A week had passed since the group set sail, and they were just about to reach the open sea. Their current position lay off the southeastern edge of Kanto, where the waters were still relatively shallow and the greatest threats rarely exceeded Expert rank.
During that time, they filled their days with leisure. They relaxed on the deck, watched movies in the master suite, and swam in the pool while enjoying Lina's cooking and Mira's massages. They swam in the open sea while riding Alex's water team, took to the skies on Mika's Pidgeot and Alex's Altaria, and, of course, indulged in plenty of sex whenever Alvera was asleep or distracted in her room.
Overall, the week passed in a pleasant haze of relaxation, excitement, pleasure, and luxury. Still, there was only so much to do on a relatively small ship with so few people. Inevitably, they began to run out of ways to pass the time.
"I'm bored!" Rhea shouted from the deck, wearing a modest green one-piece swimsuit. "Can't we turn around and head home? I want to work on my babies! Alex, teleport me back!"
"Are you sure you want to miss visiting the Sevii Islands?" Alex asked as he approached and settled Rhea onto his lap like a sulking child. "They're known as one of the safest places to live. The locals have domesticated most of the wilderness, and they're far more welcoming to outsiders these days. There are tourist spots everywhere, offering souvenirs, sightseeing locations, ancient ruins, and picturesque scenery perfect for vacation photos."
"Booooriiing…" she drawled, hugging his chest like a child in the middle of a tantrum. "I want to play with my toys!"
Alex leaned in and whispered into her ear, "You might miss out on all the sex we'll be having along the way."
Rhea looked up at him, her face wracked with indecision as she tried to imagine fighting off three weeks of boredom with just sex, before finally shaking her head.
"Not enough. I want something more exciting."
Alex thought on it, then remembered the route he had planned with Rotom.
"We might run into pirates."
"Pirates!" Rhea exclaimed, her expression lighting up instantly.
"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" she said, hopping off his lap and hurrying toward her cabin.
Alex sighed and shook his head, watching her go. Among the girls, Rhea had the most unpredictable mood swings, shifting effortlessly between sharp professionalism, childlike hyperactivity, and days where she wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and do absolutely nothing. Still, her energy had a way of lighting up any occasion, ensuring things were never dull, a quality Alex loved about her.
"Pirates!" Alvera echoed from a few lounge chairs away, her voice bright with excitement.
"Pirates?" Vera asked, raising a brow at Alex, arms crossed as her foot tapped disapprovingly.
"I only said that so Rhea would stay with us," Alex said.
"Aw…" Alvera instantly deflated, while Vera narrowed her eyes at Alex suspiciously.
Once Vera turned away, Alex secretly mouthed pirates to Alvera and gave her a quick wink.
Alvera's eyes widened, accompanied by a bright smile. She was about to jump for joy before catching his hint to keep it a secret from her mother. She returned to her disappointed demeanor before turning to Vera.
"May I be excused to my room?" she asked politely.
"All right, but don't cause any trouble," Vera replied. "I don't want you accidentally falling off the boat again."
"Yes, Mom!" Alvera said before rushing off toward her room.
With his acute hearing, Alex could still make out her squeals of "Pirates!" echoing down the corridor, drawing a faint smile to his lips.
Over the next few days, the scenery changed from Kanto's coastline off their starboard side to open sea stretching in every direction. The constant sound of waves crashing against Kanto's shores was replaced by the ship's steady hum. The relatively stable waters gave way to deep vertical movement that began to disorient Sable. Fortunately, the gyro stabilizers did their job splendidly, ensuring the ship remained upright no matter how it was battered.
Throughout this time, Rhea and Alvera remained relatively occupied, disappearing into their rooms at the same time. They still came out to swim, bathe in the sun, and, of course, eat Lina's meals heartily, but overall they remained suspiciously quiet. Alex could have asked Rotom what they were up to, but since they weren't complaining of boredom, he took that as a win and left them to their own devices.
Suddenly, Grim landed on the deck, having returned from its reconnaissance, before making its way over to Alex. That meant it had something to report.
"What's wrong?" Alex asked.
"Roooar!" it replied, indicating a ship had been spotted southeast of their location and that they would encounter it along their route in roughly half an hour. There were also several Elite ranked auras aboard.
"Rotom," Alex called out. "Are there any registered ships along our route?"
"Negative. None appear to be registered within our vicinity," the intercom replied.
"So either pirates or an illegal shipment moving through international waters."
"Pirates?" Vera asked. "I thought you only said that so Rhea wouldn't want to go home by herself."
"I can't help it, Vera. We're in open waters, far from protected commercial routes. There's a very high chance of encountering illegal shipments or pirates along this path."
"Then why did we even take such a dangerous route in the first place?" Vera asked angrily.
