Two hours later.
Roy stood at the door of Suite A03, straightening his slightly disheveled collar.
He felt refreshed and clear-headed, showing no signs of fatigue; instead, his eyes seemed even brighter.
Inside the room, Mieko lay sprawled on the carpet beside the Jacuzzi, utterly exhausted, without even the strength to move a finger.
"Huff... huff..."
Mieko gasped for breath, her unfocused gaze fixed on the crystal chandelier on the ceiling.
Roy had already used the pokédex's camera function to clearly photograph the key contents of that document.
He walked to the corner of the corridor and pressed the service bell.
Soon, a maid dressed in a black-and-white uniform, with a professional expression, hurried over.
"Sir, how may I assist you?"
"The lady in Suite A03 requires cleaning services," Roy said calmly. "The carpet may need special attention. Also, her physical exertion was quite significant; it would be best to send some energy-replenishing drinks to her."
"Understood." The maid gave a slight bow, her face showing no hint of surprise.
Working on this top-tier cruise ship, what kind of scene hadn't she seen?
Roy nodded and turned to leave.
As he walked, he lowered his head to examine the photos of the documents displayed on the pokédex screen.
The photos were very clear.
The document's title was: "Analysis Report on Abnormal Electrical Energy Fluctuations in the Vicinity of Heiyun City and Suspected Activity Traces of Zapdos (Special Observation for the Summer Thunderstorm Season)."
Detailed data was listed below.
Energy peak occurrence time: From June to August each year, during the frequent thunderstorm period.
Core fluctuation area: Northeast of Heiyun City, the site of the abandoned power plant and the surrounding hilly terrain.
Feature comparison: An 87.3% match with the energy signature of Zapdos recorded in existing literature.
The appendix contained a few blurry long-distance photographs.
Although the full form was unclear, the distinctive golden crest and the silhouette of wings crackling with electricity... it was definitely Zapdos!
"Heiyun City..." Roy silently repeated the name.
He knew of the place.
A famous industrial pollution city in the Kanto region. It prospered early on due to its power plants and heavy industry, but later declined as the factories were abandoned, leaving behind dilapidated buildings and pollution residue everywhere.
He never expected Zapdos would choose such a place for its activities.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
Although the abandoned power plant was shut down, there might still be residual electrical facilities or abnormal magnetic fields. For an Electric-type legendary Pokémon, that might actually be a suitable habitat.
"The summer thunderstorm season..." Roy checked the calendar.
There were nearly two months left.
Plenty of time for him to prepare.
Capturing Zapdos wasn't something achievable just by smooth talk or an imposing aura.
That was a true legendary Pokémon, terrifying in power and probably with quite a temper.
His Pokémon against Zapdos... Roy frowned.
The gap was too large.
"Need to hurry up with leveling," Roy calculated in his mind. "And must figure out some targeted tactics. Paralysis, freezing, Ground-type moves... or weather strategies?"
Several plans flashed through his mind.
However, how to implement them specifically would depend on the results of his upcoming training.
Feeling more assured, Roy stretched his back.
The earlier physical activity was significant, but for his Psychic Constitution, it was more like a warm-up level... He first went to the Pokémon rest cabin to pick up Pikachu.
The little guy had long since eaten and drunk its fill and was lying on a soft cushion, its belly round, dozing off.
"Pi...kachu..."
Hearing Roy's footsteps, Pikachu sleepily opened its eyes and wobbled as it climbed onto his shoulder.
"Let's go, back to the room to sleep."
"Pika~"
Pikachu nuzzled Roy's cheek and quickly fell asleep again.
Roy smiled and took it back to his top-tier suite.
That night, he slept very soundly.
His dreams were filled with a sky flashing with golden electricity... The next morning.
The s.s. anne sailed slowly across the azure sea.
Roy stood by the deck railing, watching a white luxury yacht appear on the distant horizon.
The yacht quickly approached and lowered a tender.
The first to board the tender was Mieko.
Today, she had changed into a loose silk dress and wore large sunglasses that covered half her face.
But her walking posture... was clearly a bit awkward.
Two uniformed maids supported her on either side, carefully helping her from the tender onto the deck of the luxury yacht.
Mieko leaned almost her entire body on the maids, her legs as weak as if she were treading on cotton.
Even from a distance, Roy could see her pale complexion beneath the sunglasses.
It seemed the aftereffects of last night hadn't worn off yet.
At that moment, another sleek yacht of a different style approached.
