Cain observed the situation for a moment before submerging himself back into the water. Knowing Old Matsuda's strength, he knew that even if he couldn't win, he could escape without trouble. The important thing was to see if he could delay Aqua Team's retreat.
Cain had Slowpoke guide him a bit farther, noticing that the number of Pokémon around him was increasing. He decided to summon Gyarados, instructing it to stay underwater and not surface. This was what Gyarados did best; swimming below the surface was its specialty.
Cain asked Slowpoke to locate the nearest psychic coordinates. Gyarados swam quickly, facing no major threats in the sea.
On the deck of the S.S. Anne, Old Matsuda and Archie continued their battle at full force for five minutes, until Pokémon League reinforcements arrived—an elite four-level expert.
However, their arrival was too late; Aqua Team members had already boarded the submarine.
Some of the ship's passengers were even captured by them. If it weren't for Cain's interference, they likely would have captured more people.
The League expert, aware of his responsibility, launched a fierce attack. But, as he had just reached elite four level, he was no match for someone like Archie. He only managed to separate Yamamoto from the fight with Matsuda, but couldn't alter the course of the battle.
When Aqua Team's submarine disappeared underwater, Archie and Yamamoto also leapt into the water, laughing. Their Pokémon followed them and were returned to their Pokéballs as they hit the water.
Once underwater, Archie summoned Sharpedo, and with reinforced gloves and oxygen tanks, they quickly vanished into the sea.
Neither Old Matsuda nor the newly arrived League expert had any way to stop them. Although Matsuda had a Water-type Lapras, it was only a Pokémon from his second team.
The main Pokémon he had brought along for this occasion were Aerodactyl and Charizard, but neither could fight underwater.
The newly arrived expert found himself in an awkward position. He had the means to pursue them, but knew that facing Archie and Yamamoto would be suicidal; he stood no chance of defeating them.
"Hmph!" Matsuda looked at the League expert with frustration and let out a snort.
He had managed to keep two elite-four level trainers at bay, and if reinforcements had arrived a bit earlier, he wouldn't have had to do much; even if they had just eliminated the Aqua Team soldiers, he would have been able to fight freely. At the very least, he would have caught Yamamoto.
But now, a group of trainers had been captured by Aqua Team, and he wasn't sure if Cain was among them. Matsuda turned and walked away, saying nothing to the League expert, who could not express his frustration.
Twenty minutes later, the League reinforcements arrived, albeit "slightly late." They were also reprimanded by Matsuda, who was furious with himself for not bringing enough Pokémon and for being outmatched by a younger opponent.
Furthermore, the fact that Aqua Team had captured several trainers only worsened his anger. He considered all this a great disgrace.
His mood worsened when, upon reviewing the list of missing persons, he found out that Cain was among them.
Just as Matsuda was about to unleash his anger on the unfortunate League expert, the ship's captain approached.
"Um... Mr. Matsuda, is this Cain a young man around fifteen or sixteen, accompanied by an unusually colored Slowpoke?" the captain asked cautiously.
Matsuda looked at him, trying to contain his anger. He had considered taking Cain as his apprentice due to his exceptional talent.
Training such a youth would have given him great prestige among his old friends, who always boasted about their own apprentices. But now, with Cain's disappearance, all his plans had fallen apart.
"Have you seen him?"
"If it's him, yes, I've seen him. Here's the story..." The captain proceeded to recount how Cain had entered the control room, presented various plans, and then helped prepare the crew for the situation.
Later, the first officer and others rescued by Cain, including Kyoko, appeared. Though Matsuda showed no pressure, knowing he was in front of an elite four expert, everyone was a bit nervous as they recounted the details of what happened.
"Finally, Cain told us he would draw the attention of the villains, giving us more time to rescue others and retrieve our Pokéballs. I saw him face several enemies, but he eventually had to flee, giving us a chance to escape," said Kyoko, tears in her eyes as she recalled how she had misjudged Cain during the competition.
She felt guilty for hating him, and now Cain had disappeared after saving them.
"Waaah! Cain, I'm so sorry!" Kyoko began to cry again, while Old Matsuda rubbed his temples, feeling a headache. He gestured for someone to take Kyoko to calm her down.
A sailor approached and whispered something in the captain's ear before quickly leaving.
"Mr. Matsuda, they just checked the security cameras, and it seems Cain jumped into the sea, followed by several Aqua Team members. We haven't seen him resurface, so we suspect he wasn't captured, but we don't know where he is now," the captain reported.
Matsuda rubbed his temples, recalling that Cain had left the ship at night over the past few days, though he didn't know what he'd done.
However, now he had a suspicion. Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face. "That boy is truly clever."
Seeing Matsuda's smile, everyone present sighed in relief. Old Matsuda, when angry, was like a child; there was no way to calm him down.
"Hey, you, later send someone to search the nearby islands to see if they find him! And also notify the coastal cities and ships in the area. If they find a young man named Cain, inform me immediately! And remember, tell me first!"
"Sir, do you think the boy is alright?" the League expert asked cautiously.
Matsuda kept an enigmatic expression, without answering.
(End of Chapter)