The frozen river made everyone wonder just how strong Mamoswine truly was. Even the main Pokémon of a Gym Leader would probably be no stronger than this.
Before long, Archer had caught all the Water-type Pokémon on the frozen surface, and all the Poké Balls were placed inside the ship's cabin.
"There aren't any Pokémon left here now. Heh~ Who's willing to go to those sunken ships and recover the Poké Balls?" Archer asked pretentiously.
"I'll go!" Officer Jenny, who had accompanied them, no longer trusted these so-called captains. The entire battle had lasted more than four hours, and whether it was the Trainers aboard the ships, the Jenny Family and police officers, or the Joy Family's support team, everyone had been fighting under tremendous strain.
Tetsuya in particular had turned the tide and secured victory in this battle. Only these four "captains" had acted as though none of it concerned them. Not once had anyone seen them send out a single Pokémon, yet now that it was time to reap the fruits of victory, they had stepped forward.
Officer Jenny took several people with her and entered the cabins of the two sunken ships…
Not a single Poké Ball remained inside, leaving Officer Jenny greatly astonished!
Although a thought surfaced in her mind that these captains might have been behind it, she was the one who had led people into the cabins, and those people were also her own. There was simply no way for her to explain herself.
Everything seemed as though someone had been manipulating events from behind the scenes. If she reported this to the League now, these people might even turn around and frame her instead.
Officer Jenny returned to the shore and said, "They're gone… All the Poké Balls are gone!"
""""What!?"""" the four Admins exclaimed in unison, sounding remarkably convincing.
"Officer Jenny, this isn't something to joke about. Could all those Poké Balls have somehow been eaten in the river?" Archer asked.
"You don't need to worry about that. Once we're back on shore, I'll naturally send people to thoroughly investigate this matter. If I uncover even the slightest clue… certain people had better watch themselves," Officer Jenny said.
"When the time comes, shouldn't the Jenny Family be the first ones investigated? You were the one who went down into the ships just now, and the people with you were also yours. Shouldn't you be the ones giving us an explanation?" Petrel said.
"Wha…-"
Officer Jenny's face turned livid with anger. She had never expected them to start throwing dirt on her already, even attempting to frame the entire Jenny Family. Their malicious intentions were utterly despicable!
Tetsuya recalled all of his Pokémon and returned to the resting area, closing his eyes to recuperate while silently repeating to himself, 'There's absolutely no way it'll be this simple. There's absolutely no way we'll make it back to shore this smoothly.'
The disappearance of the Poké Balls had already made everything perfectly clear to him. The ship they were on now carried the most Poké Balls, perhaps even as many as the other three ships combined. There was absolutely no way Giovanni would give up these Poké Balls.
By now, the sky had gradually grown dark. The moonless night seemed exceptionally terrifying. Even though the ship had lights, they did nothing to ease the oppressive atmosphere weighing on everyone's hearts…
Nearly all the Trainers, police officers, and support personnel were now exhausted. They no longer cared where they were, and some had even fallen asleep leaning against the railings on the deck.
…Boooom!
With a loud crash, the ship shook violently.
"W-What's going on!?"
"What's wrong with the ship…? What's wrong with the ship!?"
Many people were left at a loss by the sudden crash. Because of the ship's violent shaking, everyone rushed onto the deck to find out what was happening.
'…So it's finally happening?' Tetsuya slightly opened his eyes, then closed them again. Naturally, there would be people very concerned about matters like this.
Suddenly, they could clearly feel the ship sinking, and this immediately triggered complete panic.
"Why is the ship sinking!?"
"What the hell is going on!? We've already been exhausted all day. Are they really determined to wipe us out?"
The panic continued to intensify.
"Everyone, stay calm! We'll go see exactly what's happening first." With that, Officer Jenny and three others personally took powerful flashlights and headed into the cabin.
Before long, Officer Jenny hurried back up and said, "Quick, notify Leader Giovanni! It looks like this last ship was damaged by a Pokémon's move. Large amounts of water are pouring into the cabin now. This ship isn't going to hold out much longer."
"What Pokémon could it have been? How could there still be Pokémon appearing here!?"
"Then what are we supposed to do!? All the yachts have already been used up."
Yachts could be seen following closely behind the ship. Clearly, only the ship had been attacked and was sinking, while every one of the yachts remained completely unharmed.
