Kai and Erika continued swimming upward through the dark ocean. The water slowly grew lighter with each meter two powerful beams of light pierced down from above, cutting through the deep blue gloom like lances from the heavens.
As the surface neared, Kai finally felt his lungs tighten. He signaled to Erika and borrowed her rebreather, taking a few deep breaths.
He wasn't sure how long he had held his breath, but one thing was certain his lung capacity had significantly increased.
Double what it used to be, he estimated. Not game-changing yet, but a definite upgrade. Another side effect of the Sea Guardian's Blessing, perhaps?
Moments later, the pair finally breached the surface, gasping in the crisp night air. The sky above was already dark, with a full moon suspended overhead.
So that light earlier... it hadn't come from the sky it was the searchlights of two coast guard vessels.
A rope ladder dropped down from the nearest ship. Kai helped Erika climb up first, then followed. But the moment his body broke free of the water, he was hit by a wave of cold wind. Soaked to the bone, he immediately began to shiver.
Just as he reached the top, strong arms pulled him aboard and wrapped a thick towel around him.
Only then did his eyes adjust to the lights and he saw familiar faces.
Ash. Misty. Brock. Ritchie. And even Shu.
And standing among them, calm and confident as ever, was Looker, the lead officer of the International Police.
Erika exhaled in relief. "You guys made it…"
Looker smiled faintly. "I felt the tremors even from the ship. Figured you ran into... complications."
Kai laughed bitterly. "Yeah, we did. Rocket scientists blew the whole base while we were still inside. Erika and I barely made it out alive. Worse Dr. Zager escaped."
He quickly recounted what happened inside the base, from the virus research to the underwater escape.
Ash and Misty looked stunned. Misty's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Kai, you're amazing. If it weren't for you, none of us would've known Team Rocket was hiding something like that!"
Even Ritchie scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. He had completely underestimated the danger.
Kai waved it off. "Honestly, I just followed a hunch… and it paid off."
He turned back to Looker. "How did you all end up here?"
"We tracked the tremors," Looker explained. "And rerouted two patrol ships to the area. As for me, I airlifted in after securing the first group of captured agents."
"Captured?" Kai blinked. "You caught some of them?"
Looker stepped aside, revealing several officers processing soaked, handcuffed Team Rocket grunts on the deck.
"Caught them drifting after the explosion. Most were too weak to resist. We bagged a good haul."
Kai let out a long breath. That was a relief. "What about Attila and Hun?"
Looker's smile faded. "We nearly had them. But before we could close in, a bizarre Magikarp-shaped submarine popped out of nowhere and pulled them under."
Kai's eyes twitched. "Magikarp… submarine…"
Only one group in the world would ride around in that ridiculous contraption.
"Jessie, James, and Meowth…" he muttered.
"But they hate Attila and Hun. Why would they help them?"
Nobody had an answer.
"Anyway," Kai said with a sigh, "it's a shame. Those two are key Rocket operatives."
Looker placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. This mission was still a major success. You took down their base, disrupted their viral weapon plans, and rescued a baby Lugia and its mother. That's a win in my book."
She smiled. "Honestly, I'm starting to see what people mean when they call you our 'lucky ace.'"
After resting on the patrol ship overnight, Kai, Erika, and the others boarded Shu's speedboat, heading back toward Red Flame Island and the Sea Temple.
The mission was complete. Time to report back to Maya, the High Priestess.
In just two days, they had:
Destroyed a hidden Rocket base
Rescued multiple Pokémon
Prevented the capture of Lugia
And captured a large number of Rocket agents
Now, Silver, the baby Lugia, could live peacefully again, safe with its mother, free from threats.
As for Shu despite plans to part ways, the boy insisted on visiting the Sea Temple to meet Maya himself. After calling his mother and getting her permission, he joined the group.
Ritchie, of course, tagged along too. He wanted to see the Sea Temple with his own eyes, after all, it was the most sacred place in the Whirl Islands. And while he regretted missing the Whirl Cup battles, this would be an unforgettable memory all the same.
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