Thanks for all the support on my Patreo-n so far! 3 advanced chapters at /xlucqs.

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  The mass funeral service took place out on the open waters. The bodies of both humans and Pokemon were wrapped in flags and bags marked with the Team Aqua logo.

  From the large ships, they lowered small boats and dinghies to carry the bodies. William stood on one of them. The remaining members of Team Aqua watched from above, standing in silence.

  It was eerily quiet.

  He looked out at the waves—so calm, so tranquil, at peace. William wished he could be like that—without a care in the world, just…existing. He grabbed one of the bodies and laid it gently to rest in the ocean. Then another. And another. He moved to the next boat with more bodies

  Each time, it didn't get easier.

  The number of the dead couldn't capture the reality of it. A number was just that—a word, a statistic. But when you had to kneel down, bend, lift each body, feel muscle burn and ache, one by one before letting it sink beneath the waves…it truly brought the weight of it all into perspective.

  And with each body he dropped, it only strengthened his conviction to completely take care of Team Magma. He wouldn't stop until they were all gone.

  Matt and Shelly stood behind him, perched on the big ship William had been lowered down from. They were silent too. Everyone was silent, save for a few sniffles and muffled cries.

  Once all the bodies were dropped, William finally spoke.

  "I know this must be hard for everyone." His voice was quiet, but it echoed through the empty seas.

  "We have lost friends and partners and allies, never to return. They are gone forever. We can't change that. This is the biggest blow Team Aqua has faced. And I promise, it will be the worst it will ever face. I won't let anything like this happen again—I promise! We were attacked in our own home—which is now destroyed. If Team Magma, as they are calling themselves, wants war, then we will give it to them. We will pay the debt back in blood!"

  Tears of grief turned into tears of hatred and determination. What were they meant to do? Just let the attack slide? Forgive the enemies who brutally murdered friends and partners? No—the only solution was to avenge them.

  William left the speech at that. He was in no mood for rallying the crowd or manipulating their emotions; he simply said what he was thinking. If Team Aqua was the brotherhood William believed it was, their emotions would do the rest. It would fuel them, just as it had fuelled him for years and years.

  He remembered that day all those years ago where everything changed. Where his life began to spiral. A day of rebirth, re-sequenced and reborn, and baptised in water.

  Ever since that day, he hadn't looked back once. And he never would. It was the moment he looked back and reflected on everything he had done was the moment he would lose. With reflection would come seeking forgiveness in time for his actions, and by seeking forgiveness means he would admit that those actions were wrong.

  And if he admitted that, then everything would crumble.

  The news of the attack quickly spread through the underground. Whispers of Aqua and Magma battling it out, the surprising strength of the man they called Hades, and the big blow to Team Aqua and their base which was left in destruction.

  It first started as something small, a rumour, and then more and more information got out—details of battles and speeches and matchups—until it became too big of a rumour to ignore and just be a rumour. Soon it was the truth. Some details, of course, were exaggerated, and others obviously made up.

  Some said Poseidon and Hades used to be friends until they went their separate ways and became enemies.

  Others said Hades was born from a volcano as a spirit to rid the world of its filth.

  Others said Team Aqua was completely finished—in shambles. That last one was certainly not true. It would never be true.

  The rest of Team Aqua had now taken to the seas using their ships, large in both quality and quantity. They were big enough to function as accommodation and housing. It was their new home, and yet it didn't feel like home. The place many had stayed for years was destroyed.

  For now, William's plan of using bubbles would take some time before they could implement it, so instead, they were using half measures to stay as hidden as possible: spread out, move, stick to quiet places in the ocean, and use fog and weather to avoid detection. It was a temporary measure for a temporary solution. Soon, they would have those bubbles. Then after that, they would have submarines.

  That would take a while, though. When making a submarine, it was extremely expensive. The material not only needed to be strong enough to withstand the pressure underwater but also the Pokemon that lurked beneath that water. If the submarine could withstand the water pressure but not a bite from an agitated Gyarados then it wouldn't matter. They needed to be made from the best metal, salvaged and refined from the strongest Pokemon.

