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

  TEAM

  Lochness - Swampert

  Leviathan - Gyarados

  Juggernaut - Palafin

  Britney - Toxapex

  Vortex - Starmie

  Riptide - Froakie

  Kirby - Blissey

  Disc0rdd:

  /VtKZqnMzmA

  Deep within the confines of Team Aqua's base, William eyed the room filled with his Pokemon with a cool and calculated gaze. The room was large and spacious with dull concrete tiled walls, but that didnt matter as the room was designed for one thing and one thing only—training.

  It was sectioned into two spaces—an area with a large massive pool, and another spacious area on the ground with various types of equipment available for the Pokemon to use.

  Scattered across the room were his Pokemon—each of them training in their own way which benefited them.

  Leviathan whipped its tail and crunched its jaws down onto the defensive shell which was Britney's legs. He paused for a moment while Toxapex recovered—both physically and using the move—, and then Juggernaut took his place.

  They took turns testing Toxapex's defence while improving their attacks.

  "Leviathan." William said. "Shock practice."

  Gyarados grumbled but complied, slithering through the water and into the sectioned-off area of the pool. William pressed a button on a remote, and a steady current of electricity began to flow through the water—then started crackling across Leviathan's body.

  Leviathan grunted.

  "Ok, now focus on moving—don't let the electricity stop you from moving!"

  Slowly but steadily, William increased the current as Leviathan tried to move around. Off to the side, Kirby—his Blissey, the healer—used Heal Bell and Heal Pulse in tandem to prevent any possible paralysis or fainting. She was the team's personal Pokecenter. She was extremely cost-effective.

  William turned away to Lochness. He was isolated from the group, focused on something else.

  Lochness shot out a powerful beam of water at the wall and, trying to maintain the same intensity, slowly closed its mouth. While still maintaining the powerful current, the stream slowly compressed. It was as if the current had transformed from a hammer into a blade—blunt and powerful becoming sharp and silent.

  The water narrowed into a thin line, but just before it could continue, it was suddenly cut off.

  Lochness breathed heavily.

  The first time William had met Lochness while he was still a Mudkip, he had taught him this same method. Now, they were taking it a step further. If you compressed water enough, it could turn into a wafer thin line of pressure that cut—like a pressure washer. However, the further you try to compress it the harder it was. It required tremendous amounts of control.

  "Good work, Lochness. You're nearly there," William said.

  Lochness nodded, bringing a finger up and mimicking a shooting motion.

  "Oh, him? He's on a mission right now," William said. "He'll be back soon."

  While Lochness was recovering, William turned his attention to Vortex and Riptide—his Froakie.

  Vortex spun and moved animatedly, gesturing toward the wall with one of its many limbs. It gathered water and fired off a Water Pulse with precision.

  Riptide tried to do the same. It had been taught Water Pulse, but still hadn't mastered it yet.

  It just needed training—training to master its manipulation of water and Water-type energy.

  "Riptide, you can manipulate your own type of bubbles, right?" William asked, walking over.

  Riptide nodded.

  "Well, instead of thinking about your bubbles and water as two separate things, why don't you place them in the same category, and just shift gears when you want to use one or the other?"

  "If you treat the water you produce the same way you treat your bubbles—as an extension of your body, something normal and natural—I think it'll be much easier for you." William said. "Alright? Let's try it again, use Water Pulse."

  Riptide fired off a Water Pulse at the wall. The blast of water slammed into it. William nodded in approval.

  There wasn't a drastic improvement—but there was an improvement nonetheless, and that was what these training sessions were for.

  "Alright, training session's over. Drink some water and eat your meals! Kirby, you assist them!"

  "Bliss!" Kirby cried.

  Shortly after, William sat in his office. His mind wandered back to the black market, and the fact that he had seen Team Magma there.

  It really put a wrench in his plans. They were competition—direct competition. Not just because of their similar business models of picking up people down on their luck who needed opportunity and money, but also due to their directly clashing ideologies.

  Although Team Aqua wouldn't attack Neptune's ships, he wouldn't put it past Team Magma to do the same. If their goal was to expand the landmass, then destroying ships that traveled on open seas could very well be a possibility.

  It was like they would be attacking the waters before changing it to land mass.

  Which is why he needed strong trainers on Neptune's ships—not just for show, but for the possibility that someone would actually attack. Maybe after Bond's current mission, he would need to rearrange another one—and he knew exactly who for.