Yasuyo boarded with her entourage.
She immediately spotted Mieko on the opposite yacht, being supported by maids, and raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"This Mieko..." Yasuyo muttered to herself, "Did she go to war last night? She's so limp."
She knew Mieko's usual character well.
Although Mieko had never broken the rules, she was hard to restrain verbally and was no easy opponent when she really got into it.
To have exhausted such a woman to the point of needing support to walk... Yasuyo instinctively glanced toward the deck of the s.s. anne.
Roy was standing there, looking perfectly normal as he enjoyed the sea breeze.
Young.
Upright.
Exuding an aura of steadiness and power.
It was that kid with the 30-win streak from yesterday.
A preposterous guess suddenly popped into her mind.
Could it be... that it was really this kid who did it?
Yasuyo's face warmed slightly, and she quickly averted her gaze.
But her curiosity grew wildly like weeds in her heart.
What exactly did Mieko experience last night?
How wild must it have been to leave her in such a state today?
"...Forget it, what does it have to do with me?" Yasuyo shook her head, suppressing the chaotic thoughts.
She turned and elegantly boarded her own yacht.
The two yachts soon sailed away, disappearing into the vast expanse of sea and sky.
These upper-class nobles came and went in a hurry.
Once the meeting was over and they got the information or benefits they wanted, they left immediately, not staying a minute longer.
After all, their time truly was money... Roy watched the yachts depart, his expression unchanged.
Whether it was Mieko or Yasuyo, they were just interludes on the journey.
What concerned him more now was the upcoming itinerary and training plan.
"Roy!"
Delia and Misty's voices came from behind.
Both had changed into refreshing vacation outfits, holding chilled fruit juices, and walked over with smiles.
"What are you looking at?" Delia followed Roy's gaze but saw only the empty sea.
"Nothing," Roy smiled. "For the next few days, we can finally properly enjoy a pure luxury cruise experience."
"Exactly!" Misty excitedly raised her juice. "The swimming pool, the spa center, the ocean-view deck... I've been wanting to experience them all for a long time!"
Delia also smiled gently. "It's good to relax a bit. The previous rush to challenge Gyms was indeed quite tiring."
And so, for the next few days.
The three of them fully entered vacation mode.
During the day, they sunbathed by the deck pool, went for massages at the spa center, and sampled gourmet cuisine from various Continents at the top-tier restaurants.
At night, they stargazed, attended concerts, and occasionally played a few rounds at the entertainment lounge. Of course, relying on his keen eyesight, calculation skills, and naturally, his Psychic abilities, Roy won a small sum, adding a nice chunk to their travel funds.
Pikachu also had an extremely enjoyable few days.
Apart from eating and sleeping, it occasionally chased seagulls on the deck, its little belly growing even rounder.
Happy times always pass especially quickly.
A few days later.
The s.s. anne finally arrived at its destination for this voyage: Lanpuerqi City.
This was a beautiful seaside tourist city.
White sandy beaches, clear seawater, with resort hotels and seafood restaurants lining the coast.
The air was filled with the salty, damp sea breeze and the scent of sunshine.
"Wow! We're finally here!" Misty was the first to jump off the gangway, excitedly spreading her arms.
Delia also took a deep breath, a pleased smile appearing on her face.
Roy followed behind the two, with a yawning Pikachu perched on his shoulder.
Just as his foot touched the wooden planks of the pier.
A cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang in his mind:
[Triggered Mission: Prevent the Giant Tentacruel from harming Lanpuerqi City, perfectly resolve the marine ecological problem.]
[Mission Reward: Dragon Scale*1 (When held by a Pokémon, increases the power of Dragon-type moves by 10%, and also serves as a specific Pokémon evolution item).
intermediate rare candy*3.]
Roy's footsteps halted.
A map-point mission had arrived.
And the rewards were generous — the Dragon Scale was not only a powerful item but also a necessity for evolving Kingdra; the Rare Candies were excellent for quick leveling.
He quickly recalled the original plot.
Old Woman Jin, that short, shrewd old woman obsessed with business.
She wanted to build an ultra-luxury hotel called "Paradise Resort" on the offshore coral reefs, completely disregarding that it was the home of Tentacool.
The pollution and destruction caused by the construction made life unsustainable for the Tentacool.
Thus, conflict erupted.
Old Woman Jin offered a bounty to drive away the Tentacool, and Team Rocket's trio took on the job, coming up with the crooked idea of the "three cup vinegar."
