Six days later, the St. Anne's cruise ship will reach the shore in about half a day.
At this moment, the final farewell banquet is being held in the party hall.
Ash and his group walked together, looking around carefully from time to time. They had shared information before, and it was very likely that Team Rocket would launch a counterattack in the last few hours.
"Kidnap the rich to achieve common prosperity."
Little Blue scratched his head belatedly and said in surprise:
"Huh? Isn't this good?"
"That's what the title says. It's just a scam for stupid boys. In fact, they are robbing the rich of their money, but the poor also rob, so you will be robbed too," Brock replied seriously.
Little Blue: "?"
I was offended.
"Starmie, use Water Gun!"
"Rattata, use your Hyper Fang!!"
Two low shouts attracted the attention of the group. Pushing through the crowd, they found that surrounded by idle onlookers, a fat khaki rat was confronting a Starmie.
Following the command of the old gentleman in the black hat, the fat Rattata actually used its body to break through the impact of the Water Gun, and its huge, protruding incisors bit into the central gem of the Starmie.
Snap!
The starmie seemed to shatter, and Starmie flew backward quickly. Its fighting power was directly hollowed out by the fatal blow, and its body wilted.
"I lost."
The passerby could only put away his Starmie and gave the old gentleman an admiring look.
"Hehe~"
The old gentleman was obviously very pleased with this look. As an upper-class person, he loved to be praised by others.
The old gentleman bowed gracefully, then suddenly raised his hand and looked at the people around him.
"Haha, is there any brave trainer who wants to challenge my Rattata?"
"Me, me, me, me!"
Ash was naturally the first to jump out excitedly, raising his hand and waving his thumb.
"It's decided to be you, Pikachu!"
As for the mouse Pokémon, of course you have to rely on the Electric Mouse to deal with it.
"Pika!!"
Pikachu suddenly jumped from Ash's shoulder and landed on the ground. His little eyes looked up and down at the fat, khaki Rattata, with electricity surging on his cheeks.
"Oh, kid, my Rattata is very strong~," the old gentleman said with a smile, not taking Ash seriously.
"Rattata, use Quick Attack!"
"Pikachu, let's use Thunderbolt too!"
Two white lights lit up on the two Pokémon at the same time, and the next moment both launched an attack simultaneously.
The sharp white arrow was approaching rapidly, but Pikachu on the side changed its pace slightly as it approached, and its body actually became half an inch shorter.
And when it came into contact, it suddenly recoiled!
Bang!
The two Pokémon passed through each other, but Pikachu's head hit Rattata's chin directly as they passed, and the powerful force sent the latter's huge body flying backward.
"What speed!"
The old gentleman was slightly startled and immediately used his signature move.
"Rattata, now use your Hyper Fang!!"
Maintaining its body shape, Rattata's two front teeth shone with a terrifying red light. After adjusting its body in mid-air, it rushed toward Pikachu!
The power of Hyper Fang is definitely not something an Electric Mouse can resist!
The old gentleman was very confident.
This Rattata was an extremely rare Pokémon that he bought from a middle-aged man for 3 million W. It was said to be a strange species with ancient blood, and it had a chance of evolving into a Golden Rattata.
On the other side, Ash's eyes lit up as he quickly came up with a solution.
"Pikachu, use your tail on the ground!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu stopped, bent its tail, and slapped the red carpet floor with force.
He then used the force to leap high into the air, narrowly avoiding the attack.
And in mid-air, facing Rattata's back, the electricity on his cheeks was already crackling, ready to be released, with terrifying electric currents covering his entire body.
Danger!
Seeing this, the old gentleman quickly stretched out his hand and said in a low voice:
"Okay, so far, we are evenly matched in this match."
Before he finished his words, yellow lightning suddenly exploded on Pikachu's body, and electric arcs shot out, hitting Rattata without any hindrance like a thunderbolt.
Thunderbolt!!
Boom!!
Lightning shot up into the sky, sparks exploded, and even a small crater was blown out on the deck.
As the smoke and dust dispersed, it was revealed that the Rattata had been electrocuted into an African Rattata. It fell to the ground exhausted, with a faint burnt smell emanating from its body.
Ash scratched his head and looked at the old gentleman in confusion:
"I didn't hear you clearly just now, what did you say about being evenly matched?"
Old gentleman: "..."
His suddenly changed expression quickly returned to normal. He walked toward Ash with a smile and said slowly:
"It seems that your Pikachu is well trained. Do you want to exchange it for my Rattata?"
"Exchange?"
Ash was confused, it was the first time he'd heard of this concept.
"As for exchanging, if you meet two Pokémon that you both like, you will naturally choose to trade. This is a very popular choice~," the old gentleman continued to coax.
Wait a minute, was I scammed by that profiteer?!
He was already thinking in his mind about breaking the legs of that middle-aged businessman later.
However, Ash just looked at the old gentleman as if he were an idiot and asked:
"Do you think I'm a fool?"
He casually pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the defeated Rattata.
