pink energy, restricted in body and speech.

  "You may not know me, Nastina, but I know you very well. I know what you've done—and I know what you plan to do."

  She pointed toward the piece of paper in front of Nastina. It was a detailed mock-up of the hotel's construction: large, grandiose, and with no room left for anything else—especially not for Pokemon.

  "You have very ambitious plans, creating a hotel this big," she said, whistling. "So ambitious, in fact, that you've completely disregarded the fact that Pokemon already live there. Just for the sake of profit, you'd destroy their lives—force them out of the only home they've ever known."

  "Well…I'm here to set things straight."

  She grabbed the bottle, swiped a glass from the table, and poured herself a drink. With a swift motion, she turned around, tilted up her mask, and downed the shot. The burn hit her throat like fire, travelling down to her belly.

  She only drank on special occasions.

  "You will not make that hotel." Shelly said with finality. She observed Nastina, who was trying her best to convey all of her rage through facial expressions and muted shouts. She looked furious. Then, she momentarily glanced at the door— as if she were waiting for something.

  "Expecting someone? Don't worry, my Pokemon will make sure no one disturbs us. I mean, it's funny I say that—because before, me and my team did exactly the same thing. Someone was disturbing us." Shelly searched in her pocket, taking out a cut part of Proton's outfit.

  The R. Distinctive and recognizable.

  Nastina's eyes widened. All hope vanished from them.

  "That person—the one who wears an R on their outfit. Were you expecting them to take care of your little problem before the main construction of your hotel began?"

  Shelly grabbed the back of Nastina's head and pulled her in close. Through her mask, her eyes locked with the older woman's, cold and unflinching. "They're dead. No one is coming to save you."

  Her voice dropped, low and threatening. "And if you don't comply with everything I say from now on… I'll do the exact same thing to you. Do you understand?"

  Shelly released her from her grasp. Strands of ginger hair stuck to her glove.

  "Now, as much as I would like to kill you and be done with this—objectively, that isn't the best decision. You can still be useful. You, your business, your money."

  She stepped forward, her tone cold but measured.

  "Instead of constructing the hotel, you'll be constructing something different."

  Shelly handed her a folder—one she had prepared on her way to Kanto.

  "It details the construction of a water park."

  Shelly clarified: "It's an eco-friendly water park. Instead of destroying the Pokemon's environment, you'll take advantage of it. You'll use sustainable water systems. You'll protect the habitats. There will be rides based around Water-type Pokemon. You will feed them. You will protect them. You will give them their own space. You will let them roam freely. You will protect these Pokemon as if they were your child."

  "You're going to lift the Pokemon up and care for them—not kill them, like you and that monster were planning. Of course, we'll get a cut of the revenue. You're plagiarizing our idea, after all." Shelly finished with a laugh.

  The effect of Disable wore off.

  Nastina tried to speak, but the moment words left her lips, Shelly's hand clamped down hard over her mouth.

  "I don't even want to hear your voice. Don't speak. Just do it.. Every detail of what you need to do is in that folder. I'll have someone watching you. If you don't follow everything exactly as I've told you, they'll report back to me."

  Her voice dropped to a low growl.

  "And it won't just be me you'll be dealing with. It'll be the whole of Team Aqua. Trust me—my boss is not someone you want to mess with. You've heard the news, right? My boss, Poseidon, went head-to-head with Lance…and came out on top."

  News had indeed just broken about the raid on the SS Anne and the subsequent attempt of a league official trying to stop them. The government didn't release any specifics on many names, but Team Aqua was one of them.

  Hearing that her boss had defeated Lance surely sent a shock through her system. She looked completely terrified. Lance was seen as one of the strongest trainers in the region and a candidate for the champion position. The fact that her boss had defeated him—even though he hadn't in reality—would be enough to scare anyone.

  "Do you understand? Nod if you do."

  Nastina nodded.

  "Good." Shelly tapped the folder with energy. "Follow this and you live. Follow anything else and you die."

  One evil person had already died today—she could certainly do another.

  When I was writing Proton I pictured him as a bully. A big fish in a small pond. Team Rocket just goes around intimidating people with numbers and stealing Pokemon, he never really faces any proper challenges. He's also the type of guy to completely disregard every move which isn't an attacking move—like when you're a kid and your Pokemon wants to learn a new move but it's not an attacking move so you press no xD.