"Who are you? Why are you here?" The crew member asked warily.
Team Rockets' brains short-circuited. Reflexively, they puffed out their chests, raised their right hands, stepped forward with their left feet, and shouted the lines etched into their DNA:
"Since you've asked so sincerely!"
James also subconsciously followed up: "We'll tell you out of our great mercy!"
...Crew member: "..." (Looking completely bewildered, then reacting with an angry shout)
"Team Rockets? A criminal organization? Did you plant the bombs?"
"Idiot! You let it slip!" Jessie finally realized, punching James on the head.
"Ouch! You started it!" James cried, clutching his head.
"Don't let them escape!" Two crew members immediately pounced, while simultaneously pressing the alarms on their bodies (notifying nearby companions).
Instantly, several crew members searching nearby in secret quickly converged on the location.
"Ekans, come on out!"
"Koffing, I choose you!"
Jessie and James hurriedly released their Pokemon.
The chaotic sounds alerted Roy, Captain Russell, and their group, who had just finished defusing the second bomb and were heading to the third location.
"There's movement over there!" Roy's gaze sharpened.
Everyone rushed to the guest room corridor where the incident was happening.
In the corridor, Ekans and Koffing were fighting with several Machoke and Machop released by the crew members. The Team Rockets trio tried to take the opportunity to slip away.
"Team Rockets! You guys again!" Roy said upon seeing these three clowns.
"Ah! It's that brat!" James screamed.
"And Pikachu!" Meowth's eyes lit up, but he immediately shrunk back upon seeing the furious Captain and the many crew members behind Roy.
"We're not here to catch Pikachu this time! Get out of the way!" James shouted, putting on a brave front.
"Idiot!" Jessie punched him again. "We can catch Pikachu on the way! Besides, they've definitely found the bombs! They won't let us go!"
"Then let's fight!" James also went all out. "Koffing, Sludge!"
"Ekans, Poison Sting!"
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Roy ordered directly. There was no need to be polite with these guys.
"Pika—chu!!" A dazzling golden electric light erupted, instantly swallowing Ekans's Poison Sting and Meowth's figure, even dispersing Koffing's Sludge.
Ekans and Meowth screamed and their eyes turned into swirls.
Koffing wobbled, not yet having fallen.
Captain Russell was also enraged. "How dare you run wild on my ship! Wartortle, come out! Use Water Gun!"
Wartortle took a deep breath, and a thick, powerful jet of water accurately hit the tottering Koffing.
"Koff... ing..." Koffing's eyes also turned into swirls.
The Team Rockets trio instantly lost their fighting capability.
"How could this happen!"
"What a nasty feeling—!!"
Amidst the classic screams, they were washed into the sea.
"Captain, look at this!" A crew member handed an Electronic Tablet to Russell.
Captain Russell looked; it clearly marked the installation locations of all the bombs, along with a countdown! Less than forty minutes remained!
"Quick! Follow these locations. Everyone, split up and defuse them quietly! Move!" Captain Russell barked the order, quickly sharing the location information from the tablet with all his trusted subordinates.
With an accurate map, the defusing work immediately proceeded efficiently.
Roy also breathed a sigh of relief; things were much easier with a map. He continued to provide guidance for defusing at several key locations to ensure nothing went wrong.
When the last bomb was successfully defused in the Bilge Storage Room, less than three minutes remained before the scheduled explosion.
Everyone slumped to the ground, drenched in cold sweat, as if they had just escaped from the jaws of death