"Because," Alex said as he approached, a soft smile forming as he placed a hand against her tense cheek, "it's the fastest route to Seven Island. From there, we'll move through the other islands, ending our trip on One Island, which is closest to Kanto. I figured finishing with a faster return journey would be better."
Vera narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. It was clear he was growing bored with the long voyage, he hadn't fought or sparred with anyone for the past 10 days, after all. No wonder he wanted to run into some pirates for a bit of action along the way.
"Are you sure that's the only reason?" she asked. "If so, we'd better change course now and make sure all your Champion ranked Pokémon are in full display."
Alex knew he would be caught red-handed if he refused. Doing what she asked would scare the pirates away before they were even spotted. It was obvious he had been planning to use the ship as bait to get some action.
"It'll be a good learning opportunity for Alvera," Alex replied.
"You want Alvera to participate in this?" Vera exclaimed.
"Yes," Alex said firmly. "They're weak, and it would make a good lesson on the kinds of people she'll encounter on her journey. She's 9 now. In 7 years, she'll be leaving to go off on her own. Wouldn't you want her to be ready?"
Vera knew he was right. Once Alvera reached 16, she would want to set out on her own adventures and would inevitably face the same terrors Vera had when she was younger. The more prepared she was when that time came, the better her chances of surviving.
Vera sighed heavily before looking up at Alex with sorrow in her eyes. "I just wish she didn't have to go through this so young."
"I know," Alex said, pulling her into a tight hug. "Don't worry. I'll keep her safe."
Vera nodded quietly, believing Alex completely. If there was anyone who could protect their daughter in the middle of a chaotic battle, it was Alex. He was, after all, a good father and a powerful bounty hunter.
"Rotom!" Alex called out. "Get everyone on the deck. Tell them there's a high chance of pirates attacking the ship."
"Warning! Pirates inbound. Please make your way to the deck calmly for instructions," the intercom blasted.
Meanwhile, Alex stored all the Pokémon on the ship, including the aerial reconnaissance and water teams, and cloaked his aura with Dark type energy, limiting it to Expert rank.
The girls began filing onto the deck, still in their swimsuits. Some, like Talia and Celise, wore concerned expressions, while Rhea and Alvera looked excited. Lyra, Mika, and Sable, accustomed to battles, wore serious demeanors, taking the situation with utmost focus.
"Pirates!" Rhea and Alvera screamed with excitement. "It's happening! They're coming! Hahaha!"
"Settle down," Alex said once everyone was gathered. "There's a suspicious ship 30 minutes out along our route with Elite ranked auras."
Immediately, Lyra, Mika, and Sable relaxed. Since it was just Elite ranked threats, there was no need to take this seriously. Alex alone could take on their entire ship by himself without any Pokemon after all.
"Now, I want you all to wear your cover badge. The one that masks your auras."
It was one of Rhea's latest inventions which was quite simply a move crystal that activated Alex's Dark energy cloak to mask their aura. A nifty little device exclusively used to look weak to bait in criminals, a standard issue for all bounty hunters under the Silver Network.
As for why the girls needed to wear them, they were all at least Elite ranked, enough to intimidate the pirates before they even got close. They also regularly sparred and exercised to keep up with Alex, so they certainly weren't pushovers in a fight. With their Pokémon trained in coordinated formations, there was little risk of them being accidentally overpowered.
"Then we'll wait for them to attack before counterattacking and taking them alive. Lyra, Mika, board their ship and start looking for hostages or cargo if they have any. Alvera, you're with me. The rest of you stay on this ship and defend yourselves."
"Yay!" Alvera cheered.
"Hey! What about me?" Rhea complained. "I want to board them too."
"You want to fight?" Alex asked dubiously.
"Yeah. I have a new baby to test out."
"Alright. Just make sure you don't kill them."
"Yippee!"
The girls went to work, clipping on their badges and activating them, covering their bodies in a thin, invisible layer of Alex's Dark type energy. Their auras weakened from Elite to Adept rank. They also readied their Poké Balls in case a battle broke out.
Lyra and Mika donned their full bounty hunter gear and hid below deck, prepared to leap out with their Pokémon at a moment's notice.
Rhea and Alvera, meanwhile, got ready as well, each strapping on thick metallic vambraces on both arms.
Alex, however, took no precautions and didn't even bother preparing Stormline. He had more than enough Champions to handle this threat, and any additional surprises that might arise. His armor was rated for Elite, as resistant as his own skin, so there was no need to overprepare for weaker opponents.
Instead, he relaxed, taking in the façade the girls had put up, lounging around the pool in skimpy bathing suits, a feast for any man's eyes.
He smiled, appreciating that this little battle was about to become part of their family vacation.
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