Chapter 18: Escape III

Once they had taken out the guy in Electrical Room, they had not met with any obstruction.

It would have been a good thing, even great, if the path ahead was not so empty. Wasn't there supposed to be one grunt standing guard to his left? Where was he? Aeron hoped it was nothing more than a bad feeling caused by nervousness.

The group kept running; soon, they could feel the wind entering the cave, followed by the sky filled with stars.

"We are finally out," said one of the trainers. Everyone except Aeron shared his happiness.

"Stop."

Aeron spoke at the top of his lungs, bringing everyone's steps to a halt.

"Sir, why are we stopping now?" Someone asked with a frown. The group behind turned toward Aeron. They were impatient to run out independently but knew Aeron wouldn't have stopped without reason.

"You should come out." Aeron looked ahead at the exit. Was he the only one who could feel it? Or was it his headache playing tricks on him?

"So, it's true; you are indeed from Kanto Special Task Force."

A deep voice rang out in the silent cave. There was a distortion of space as a man appeared before the group.

He was more than six feet tall with dark red hair on his head. His black eyes looked at the group before him while smoking his cigarette.

"Passive smoking is bad for the health of people around you." Aeron looked at the man before him; he guessed him to be the leader of this group.

"You are quite skilled since not just anyone can sense the Psychic wall created by Kadabra." A yellow Pokémon with a long mustache stood behind the man, looking menacingly at the group. "Dina, how was he able to trick you?"

The man looked to his right, and out walked the woman who had kidnapped Aeron.

"I don't know, boss. To me, he appeared to be just an ordinary trainer. And since we don't have access to the internet in Viridian Forest, I could not find much about any kid here." Dina looked at Aeron with evil eyes. She had made a mistake, something very rare of her.

The man did not reply to his subordinate and looked at Aeron, trying to gauge the boy's strength. He had asked his Kadabra to release Psychic waves but could not see a frown on the black-haired boy's face.

'He could sense the Psychic wall made by Kadabra so easily, and now he can stand before Kadabra's Psychic waves without a frown on his face.' The man thought to himself. Were the rumours about 'those' people true? 'Not possible. He would have never sneaked in if that was the case. He must have gone through rigorous training to ward off Psychic waves.'

At first, he thought the infiltrator would be weak, but maybe he was wrong, and things would get troublesome if a fight broke out. If the boy was here, the Special Task Force had already surrounded the cave, and their reinforcements were three days away.

'Dammit.'

The man knew the plan was a failure. The look on the boy's face told him so. The smirk that said 'you are cornered' did not help. The boy somehow knew he was waiting for them, and even though he came out personally with his ace Pokémon, there was no fear on the boy's face. He seemed confident, although his hands never left the Pokeballs strapped on his waist.

'What should I do?'

The man looked at his subordinates, and his eyes landed on the Viridian Forest at their back. The forest was a dreadful place at night, and currently, some of the best trainers in the Kanto Region were waiting for them inside it.

'Argh.' He felt suffocated. But then, a plan came to his mind. The kids were never meant to be hostage, but what if…

"Are you waiting for your agent in the group to attack us?"

The man's thoughts were cut short by Aeron's words.

'He knew?'

"You should come out, or do you want to suffer the safe fate as Jinga?" Aeron turned his head and looked at…no one. He just glanced at the trainers while clenching his iron poll.

It did not take more than a second before a boy with a face that no one would remember walked out, bringing out gasps from the group. They would have never believed there was an agent of The Syndicate in their group.

The boy looked scared since he clearly remembered how badly Aeron beat Jinga.

Aeron pointed his iron rod at the boy. "You thought I did not know?"

He didn't. It was but a guess.

Ever since the man came, Aeron had noticed something. The man wholeheartedly believed he was a Kanto Special Task Force member. Aeron did not know the man had tested him with Psychic waves that he resisted unconsciously, which solidified Aeron's position as a member of the Special Task Force.

Aeron had not spoken a word since the man's appearance, letting him do the guesswork. People tend to overthink and exaggerate things they do not know, especially when they feel a death threat. While the Kadabra was releasing Psychic waves, Aeron played psychological warfare with the boss of The Syndicate grunts.

"Gym Leader Nessa, please take the kids away. Sir Damon will be waiting for you at the same spot." Aeron looked at the dark-skinned girl. Damon was a name he had just made up.

Nessa clenched her fists; her nails dug into her palm. Leaving now meant Aeron would be left alone, but she remembered his words before they rescued the rest from the cages.

"Follow my words. If I tell you to run, run. Please don't look back at me. I would never risk my life without a plan."

Was it because she had faith in him, or maybe she wanted to escape? Or maybe both? Nessa nodded her head.

Aeron looked at the boss of these grunts. "Let them go, and I will give you something that even The Syndicate could not provide." The man and his subordinates frowned. "A deal from the Kanto League." He was once again using his unique skills, [Bullshit All the Way]. "Trust me; you cannot hope to win against a Gym Leader and me. And with our reinforcements at your back…."

His words were incomplete, but the meaning was clear. Dina bit her lower lip as she looked at Aeron with hateful eyes. Who would have thought the boy was a Kanto Special Task Force member?

'He must have got caught to rescue the other trainers.'

She could not believe her luck. Now the League knew their location and had them surrounded. The boy even knew about the newest member their boss had secretly recruited in Kanto and caged with other trainers for the worst-case scenario like now.

Dina did not know what her fate would be from here, but if they got out alive, her boss would skin her.

"What kind of deal?" The boss looked at Aeron. Although he was strong, he felt helpless.

"Let them go." Aeron pointed at the trainers. "I will stay behind to ensure the negotiations don't fail. You can refuse, but then…."

"A-Alright."

Aeron had not completed his words, but the boss agreed. Luckily, no one had noticed Aeron's sweat-drenched back. However, his face did not show any fear. It was as calm as water.

Not wasting any time, Aeron signalled Nessa.

She looked at the other three leaders. "Let's go; make sure you follow me closely."

This was not part of the plan, but she had to do what he asked.

The plan was to escape in four different directions so the enemy would have difficulty chasing after them. But now, they had to run together and make it look like they knew where they were going.

It was a relief that Jinga had marked their hideout's location on a Viridian Forest map. Though it was deep, they would quickly reach Viridian City if they went south from here.

Nessa put on her cold face and confidently walked toward the grunts. Even though she was no longer a Gym Leader, she once was. She knew how to carry herself. Her confidence and aura were enough to dispel any doubts the grunts had in their minds.

Under the watchful eyes of The Syndicate and Aeron, the group of kidnapped trainers walked into the pitch-black Viridian Forest.

"Shall we?"

Aeron's calm voice broke the tense atmosphere, and The Syndicate members' eyes landed on him.

"What is the deal?"

"Leave The Syndicate and be the Kanto League's agent."

"Huh?"

"What?"

Aeron heard different reactions but raised his hand to bring all the attention back toward him.

"You see this guy?" He pointed at Axew, who was sitting on his head. "He was gifted to me by the League."

The boss of the grunts frowned. "Were you…"

"I am not only secretly a Kanto Special Task Force member, but a hidden agent League has planted in Team Rocket." His words brought another round of gasps. "I will tell you the details. It is up to you whether you accept it or not."

A smirk formed on Aeron's face, hiding his fear and inner thoughts.

-------------------------End of Chapter-------------------------

Author's Note:

- Let me know your thoughts in the comment sections! Have any suggestions? I am open to them!

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- Peace!