"There are others..."
Hearing Sabrina's words, Luo Yuan sat up in bed.
"Are you sure? Maybe it's just room service delivering food or something..."
With that many security personnel around, it wouldn't be unusual for someone to be bringing them food and drink.
"I can tell the difference," Sabrina replied, her tone calm. "My psychic sensing may not be precise, but I can determine they're all trainers."
With a casual wave of her hand, a pen and paper floated out of her bag, and she began sketching the layout of where she'd sensed the people.
Luo Yuan glanced over and immediately noticed a problem.
Several people were evenly distributed around the surrounding rooms. If anyone tried to launch an attack, they'd instantly be surrounded from all sides.
"Could it be that there's a mole in Team Rocket, leaking information?"
The thought crossed his mind, but Luo Yuan dismissed it almost as quickly.
The only people who knew the full plan were Giovanni, Matori, Sabrina, Lt. Surge, and himself.
Other members would only learn their objectives just before the mission. Any leaks would have to come from one of the higher-ups who knew the full plan.
There was no reason for Giovanni to betray his own organization; as for the rest, all of them had proven their loyalty time and again. Their interests were deeply tied to those of Team Rocket.
"The problem isn't on our side... maybe that Team Flare woman held back some intel." Luo Yuan speculated.
But it was only a guess—he would need to gather more information to be certain.
"So, what do we do now? Call off the mission?" Sabrina asked.
The situation was unclear, and moving forward would be risky.
"Let's wait and see. Have Matori check our network, and as long as there's no more than one Elite on board, there shouldn't be an issue."
Luo Yuan was confident.
With his Gengar and Dragapult, he felt invincible. Those Mega Evolution stones were as good as his.
Seeing his confidence, Sabrina nodded. She knew of Luo Yuan's track record in Hoenn. Together, the two of them could defeat most opponents.
Giovanni must have considered this, which was likely why he'd sent them to work together.
"So, what do you want to do next?" Sabrina asked.
"Prepare for the mission, and enjoy ourselves in the meantime. There's a big pool—aren't you tempted to try it, Sabrina?" Luo Yuan teased with a smirk.
---
Four days passed in the blink of an eye.
During those four days, Luo Yuan and Sabrina played the role of a regular couple, enjoying the luxuries of the ship.
The S.S. Anne was truly a world-class luxury liner, with everything one could possibly need onboard.
Luo Yuan found himself almost getting used to the lifestyle.
Of course, amidst all the leisure, he didn't forget his responsibilities; he diligently prepared for the mission.
---
In the cabin, Luo Yuan and Sabrina were conducting the final pre-mission check.
"Group One is in position; they'll create chaos onboard," Luo Yuan confirmed.
"Group Two will handle the ship's security forces and secure control of the engine room."
"Group Three is assigned to the captain's cabin."
"The remaining Groups Four, Five, and Six will accompany me in storming Drake's suite."
All personnel were in position.
This time, Team Rocket had deployed six groups, with twenty members each, totaling 120 operatives led by six captains—all of them elite.
Most of these operatives had previously been tasked with tracking Mew or supporting the Mewtwo project.
Now that Mewtwo's development was in its final stages and no longer needed Mew's data, they were free to be reassigned here.
Additionally, Lt. Surge's men were standing by to provide outside support.
This operation was flawless.
"Matori just got back to me," Luo Yuan added. "According to our intel, the new additions to the S.S. Anne's crew are investigators from the Kanto League."
"Why are they involved?" Sabrina frowned.
The League's investigators were no strangers to Team Rocket; any trainer who managed to reach investigator rank was no weakling.
Moreover, this incident shouldn't have concerned the Kanto League, so why did they send people?
"It's because of the recent Team Flare incident..."
Luo Yuan sighed. "Team Flare had dispatched a group of cannon fodder to cause chaos in Pewter City, and the League managed to capture them."
"Ordinary cannon fodder wouldn't have mattered much, but someone loose-lipped spilled information about Team Flare's plan to attack the S.S. Anne."
"So, the League sent agents to assist Drake, intending to apprehend the Team Flare operatives."
"But didn't you already capture Team Flare's people?" Sabrina asked.
After capturing Team Flare, Giovanni had ordered a thorough sweep of the area under Team Rocket's control to confirm there were no other Team Flare operatives in Kanto.
"That's true," Luo Yuan replied. "But the League doesn't know that—they think Team Flare members are still lying low."
"This entire situation is pure bad luck," he grumbled.
Luo Yuan's jaw clenched. Team Flare couldn't have chosen more dependable operatives? Even cannon fodder knew the details of the plan, and then they went and blabbed the whole thing, dragging Team Rocket down with them.
How had Team Flare even managed to survive this long?
"....."
Sabrina remained silent.
She hadn't expected things to turn out this way, either.
The League thought they were up against Team Flare, but what they were actually dealing with was a fully prepared Team Rocket force, far stronger in numbers and skill.
"So, what's the plan now?" Sabrina asked.
Giovanni had emphasized avoiding direct confrontation with the League until Mewtwo's development was complete.
"We proceed... Everyone's already in place, and it would be a waste to retreat now."
"With Drake, an Elite, onboard, the League didn't send any additional heavy hitters—just a few skilled trainers who aren't a serious threat."
Luo Yuan's annoyance was rooted in the sheer inconvenience, not fear of the League.
As they talked, the ship's horn suddenly blared.
Walking over to the railing, Luo Yuan watched as boarding was halted and the S.S. Anne prepared to set sail.
As the operation leader, he turned to Sabrina.
"Sabrina, notify everyone—start the timer. One hour after departure, we begin."
---
T/N: I wanna buy plushies but PATREON hasn't sent me mah money yet.. (it has but the plushie sale ENDED RHARHARHA)