"Our only option now is to put more people on each yacht and make sure everyone can get aboard a boat," Officer Jenny said.
However, Officer Jenny's proposal was quickly rejected by some of the more fearful people. They still had not determined exactly what had damaged the ship. Even after being damaged, the ship would only sink little by little. If those yachts were attacked instead, wouldn't they immediately capsize and send everyone to their deaths in the river?
"How about I freeze an area first and have everyone wait on the ice for Leader Giovanni's rescue?" Tetsuya suggested.
"Yes, that's what we should do!" James said.
Tetsuya was just about to make his move when he suddenly heard a series of horn blasts. A huge ship illuminated by lights was approaching the sinking ship.
"It's Leader Giovanni-sama's ship!" Someone suddenly shouted.
Officer Jenny also recognized the ship and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Leader Giovanni has come to save us…"
"We're not going to die! Thank you, Giovanni-sama!"
"…"
Tetsuya truly had no choice but to admire Giovanni's methods. At the moment when everyone was at their most desperate, Giovanni rekindled their hope.
Giovanni drew alongside the sinking ship.
"Everyone, don't panic. We'll lower rescue ladders. Climb aboard this ship in an orderly manner." Giovanni personally came over to direct this entire act that he himself had orchestrated.
---◓---
By the time all the Trainers and other personnel had boarded the huge ship Giovanni was on, more than an hour had passed.
"Everyone, check the headcount. We can't afford any mistakes at the very last moment." Giovanni personally supervised Officer Jenny as she called the roll.
Giovanni's actions earned praise from many people, and numerous Trainers regarded him as their lifesaver. Yet no one would ever imagine that Giovanni himself had planned all of this. Perhaps, once the desperation passes, some will begin to notice strange "coincidences" and harbor suspicions, but by then it will already be too late.
Only after every Trainer had been accounted for did Giovanni finally stop, further winning over everyone's hearts. Although Giovanni was usually unsmiling, he even gave his "fans" autographs for free here. Everyone aboard the ship felt that Giovanni was extremely approachable, nothing like the cold and ruthless figure they saw on tv.
Jessie also fulfilled her dream here, getting "Giovanni-sama's" autograph. And being as greedy as she was, she had him sign both her clothes and her pants. She planned to treasure all of them…
At this moment, Tetsuya also walked over to Jessie and said, "You've already fulfilled your wish of getting Giovanni's autograph. Don't forget our agreement."
"…It's just three things, right? No problem, no problem~" At this moment, Jessie was so overwhelmed with excitement that she couldn't care less about anything else.
By the time everything had been settled, another hour had passed.
"Return now," Giovanni ordered.
"Wait…"
Officer Jenny stepped forward.
"Hmm? What is it?" Giovanni asked.
"Leader Giovanni, there are still quite a few Poké Balls containing the hostile Pokémon aboard the ships. Aren't we going to recover them?" Officer Jenny asked.
"Those are all League property. How could we simply abandon them? Hurry and organize for people to retrieve those Poké Balls," Giovanni said.
This time, at Officer Jenny's repeated insistence, the four Admins also went down into the sunken ships with them. Naturally, all they found were empty cabins.
After coming back up, they reported the situation to Giovanni.
"…Why didn't you report this situation to me earlier?" Giovanni questioned Archer and the other three.
Archer and the other three lowered their heads and said, "We were focused on saving people, so we forgot about this matter… Please punish us, Giovanni-sama!"
"Saving people is certainly important, but you could have assigned people to inspect the cabins just now. Perhaps those Poké Balls could still have been saved! Sigh… I will report your negligence to the League. Prepare your resignation letters!" Giovanni shouted sternly.
This made Officer Jenny, who was standing nearby, feel somewhat embarrassed, and even some of her earlier suspicions faded.
Tetsuya remained behind the others without saying a word. Giovanni's "performance" could only be described as flawless. Not only had he silenced the Jenny Family, he had also established his own authority.
These four people currently held positions within the League, but they had already been preparing to resign and devote themselves entirely to Team Rocket. They could take this opportunity to resign, and those four resignation letters would then dispel the Jenny Family's suspicions.
Giovanni had already successfully resolved the issue with the cross-river bridge project. As long as construction resumed smoothly and no Pokémon came to cause trouble again, it would already count as a major accomplishment.
As for those Poké Balls that had vanished without a trace… although they would also be investigated, with Giovanni involved, the matter would ultimately come to nothing. Something this minor could not affect Giovanni's achievements at all!