"Beep, beep. Rattata, the Mouse Pokémon, is a common Pokémon. It has no breeding value, but its teeth can be used as works of art."
The Pokédex reported.
His Pikachu is gifted with extraordinary talent and has the demeanor of an emperor. One day it will soar to the top of the world and descend with thunder.
And you want to exchange it for a cheap Rattata?
He was shaking with anger.
Old gentleman: "..."
Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking, the Pokédex rang again.
"Beep, beep. Pikachu is also a common Pokémon. It's ordinary and just a vase of no value."
Ash: "..."
The Pokédex is always great at roasting its own team.
"Hehe~"
At this moment, a burst of laughter suddenly came from the center of the stage.
The tone was elegant, yet it carried a hint of the noble aura of an upper-class person, drawing everyone's attention to one point.
"My dear friends, we will be landing in three hours, so let's hold our last event~."
Apollo had walked onto the stage without anyone noticing, holding a microphone and smiling as he looked at everyone.
"Next, all the rich people are requested to kneel down and hold their heads in their hands. As for the poor trainers, please kneel down and hold your heads in your hands."
As soon as he finished speaking, the staff guarding every corner of the banquet sneered and suddenly took off their camouflage uniforms.
At this moment, a big purple "R" was engraved on their chest.
The corporate team-building activity has finally begun!
"Team Rocket!?"
"When?!"
Many tourists recognized the logo instantly. Team Rocket's reputation in the Kanto region is so great that it even surpasses the official Pokémon League.
Especially the purple "R", which represents that you can do whatever you want.
Apollo took in everyone's expressions and saw that most of them were instantly frightened. He smiled with disdain.
Then he nodded gently to two people in the crowd, signaling them to stay calm.
He had already reached an agreement with them last night. They shouldn't rebel against me today, right?
Ash & Little Blue: "???"
The two were a little confused. Did that flashy guy just nod to us?
Are we familiar with each other?
Should we nod back?
They frowned, unsure what to do.
Team Rocket's grunts bared their fangs and looked ferocious, instantly panicking the rich people who had never experienced any battles, leaving them with no intention of resisting.
But there were quite a few trainers around, and they naturally couldn't just sit there and wait. They all took out their Poké Balls, ready to fight.
Trainers are born adventurers who love battling!
Team Rocket's grunts lack real deterrence.
"Snort!"
Apollo's expression remained unchanged. The grunts were meant to intimidate the rich, but it wouldn't work for experienced trainers.
He needed to suppress them with overwhelming force!
His eyes turned cold as he threw a Poké Ball.
Bang!
The next second, a pitch-black dog-shaped Pokémon appeared in everyone's sight.
This large dog had a pitch-black body, creepy white bone shells on its ankles, a pair of white horns shaped like sheep horns on its head, and strong muscles on its limbs.
Its appearance resembled the terrifying creature from stories: a hellhound.
"Ahhh!!"
It raised its head and roared. The terrifying sound seemed to become real, making everyone tremble. Their hearts felt like they were being hit by a drum, sending chills down their spines.
It was a chilling sound.
Skill - Roar!
Then the black dog blew a pokeball into the air. The temperature was so high that even the air smelled like it was burning.
"Houndoom, the Dark Pokémon, is the evolved form of Houndour. It is very dangerous and will bite its target in groups."
This time even the illustrated guide became serious and stopped talking nonsense.
As Apollo pointed lightly, Houndoom took a step forward with its front paws, revealing a ferocious look. For a moment, a huge murderous aura filled the entire place.
"!"
This forced dozens of trainers who had just wanted to have a good fight to their heart's content to take a step back by the big black dog.
One dog frightens dozens of people!
Danger!
This is definitely not an enemy they can fight at this stage.
Seeing this, Apollo sneered and felt secretly proud.
"Humph, my Houndoom is capable of defeating any ordinary king."
Suddenly, he saw two people in the crowd looking at him with flickering eyes and their brows seemed to be furrowed.
This made Apollo look panicked.
Did I overdo it?
Too arrogant?
They had already agreed to my robbery last night, so are they changing their minds now?
What should I do? Should I confront them head-on?
No, that's a free gift, we confirmed last night that they are all top bosses!
At once, countless thoughts flooded into Apollo's mind, and a new storm was being born.
Rumble! Rumble!
While he was struggling, suddenly, there was a horrible vibration from the hull under his feet.
Then the deck and the surrounding walls began to shake dramatically as if the world was about to end. Everyone could only hold on to something to stabilize themselves.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?"
Not only the tourists, but even the small fry of Team Rocket were stunned.
Is this also Lord Apollo's script?
At this time, an old sailor with a white beard rushed into the banquet hall, his face full of anxiety, holding a little girl in his hand.
He was the old captain of the St. Anne's, the one who wrote The Old Man and the Seafood.
"Everyone listen to me, the cruise ship has accidentally hit a reef, everyone jump off the ship and escape!"
he shouted anxiously.
Apollo: "."
(End of this chapter)