  There was a knock at the door.

  "Come in," William said. He was dressed in his typical outfit, of course.

  The door opened, and an average-looking man with brown hair and brown eyes walked in. He was middle-aged, with short balding hair and a few lines of stress etched into his face. Just an average man, a part of a villain team.

  "Jeremy. Nice to see you. Sit."

  Jeremy nodded respectfully and sat down.

  "How is Team Aqua treating you so far? Has everything been good?"

  Jeremy nodded. "Everything has been good. I can properly provide for my family now. To be honest, before, I struggled to pay the bills. With the last Champion, the cost of living increased so much…I didn't know what to do. Then I was fired because the company I worked for had layoffs. But then I heard about you guys—I don't like violence, never have—but if intimidating and stealing from a few rich people on boats can help me provide for my family, then sign me up."

  William smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. No father should ever see his child go hungry. The fact you care…it shows you're a better man than most."

  William continued, glancing down at a piece of paper below.

  "So according to reports, you have: a Mightyena, a Sharpedo, a Swellow, a Wailmer, a Crawdaunt, and a Spheal," William whistled. "Quite an impressive team you have."

  Jeremy blushed slightly, scratching his head. "Those training sessions helped. The fighting, team bonding, the battle tactics—all of it helped."

  "Those training sessions are designed to show your true potential. You're the one who put in the work, Jeremy. I've seen the sessions—the people who half-ass them and waste time messing around, you're not like them. You took it seriously, and you reaped the rewards." William said.

  He looked back at the paper. "You've participated in a majority of our raids. You wear a disguise, of course—you do have a family and a public life, you don't want anyone recognizing you. It's also for that reason you don't really speak on these raids. Smart. Tell me, what are your overall opinions on the raids? Be completely transparent with me."

  Jeremy paused for a moment, bringing a hand up to his chin and looking upwards, "I think they are…necessary. I also think that when Archie was in charge, he let his members get away with certain things. Y'know, sometimes a passenger was roughed up, but nothing ever went too far. Ever since you took over though—I've noticed a strict no-harming policy, which I agree with."

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  William nodded, leaning back in his chair.

  "You're a smart man, Jeremy. You have a strong sense of justice, but you're also not afraid to be on the wrong side of the law if it means providing for your family. I think you're the perfect man for it."

  "Perfect man for what?"

  "Recently, a company called Neptune Shipping came in contact with us. In exchange for a truce of sorts, as well as a few strong trainers from our crew, we will get some of their revenue. What I'm offering is a job—you will be required to protect the ship from any harmful entities. Pokemon, people, people with Pokemon, and so on and so on." William explained. "I think this is a good opportunity for you to get away from some of the more dirty business and get a clean, legal job where you protect people. You will still be working for Team Aqua, just protecting Neptune Shipping. Consider it a promotion."

  "You will be given a much higher wage than you have now—a wage where you can safely provide for your family and give them all they want. Who knows? Maybe your daughter could follow in her father's footsteps—you could pay for her entry into trainer school."

  Williams' hand silently rested on his pokeball—on Vortex's. If he said no, he was ready to hypnotize him— make him forget this meeting even happened.

  "That sounds…"

  "Too good to be true?" William asked with a chuckle. He reached forward and gave the man an affectionate pat on the shoulder. "You have earned this, Jeremy. You've worked hard—for the team, your Pokemon, yourself, but most importantly, your family. So, what do you say?"

  "Yes…Yes!" The lines of stress on his face seemed to vanish in that moment as he smiled. His tense shoulders immediately relaxed. Jeremy enthusiastically pulled William into a hug. "Thank you so much. I won't forget this, and I won't let you down."

  "For all of our sake, I hope you don't." William said sharply. Jeremy was too excited to hear the hidden threat.

  "I'll deal with all the paperwork in order to get you your trainers licence. I'll just need you to sign a few things and then I can do the rest." William reached down into his stack of papers and sifted through them, picking one of them out. "Here is a list of the full job description, including what you'll be doing, where you will be staying, and your exact wages."

  Jeremy took the paper.

  "Wow…alternating 12 hour shifts with another guard…quarters shared with them…free food and drink… no alcohol rule…" He continued to read through the contract, occasionally mumbling to himself and nodding along. When he got to the wages, his mouth twitched with excitement, but he managed to keep himself under control.