  William had managed to get his hands on a little bit of it, but that went towards something else—that went towards the Pokemon he was making with Giovanni. And speaking of Giovanni…

  The line rang a few times before it was picked up.

  "Poseidon, it seems rumours of your demise were unfounded." Giovanni said.

  William couldn't help but smile. "Does that displease you?" He leaned back in his chair, "Is our friendship not worth anything anymore?" he asked with mock sadness.

  "To be honest, it slightly displeases me. You are the one blackmailing me, if you forgot." Giovanni pointed out.

  "Ah yes, I completely forgot about that."

  There was a sharp inhale. "Cut the crap, Poseidon. Why did you call?"

  "I just wanted to let you know, and reiterate the terms of our agreement. Despite what you've heard through the grapevine, through your sources, I am still very much alive and well."

  "And how about the rest of your team?"

  "Damaged, but certainly not out for the count," William replied honestly. "We still have our strongest members—admins. And even though the attack was terrible—those who survived learned from the attack. They've had a taste of live combat. Their Pokemon are stronger. They are battle-hardened. And most of all, they are determined to destroy Team Magma. We are no longer united by just ideals, but by revenge."

  "I know just how dangerous that is," Giovanni replied cryptically. William didn't decide to ask about it.

  "How goes progress on the artificial Pokemon?" He asked, changing topic.

  "It's good. Progress is quicker than we initially anticipated."Giovanni said. "The metals you provided us were good—very strong, malleable. I haven't heard of some of these Pokemon you salvaged the metal from. Our scientists are close to creating your vision as we speak."

  "That's only a teaser," William replied. "There are more Pokemon I'm interested in creating."

  "You want more after this Pokemon?"

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  "I do…Although I won't be planning on using you if that's your worry. Maybe in the past…but I've realised after this attack that Team Aqua can no longer function as it was. I was thinking of expanding our team. Scientists of my own, maybe."

  Scientists he could trust, William thought, although he didn't say it out loud.

  "However, to accomplish my goals—expanding Team Aqua, eliminating Team Magma—we need money. More than we currently have. The last raid against the SS Anne was lucrative—very lucrative—but I'm afraid most of those funds will be spent rebuilding, recuperating, and accounting for losses."

  William could always funnel revenue from Neptune Shipping into Team Aqua—and he probably would end up diverting some money there—but it was a dangerous move. For now he wanted to keep Neptune and Team Aqua as separated from one another as possible. Well, as separate as both of them being run by the same man was.

  What he needed was to restore Team Aqua's reputation and raise funds for the rebuilding period, And then the upcoming war. And he had just the perfect idea.

  "There is nothing for you in Indigo," Giovanni said through gritted teeth.

  He was partially right. Since the SS Anne raid, the government and the company behind the ships had taken extra measures to ensure an attack of that scale wouldn't happen again.

  The benefits of a competent government, William thought.

  However, they would still be receiving some income from Indigo—the waterpark, for example. Construction was going quickly, and when it was finished the money would start coming through. Amber was doing a good job over there, but just after the attack William had already given the order for him to return, which he did a couple of days ago. He was one of the stronger members of Team Aqua and would be needed in Hoenn.

  If Nastina caused any problems, William would go himself, kill her, and replace her with someone else.

  "I'm not thinking about Indigo," William said after a prolonged silence. "I'm thinking about another piece of land, far away from Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. You may have heard of it? Its name…is Alola."

  The night had fallen in Hoenn. It was a dark, cold night—one which brought a shiver to your bones if you were not in the comfort of your home. In William's and Team Aqua's case, home was now their ships, repurposed with makeshift rooms and bunks for all those living there.

  They teetered on the outskirts of the region, nowhere near any place or landmark or shipping route. When all light sources from the ships went off, if you looked over one of the rails all you would see was pure darkness if the moon was shrouded in clouds. Before they settled down for the night, right after settling on their location, a group of Pokemon worked tirelessly and set up a fog around the ships, making them invisible to the outside world.

