Meanwhile, in a workshop on the lower deck of the cruise ship.
"Hehehe~ This mission seems quite simple!" Jiro shook an electronic tablet in his hand triumphantly. It displayed a simplified structural diagram of the s.s. anne, with several red dots flashing continuously.
"Exactly! Once the time is up—'Boom!'—the s.s. anne will turn into fireworks, and the prestige of our Team Rockets will once again echo throughout Kanto!" Musashi stood with her hands on her hips, laughing loudly.
"And then we'll get a huge bonus, a promotion, a raise, and reach the pinnacle of life, meow~!" Meowth had stars in its eyes, as if it could already see mountains of gold coins.
This classic Team Rockets trio had originally been marginalized.
Somehow, they had actually received a mission to install bombs on the s.s. anne and create panic (and loot while they were at it). Right now, they were happily dreaming of their rewards.
"By the way, have you memorized the locations of those bombs? Once the explosion causes chaos, we'll head to these places where valuables and rare Pokemon are kept..." Jiro pointed to several markers on the electronic tablet.
Suddenly, two crew members appeared ahead.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" The crew members grew suspicious.
Team Rockets' brains short-circuited. Like a conditioned reflex, 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!"
Jiro subconsciously followed up: "We'll tell you out of the kindness of our hearts!"
...Crew members: "..." (Looking bewildered, then reacting with an angry shout)
"Team Rockets? A criminal organization? You're the ones who installed the bombs?"
"Idiot! You let it slip!" Musashi finally realized and punched Jiro on the head.
"Ouch! You started it!" Jiro clutched his head.
"Don't let them get away!" The two crew members immediately lunged forward, while simultaneously pressing the alarms on their bodies (to notify nearby companions).
Immediately, several crew members who were secretly searching nearby quickly converged on the area.
"Ekans, come on out!"
"Koffing, I choose you!"
Musashi and Jiro hurriedly released their Pokemon.
The chaotic noise startled Roy, Captain Russell, and their group, who had just finished dismantling the second bomb and were heading toward the third preset location.
"There's movement over there!" Roy's gaze sharpened.
The group quickly rushed to the guest room corridor where the incident was occurring.
In the corridor, Ekans and Koffing were fighting with several Machoke and Machop released by the crew members. The Team Rockets trio was trying to take the opportunity to slip away.
"Team Rockets! You guys again!" Roy said as he saw the three clowns.
"Ah! It's that brat!" Jiro screamed.
"And Pikachu!" Meowth's eyes lit up, but then it saw the furious Captain and the many crew members behind Roy and lost its nerve.
"We're not here to catch Pikachu this time! Out of the way!" Jiro shouted, trying to sound tough despite his fear.
"Idiot!" Musashi punched him again. "We can catch Pikachu while we're at it! Besides, they must have found the bombs! They won't let us go!"
"Then let's fight!" Jiro went all out. "Koffing, Sludge attack!"
"Ekans, Poison Sting!"
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Roy ordered directly. There was no need to be polite with these guys.
"Pika—chu!!" Dazzling golden electricity erupted, instantly overwhelming Ekans's Poison Sting and Meowth's figure. Even Koffing's Sludge was scattered by the lightning.
Ekans and Meowth cried out in pain, their eyes turning into swirls.
Koffing swayed unsteadily but hadn't fallen yet.
Captain Russell was also furious: "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.
"Kof... fing..." Koffing's eyes also spun into swirls.
The Team Rockets trio instantly lost their fighting capability.
"How can this be!"
"We're blasting off again—!!"
Amidst the classic screams, the group was washed into the sea.
"Captain, look at this!" A crew member handed the electronic tablet to Russell.
Captain Russell looked and saw that all the bomb installation locations were clearly marked, along with a countdown! There were less than forty minutes left!
"Quick! Everyone, split up according to these locations and dismantle them quietly! Move!" Captain Russell ordered in a low Growl, quickly sharing the location information from the tablet with all his trusted subordinates.
With an accurate map, the dismantling work proceeded efficiently.
Roy also breathed a sigh of relief; having a map made things much easier. He continued to provide guidance for the dismantling at several key locations to ensure everything was foolproof.
