"At the beginning of this year, the League suddenly ordered the S.S. Aqua to suspend operations for six months," Daisuke said with an annoyed wave of his hand.
"They claimed it was for a personnel structure investigation. Every sailor aboard the S.S. Aqua came from the military. How could there possibly be a problem?"
It was no wonder he was upset.
As the first mate responsible for personnel management aboard the S.S. Aqua, the League's excuse for grounding the ship was practically a slap in his face.
"But fortunately i heard the S.S. St. Anubis was grounded too and for nine months."
Daisuke suddenly grinned.
As the saying went, comparison brought comfort.
Since the S.S. St. Anubis, another League-operated vessel, had received even harsher treatment, Daisuke felt considerably better.
"The S.S. Rapidash..."
Silas muttered quietly.
The S.S. Rapidash was the civilian name of the ship Daisuke had just referred to by its old military designation, the S.S. St. Anubis.
Having served in the military, Daisuke still used its old name out of habit.
For most League personnel, however, S.S. Rapidash was the far more familiar name.
A Rapidash racing across the sea, the name alone perfectly conveyed the ship's incredible speed and elegant appearance.
Unlike the S.S. Aqua, whose primary route connected Kanto and Johto, the S.S. Rapidash mainly operated throughout Kanto's surrounding waters, including the Sevii Islands and the Orange Archipelago.
So it really was because of the Seafoam Islands incident.
Silas quickly pieced everything together.
Of course, he kept that thought to himself and simply comforted Daisuke.
"Just think of it as an extended vacation. The League's still paying your salary, after all."
Daisuke burst into laughter and nodded in agreement. Back when work was hectic, he'd never had a chance to take a proper break.
Now that he'd been given six months of paid leave, he'd thoroughly enjoyed life for once.
As for why he knew Lt. Surge.
"That guy..."
Daisuke took a sip of fruit wine as memories surfaced.
"He was a true genius."
"Back during the war, every single time our unit went into battle, he was the one flying the specially modified aircraft straight into enemy lines. The man fought like he didn't care whether he lived or died."
"I remember one battle where he charged in too aggressively and his aircraft was blown to pieces."
"If it weren't for how ridiculously powerful his Magnezone was, he probably would've died back then."
He spoke matter-of-factly.
"He might've been crazy, but he was someone you could trust with your life. He saved mine."
Unlike Lt. Surge, however Daisuke's own ace Pokémon hadn't survived that brutal battle.
Fortunately, the League treated retired soldiers extremely well.
Veterans like him were guaranteed respectable jobs after retirement.
Otherwise, losing his strongest Pokémon would've made it almost impossible to maintain the standard of living he'd enjoyed before.
People often assumed that the Pokémon League's rule meant there were no wars.
The reality was quite the opposite.
Large and small conflicts still broke out across various regions.
They were simply far less frequent than they had been in the past.
Most of the League's opponents were independent factions that still existed in the form of ancient kingdoms.
The Pokémon world was unimaginably vast.
Combined with the existence of Pokémon themselves, those ancient nations caused the League no shortage of trouble.
Of course, many countries had willingly joined the League after making contact with it.
Having become part of the League system, they had flourished quite successfully.
Silas smiled.
"No wonder your battling style felt so unusual, Daisuke. So you originally specialized in Electric-type Pokémon."
At Daisuke's insistence, Silas had already stopped using formal honorifics like "Sir."
"That's right."
Daisuke rubbed his head with a troubled expression.
"The battling styles of Water-types and Electric-types are completely different. Luckily, my other Electric-type partners still have plenty of opportunities to shine whenever I'm out at sea."
Even after all these years, he still couldn't shake the command style that had been engraved into him during his military service.
What he didn't tell Silas was that he'd recently begun considering Lt. Surge's invitation to become an instructor at the Vermilion Gym.
Compared to life aboard a ship, he still preferred working alongside Electric-type Pokémon.
Just then, Nurse Joy's gentle voice echoed through the broadcast system.
"Contestants No. 987 and No. 1098, your Pokémon have fully recovered. Please come and collect them as soon as possible."
The two men immediately ended their conversation without another word.
After retrieving their Pokémon, Daisuke received a phone call and hurriedly departed Red Rock Island.