  Members would take turns in shifts, looking out for anyone nearby. Due to the fog, they couldn't exactly see very much, so their actual goal was to be on alert for any Pokemon—part of Team Aqua—relaying information. They had set up a perimeter in the shape of a circle surrounding the ships, Pokemon watching vigilantly at their stations.

  It wasn't a permanent solution, but right now it was the best they could do.

  In the captain's quarters, William, Shelly, and Matt relaxed back on their chairs, sharing reports and information. A couple of lamps attached to the wall lit the room against the night.

  "Aside from a few bumps, we managed to get back on track as best we could," Shelly was saying. She straightened a folder of papers against her knees.

  "After the attack, a few members did leave—mostly the family guys—but we did as you requested and sorted them out with handsome leavers' packages," Matt said.

  William nodded. "Good. Keep an eye on them for now. Although they are no longer with us, they are still loose leads. Any information they give will be outdated, but could still be used against us. That's why we gave them good leavers packages, they will be less inclined to give out information, at least for now."

  "Yes, boss."

  "What about those who died?" William's voice turned quiet.

  Shelly cleared her throat. "For those with families, we anonymously give them money each month to support them. For those without any family or anyone to care for—the best we can do is give them a gravestone."

  "Good. For anyone who died under our service, I want them to have the best gravestones. Pay as much as you can. Make sure you pay more to keep them in good condition, cared for."

  It was the least they could do. Despite how other people may see him, he truly cares for this team. It was where everything started. It was as he said—a brotherhood. There was only one thing worse than disrespecting the dead—it was forgetting them. These gravestones would ensure they would be remembered in some way. They would also look into getting their own memorial for fallen members of the team.

  William sighed, deciding to take his mask off. There was no need for it in private.

  "Wait—" Shelly exclaimed. William paused, mask half off his face, then smiled.

  "Relax." He said, chuckling. "Matt knows who I am." William took off his mask, wiping a hand through his dark blue hair.

  Shelly looked between Matt and William, shocked. Matt laughed.

  "I showed Matt my true face back when I became leader of Team Aqua. It was also then that I adopted the mask. I knew my plans would involve me…showing my face a lot."

  "So before you were just…out in the open?"

  "I wore a disguise, of course. Wigs, contacts, makeup, fake scars and spots and birthmarks—I even had a fake tattoo, I'm pretty sure."

  Matt laughed, his voice booming through the room. "I remember that time, showing off all your tattoos in the canteen. You had such a story for each and every one of them, I believed you." He turned to Shelly. "You could imagine my shock when he showed his true face to me. It looked weird seeing him with clear skin."

  William leaned back, grinning. "Even before I became leader, Matt was always one of the ones I could trust the most. It's best not to keep secrets, especially among Admins."

  Shelly sighed. "Well, in that case…" She lifted the mask from her face. "I prefer not to be the odd one out. From my own conversations with Matt, I trust him as well."

  The mask left her face, and now none in the room were hiding secrets. She ran a hand through her hair, adjusting the thick long strands.

  "Ah!" Matt exclaimed. "You're the girl from the conference league," his eyes lit up with excitement.

  "You know me?" Shelly asked.

  "Of course I know you!" Matt boomed. "You were in last year's Conference League! You got all the way to the semifinals. I knew I recognised your Pokemon!"

  "Matt loves to watch the Conference League—illegally, of course. It's one of his favourite pastimes."

  "You get to see the strongest up-and-coming trainers fight with all of their heart, who wouldn't like watching that?" He turned to William. "You even watched it with me."

  "For research, of course," William replied. "How do you think I found her to begin with?"

  "You found me through the Conference League?"

  William nodded. "And then we met at the zoo. That wasn't a coincidence."

  "Were you stalking me?" she asked playfully.

  "I knew where you lived, where you liked to shop," he smiled at her. "And that lady bumping into you and giving you the tickets to the zoo—that certainly wasn't a coincidence."