When the last bomb was successfully dismantled in the bottom hold's storage room, less than three minutes remained until the scheduled explosion time.
Everyone slumped to the ground, drenched in cold sweat, feeling as if they had just escaped the jaws of death.
[Ding! Emergency time-limited mission 'Resolve the s.s. anne Crisis' completed!]
[Distributing rewards...]
[Fishing Grandmaster Aura has been loaded.]
[Officer Jenny Family general favorability +10. Current cumulative favorability: 50]
Roy felt some mysterious insights about fishing appear in his mind, and then he checked his favorability with the Jenny family.
50 points... At this level, if he encountered an individual Officer Jenny, with his current 'qualities' and this foundation of favorability, having a deep conversation to discuss some 'justice' seemed... not impossible?
The corner of his mouth curled into a meaningful arc... The crisis was completely resolved.
Captain Russell's gratitude toward Roy was beyond words.
This hadn't just saved the lives of everyone on the ship; it had also preserved the s.s. anne's reputation and his own career.
"Mr. Roy! Words cannot express my gratitude!" Captain Russell gripped Roy's hand tightly.
"How could your original suite be worthy of your status! Immediately, right now, you're being upgraded to the top-floor Supreme Suite! All expenses waived! Furthermore, you will receive lifetime VIP status for our s.s. anne. In the future, on any route and at any time, as long as you wish to come, the top-tier suite and service will always be yours!"
Soon, Roy and the other two were respectfully invited to the Supreme Suite on the very top floor of the cruise ship.
Calling it a suite was an understatement; it was more like a floating palace on the sea.
It occupied half a deck and featured 360-degree invincible ocean-view floor-to-ceiling windows, a private pool, a top-tier kitchen and dining room, and even a small indoor Pokémon battle arena.
Misty cheered and threw herself onto the sofa, which was as soft as a cloud. Then she ran to the open-air balcony, her face flushed with excitement as she looked at the magnificent ocean view.
Delia gently organized the luggage. Looking at this extremely luxurious environment, her eyes were also full of joy.
It was wonderful to enjoy all this with the man she loved.
The suite's butler brought an exquisite afternoon tea, all made with top-tier ingredients.
Misty and Delia were quickly drawn to the food, temporarily forgetting the previous danger and enjoying this hard-earned luxury and tranquility.
Roy ate a little, rested for a moment, then stood up and said, "I'm going for a walk."
"Eh? Roy, aren't you going to rest for a while?" Misty asked unclearly, her mouth stuffed with cake.
"I'm going to check out the place for Trainer battles on the ship." Roy smiled. He remembered that the s.s. anne had a dedicated Battle Hall where many Trainers would spar and exchange ideas during the voyage.
This long sea journey was a perfect time to grind experience; he couldn't let it go to waste.
Leaving the luxurious and quiet top-floor area, Roy arrived at the public activity area in the middle of the cruise ship.
It was indeed bustling. There were shopping streets, game centers, movie theaters, and various restaurants and bars.
He soon found his target: a large, bustling Pokémon Battle Hall.
The hall was divided into multiple standard battle arenas, surrounded by Trainers watching and waiting for their turn. Cheers, commands, and the sounds of skills clashing were constant.
As soon as Roy stepped into the hall, the system prompt sounded in his mind again:
[Ding! Continuous Challenge Mission triggered!]
[Mission Content: Achieve 30 consecutive victories in the Battle Hall.]
[Mission Reward: Three random Pokémon in your team will increase by 2 levels.]
[Current Win Streak: 0/30]
Roy's eyes lit up!
He was just worried that Pokémon leveling would slow down during the long sea voyage, and the system had thoughtfully provided a level-grinding mission!
Increasing three random Pokémon by 2 levels was a significant boost, especially for Pokémon at higher levels where each level required more experience.
Moreover, a 30-win streak itself was excellent training for both himself and his Pokémon.
"It seems I've come to the right place."
A confident arc rose on the corner of Roy's mouth. He patted Pikachu's little head on his shoulder, grabbed two poké balls, and entered the Battle Hall.