"You know the S.S. Anne, right? Archer's planning to kidnap the ship's captain!"
Surge grinned, the smile on his face twisted and terrifying.
"Pfft~"
Marnie hurriedly grabbed a tissue and wiped her mouth, her expression calm and composed as she pretended nothing had happened.
"Sorry, you two keep talking."
She did her best to keep her composure, her crisp voice drifting into the ears of the two men, as if to say: "Don't mind me—just a small, invisible bystander here."
She wanted to complain so badly.
Kidnap the captain of the S.S. Anne, of all things… that's a world-class cruise ship, a globally renowned luxury vessel!
And why did that buff dude look so excited talking about it?!
Is Team Rocket really this outrageous?
Why did he talk about kidnapping like it was the most casual thing in the world?
"Heh~ Lucas, I didn't think this was your type."
Surge shot Lucas a knowing look, the kind that all men understood.
This cute, petite type—so this was Lucas's preference?
Surge seriously considered whether or not he should call in two girls of this type for Lucas tonight.
After all, as the host, he should at least make sure Lucas enjoyed himself, right?
"Cut it out. Did you guys even talk to the boss about this first?"
Lucas shot him a mildly annoyed look before pausing and asking Surge seriously.
Come to think of it, while the S.S. Anne was indeed globally famous, Team Rocket really didn't give a damn about that kind of prestige.
In Kanto, after all, Team Rocket was already a thorn in the side of the Kanto League.
"Why would we? It's not like it's some big deal."
Surge waved his hand dismissively, as if hijacking a luxury cruise liner was no more than a minor prank.
"The League's been pressing us harder and harder lately—several of our bases have been wiped out. Think of this as a little gift in return."
A dark glint flickered across Surge's fierce face, his low voice heavy with menace.
"Well, fine. I'll join in and have a little fun on the ship too."
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
So, this was an action cooked up by these guys independently.
Perfect timing—he was planning to board the ship anyway to find Dr. Fuji, so he might as well join in on the fun.
"You're coming too, Lucas? Heh~ That makes it even more interesting."
Surge's eyes lit up. With Lucas involved, the operation would be practically foolproof.
"Using the name recognition of the S.S. Anne to organize a party should attract a lot of people on board," Lucas said with a nod of approval.
"Archer's already prepared everything. As soon as the S.S. Anne docks tomorrow, he's going to board and take control of the captain.
Then we'll distribute S.S. Anne tickets and throw a big party to attract tourists and Trainers onto the ship."
Surge was visibly excited—if Lucas joined in, their success would be guaranteed.
"Not a bad idea. If we're going to do it, we might as well go big."
And then rob everyone on board. Consider it a proper return gift to the Pokémon League for their recent crackdowns.
"You guys really know how to have fun."
Marnie watched the two men casually discussing the finer details of this whole "S.S. Anne Plan," and couldn't shake the strange feeling that she just didn't belong here.
Then again, she was a good girl.
Even if she was technically with Team Rocket now, she was the kind of Rocket who still had principles, okay!?
"How about… hosting a Trainer Festival on board as a promotion?"
Marnie muttered this suggestion in a low voice after a moment of thought.
Immediately, both Lucas and Surge turned their attention toward her.
"What's wrong?"
The sudden attention made Marnie's heart skip a beat.
Had she said something wrong?
But that shouldn't be the case—if they really wanted to send a message to the League, targeting Trainers would be more effective, right?
"A Trainer Festival is actually a great idea. The S.S. Anne already carries its own hype. If we promote it a bit, we could draw in a ton of Trainers."
"Truly worthy of being you, Marnie—you've got a real knack for playing the villain."
Lucas raised his eyebrows approvingly.
In fact, he had been thinking the same thing.
Since the world revolved around Pokémon Trainers, robbing them would be more profitable than robbing anyone else.
"No, I'm not, I haven't, I won't."
Marnie's eye twitched, and she immediately unleashed a firm triple denial.
"You're the one with villain talent, you lunatic! I'm just naturally smart, okay? It has nothing to do with being a bad guy!"
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and dusk began to fall.
"Come on, Lucas. Let me treat you guys to a proper feast—this restaurant I know is the best in all of Vermilion City."
Surge stretched and stood up, looking out the window before flashing the two a cheerful smile.
With Surge as their host, the evening was definitely more enjoyable.
Especially since drunk Surge was even more animated—he slung an arm around Lucas's shoulder and kept blabbering about which restaurants had the bustiest waitresses, which places had the best "technique," cough cough…
Meanwhile, Marnie's delicate face remained emotionless, but grew darker and darker like a lump of coal.
After they finally dropped Surge off at the Gym, she grabbed Lucas's hand and dragged him out of there without a second's delay.
Lucas silently sighed. What a shame.
------------------------------------------------
Time passed quickly, and morning came.
At 10 AM, the S.S. Anne docked on schedule at Vermilion City's harbor.
By nighttime, when the docks were nearly empty…
"Mr. Lucas, I didn't expect to see you here."
A youth with short indigo-blue hair and pale skin gave Lucas a courteous bow.
This youth was none other than Archer, head of the Four Generals of Team Rocket!
He wore an elegant smile, but his ghostly pale complexion made his handsome face look eerie and unsettling.
Even in the middle of the night, he was dressed flamboyantly in a dazzling white uniform.
Yup—that was Archer for you.
One glance, and he looked exactly like the classic TV drama villain.
"Archer, huh. Been over a year, and you still haven't changed your outfit?"
Lucas patted Archer on the shoulder, looking him up and down before letting out a sigh.
Honestly, Lucas actually had a good impression of Archer.
The guy wasn't weak—after all, this was the man who had once controlled Arceus.
But what Lucas appreciated most was Archer's loyalty to Giovanni.
In the original manga, after the Kanto Team Rocket collapsed and control of the Johto division fell to Petrel, it was Archer who returned to break Petrel's grip on the organization.
Later, in the Sinjoh Ruins, Archer used the Creation Plates to control Arceus, and summoned Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina—the Sinnoh Creation Trio.
Even after controlling four gods, Archer still wished for Giovanni's return to lead Team Rocket once more.
That kind of loyalty, even after gaining overwhelming power, made Lucas respect him deeply.
Hearing Lucas's jab, Archer's smile stiffened for a moment.
What do you mean, "never changed clothes," damn it!?
I'm not some unsanitary slob, okay!?
"Mr. Lucas is still as humorous as ever,"
Archer chuckled helplessly.
Of course he knew Lucas was just teasing him.
As a high-ranking member of Team Rocket stationed in Kanto, he was well aware of Lucas's power.
Unlike that midget Carr in Johto, who had no clue who Lucas even was—when Lucas returned to Johto, Carr made the mistake of challenging him and got completely crushed.
"Well then, shall we?"
"Honestly, I've never seen the inside of the S.S. Anne before."
Lucas turned his gaze toward the S.S. Anne, gleaming faintly under the night sky.
(End of Chapter)