The meeting room was very clean.
After sitting down, Natsui turned to look at Misha and Masha.
"Have you two been doing well lately?"
"Thanks to you," Masha said with a smile. "Everything is going great. The bar makes a profit every day, but our main business is the repair shop. That's our primary source of income. At this rate, we should earn back the initial investment soon."
Natsui knew it was always better to teach someone how to survive than to simply hand them things.
At first, he had only seen these people wasting their lives away and wanted to help them find work. He had not expected them to actually make something of it.
They talked for quite a while, and Natsui got a better understanding of their current situation.
Then he changed the topic.
"By the way, why haven't I seen Shelly or Courtney? Didn't they come here too?"
Misha answered, "The two ladies don't usually come here. They're in the warehouses not far behind us."
Hmm?
Ladies?
Natsui had not expected Shelly and Courtney to earn that kind of respect so quickly.
But after thinking about it, it made sense. They had both been high-ranking figures in the biggest organizations in Hoenn. Handling a biker gang would naturally be easy for them.
"In that case, take me to see how they're doing."
Misha and Masha led the group out through the back door of the bar.
After walking down a narrow path full of weeds, they arrived at two warehouses, one red and one blue.
Shelly and Courtney had not come here alone.
After Natsui laid out his plan, they had brought trusted people with them from Hoenn. Those people wanted to keep following them, so they also brought along most of the remaining supplies and equipment from Team Aqua and Team Magma before coming to Kanto together.
That was why they had been able to settle down here so quickly.
At first, the bikers had looked down on them because they were beautiful women. But once their people and equipment arrived, the bikers quickly learned to follow their orders.
At this point, it almost felt as though the guests had become the masters.
That was exactly what Natsui had wanted. He needed Shelly and Courtney to take control of the bikers and stop them from causing trouble.
The biker base itself had a relaxed atmosphere.
But these two warehouses were guarded much more strictly.
Visible guards noticed them as they approached, and Natsui also spotted hidden guards in the shadows.
The setup made sense. Even though they were no longer criminals, they had spent too long as villains to give up certain habits overnight.
The security was meant to keep out thieves and strangers, but it also made the place feel very official and disciplined.
Almost everyone from Team Aqua and Team Magma knew Natsui's face. The people who had come to Kanto also knew that he was the one who had helped them avoid punishment and start over.
Because of that, nobody tried to stop him.
Just like at the biker base, some people ran ahead to inform Shelly and Courtney, while others came forward to greet him.
Their expressions were complicated.
It was difficult for any of them to remain calm when facing Natsui.
That was understandable.
This man had destroyed their organizations and captured their leaders. But at the same time, he had also helped them escape their pasts and begin new lives. To them, he was both hero and threat.
Everyone here respected him, and feared him too.
As Natsui got closer, he realized the warehouses were really disguised bases. From the outside, they looked ordinary enough.
The red warehouse belonged to Courtney and Team Magma.
The blue one belonged to Shelly and Team Aqua.
The two bases stood side by side, but they were still clearly separate. On the surface, things looked peaceful, but Shelly and Courtney, and the people under them, were definitely not on friendly terms yet.
The only reason both sides could stay this close without fighting was because Shelly and Courtney had kept things under control.
By the time they reached the warehouses, Natsui still had not decided which one to enter first.
Then Shelly and Courtney came out to meet him.
Both of them wore faint smiles when they first saw Natsui.
Then they noticed each other, and those smiles vanished at once.
It looked as though it would still be a long time before they could get along.
When they reached him, Shelly spoke first.
"I really didn't expect to see you here. I thought you'd head straight to another region after the Ever Grande Conference."
Shelly was teasing him. Natsui smiled back.
"How could I do that? I'm the one who told you to come here. Of course I had to check on you before I left."
Courtney did not say anything, but the look in her eyes showed that she was genuinely happy Natsui had come.
Now Natsui had a difficult problem.
He still did not know which warehouse to visit first.
If he went to Shelly's warehouse first, Courtney would be upset.
If he went to Courtney's first, Shelly would be upset.
He hesitated and stayed where he was, feeling that standing still was probably the safest choice.
But after talking for a couple of minutes, both Courtney and Shelly invited him in at the same time.
In the end, Natsui chose Shelly's warehouse first.
That did not mean he liked Shelly more.
It was just that Shelly was harder to deal with if she got angry, while Courtney was easier to calm down and did not hold grudges as long. Going with Shelly first was simply the smarter choice.
The moment Natsui chose her side, Shelly looked at Courtney with a smug smile.
Courtney was clearly annoyed, but she still led her people and followed them inside.
When Natsui entered the warehouse, he found that the layout looked similar to the warehouse base back in Hoenn.
The biggest difference was that there was no submarine here, and there were more rooms for the people living inside.
"Not bad."
Natsui looked around and nodded.
He had not expected them to build things up this quickly. It was still simple, but at least their lives were back on track.
"It's all thanks to the help from your friends." Shelly glanced at Misha and Masha. "If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have adapted to this place so quickly."