Watching him leave, Silas narrowed his eyes.
A veteran like Daisuke would never betray the League.
But the same couldn't necessarily be said for everyone else aboard the S.S. Aqua.
After all it was a luxury cruise liner.
There were countless service staff members on board.
With Team Rocket's capabilities, planting agents among the crew would be effortless.
If the League eventually uncovered the infiltration, Daisuke as first mate would inevitably bear part of the responsibility.
Even if it wasn't truly his fault.
Someone would have to answer for it.
Hopefully the cheerful middle-aged man wouldn't take it too hard.
As for whether the League would fail to discover it. Silas didn't believe the League's oversight was that weak.
"Prin..."
Prinplup tugged at Silas's pant leg.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
Silas looked down in confusion.
Prinplup sighed and pointed toward the tournament notice posted on the wall.
"Oh that."
Silas suddenly understood.
A troubled expression appeared on his face.
"That really is a problem."
It was still the same issue, the Pokémon required for the main tournament.
Once contestants reached the main event, the Whirl Cup became much more formal.
Participants had to register the Pokémon they intended to use beforehand.
A minimum of two.
A maximum of four.
The extra two existed because consecutive battles often left Pokémon without enough time to recover.
The audience certainly wouldn't enjoy watching Trainers forfeit due to a lack of usable Pokémon.
Silas's problem was simple.
Forget four Water-type Pokémon, he couldn't even produce a second one.
"I can't seriously make it through the qualifiers only to be disqualified from the main tournament, can I?"
Silas exchanged a helpless glance with Prinplup.
He hadn't entered the Whirl Cup expecting to win the championship.
But withdrawing for such a reason, that would be far too embarrassing.
He could already imagine his friends mocking him.
"So Silas only made the Top 64 of the Whirl Cup? That's it?"
"Absolutely not."
He clenched his fists.
Walking over to the reception desk, Silas briefly explained his situation to Nurse Joy.
"Huh?"
She blinked in surprise.
After so many Whirl Cups, this was the first time she'd ever encountered a case like this.
Normally, Trainers simply caught a random Water-type Pokémon to meet the tournament requirements.
It wasn't a big deal to most people.
But Silas wasn't that kind of Trainer.
He would never catch a Pokémon solely to use it as a temporary teammate for a tournament.
That would be incredibly irresponsible.
"I'll ask Priestess Maya about it."
Nurse Joy quickly understood what Silas was thinking, and a hint of admiration appeared in her eyes.
Without hesitation, she picked up the phone and made the call.
After talking for a while, she returned with news that was difficult to classify as either good or bad.
"Priestess Maya said that you're allowed to use a Ground-, Rock-, Fire-, or Ice-type Pokémon in the tournament instead. However, its strength cannot exceed the Advance level."
"And if you happen to win the championship, you most likely won't be recognized as the Hero of the Sea, nor will you receive the Blessing of the Sea."
It was certainly a strict restriction.
Still, Silas completely understood.
After all, this was a tournament dedicated to Water-type Pokémon. The organizers were already being quite accommodating by relaxing the rules this much.
"Thank you so much. I'm really sorry for causing you so much trouble, Nurse Joy."
Silas clasped his hands together and thanked her repeatedly.
A faint blush appeared on Nurse Joy's cheeks.
"No, no. This is part of my job. I hope you achieve a great result. In that case, my second Pokémon will be this one."
Silas immediately placed Vulpix's Poké Ball on the counter.
He didn't really have another choice.
Among all the Pokémon he currently carried, only little Vulpix met the requirements.
Besides, an Ice-type appearing in battle would be much easier for the audience to accept than, say, a Fire-type.
Most people would probably assume the little one was an Ice/Water-type Pokémon anyway, which would spare the organizers some embarrassment.
"Very well. Please wait a moment."
Nurse Joy instantly returned to her professional demeanor.
Taking Prinplup's and Vulpix's Poké Balls, along with Silas's Pokédex, she quickly entered the information into the tournament system.
"The registration has been completed. There will be an opening ceremony at the Ancient Arena at 3:30 this afternoon. Don't forget to attend~"
She returned the Poké Balls and Pokédex with a sweet smile.
"Of course."
Silas nodded without hesitation.