  "Do you have any idea who I will be working with? Don't mean to pry but…"

  William chuckled, "Don't worry, this job requires specific characteristics—positive characteristics. We need not just strong trainers but people who will make the passengers feel safe and not afraid to strike up a conversation with you. I can promise you your co-worker won't be anything like some of the characters in there. Y'know, the people who take glee in doing this stuff. You have nothing to worry about."

  Jeremy nodded silently, satisfied.

  "Alright, now get out of there Mr ship protector. " William said jokingly. He suddenly turned serious. "Also, don't tell anyone else about this. You can tell your family and friends about your job but that's it. Nothing about our agreement with Neptune. Nothing about this meeting. Don't say anything. That's the most important part of this job—even if it's not on the job description—, it's keeping quiet and not saying anything which could get us in trouble. Got it?"

  "Got it."

  Jeremy left. William sat back in his seat and gave a nice long yawn and cracked his neck. He had another interview to do.

  Are you looking to ship items to a nearby region?

  Or maybe you want to go to a nearby region?

  Maybe you just want a nice short holiday cruise where you can spend the time relaxing in the sun?

  What's that? Are you worried about your items being stolen or your trip being ruined by some raiders?

  Hmm…

  Let's not ignore the issue and pretend it doesn't exist. Ships have been attacked, and you're worried and doubtful about booking that ticket or sending that item overseas. Nothing is ever done, and these ships can't defend themselves properly. They are for lack of a better word…unreliable.

  Well we at Neptune Shipping have a solution for you!

  At Neptune Shipping we prioritize safety and efficiency most!

  Worried about being attacked? Don't worry, we have our own specialised security measures in place to ensure you and/or your items are completely safe from any form of attacks.

  Still unsure? We offer a complete money back guarantee if you are put in any danger. We also offer a complete refund to anything stolen or forcibly taken, That's how confident we are!

  Neptune Shipping will ensure your money is well spent!

  So if you were unsure about booking that ticket then book it now at .hn.

  We offer services to civilians, government members, and companies. Terms and conditions apply.

  William smiled as the ad finished, taking a nice long sip of his refreshment. It had been a few weeks since the launch of Neptune Shipping, and it had gone without any problems.

  The website was up and running, advertisements were everywhere, and his ship was traveling the seas without a fear in the world. The popularity had been astounding, and William had already contacted Dave for the refurbishment of a second ship to use.

  After that, they would have two ships, then three, then four—then eventually enough for the region of Hoenn altogether.

  Everything had gone according to plan. He finished his drink and his burger. He typically didn't like to eat unhealthy meals, but after all the stress of the launch he decided to treat himself for once.

  Numerous reservations had been made on the website, and dozens of companies had contacted him to safely transport their cargo. The same people he stole from were now the same people giving him money to not have their stuff stolen.

  William let out a deep breath and decided to go through his phone. He spotted a popular thread which interested him.

  [r/HoennNews]

  [Title: Neptune Shipping: A shipping service which offers safe travel for travelers and cargo]

  So if you don't live under a Graveller, then surely by now you would have heard of Neptune Shipping. Their advertisements have been everywhere. I checked out their website. They are a new company which offers safe travel to both travelers and cargo.

  Nothing special so far, but when you take into account the fact that they offer a complete refund/money back guarantee if you are put in any serious danger then that changes things.

  That danger is specified as: if a harmful entity steps on the ship.

  One of the core pillars of Hoenn and its economy is maritime travel, which makes sense given how much of the region is water. One problem recently has been attacks on ships traveling across the region and stealing all the valuable goods. These attacks have been done most notably by Team Aqua as they are now called.

  Although some form of protection measures have been added to these ships, it seems it is doing nothing. The difference with Neptune Shipping is it has based its whole model and marketing around protection and safe travel. In a market dominated by dozens of different shipping companies—each of them as vulnerable to attacks as another—this seems to be Neptunes unique selling point.

  I was hoping Wallace would end up dealing with this issue—after all I did indirectly mention these ship attacks were harming the economy—but it seems while he's busy dealing with other stuff a possible solution has appeared at the right time.

  So what are yall thoughts on this? Will it be a complete failure? A complete success? Are any of you looking to try Neptune Shipping for yourself? Summer is right around the corner after all.

