"Boss, are you alright?!"
Cole moved to help Renard up, but Renard slapped his hand away.
"Are you an idiot?" Renard said flatly, brushing the dust from his clothes. "Don't you know Ghost-type moves are useless against Normal-type Fearow?"
Ah—yeah. That was awkward.
Cole hurriedly explained, "I was worried about you, boss. In the heat of the moment, I was afraid those two big birds might hurt you."
"Heh…" Renard could only laugh bitterly to himself. Having subordinates like this was probably the League's way of testing his patience.
If not for the Fearow's instinct as intelligent creatures—instinctively dodging incoming attacks—things might have gone very differently. Had their Trainer been present, he could have simply ordered them to ignore the Shadow Balls and continue wreaking havoc.
"Come out—Arbok."
Renard tossed two Poké Balls.
With a flash of light, two massive serpents as thick as tree trunks appeared on the deck, their bodies coiling with lethal menace.
Sensing their natural enemies, the two Arboks immediately reared up, spreading their hooded neck frills wide. Forked tongues flicked in and out as they hissed sharply in warning.
The two Fearow circled above Mondo's position, letting out piercing screeches in response.
Snakes and birds were natural foes. Fearow, as raptors, held the advantage of flight and theoretically controlled the initiative—but in the face of Arbok's terrifying, instantly lethal venom, even they didn't dare act recklessly.
...
"Hey, you big idiot—take a look at this!"
Cole sneered as he spoke, then pulled out a string of metallic timed explosives from his bag.
Mondo's expression changed instantly. He whipped out a remote control from his jacket and roared,
"You think dismantling them solves anything?! These are dual-control bombs! All I have to do is press this button, and boom—you're all blown to the sky!"
"Then go on, press it." Cole shrugged casually. "Let's see if this thing really goes boom and sends us flying."
"You think I don't dare?!" Mondo laughed coldly. "Since you're begging for death, don't blame me. Might as well clean up some trash before Boss Tyson gets here."
He slammed his thumb down on the red button.
Nothing happened.
Mondo stared, then pressed it again. Harder.
Still nothing.
"Hahahaha—!"
Seeing Mondo's constipated-looking expression, Cole planted his hands on his hips and laughed arrogantly.
"Hey," Renard asked curiously, "since when do you know how to dismantle bombs?"
"That was all thanks to that kid named Kael."
For once, Cole turned serious. "Didn't expect him to be such a pro at bomb disposal too. With his Kirlia, we found all the timed explosives planted in the lower cargo hold without much trouble."
...
While the two sides were locked in a standoff on the upper deck, the Team Rocket operatives who had already infiltrated the S.S. Anne sprang into action the moment they saw the red R signal flare.
Their first targets were the VIP suites.
Using duplicated keycards, they quietly unlocked the doors and slipped inside. While the wealthy guests were still asleep, the operatives first stole all their Poké Balls, then kicked each of them awake. Amid screams and terror, the victims were bound tightly—hog-tied like livestock.
"Move! Faster!"
The speedboats and jet skis finally caught up to the S.S. Anne. At Tyson's roar, the agile Rocket elites fired electric grappling hooks and scaled the cruise ship's hull—over four decks high.
Each boarding member carried a specially designed spatial-fold backpack. Mounted on both shoulders were funnel-like suction devices; once activated, they unleashed tremendous pulling force. The instant a Trainer reached for a Poké Ball, it would be ripped away and sucked straight into the device.
This operation was meant to be swift and brutal—no time for the League to react. The original plan had been to hijack the S.S. Anne outright, but a ship of this size was too conspicuous and too slow. Drag things out, and League reinforcements would cut off their escape.
With external support now in place, Team Rocket's actions aboard the ship became even more savage. Over fifty billionaires had already been "wrapped up like dumplings." The remaining targets were the ordinary passengers below—money, Poké Balls, Pokémon—Team Rocket would take everything.
"What are you doing?!"
A passenger who had stepped out to use the restroom froze when a shadow suddenly appeared in his room. Before he could react, he was struck by an electric baton and collapsed instantly. His jewelry case, wallet, and Poké Balls were all sucked into the spatial backpack in one swift motion.
...
Ash couldn't sleep—he was starving. Sneaking out into the hallway, he planned to raid the lobby for food. But the moment he stepped out, he saw a shadow slip into Misty's room.
At first, he thought it was Brock looking for her.
Then he heard Misty scream.
Sensing danger, Ash charged inside to find Misty sitting on her bed, desperately hurling pillows at an intruder who had barged into her room.
Without hesitation, Ash shouted,
"Pikachu—Thunderbolt!"
A blazing surge of yellow electricity erupted from Pikachu's small body, jolting the intruder until he convulsed violently. Smoke puffed from his mouth, and he collapsed unconscious.
"Misty, are you okay?!"
Seeing the attacker down, Misty finally let out a breath of relief. When she got a clear look at his outfit, she frowned.
"It's Team Rocket. How did they get onto the S.S. Anne?"
Ash also saw the unmistakable R emblazoned on the man's chest.
No doubt about it—Team Rocket.
"Misty, are you alright?!"
Brock burst in, drawn by the scream.
Misty shook her head. "I'm fine. Ash saved me."
Brock crossed his arms, his expression grim as he looked down at the unconscious grunt.
"When I was coming over, I heard screams from several rooms. This isn't the only Rocket operative onboard. We have to—"
"Since you've asked so sincerely—"
"We'll graciously tell you!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"