Outside Box 22, the auction manager and the waiter walked down the corridor without exchanging a word. Neither spoke until they reached a quieter passage, well away from the private rooms.
"Manager, I think the guests in Box 22 have figured something out," the waiter whispered. "Should we report it?"
The waiter was more than an ordinary employee. He was a League investigator working undercover, assigned to the auction as part of a larger operation. The manager, meanwhile, belonged to the family that owned the Black Ship and had recently agreed to cooperate with the League.
They were temporary partners, with the manager responsible for directing the auction staff until the operation began. The investigator had to follow his instructions while maintaining his disguise, and the two were careful not to discuss anything sensitive where guests might overhear them.
"I'll report it myself," the manager replied after considering the situation. "Those two are clearly experienced Trainers. Don't provoke them, and don't do anything suspicious."
He had no intention of taking unnecessary risks. As long as he informed his superiors about the guests in Box 22, any trouble they caused afterward would be someone else's responsibility.
"What about their Pokémon?" the waiter asked. "Are we still going ahead with the auction?"
"Of course. Until the operation begins, everything proceeds exactly as planned. Follow your training, treat the guests normally, and don't give them any reason to suspect something's wrong."
The manager was adamant about that much. He might not be enthusiastic about the operation, but he understood how disastrous even a small mistake could be.
His family had spent years building its Black Ship business, only to hand the entire operation over to the League as part of a deal. The auction was now bait for wanted criminals, violent Trainers, and other dangerous individuals who had been operating throughout the Orange Archipelago.
The manager still couldn't understand why his family had chosen to commit itself so completely to the League.
If the operation succeeded, they would gain a powerful new ally. If it failed, the family could find itself facing retaliation from dozens of criminals who now knew exactly who had betrayed them.
Those criminals might hesitate to attack the League directly, but the family was another matter. Its businesses, properties, and connections were all concentrated in the Orange Archipelago, making it an easy target for anyone seeking revenge.
Perhaps that was simply the price of earning the League's trust.
The family had certainly been offered a substantial reward for its cooperation: an opportunity to establish a Gym on Pummelo Island, where the League maintained its Orange Archipelago headquarters.
They would be the first family to receive such preferential treatment after voluntarily joining the League's side. If they handled the transition properly, they might eventually become an established Gym family like the four that already held so much influence throughout the islands.
But the opportunity wasn't a guarantee. They still needed to prove their value, secure the necessary support, and survive the consequences of tonight's operation.
For the manager, that meant making absolutely certain the auction continued without incident until the League was ready.
There was another detail neither he nor Reiji had realized.
They had actually met before, during the scheme involving Rico's Larvitar. Naoki had joined this same Black Ship, and when the operation concluded on Mikan Island, three masked men had accompanied him.
Those men were the ship's captain and two of his senior officers. The auction manager had been one of them.
At the time, everyone had worn masks and used disguised voices, while the manager himself had remained silent throughout the encounter. Neither side had gotten a proper look at the other, which was why their meeting in Box 22 had passed without recognition.
After confirming that their instructions remained unchanged, the manager and waiter reached an elevator leading to the upper decks. The waiter returned to his post outside the private boxes, ready to continue serving guests as though nothing had happened.
The manager took the elevator to the ship's bridge, straightened his suit, and approached the captain's quarters.
"Come in," a voice answered when he knocked.
Inside, he found the captain and Lance waiting for updates. The manager lowered his head respectfully before delivering his report.
"Captain, Champion Lance, all preparations are complete. There haven't been any major problems so far, but two guests in Box 22 have raised some concerns."
He explained what had happened during the inspection.
"They want to auction two Elite Four-tier Pokémon, a Swampert and a Gyarados. Both are injured, but their strength has been verified. The unusual part is that they insisted on having them sold first. I suspect they may have realized something about our arrangements."
The captain listened before turning to Lance.
"What do you think we should do?"
Lance was personally overseeing the operation, and the captain had no intention of interfering with his decisions. The family's role was to provide the ship, its staff, and whatever assistance the League required.
For the captain, getting through the night without a major mistake was far more important than asserting his authority. The family had gambled its future on this alliance, and he wanted to make sure that gamble paid off.
Lance stood near the window in his dark combat uniform, his cape hanging from his shoulders as he watched another passenger ship approaching through the darkness.
He didn't appear particularly concerned about the two suspicious guests.
"Ignore them. Start evacuating the passengers. Their transport is here."
The second ship had been arranged to receive the ordinary passengers before the League moved against the criminals gathered below.
"Once the evacuation begins, we'll block every signal from this vessel. Slow the ship down and bring it to a complete stop. The sea within a ten-kilometer radius will be frozen."
Lance continued without giving the captain an opportunity to interrupt.
"Nobody comes up from the lower decks unless they're one of ours. I don't care who they are or how they try to escape. Even if someone attempts to slip out beneath the hull, don't let them get away."