  Here is a link to the Neptune shipping website: .hn

  [Posted by u/MandJ]

  [80k upvotes] [2 awards]

  [Sorted by Top Comments]

  [u/FalseSwipeGames replied to Original Post]

  [10k upvotes] [2 awards]

  Just checked the website out for myself. Read the terms and conditions just to find out if there were any stupid loopholes with their guarantees. Turns out there isn't, which means this company has very delusional insurance, no insurance, or they are extremely confident in their ability to protect the ship from attackers.

  Going to be following any news on this company, it will be interesting to see what will happen.

  [u/HDVVV replied to Original Post]

  [10k upvotes] [2 award]

  From all the advertisements and marketing I've seen, and the fact that this is something people have been wanting(safe ships), it seems this is legit. I mean the person behind this obviously saw a gap in the market and wanted to fill it, and now they're spending money to show us that they have filled it.

  Business 101 folks.

  [u/MoxieIsBoosted replied to Original Post]

  [8k upvotes] [1 award]

  Just did some thorough digging on the website because I'm bored. Turns out, along with security guards protecting the ship, they also have constant surveillance using their own Pokemon.

  So I'm guessing there are going to be Water-type Pokemon surveilling the waters around the ship, and maybe Flying-types monitoring the skies above for any harmful entities.

  Honestly, if I were going on one of the ships—which I can't, since I'm broke—this kind of security would definitely make me feel much safer.

  Also the reason Wallace hasn't done anything about this is because when he picked up the Champion role, there were far more pressing issues to deal with: high unemployment rates, inflation, taxes, all-time-low Grand University students, and fewer promising trainers making it through the system.

  I think he's done a good job so far handling those problems. They've done a massive overhaul of the Grand University and have started offering scholarships to promising students. They have also created more jobs in such a short period of time. It's honestly quite impressive how much he has done for the region despite him only just being appointed.

  In a way, I think the fact that someone else has come along and dealt with one of Wallace's major issues —maritime travel—will take some pressure off him. Well as long as it isn't a scam and actually works.

  This means Wallace can now focus more on other economic problems, and the more the economy improves, the more money people will have for leisurely travel. So, in a sense, both of them are feeding into each other and making the region better.

  [u/BirdKeeperTobias replied to u/MoxieIsBoosted]

  [5k upvotes]

  Exactly! I've been saying this for a while now, the government needs to work with massive companies in order to make the region as prosperous as possible. I believe the future is a partnership between the government and these massive companies which are responsible for a large portion of the region's income.

  Take Devon Corp for example. Without all the jobs and the economic stability they provided during the previous Champion's reign, the situation could've ended up much worse—much worse.

  It's thanks to Devon Corp that we have a region actually properly functioning.

  If Neptune Shipping can deliver on their promises, they could become one of these companies the Champion cooperates with in order to ensure a better region.

  [u/AlphaAndRad replied to u/BirdKeeperTobias]

  [3k upvotes]

  I disagree. I think placing too much power in the hands of these companies is a disaster waiting to happen. The government needs to exert and show some form of superiority to them and put them in line.

  I mean, look at Devon Corp. Yes they provide economic stability to the region, but they have far too much power and, without a doubt, have soft and unseen influence on the region's politics in one way or another.

  And it's not slick what they're doing. The heir, Steven Stone, has literally been raised from birth with all the best trainers, equipment, and items in order to be an absolute monster of a trainer.

  It's obvious they want to use Steven to influence politics in more direct ways—e.g. by actually getting him into the Elite Four or the Champion's spot. He is practically the region's starboy so most people wouldn't have a problem with it—in fact they'd probably rejoice. But people need to keep in mind popularity doesn't equal being a good politician or leader, and popularity doesn't mean you're a good person with all the best intentions in mind. Though the prospect of Steven joining the Elite Four is still some time away, people should be worried. The region should belong to the people, not Devon Corp.

  The discussion had clearly sparked some heated debate. Steven Stone was another problem William would have to deal with in the future, but for now, he was just a rookie—he wouldn't pose much of a threat.

  The core pillars that once held Hoenn up had crumbled—only a few things were keeping it standing now. Instead of tearing the region down further, William's goal was to become one of those new pillars through Neptune Shipping, a foundation that Hoenn could rely on to stay afloat.

  And once he became one of those pillars, he would have options: to keep the region sturdy and strong, or to destroy his own pillar, and watch it all collapse.

  AN: In my old fanfiction a couple of years ago I did something like this social media thing as well. I'll do this from time to time, but the social media stuff in the story won't be that frequent.