"It was nothing, really." Misha and Masha both smiled. "We mostly just ran errands and helped with the physical work."
What they said was true. These bikers had plenty of people, knew the local area well, and had no problem with manual labor. They were useful for errands and heavy work.
Still, Shelly had never trusted them with anything important. Even so, they had helped, and Shelly remembered that.
Misty, May, and Chloe remained quiet the whole time.
They followed Natsui around curiously, looking at everything, but stayed close to him like shadows.
After looking around for a while, Natsui finally sat down on a sofa and looked at Courtney and Shelly.
"What are your plans from now on?"
"What other plans could we have?" Shelly sat across from him, leaned back, and said, "Now that we're settled, the next step is finding work and making money."
Natsui looked surprised.
"Taking jobs?"
"Of course." Shelly nodded. "People like us can't exactly go out and get normal jobs. So I already made up my mind. In a few days, I'll start looking for legal work catching Pokémon for clients. At least it won't waste what we're good at."
"Catching Pokémon for others..." Natsui thought about it, then nodded. "That does fit your old line of work. It won't waste your skills."
Then he turned to Courtney, wanting to hear what she had planned.
But Courtney asked him directly instead.
"Which region are you planning to go to next?"
"I came back to challenge the Battle Frontier. After that, I plan to head to Sinnoh."
"Sinnoh?" Courtney nodded once, then said, "You're bound to run into other organizations there too, right? If that happens, why not let me go there to help you?"
Shelly was stunned and shot Courtney a sharp look.
Shelly had always known Courtney was smart, but even she had not expected this. Shelly herself had still been thinking about staying here, while Courtney had already jumped ahead to the idea of following him to another region.
Shelly immediately realized she could not afford to underestimate her.
Those thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.
Natsui was still thinking it over when Shelly suddenly cut in.
"I want to go too."
Natsui had not considered this before.
His original goal had only been to get the two of them settled down. He had not been planning ahead for clashes with other organizations in later regions.
But thinking about it now, he knew those situations would eventually come.
He had his Pokémon and was not afraid of anyone, but there were times when he needed reliable people around him. The International Police were useful, but they were not entirely his people.
What he needed were allies he could trust, people who understood how these groups operated.
That made the idea tempting.
At that moment, Misha and Masha suddenly looked excited too.
"Boss! Count us in too!"
"You?" Shelly turned and looked at the siblings. "This isn't some street fight. You're not ready for something like that. You're still too inexperienced. If you aren't ready to die, then all you'll do is get in the way. We'll be dealing with Legendary Pokémon and regional organizations."
Misha and Masha were clearly intimidated by Shelly's tone.
Even so, they did not back down.
They were about to say something more when Natsui raised a hand first.
"Shelly is right. This kind of work is too much for you right now. When you can handle things on your own, I'll think about letting you join."
Since Natsui had said so himself, Misha and Masha could only feel disappointed and nod in acceptance.
"I understand, Boss. Don't worry, we'll be your support from here. We may not be able to fight for you, but we'll take care of this place properly."
"That's better." Shelly nodded. She had already seen where their strengths lay. "You're not good for the front lines, but you are useful with repairs. Most of our people are field operatives. What we need is solid support in the rear, so you can handle that."
"Don't worry, Miss!" Misha and Masha brightened immediately at Shelly's praise. "We only fix basic motorcycles right now, but we'll work hard. We won't let you down!"
This was one of Shelly's strengths.
With just a few words, she could make the bikers feel motivated and useful. She knew exactly how to handle people. That was why she had been the brains behind Team Aqua.
At that point, Natsui had already made up his mind.
He looked at Shelly and Courtney and said, "Since both of you want this, and I really could use the help, then the two of you should take charge. Each of you can pick a few people and form a Special Action Team."
"A Special Action Team?"
Both Shelly and Courtney nodded.
Then they looked at each other, and immediately looked away again.
Shelly asked first, "Since it's an action team, who's in command?"
There it was again.
Neither of them wanted to lose to the other.
Natsui felt a headache coming on.
Still, he had to settle it somehow. After letting out a quiet sigh, he turned to Shelly.
"You'll be the temporary leader. But you're not allowed to act on your own. You have to consult Courtney at all times. And if the two of you can't settle something, you contact me."
Shelly gave Courtney a smug little smile, then nodded at Natsui.
"I understand. Don't worry. I know what matters. What about personnel? Do you have any requirements for equipment?"
Natsui thought for a moment before answering slowly.
"We don't need many people. Keep it under ten. As for equipment, focus on mobility first. That way, support can be sent quickly."
"Mobility..." Shelly nodded. "In that case, I'll need to go back to Hoenn. Team Aqua still has a hidden base the International Police never found. There's a submarine there. It would be perfect for transportation."
Shelly was still hiding things.
Natsui remembered clearly that she had claimed she gave the police every secret she knew. But she was still holding something back.
Neither she nor Courtney was ever simple.
But now, they were his people.
He no longer needed to worry about them the way he once had.