  "I don't know what to believe anymore," Shelly groaned.

  William leaned down and opened one of the cupboards. It was a golden-coloured bottle of whiskey. The glass cups followed.

  "I don't usually drink, but after the time we've recently had, I think I need one."

  He poured one for himself, Shelly, and—

  "I don't drink," Matt said, hand covering his glass. "It's not good for the body."

  William rolled his eyes. "I may not know as much as you about physical health, but I know relaxing and taking a break from all the stress can't be bad. Drink, it's an order from your boss."

  "You're going there?" Shelly asked.

  "I'm going there," William said.

  Matt removed his hand from the glass. "Fine, if it's the captain's orders." He took a sip of the drink.

  It looked like a physical struggle for him, more difficult than any weight. He put a hand to his chest, thumping it, and when the drink went down Matt found himself going into a coughing fit.

  Laughter filled the room.

  "You'll get used to it," William said. "It's like training a muscle."

  "You need to train a muscle at least once every two weeks to prevent muscle loss," Matt said, giving him a look. "Is that how much you drink?"

  "I drink a couple of times a year. You'll have to forgive your captain for indulging in such pleasures."

  "Better than Archie. The man would drink until he passed out after every successful raid. After a big one, he would—"

  "Throw a massive banquet," William finished. "I'm aware, I had to partake in such things. Though after a while, you guys were so drunk you never even noticed I was drinking water."

  "You didn't!" Matt exclaimed.

  "What? I wasn't an admin like you at the time; I couldn't just not partake." William shrugged, turning to Shelly.

  She played with the glass, whiskey swirling around. "Do you not drink?"

  Shelly's brow furrowed. "I used to." Her eyes flicked back to the past. "Back during my gym run and the conference league. I couldn't handle the pressure; I used to sit awake all night overthinking. I tried to go through each scenario in my head: if the gym leader does this, I will do that. If they use this move, I will use this move. By the time my mind was tired, it was already morning, and when the gym fight occurred, I was too exhausted from the night before to fight effectively. So I turned to this."

  The whiskey swirled with increased intensity, like a whirlpool.

  "It cleared my mind, helped me sleep. If I found the sweet spot, I could clear my mind the night before and not wake up drunk." She turned to Matt. "The only reason I was at the conference league at that stage was because of alcohol."

  "That might be true. But it is not as though alcohol is a performance enhancer. If anything, it just helped you bring out the best of your abilities. And you don't drink now, do you? And look how strong you are."

  "I guess you're right," Shelly smiled. She took a sip.

  "Back when I was a kid, I used to dream of going to the conference league," William said.

  "What stopped you?" Shelly asked.

  "Money. I was out on the street alone, pickpocketing and stealing from Poké Marts to get by. I slept on cardboard. When I got Lochness, I thought everything would finally change. I could use my partner to catch other Pokemon, train them up, and possibly join a trainer school." William chuckled hollowly. "You should've seen my fucking face when I realised that to get in you needed money, connections, a fucking address. I always thought the odds were never in my favour, but it was then I realised they were never fucking there." He downed the drink; the whiskey burned his throat, putting a fire in his belly. "In another life, maybe I would've been a Gym Leader, an Elite Four, a Champion, perhaps. But not this one."

  "I was the same when I was younger," Matt said. "I wanted to be a trainer, same as any other child, but my parents didn't have the money. When I was older, I went into security. Luckily, you're allowed to have Pokemon in that line of work to protect your clients. You need to pay for a licence though, of course."

  "My dad had to work his ass off to get me into trainer school. It practically killed him." Shelly added.

  William poured another shot into his glass.

  "Well, all things happen for a reason. This messed-up system is why Team Aqua exists. Not only to protect and save the oceans, but to prevent stuff like that from happening to other children. No more broken dreams under our rule." He raised his glass. "Here's to new beginnings for Team Aqua. Long may they reign."

  The glasses clinged against one another.