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The Weather Institute could be considered one of the more iconic buildings in Hoenn. Its purpose was to record and study the region's weather patterns, with the ultimate goal of creating a machine capable of controlling the weather.
Liam couldn't quite understand why those two Team Aqua members would sneak into the Weather Institute at this time.
With these doubts in mind, Liam quietly hid beside the institute, waiting patiently for the two of them to come out.
About ten minutes later, two sneaky figures slipped out of the Weather Institute again and immediately headed back toward the bridge.
At this moment, Liam—hidden in the bushes—watched the two Team Aqua members approaching quickly. He had a strong feeling that this wasn't their first time doing this—their routine was way too practiced!
"Piplup~ Piplup~"
Just as the two got closer, Piplup—whom Liam had already released—waddled out from the nearby bushes, swaying its body as it boldly blocked their path.
"Wait! Huh? A wild Pokémon? And one we've never seen before!"
Piplup's sudden appearance immediately drew their attention. One of them, Grunt A, quickly stretched out his arm to stop the other, frowning as he stared at Piplup.
Meanwhile, Grunt B instinctively covered his pants pocket, as if it contained something important.
"Hm? Heh."
That small movement didn't escape Liam's eyes. His gaze sharpened, and a cold chuckle escaped his lips as he casually waved his hand.
At that instant—
Electabuzz, who had also been hiding in the bushes, burst out in a flash!
The two Team Aqua members, still focused on Piplup, turned in shock—only to see Electabuzz already placing his claws on them—
"Crackle! Snap!!"
A burst of sparks and lightning followed, and the two grunts collapsed to the ground, convulsing.
"Piplup, use Water Sport."
"Piplup!"
"Splashhh—!"
"Ah! Ah! Who are you?! What do you want?!"
"Help! Kidnapping! Someone help!!"
Liam dragged the two unconscious Team Aqua members into the forest, tied them to a tree with vines, and had Piplup splash water on them to wake them up.
The moment they regained consciousness, they started shouting wildly.
"Too noisy. Keep shouting and I'll throw both of you into the river."
Liam's eyes turned cold as he spoke in a low, threatening tone.
"…"
The two instantly fell silent, staring at him in terror.
"Talk. What were you doing sneaking into the Weather Institute? And what's on this disc?"
Liam pulled out the disc he had taken from Grunt B and waved it in front of them.
"What?! Why do you have my stuff?! Give it back! That belongs to Team Aqua! If you don't return it, our boss will—AHH!"
Seeing the disc, both of them widened their eyes. Grunt B immediately struggled, shouting threats—but before he could finish—
Piplup slammed into his stomach, knocking the words right out of him.
"I don't have time to waste on nonsense. Come out, Electabuzz—give them another round of electric therapy."
Liam released Electabuzz again.
Electabuzz appeared with a menacing grin, golden electricity crackling across its hands as it slowly approached.
"H-hey! Wait! He won't talk, but I will!"
In the end, Grunt A gave in.
"Speak."
Liam gestured for Electabuzz to stop. Electabuzz withdrew its hands reluctantly and stood aside, waiting.
"The disc… it just contains the Weather Institute's weather records for the past week! There's nothing particularly secret about it!"
Grunt A spoke quickly, relieved.
"Hm? That's all? What does Team Aqua want with weather data? Don't tell me you suddenly care about Hoenn's rainfall!"
Liam's eyes narrowed sharply. Sparks flickered again from Electabuzz's body.
"N-no! Nothing like that! We're just intel-gathering members! This area happens to be our observation zone! The Weather Institute is included in that area—we're just doing our job!"
Grunt A panicked, shouting hurriedly.
"Heh. You think I'm an idiot? Electabuzz."
"Elec—!"
Liam didn't believe a word of that nonsense.
At his command, Electabuzz placed a hand directly on Grunt B—
Grunt B: "??—!!!"
CRACKLE!!
Grunt A: "…"
After a surge of powerful electricity, Grunt B let out a puff of black smoke and passed out, leaving Grunt A trembling in terror.
"I'll talk! I'll talk! Please don't shock me!!"
"Then talk."
"Y-yes! Team Aqua wants the data to analyze weather changes and pinpoint the location of the Sea God—Kyogre! That's the truth! Please spare me! I won't do anything like this again!!"
Completely terrified, Grunt A spilled everything he knew, nearly crying as he begged for mercy.
"Oh~ using weather patterns to locate Kyogre… I'll admit, that's actually a clever idea."
Liam nodded slightly, satisfied. With a casual squeeze, he crushed the disc in his hand.
"Now, another question."
"Y-yes?!"
"Did Team Aqua recently rescue two people from the Johto region? Do you know where they are now?"
Liam hadn't forgotten his real purpose in coming to Hoenn—he was asking about Janine and Iga.
"Ah! Y-you mean the new executives, Lady Janine and Lord Iga?! Th-they should be at our headquarters right now!"
Grunt A answered everything he knew without hesitation.
"So they're at headquarters… Hmph. A former leader reduced to being just an executive—how ironic."
Liam sneered, then waved his hand.
"Thanks for your cooperation. Electabuzz."
"N-no! Please! I told you everything! How can you still—AAAHHH!!"
CRACKLE!!
Another explosion of sparks and lightning—Grunt A quickly followed Grunt B into unconsciousness.
"Heh. I never promised you anything."
Liam glanced at the unconscious grunt with amusement.
Then, his gaze slowly shifted toward a bush not far behind him. He flicked his finger lightly, producing a sharp snap.
"You can come out now, friend. You've been watching for a while… leaving just like that wouldn't be very polite, would it?"