Ancient Arena
Under the guidance of the staff, Silas and another contestant boarded a wooden boat.
This was how all competitors would enter the official battlefield. The spectator stands surrounding the arena were already packed.
Cheers echoed continuously throughout the stadium.
Silas remained calm, while the Trainer beside him nervously gripped the edge of the boat.
"And now, I officially declare the opening ceremony of the Whirl Cup to begin!"
The announcer's voice rang out.
At the same moment, thirty-two wooden boats were propelled forward simultaneously by Water-type Pokémon beneath the surface.
"Ladies and gentlemen, before you are the Trainers who fought through the preliminary rounds with the goal of becoming the Hero of the Sea."
"Since ancient times, the Whirl Islands have possessed a unique civilization and culture. Worshipping Water-type Pokémon and living alongside them has always been the creed of the people of the Whirl Islands, and that tradition continues to this very day."
"Now, please welcome the inheritor of this ancient tradition, Priestess Maya, to deliver the opening declaration!"
Perhaps because the Water-type Pokémon propelled the boats so quickly, the announcer's speech was surprisingly brief.
Under everyone's gaze, a woman with flowing purple hair slowly stepped onto the platform.
She wore the ceremonial robes of an ancient shrine maiden.
The most eye-catching feature, however, was the crimson staff she held.
At its tip rested an enormous blue gemstone.
Bathed in sunlight with the staff in hand, Priestess Maya appeared both solemn and sacred.
"Welcome, everyone, to the triennial festival of Water-type Pokémon the Whirl Cup."
"Since ancient times, those who have lived alongside Water-type Pokémon and formed bonds with them have been praised as the Heroes of the Sea."
"It is said that the Hero of the Sea receives the blessing of the Sea God and is granted the ability to communicate with all Water-type Pokémon."
"I wish all of you good health and success."
"Now please receive the Blessing of the Sea Spirit."
As she spoke, Priestess Maya raised the staff and pointed it toward the sky.
Immediately, the blue gemstone atop the staff radiated a pale azure light.
Within moments, the glow enveloped everyone present.
A trace of amazement flashed through Silas's eyes.
"So that's the Sea Spirit Staff. It really is something remarkable."
Even so, he wasn't particularly shocked.
After all, he'd already met Lugia.
Compared to Lugia, this staff was probably nothing more than a tool used to communicate with it. They weren't even in the same league.
What Silas didn't notice was that, as the blue light spread across the entire arena, Priestess Maya looked toward him with surprise.
Why did the Sea Spirit Staff suddenly tremble?
Holding the staff tightly, she had clearly felt it trying to move in a particular direction.
Such a phenomenon had never happened before.
There wasn't even a single historical record mentioning it.
Perhaps I should ask my teacher.
This was the first time she had inherited the responsibility of opening the Whirl Cup from the previous priestess.
She hadn't expected such an inexplicable event to occur on her very first ceremony.
She only hoped that it wasn't an omen of something bad.
Before anyone noticed, she quietly disappeared from the platform.
As the blue light faded, sunlight reclaimed everyone's vision.
"Next, would the first eight contestants please proceed to their assigned battlefields and prepare for battle~"
The announcer's voice echoed throughout the Ancient Arena.
The arena contained five battlefields in total one central field and four smaller ones.
Only the championship match would take place on the central battlefield.
As for battle order and arena assignments, they had all been randomly determined during registration.
Naturally Silas, forever cursed with terrible luck, had drawn the very first match.
Though perhaps that wasn't entirely a bad thing.
"The first battle on Battlefield No. 1 will now begin! Please welcome Contestant Suneo and Contestant Silas!"
As the field announcer spoke, two young Trainers stepped onto their respective platforms.
"Since this is the opening match, I'll gladly claim the first victory!"
Silas's opponent declared confidently before the battle had even begun.
"Whoooo!"
The crowd immediately erupted into cheers.
Everyone wanted to witness an exciting battle. Confident Trainers were always popular.
Silas, however, remained silent.
Once the referee announced the start of the match, he simply released his Pokémon.
"I'm counting on you, Vulpix!"
"Waaaah!"
A wave of astonished cries erupted throughout the stadium.
Even spectators watching the other battlefields couldn't help turning toward Battlefield No. 1.
What just happened?
..
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