socalfunplaces Chapter 419 Breaking the Ice
Chapter 419 Breaking the Ice
Chapter 421 Breaking the Ice
In the deep, dark underground river, a destroyer covered in silver armor is slowly traversing the water.
To accommodate the relatively narrow cave passages, the bridge and comb-like structures on top of the ship have been temporarily removed. The entire warship resembles a giant metal shuttle, propelled solely by the energy generated by the Electric-type Pokémon in the engine room.
"I didn't come to the Unova to help you sail your ships."
Among the Plasma Team members dressed in white and gray uniforms, a woman in blue stood out. She leaned against the porthole of the cockpit, her fingers tapping absently on the metal window frame, her long black hair seemingly swaying with the ripples of the water outside.
"Our leader is about to go online in the west to fight the United Alliance, but I'm stuck here guarding this piece of black ice to kill time."
With the course already set, the autopilot system kept the ship moving with mechanical precision. Bored, the woman irritably ground her boot against the cables on the ground—
"I'm surrounded by a bunch of boring guys. I really should have switched places with Ah Chao back then."
"Please don't say that the mission in the giant's cave is also important."
Faced with the sharp gaze of the female officer from the newly arrived Fleet Aqua, the members of Team Plasma exchanged uneasy glances.
Finally, one of the members, wearing a mask and seemingly of higher status, was pushed forward by his companions and, with a forced smile, responded—
"This plan was personally classified as top secret by the Sage of Quixote. To ensure its absolute success, the Sage even specifically requested the assistance of your leader, Mr. Water Archie." His tone was cautious and restrained, yet tinged with a hint of probing. "Miss Izumi, your remarks just now...do they mean you have some dissatisfaction with Mr. Water Archie's arrangements?"
"Oh?" The female officer from the Aquadron didn't seem angered at all. Instead, she raised her diving goggles, which were perched on her hair, with interest. "Quite the talker, huh? What's your name?"
"Brad." He straightened his back. "I was originally a direct subordinate of Sage Vio of the Plasma Team, but I was transferred here because of the casino incident. My current responsibility is to ensure that the transportation mission can proceed smoothly."
"Hmm, a very loyal subordinate." The female officer didn't know much about the inner workings of Team Plasma, but she looked at Brad with curiosity. "To ensure the mission goes smoothly, do you have any 'valuable suggestions' for me?"
"Please take this mission more seriously, sir." The Plasma Clan member raised his eyes from under his hood and looked directly at Ms. Izumi. "Although Dr. Akromma's involvement has accelerated the Clan's progress in excavating the ice layer, we cannot rule out the possibility of accidents during the process. As the support unit for the transport operation, we must be prepared to face any unexpected events at any time."
"Oh dear, so you do know I'm your superior now." Miss Quan narrowed her eyes dangerously, like a serpent before an attack, a playful smile on her face. "Alright, seeing how brave you are, I'll be merciful and only break three of your ribs for now."
Brad's pupils contracted sharply, and almost instinctively he took a half-step back, his right hand swiftly reaching for the Poké Ball at his waist—
However, before his fingertips even touched the sphere, a blue afterimage shot out from beside Ms. Izumi!
"Too slow."
The woman's impatient voice still echoed in the cabin, but it was all over.
Before any of the Team Plasma members could react, a precise "water gun" shattered the trigger mechanism of the Poké Ball in Brad's hand.
The metal parts cracked, and the Poké Ball fell to the ground with a thud, rolling on the deck with a crisp sound.
"You have the nerve to tell others to watch their attitude? I thought you were all that capable, but you're just a pretty face with empty words. You Team Plasma guys, spoiled rotten in Unova for too long, it seems you haven't even mastered the most basic fighting techniques!"
The sound of boots hitting the iron plate rang out, and A-Quan stood in front of the Plasma Group's subordinates, looking down at them and reprimanding them.
"From the design blueprints to the riveting and welding, every inch of steel on this destroyer reflects the hard work and dedication of our fleet. Yet you have been completely unable to unleash even a fraction of this ship's potential—as a solution, I was sent here, entrusted with a heavy responsibility."
That is the absolute authority to rule over you bunch of good-for-nothings. Since when have sailors ever been allowed to boss the captain around in my cabin?
The female officer from the Aqua Fleet gave a cold smile—
"If this were the Hoenn Sea, your corpse would probably be thrown to the bottom of the water to feed the fish. But for the sake of your organization..."
Let me start by using this level of punishment as a way of saying hello —”
As if responding to the trainer's call, a spherical creature used its tail fin to bounce up in front of Brad, knocking him to the ground.
It was the culprit behind that vicious "water gun" attack—a thousand-needle fish covered in sharp spines.
This Poison-type Pokémon had now swelled into a spherical shape, its sharp spikes standing upright all over its body, and its racket-like tail was bent, gathering power.
The "Water Tail" technique, about to be used on Brad's ribs, is unlike the world where civilized people live. In this simple and brutal way, villains can only declare their superior and inferior status and power relationship with each other. In this dark sea where the strong prey on the weak, violence is the most straightforward calling card.
Just as Brad closed his eyes, bracing himself for the fatal blow from the needlefish, the expected excruciating pain failed to materialize.
What happened?
He cautiously opened one eye, only to find that the menacing spirit in front of him had already been captured by Miss Izumi and put back into the net.
"Pfft." Quan's gaze passed over him and landed on the "black ice" outside the window. He clicked his tongue impatiently. "Looks like it's not time to clean up the trash yet."
Unbeknownst to them, the destroyer had silently entered the target area. Before them lay a suddenly open underground cavern, with a vast layer of ice covering the dark underground river.
The ice layer where the frozen behemoth was originally located has been cut and removed, and the ice surface has become much thinner. In its place is a glowing area that is slowly expanding—that is the construction site of Vio's team.
However, at this moment, what was emanating from that area was not normal construction lighting, but a chaotic light of various energy beams intertwining and flashing.
"Looks like the guys you're supposed to be picking up are having a fierce fight up there—" Ms. Izumi kicked Brad, who was slumped on the ground, with the tip of her boot, a cold smile playing on her lips. "Of course, if they're not putting on a light show."
The unexpected actually happened.
Brad forced himself to stand up, pressing one hand against his chest, which was throbbing from the impact of the Thousand Needle Fish, and said in a low voice, "I hope you can fulfill the mission entrusted to you by Mr. Water Willow and show us the fighting style that your organization is so proud of."
"You don't need to tell me that."
Miss Izumi tossed her long, glossy black hair, clapped her hands crisply in the air, and suddenly raised her voice, "Attention everyone! You useless sailors! No matter how long you've been living a life of luxury in the Unova region, now you'd better get your act together!"
"But—" a member of Team Plasma looked out the window at the thick layer of ice, his voice hesitant, "How are we supposed to get up there with this much ice in between?"
"Perfect, it seems there are other people whose ribs also need some education."
Izumi, a high-ranking officer of Team Aqua known as the "Killer Hyuga" in Hoenn, grinned, revealing sharp shark teeth, and strode towards the control room. "Everyone, hold your positions immediately! If we don't loosen up the ram of this destroyer, it'll really be reduced to scrap metal!"