As a result, by a twist of fate, one Tentacool underwent a gigantic mutation, evolving into a terrifying giant Tentacruel that nearly tore Lanpuerqi City apart.
"So there are two key points," Roy quickly analyzed in his mind. "First is Old Woman Jin's hotel project, the source of pollution. Second is Team Rocket, the main catalyst for the mutation."
Team Rocket... Roy remembered the last time on the s.s. anne when he sent those three unlucky guys flying into the sea.
Did they really have time to come back again?
But it was normal for them to show up; these three were like cockroaches, impossible to kill off, always popping up in various ways.
"Roy, what's wrong?" Delia noticed he had stopped and asked with concern.
"Nothing," Roy snapped back to reality and smiled. "Let's find a place to stay first. Lanpuerqi City doesn't have a Gym. We have to wait here for the next ship to a city with a Gym, so we can play for a few more days."
"Great!" Misty immediately agreed. "I've heard the seafood barbecue here is especially famous!"
The three walked along the pier toward the city.
As he walked, Roy observed his surroundings.
The coastline was beautiful, but upon closer look, the color of the near-shore seawater seemed somewhat murky.
In the distance on the sea, the outlines of some construction vessels were visible, and the faint noise of machinery could be heard.
That should be the construction site for "Paradise Resort."
First, settle in.
Then... investigate slowly... At the same time.
In the offshore waters of Lanpuerqi City, a remote area far from shipping lanes.
Beneath the sea.
A comical-looking, Magikarp-shaped submersible, seemingly cobbled together from scrap metal and plastic barrels, was moving forward at an extremely slow, wobbly pace.
Inside the submersible, three figures were pedaling frantically, sweating profusely.
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Keep it up, Meowth!" Meowth steered from the front while cheering itself on.
"I... I can't go on..." Jiro's face was pale as he gasped for breath. "Jessie, let's rest a bit..."
"Rest what rest!" Jessie kicked Jiro in the rear. "We messed up the last mission on the s.s. anne, didn't get a single penny of the bonus! And we got chewed out by the boss! Did you forget how angry Boss Giovanni was at the time?"
At the mention of this, all three shivered simultaneously.
That time when they reported the mission failure, the low, anger-suppressing voice of Boss Giovanni coming through the communicator... "A bunch of useless fools!"
"You couldn't even handle a cruise ship!"
"Do you know how much potential profit the organization lost because of this mission failure?"
..."It's all that brat's fault!!"
"No more nonsense, hurry up and make money!" Jessie's eyes were bloodshot. "This Lanpuerqi City is a major tourist spot, with no city Gym. Our money-making opportunities here are definitely plentiful."
"Speaking of which..." Meowth suddenly remembered something.
"Meowth is curious, why was the boss so angry last time?"
"Although there were plenty of rich people and rare Pokémon on the s.s. anne, it shouldn't have made the boss that furious, right?"
"We've messed up so many things before, and the boss never scolded us like that, Meowth."
Jessie and Jiro were also taken aback.
Right.
They had failed often before. Although Boss Giovanni was impatient, most times he just deducted their bonuses and called them "idiots."
That palpable, almost tangible fury they could feel even through the communicator last time... was indeed somewhat unusual.
"Could it be..." Jiro's imagination ran wild, "that there was something, or someone, on the s.s. anne or in Vermilion City that the boss particularly cared about?"
"Who cares!" Jessie shook her head. "The mission is already a failure. What's the use thinking about this now! Let's go make money first, then eat..."
Jessie's stomach was already growling.
"Right! Eat until we're full!" Meowth and Jiro were immediately distracted.
Eating their fill was their greatest pursuit at this stage!
The three mustered their energy again, pedaling desperately.
The submersible slowly made its way through the dim seawater toward the coral reef area... As she pedaled, Jessie daydreamed: "Once we get the bounty, I'm going to eat ten bowls of deluxe seafood ramen first!"
"I want to buy the latest bottle caps!" Jiro fantasized.
"Meowth wants to eat premium cat food! A whole case! Meow!" Meowth drooled.
The more they thought about it, the more excited they became, unconsciously speeding up their pedaling.
"Thud!!!"
A dull sound.
The submersiver seemed to have hit something, jolting violently before rolling sideways.
"Wahhhh!"
"What happened, Meowth?"
"It's going to flip over!"
Inside the cabin, everything spun, and the three screamed as they crashed into a heap.