Chapter Twenty-Six: Countermeasures

“The situation has largely been clarified.” In the meeting room, Wataru stood at the front by the projection screen, a laser pointer in hand, indicating the photograph displayed. In the picture, a scarred middle-aged man was dismounting from his shining Braviary. Before him stood several hunters who had recently gained notoriety.

Wataru was explaining the basics, while below sat the Four Elites of Kanto, the Four Elites of Johto, as well as Cynthia and Diantha, who had come in response to Chen Ou’s request for assistance, and Meyali from the Valley of Creation. Each wore a grave expression as they listened to Wataru’s account. A small Hoopa now lay sprawled atop Chen Ou’s shoulder, munching on energy cubes he had prepared.

Chen Ou’s thoughts drifted. Wataru’s presentations were never as interesting as Lorelei’s. After all, Lorelei, with her mature grace, was far more pleasing to the eye. She really did have the air of a teacher…

Just as Chen Ou was staring vacantly at the screen, he suddenly felt a sharp pain at his waist. His expression twisted, and he glanced at Cynthia, who was listening to Wataru’s report as if nothing had happened.

Chen Ou was left speechless and aggrieved.

He was fairly certain Cynthia wasn’t a psychic. Could she read minds too?

He looked at Cynthia with a pitiful expression, but Cynthia, perhaps sensing his gaze, turned and gave him a small smile. Chen Ou’s grievance melted into helplessness, and he shrugged.

Hoopa sensed that these two seemed to be communicating in some way it couldn’t understand. After pondering for a moment and drawing no conclusion, it returned to chewing its energy cube.

These energy cubes are definitely the best I’ve ever tasted! Hoopa thought, stuffing more into its mouth.

Had Chen Ou known what Hoopa was thinking, he’d have replied that it was all routine—no need to fuss. Making energy cubes is a basic skill for any transmigrator, isn’t it? It seemed like every transmigrator could max out this ability.

While this “friendly exchange” was happening, Wataru had finished his briefing. He set down the laser pointer and said, “Thank you all for your assistance and to Chen Ou for his timely discovery. We’ve already arranged emergency evacuation routes throughout Deepgray City. With the help of various Pokémon, we can evacuate all non-combatants within an hour. Now, let’s collectively discuss our countermeasures.”

Wataru sat down, looked around, and continued, “I believe we should strike first. Since Chen Ou has already located their base, we should launch a direct assault. That way, we might also uncover other poaching groups across the regions.”

No sooner had Wataru finished than Lorelei objected, “The purpose of a raid is to minimize losses, but opening the bottle is likely very quick—using a surprise attack to prevent them from summoning won’t work.”

After a moment’s thought, Itsuki said, “Let’s evacuate the civilians first. Even if we block the enemy, casualties are still hard to avoid. Evacuation should come first.”

Erika sneered and retorted, “Their spies are watching our every move. If we start evacuation, they’ll attack immediately.” She turned to Chen Ou, dissatisfaction evident in her voice. “Chen Ou, are you certain that little fellow on your shoulder is really up to the task? Looks to me like just a gym-level Pokémon.”

Chen Ou smiled. Thanks to certain coincidences, he and Erika were acquaintances, and her challenge was a pretext to let him clarify things for the others.

Under everyone’s gaze, Chen Ou grinned and said to Hoopa, “Hoopa, how about a little ‘fishing’? Get us a strong one.”

Hoopa stuffed the last of the energy cube into its mouth, clapped its hands, and a ring flew from the horn atop its head, expanding in size. Soon, a blue, jet-like Pokémon—Latios—emerged from the ring. Noticing the crowd staring fiercely at it, Latios nearly crashed to the ground in fright and quickly slipped back through the ring with a low whine.

Hoopa promptly retrieved the ring and accepted another energy cube from Chen Ou’s outstretched hand, resuming its meal.

Except for Chen Ou and Meyali, everyone was thunderstruck.

Damn, this little guy really can summon legendary Pokémon.

“I think this little one can summon some decent help for us,” Koga said, quickly seizing the moment.

The crowd brightened at his words, feeling he made a good point.

But Chen Ou immediately countered, “Hoopa can help, but not as much as you think. Hoopa Unbound possesses tremendous power, standing among the top legendary Pokémon, and its energy level allows it to summon many powerful legendaries. So Hoopa’s help isn’t unlimited.”

His words dampened everyone’s excitement once more. He was right—if even a sealed Hoopa had such power, a rampaging Hoopa Unbound with its full strength would be far more dangerous.

“If that won’t work, and neither will this, then just give us a straight answer. You discovered this mess, so I doubt you’re without a plan. You must have come up with something, Chen Ou,” said Bruno, his calm tone belying his burly appearance.

With everyone’s attention on him, Chen Ou took a deep breath.

“First, to minimize casualties, capturing the Prison Bottle is our best option. As Lorelei said, the bottle can be opened quickly, so a raid won’t work. But we can infiltrate…”

Everyone’s faces lit up at his words. He was right, though none of them had considered it. Even Koga, once a ninja, had grown used to direct methods as an Elite. Infiltration, as a champion-level tactic? It was almost unthinkable.

“At the same time, we need a backup plan. If infiltration fails and we’re discovered, they’ll likely unleash Hoopa Unbound. In that case, civilian safety is paramount. I suggest holding a large, attractive event far from Deepgray City to draw people away in advance. That way, we can ease the burden of evacuation and shorten the time needed.”

Itsuki nodded in approval. Compared to his own simple, brute-force approach, Chen Ou’s plan was both effective and discreet.

“Finally, relying solely on us to defeat Hoopa Unbound is too risky. The best approach is to stall and reseal it with the Prison Bottle, keeping the bottle under strict protection. However…” Chen Ou paused, turning to Meyali. “We must consider the bottle being destroyed. Sealing Hoopa Unbound is far more efficient than trying to defeat it outright. So while we must prevent the bottle’s destruction, we also need to plan for repairs. I’ll need your people from the Valley of Creation to restore the Prison Bottle if necessary. It never hurts to be prepared.”

“Uh, we do know how to repair the Prison Bottle, but we can’t bring the necessary equipment here…” Meyali replied awkwardly. The incident had happened under their watch, and now their unpreparedness made her even more embarrassed.

“No problem. Hoopa can just take it back for repairs, and once it’s done, you can call us and Hoopa will retrieve it,” Chen Ou replied lightly, solving the issue in an instant.

Meyali was briefly relieved, then even more embarrassed. Hoopa belonged to the Valley of Creation, yet Chen Ou, an outsider, seemed to understand its abilities better than they did.

One last question remained. Red, who had been silent in the corner, now looked at Chen Ou and asked, “Who will carry out the infiltration?”

Chen Ou met Red’s gaze and pressed his lips together. “I will. Compared to all of you, who are widely known, an unknown like me is far better suited to slip in unnoticed.”

“This is madness! You’re a rookie trainer—how can you possibly handle dozens of hunters?” Red slammed the table.

Once again, the room fell silent.

Chen Ou was right; he was the best candidate for infiltration. But Red was also right—the risk to Chen Ou was astronomical. Charmander and Growlithe—could those two Pokémon really snatch the Prison Bottle from a band of hunters? It was wishful thinking.

Chen Ou offered a gentle, confident smile.

“I have my own way.”