"Boss, are you alright?" Kurama hurried forward to help Baijie up, but he was brushed aside with a sharp motion.
"Are you an idiot? Don't you know that Ghost type moves are useless against a Normal type Fearow?" Baijie patted the dust off his clothes, his face devoid of expression.
The atmosphere grew awkward. Kurama quickly tried to explain, "I was just worried about your safety, Boss! In the heat of the moment, I was terrified those two big birds would hurt you."
"Heh." Baijie could only manage a bitter smile in his heart. Having a subordinate like this felt like a trial imposed upon him by the League.
If it weren't for the fact that Fearow, as intelligent creatures, had a natural instinct to dodge incoming attacks, the situation would have been worse. If their trainer had been present, they could have simply ordered the Fearow to ignore the Shadow Ball and continue wreaking havoc.
"Come out, Arbok!" Baijie tossed two Poké Balls. Two massive, ferocious serpents, as thick as bowls, appeared on the deck.
As if sensing their natural enemies, the two Arbok immediately reared up, flared their neck hoods, and flicked their tongues, letting out intimidating hisses.
The two Fearow flew over to Mondo's side, their sharp beaks emitting equally threatening squawks.
Snakes and birds were natural rivals. However, as birds of prey with the advantage of flight, the Fearow theoretically held the initiative. Yet, in the face of the Arbok's lethal, terrifying venom, even they dared not act rashly.
"Hey, big guy, look at this!" Kurama said with a smirk, pulling a string of metal timed bombs from his bag.
Mondo's face paled instantly. He reached into his coat and pulled out a remote detonator, shouting, "You think just because you took them down it's over? These bombs are dual-controlled! With one press of this button, all of you will be blown to kingdom come!"
"Then go ahead and try," Kurama replied with total indifference. "Let's see if this thing actually sends us sky-high."
"You think I won't?" Mondo grinned coldly. "Since you're looking for death, don't blame me. I'll clear out the trash before Boss Tatsumi arrives."
His thumb pressed down hard on the red button, but the expected explosion never came. Refusing to believe it, Mondo pressed it repeatedly, but the pile of metal timed bombs remained completely silent.
"Haha!" Seeing Mondo's expressionwhich looked like he was suffering from severe constipationKurama put his hands on his hips and laughed arrogantly.
"Wait, I thought you didn't know how to defuse bombs," Baijie asked, curious.
"It's all thanks to young Hisoka." Kurama turned unusually serious for a moment. "I didn't expect him to be such an expert at defusing explosives. With the help of his Kirlia, we easily found the timed bombs they had hidden in the bottom warehouse."
While the confrontation continued on the top deck, the Team Rocket undercover members already aboard the S.S. Anne began their scheduled operation upon seeing the R-Signal Flare.
Their first targets were the VIP rooms. Using copied keycards, they slipped inside while the wealthy guests were still asleep. They first stole all the Poké Balls on their persons, then kicked them awake. Amidst expressions of pure terror, the rich guests were tied up like pigs and left in their rooms.
"Faster! Increase speed!"
Motorized skiffs and speedboats finally caught up with the S.S. Anne. Under Tatsumi's roar, agile elite Team Rocket members used electric grappling hooks to scale the side of the four-story cruise ship.
Each boarding member carried a specialized Spatial Folding Backpack. On each shoulder was a vacuum-like suction device that, when activated, generated a powerful pull. The moment a trainer tried to bring out a Poké Ball, the device could suck it straight into the bag.
This kidnapping and raid was designed to be a blitzkrieg. They couldn't give the League any time to react. The original plan was to hijack the S.S. Anne entirely, but such a massive target was too slow; if delayed, they would easily be cut off by League police forces.
With reinforcements arriving, Team Rocket's actions on the ship became even more brutal. Over fifty billionaires had been rounded up, and now the targets were the ordinary tourists. Team Rocket wouldn't let their money or their Pokémon go.
"What are you doing?"
A tourist who had gotten up to use the restroom was startled by a dark shadow in his room. Before he could react, he was knocked unconscious by a stun baton. His jewelry box, the wallet on the table, and his Poké Balls were all sucked into a spatial bag.
In the middle of the night, Ash was too hungry to sleep and had intended to sneak to the dining hall for a snack. However, the moment he stepped out, he saw a figure slipping into Misty's room. At first, Ash thought it was Brock looking for her, but then a scream echoed from inside.
Sensing trouble, Ash rushed in to see Misty sitting on her bed, desperately throwing pillows at an unwelcome guest.
Without a second thought, Ash shouted, "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
Bright yellow electricity surged from Pikachu's small body, leaving the intruder trembling violently. Finally, after coughing up a puff of black smoke, the man slumped over, unconscious.
"Misty, are you okay?"
Seeing the intruder neutralized, Misty breathed a sigh of relief. Once she saw the attacker's clothes, she gasped, "It's Team Rocket! How did they get onto the S.S. Anne?"
Ash saw the signature 'R' on the man's chest. It was definitely Team Rocket.
"Misty, are you alright?" Brock rushed in through the door, having been alerted by the scream.
Misty shook her head. "I'm fine. Ash saved me."
Brock crossed his arms, looking down at the unconscious grunt with a heavy expression. "When I was coming over, I heard screams from several other rooms. It's clear there's more than just one Team Rocket member attacking guests. We have to..."
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
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