The orders left little room for misunderstanding. The League intended to seal off the surrounding waters and prevent anyone attending the underground auction from escaping once the operation began.
"Understood, Champion Lance," the captain replied. He turned toward the manager and ordered him to return downstairs and continue monitoring the auction.
The manager bowed and departed, leaving the captain to coordinate the next stage of the plan.
Once they were alone, the captain picked up the wired telephone beside his desk and called the crew.
"Begin the evacuation. Tell the passengers there's been a gas explosion in the kitchen and a fire has broken out. Keep everyone calm and follow the evacuation procedure."
Almost immediately, an explosion tore through the ship's kitchen.
Flames burst upward, filling the surrounding area with heat and smoke. Passengers nearby recoiled in shock before the first screams broke out, and the peaceful atmosphere of the luxury cruise quickly gave way to panic.
The kitchen hadn't suffered an accident. The explosion was deliberate, staged to provide a convincing reason to evacuate the ship before the League began its raid.
Fortunately for the passengers, the crew had spent weeks preparing for precisely this situation.
Sailors moved quickly through the public areas, directing people toward the designated exits and assuring them that the evacuation was under control. Although the sudden fire frightened everyone, the crew's instructions prevented the situation from turning into a stampede.
There was something peculiar about the explosion, however.
Despite the enormous flames, nobody felt the violent impact that should have accompanied such a powerful blast. Some unseen force appeared to have contained the shockwave and directed it upward, leaving the decks below almost completely unaffected.
Passengers saw the fire and felt its heat, but there was no noticeable shaking beneath their feet. Even those standing relatively close to the kitchen experienced little beyond the rush of hot air.
The auction guests in the lower decks were even more isolated. Thick metal flooring separated the auction hall from the passenger areas, and whatever had controlled the explosion also prevented the disturbance from reaching them.
As far as the buyers were concerned, everything was proceeding normally.
At the same moment, an unseen interference field enveloped the vessel, cutting off its wireless communications. Calls could no longer connect, leaving everyone aboard unable to contact the outside world through their radios or communicators.
The ship had effectively become an isolated prison in the middle of the ocean.
And with Lance preparing to freeze the surrounding waters, even reaching the sea wouldn't necessarily offer a way out.
The League had spent nearly a month preparing this operation. It wasn't about to let a few powerful criminals ruin everything by escaping before the trap closed.
By ten o'clock, the auction hall was packed.
The guests remained blissfully unaware of the evacuation taking place overhead. Their attention was fixed on the stage, where the auction's opening ceremony had just begun.
Two women in fitted evening dresses appeared first, each carrying a tray covered with black cloth. They approached the center of the stage as the audience watched with growing anticipation.
A third woman followed them.
She was tall, with elaborate makeup and a revealing black evening gown slit high along one leg. Carrying a microphone, she walked onto the stage with the practiced confidence of someone accustomed to holding a room's attention.
The effect on the audience was immediate.
Much of the conversation died away as the buyers turned toward her. Several men who had been studying their catalogs abandoned them entirely, far more interested in the attractive host than whatever expensive merchandise was about to be presented.
The organizers had clearly chosen their presenter with the audience in mind.
She greeted the guests with a warm, playful smile and began the usual opening remarks. Ordinarily, that sort of introduction would have bored an audience eager to begin bidding, but the men below seemed perfectly happy to watch her speak.
Some leaned toward their companions to make comments, while others stared openly at the stage. Every small gesture drew an exaggerated reaction from someone in the crowd.
The host appeared entirely comfortable with the attention. She knew exactly how to keep the audience interested, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, she decided it was time to begin.
"Well, I've kept you waiting long enough, haven't I?"
Her voice carried clearly through the hall as she looked over the assembled guests.
"Our first lot tonight is a little unusual. At the seller's special request, we've moved it right to the beginning of the auction."
She gestured toward one of the covered trays.
"And I promise you, gentlemen, you're going to like this one."
The audience quieted as she reached for the black cloth.
With a practiced motion, she pulled it away, revealing a small display plaque containing the details of the first Pokémon up for sale.
At the same moment, three projection screens descended above the stage. Their projectors switched on, enlarging the information so that even buyers seated at the back of the hall could read it clearly.
For a moment, the audience simply studied the display.
Then the words Elite Four tier registered, and excited conversation erupted throughout the auction hall.
An Elite Four-tier Pokémon as the very first lot?
The organizers had certainly chosen an impressive way to open the evening. Pokémon of that strength rarely appeared on the open market, much less as the opening attraction of an underground auction.
The information displayed on all three screens was straightforward.
Auction Lot 1: Swampert
Gender: Male
Strength: Elite Four tier
Condition: Injured, but the injuries are not serious and can be treated. The Pokémon retains its Elite Four-tier strength.
The bidding hadn't even begun, yet the first lot had already succeeded in capturing everyone's attention.
And none of the buyers had any idea what the League was preparing for them above.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]