Tobias seized the chance and shouted again, "Pirates! Grandma Agatha! They are all pirates! Pirates!"
Pirates?
Agatha frowned slightly. The Gengar behind her instantly turned into black mist and hovered around her. Three long shadow lines stretched out from beneath her feet. In a blink, they connected to the feet of Tyler and the other two crewmen.
A cold chill surged upward. The three felt their bodies stiffen as if their blood had frozen.
"Grandma?" Lorelei reached out, wanting to stop her, but she forced herself to pause. Her face was full of confusion.
Why attack the crew?
"Protect yourself," Agatha said in a chilling tone. "These people could indeed be pirates."
Tyler realized something was wrong after listening to their conversation and hurried to explain, "I really am the first mate! Please go into the cabins and look! The rescued passengers are all inside!"
Agatha did not respond directly. She only glanced at Gengar.
Gengar understood and controlled the three stiff bodies toward the cabins.
After they walked around inside for a long while and drew the attention of several passengers who were eating, Gengar finally released them and returned to report.
What the first mate said was actually true.
There really was a so-called Dr. who used an unknown Pokémon.
"This is not a pirate ambush." Agatha frowned even deeper. She looked at the brat crawling little by little toward the cabin. Resentment flickered in her eyes.
That damn child Tobias.
* * *
High above Octillery Island, Shiro stood in midair and looked out from the green crown of the Octillery shaped landform.
"Agatha and Lorelei. So the League sent those two."
Agatha was fine. But Lorelei looked surprisingly young. She seemed like someone who had just graduated. Was she really fresh out of school and sent out to train under an old Elite Four member?
The Gengar in Agatha's shadow was Elite-level. Lorelei's strength was still unclear.
Even if they fought, they would not threaten him.
Shiro then glanced toward another ship arriving from a different direction. A blue flag shaped like a Tentacool fluttered above it. It was likely pirates.
"Was it called the Tentacool Pirate Crew?" He muttered to himself and ignored the pirate ship.
The hostages were saved. He had the Sea Shard Rock. He also confirmed Team Rocket's involvement.
It was time to set sail for Sinnoh.
He looked at the S.S. Anne. His figure flickered and vanished.
* * *
On the ship.
Agatha had Gengar bind Tobias with chains of black mist and drag him over.
Meanwhile, Tyler and the others rushed out of the cabin with several passengers. They arrived just in time to see Agatha strike Tobias across the face with her cane.
"You old ghost hag!" Tobias bared his teeth and yelled. One hand tightly gripped the stone pendant on his chest. He showed no fear at all.
Agatha's face twisted. She gripped her cane even tighter.
Seeing things going bad, Tyler spoke up first, "Grandma, it's not worth getting this angry. Please calm down…"
Another tall and thin middle aged man named Dibor added, "Tobias is a bit wild. And his mouth is foul… hehe. Please go on."
Dibor looked pleased.
He still remembered the kick that brat gave him when he tried to speak to Shiro. He wished he could hit the kid himself.
Dibor then leaned closer to Agatha and said ingratiatingly, "Grandma, I'm from the Sinnoh Galactic Eterna Company—"
"Who you are doesn't matter. Get lost," Agatha snapped.
Her old and gloomy eyes looked like they could swallow someone whole.
She raised her cane again. Tobias closed his eyes.
"Grandma!" A voice suddenly rose from the passengers. "Dr. Shiro is here! Dr. Shiro is here!"
Agatha glanced at the wealthy middle aged man who spoke. She lowered her cane and turned toward the young man approaching calmly through the air.
Under the shocked gazes of crew and passengers, Shiro was wrapped in psychic energy. His steps never paused. It was as if he were walking on invisible stairs in midair.
Lorelei's eyes lit up. She watched him with admiration and quickly took out her pen to write in her notebook.
[Near the shore of Octillery Island, an unknown Dr. can walk in midair. Suspected to be psychic power or a Ghost-type Pokémon. Exact type unknown. Cannot rule out the possibility that he himself is a psychic.]
"Putting on a show," Agatha snorted.
She was an experienced veteran trainer. Just seeing the effect was enough to guess the ability.
It was likely the power of a very strong Psychic-type Pokémon carrying this black cloaked brat through the air.
But he was so young. Could he really train Pokémon and conduct research at the same time?
Was he using psychic power to influence the minds of ordinary people on the ship?
Agatha would rather believe he was a scheming pirate or an undercover member of an evil organization.
"Dr. Shiro." Tyler was the first to greet him.
"What happened?" Shiro asked with a nod.
Tyler briefly explained what happened after Agatha boarded. He described Gengar controlling them as a simple test.
"A test?" Agatha's low voice cut him off. "I suspected you were all pirates."
Tyler froze with his mouth half open. He had nothing to say and could only complain inwardly.
This old woman was really unpleasant.
Agatha slowly walked up to Shiro and looked him over from head to toe. She demanded sharply, "Where are you from? What Dr. are you? I've never seen you before."
Shiro smiled and met the gaze of the short and suspicious old woman.
"I'm from Galar. I grew up there. This is my first time leaving the Galar region."
"Galar?"
Agatha suddenly recalled what Professor Rowan had mentioned previously. He said a friend from Galar would be aboard the S.S. Anne.
She lifted her chin. Suspicion filled her face.
"You are Rowan's friend?"
"Yes."
Shiro nodded. Inside, he was extremely alert.
Agatha looked like the type who would dig until she reached the bottom.
He was indeed half a researcher and had indeed solved the pirate problem. But his true status still hovered between a fugitive from Galar and a former Champion on the run.
If Rose chose to issue a warrant, then he would become a League wanted man.
At that point, he would have to ask Professor Rowan to seek help from Professor Oak and rely on Oak to vouch for him. He would also need to choose a new League to join and abandon his Galar identity.
It all depended on what Rose decided.
With that thought, Shiro maintained his smile and looked at Agatha.
She still seemed unconvinced and spoke again, "From Galar. You know Rowan. How old are you exactly, to manage both Pokémon training and research?"
**
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