"Don't worry, Officer Jenny. I'll make sure this matter is investigated to the very end. When the time comes, I'll need the Jenny Family's help as well," Giovanni said.
"Mm, my family will fully cooperate," Officer Jenny said.
---◓---
They brought all the Trainers back to shore.
By now, the shore was brightly lit and packed with people. Banners large and small had been raised throughout the crowd, reading, [Welcome Back, Victorious Heroes!]
Everyone was already utterly exhausted, so naturally no one cared about such vanity. They merely went through the motions with the crowd before returning to the Pokémon Center, handing all their Pokémon over to Nurse Joy, eating the easily digestible meals that had been prepared in advance, then returning to their rooms, taking hot showers, and falling sound asleep…
Tetsuya was also thoroughly exhausted. Naturally, if he could get a little more rest, he would take it. Now he only had to wait for an opportunity to meet Giovanni.
Even if his four Admins said nothing about Tetsuya's "performance", Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy would. He would also become a frequent topic of discussion among these Pokémon Trainers, so naturally, word would eventually reach Giovanni's ears.
---◓---
The next afternoon, four Officer Jennys arrived at the Pokémon Center with more than a dozen officers, bringing special medals from the League.
Everyone was gathered in the lobby of the Pokémon Center.
"Every Pokémon Trainer who participated in the battle will receive one special League medal! This medal can substitute for three Gym Badges. The medals awarded to the three deputy leaders can substitute for five Gym Badges, while Tetsuya is naturally the most exceptional. His can directly substitute for eight Gym Badges." After Officer Jenny finished speaking, she distributed the three types of medals.
For most people, this was truly timely assistance. The Indigo League would begin soon, and many Trainers had yet to finish collecting their Gym Badges. The medals they had just received opened the way for them to participate in the Indigo Plateau Conference.
Tetsuya had no use for this medal for the time being, since it was not yet time for him to participate in the League conference. However, all of his accomplishments would be recorded in his Pokédex, which would also bring him many benefits in the future.
After receiving the League's rewards, many Trainers were extremely excited. This battle had proven tremendously worthwhile. For Tetsuya, a large-scale battle like this was also a good way for his Pokémon to accumulate experience. Even if there were nothing to gain from it, he would still consider participating in more battles like this.
All of Tetsuya's Pokémon had now recovered their peak condition. Mamoswine, Beedrill, and Ditto had not yet completed their training, so Tetsuya immediately transferred the three of them back to Mahogany Gym to continue their unfinished drilling.
---◓---
Team Rocket's four Admins had all been wearing contact lenses equipped with recording devices. For an entire day, Giovanni watched recordings of yesterday's battle, while more than a dozen secretaries under him gathered battle data on every Trainer.
There was no need to say much about Tetsuya's battles. Even without gathering any additional information, it was obvious that he was the strongest, and his level had already surpassed that of League Tournament competitors.
"Bring me this Trainer's detailed information," Giovanni said after watching all the videos.
As Giovanni looked through Tetsuya's various records, numerous labels were attached to his name. Moreover, Pryce of Johto was Tetsuya's teacher(?), while Matsuba of Ecruteak Gym was one of the foremost Gym Leaders in the Johto Region, his level already infinitely close to that of an Elite Four.
"No wonder his Golurk and Mamoswine are so powerful…" Giovanni muttered to himself. Without knowing that Tetsuya had a whole second life full of experience…
---◓---
Tetsuya retrieved his four Pokémon, Skorupi, Houndoom, the four-headed Weezing, and Golurk, from Nurse Joy after they had fully recovered. After dinner, he strolled through the streets of Sunnytown. To celebrate the resumption of construction on the cross-river bridge, a project benefiting the region and its people, all kinds of activities were being held throughout the town.
Naturally, the Trainers who had participated in the battle were indispensable to these events.
They were now the "heroes" of all Sunnytown. As the person who had turned the tide this time, Tetsuya naturally deserved the greatest credit, and he received plenty of invitations. However, he declined them all. There was truly no need to participate in these small local organizations' events.
Jessie and James, however, were having a great time. They truly regarded themselves as heroes, though they had indeed become the leaders of Sunnytown's punks!
After making a circuit around town, Tetsuya was just about to return to the Pokémon Center when a familiar voice reached his ears…
"Tetsuya, can you come with me?"