"You guys?"
"Same as you—we're here to pick up our Pokémon."
Seeing the blank look on Jace Rowan's face, Auron Vale grinned like a little fox.
"Gengar?" Jace asked.
"Not just that. Lucario, too."
"Geh!"
"Holy—?!"
Gengar's sudden appearance made Jace jump out of his skin. Before he could even react, the Gengar slipped straight into Auron's shadow.
"I swear, if I have a heart attack, you're paying for it," Jace said, clutching his chest in theatrical agony.
"Hahahahaha!"
The room burst into laughter. Ashen's Gengar seemed to have a special fondness for terrorizing Jace; every time they met, it made a point of scaring him once.
After that little interlude, everyone finished receiving their Pokémon.
Tim Wynn got an Empoleon; Auron received Gengar and Lucario; Serena Elm received a Shiftry; Simon Greaves and Lena Greaves got Golurk and Decidueye respectively; Jace received an Ampharos.
Except for Auron, everyone else had Pokémon that were naturally strong against Water-types. Even Serena's parents had gone to her uncle's place to get a Grass/Dark Shiftry for her.
…
A little later, in Auron's room.
"Wanna play it big?"
Auron flashed a grin like a Shiba inu and looked around at the group.
"What are you thinking?" Jace perked up immediately. He knew that whenever Auron wore that grin, it meant one of two things: either it would be very fun, or very advantageous to them—often both.
"Place a bet," Auron said. "Splash Team won't let this go. They'll come again—and that's our chance. The Pokémon our folks entrusted to us? They're our trump cards."
"After the last ambush, they'll assume we've already shown all our hole cards, so they'll bring enough force to crush us in one go."
"But what they don't know is that we've added several powerful surprises. That's our confidence."
"Also, I contacted Elite Four Dax Jonas last night. He can't make it personally, but he's already asked a friend nearby to come."
"And I've got the police lined up. They'll be positioned near the beach these next few days, waiting to net them all at once."
Auron laid out his plan in one breath, then waited for their responses.
"So basically… we're the bait?" Tim was quick on the uptake; he immediately understood what "playing it big" meant in Auron's mouth.
"Exactly. We are the bait," Auron said, keeping his Shiba smile.
"Remember at the Longtan Waterfall Scenic Area when Elite Four Jonas gave me the first reward—do you remember what it was for?"
Serena's eyes lit up. "I know—because you helped take down a Church hideout."
Auron snapped his fingers. "Right. We busted a Church nest, and I got one-tenth of a key fragment to the national-level treasure vault. So this time, if we assist in capturing Splash Team members…"
"If it works, even if the reward's split six ways, it won't be as good as one person getting everything, but none of us will be walking away with scraps."
"Moreover, Gengar can put people to sleep, and the others aren't slouches in a fight either. Best-case scenario, we scatter Splash Team before the police arrive; the police just clean up. The more we contribute, the better the reward."
"Worst case, we can't beat them—not even enough to resist—and someone from the Elite Four steps in to cover us, let us hold out until the main police force arrives. In that case the reward won't be as good, of course."
"Well?" Auron looked around like some motivational speaker trying to fire everyone up.
Everyone felt themselves being swayed. Even in the worst case, safety didn't seem like a problem. And the worst case didn't feel likely in the first place. Forget Tim—he was the son of the richest man in the city. The Pokémon used to protect a billionaire's kid was not going to be weak.
And any dad who could hang out with Ashen and Elite Four Jonas—like Jace's dad and You Mingda—wasn't going to be some ordinary Trainer, either. The Pokémon they passed to their kids were basically near–Elite Four tier. Definitely not weak.
Not to mention Ashen's Gengar and Lucario—those were bona fide Elite Four–tier.
Two Elite Four–tier Pokémon, four near–Elite Four–tier Pokémon, one unknown Elite Four figure on overwatch, and the police ready to strike at any time.
Is this really a gamble when the cards are face-up?
It still counts as one—because you never know the opponent's hand. But if you're sitting on two Jokers and four twos, how big can the other side really be?
The two Jokers were the police. No matter how powerful the enemy thought they were, they wouldn't dare fight the machinery of the state head-on.
Even the Church, for all its power, didn't dare openly oppose the police on U.S. soil—let alone Splash Team, whose influence didn't reach that far.
"I'm in," Jace said, swayed at last.
"I'm in," the others followed almost immediately, each stating the plan was feasible. The moment everyone agreed to participate, Auron's expression turned serious.
"Good. Since we're all in, let's set a plan. And no matter what, priority one is your own safety. Agreed?"
"Okay."
"No problem."
When everyone nodded, Auron nodded back.
"The key to this lineup is Serena's Shiftry."
"Me?" Serena pointed to herself, puzzled.
"Yeah, you. Your Shiftry has [Chlorophyll], right?"
"Mhm. How did you know?"
"Don't worry about it. With [Chlorophyll], a Pokémon's Speed doubles under strong sunlight, and [Solar Beam] and [Solar Blade] don't need to charge."
"I don't know whether your Shiftry's built for physical or special attack, but that doesn't matter—so long as it can execute its moves normally."
"Here's the plan: Jace's Torkoal has [Drought]. It sets harsh sunlight the moment it enters. Once Torkoal is out, Shiftry will…"
Auron outlined the rest of the plan.
"Got it?" he asked when he'd finished.
Everyone's eyes were shining. If things unfolded the way Auron envisioned, it would be the ideal scenario—everyone would be in line for the best rewards.
"Yeah. Got it."
They nodded at once, agreeing to follow his lead to the letter.
"All right. Let's head to the beach. Remember: have fun, act like it's any other day, but show a hint of wariness. Keep all your Pokémon out; don't return them to their Poké Balls. That's the only way they won't get suspicious."
"Understood!"
…
Far away, at Splash Team's base.
The man who'd led Splash Team yesterday was speaking respectfully to the figure standing at the top of the steps.
"Dad, the people at the beach replied. They say that group is still playing there and haven't gone home."
"Haven't gone home? Hmph. The audacity of the young."
The man on the platform, hidden in the shadows, let out a cool, disdainful laugh.
"Could it be a trap?" the leader asked, hesitant.
"Of course it's a trap. Those people are eight-tenths likely to be bait the Huaxia police put out just to hook us."
"Then… do we still go?"
"Of course. A Shiny Charmander, hm hm… One of them will get you the super-high-potential Mudkip in their base. As for the other one, we have another use for it. Besides, they think I'm the fish? A fish can swallow the bait and still escape. Go on—do it. I'll cover you from behind."
"Dad…"
The leader knew perfectly well why his father wanted to go even knowing it was bait—because that Mudkip was meant to be traded for him.
In the dark, Splash Team's leader allowed himself a faint, triumphant smile.
"Flame Team? You think you can dangle a Mudkip to tempt me? Once the Shiny Charmander's in my hands, the initiative won't be yours anymore."
"As for the other one… over in the States…"
(End of this chapter)