"Boss, the St. Anne's plan failed. The trainers on board strongly resisted. We didn't manage to steal many Pokémon, and the St. Anne has already sunk to the bottom of the sea."
At this moment, at Team Rocket's headquarters, Giovanni sat in the darkness, looking at the large screen in front of him. Listening to the report from his subordinate, the dark room was immediately filled with an atmosphere that made one dare not breathe.
Even the subordinate on the other side of the large screen dared not breathe, and cold sweat dripped uncontrollably from his forehead.
"Explain clearly!"
"Yes! The plan was going smoothly, but a young boy suddenly attacked us. The other trainers, influenced by him, all began to fight back! Their numbers were too great, and we were truly no match."
Upon hearing this, the subordinate quickly explained the situation. Giovanni, in the darkness, gently stroked Persian, who was lying on the rug beside him.
Persian is Meowth's evolved form, a four-legged feline Pokémon, but much larger than an ordinary cat. It has a bright red ruby on its forehead.
"What about that boy's identity??"
"Yes! That boy is named Ash. He is from Pallet Town. He is a trainer who recently received a Pokémon from Professor Oak in Pallet Town, with the goal of collecting badges and participating in the Pokémon League."
The subordinate knew Giovanni's habits. If a mission failed, he would definitely want to know the reason, so he had already investigated thoroughly. A photo quickly appeared on the screen, showing a boy with a Pikachu, which was Ash.
"You're saying you were defeated by a rookie trainer, are you?" Hearing this, Giovanni's expression began to darken.
"Please forgive us, Boss. This one is very strong. We heard that Jessie and James have always been defeated by this boy!" Since Jessie and James weren't there, they could only pass the buck.
"Hmph! A bunch of useless fools. You can't even do this simple task, ruining my plans, losing the St. Anne, and still daring to ask me for an advance on your salary!" Hearing this, Giovanni immediately became furious, and the nearby Persian trembled slightly.
The construction of the St. Anne had cost a lot of money. If the plan had succeeded, it could have been used repeatedly, but now they had no choice but to destroy it themselves.
Even Team Rocket's money was not inexhaustible. Building this one St. Anne had cost a lot. The subordinate listened, not daring to breathe.
"This mission ends here. Shake off those police officers first!"
"Yes!" The subordinate breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Then he hung up the phone. The room was silent for a moment. Giovanni proactively dialed a number.
"What are your orders, Boss?" A female voice quickly came from the screen.
"The St. Anne plan has failed, costing us a lot of confidence. As for Pokémon Land, you personally keep an eye on it. That's an important source of our funds, and there can be no problems." Giovanni said grimly to the figure on the screen.
"Yes!"
As his words fell, the communication was cut, and the room fell silent again. Giovanni looked at the unclosed screen, which still displayed Ash's photo.
"Pallet Town? Hmph! A bunch of trouble-making brats."
He spoke coldly, looking at the photo, then turned off the electronic screen.
At this moment, Giovanni didn't notice that through the crack in the door, a figure stood outside, seeing everything. Only his back was visible, but his red hair in the darkness was extremely striking.
Before the screen was turned off, his gaze remained on the photo. After the screen was turned off, he turned and left.
At sea
On the other side, Ash and the others waited on the sea for about half an hour. Pidgeotto finally flew back. It had found land and immediately rushed back.
It then pointed the way for Ash and the others. After receiving Pidgeotto's instructions, they fed Pidgeotto some food, and Squirtle and the others also gathered their strength.
Squirtle, Starmie, Staryu, and Goldeen were tied with ropes, and then Pidgeotto led the way towards the land.
It was a pity they didn't bring Gyarados, otherwise it would have been much easier. However, four Pokémon were enough to pull everyone.
Under Pidgeotto's guidance, they quickly found land, a dense coastline. Although they didn't know where it was, being able to step on land again made the three feel much more at ease.
"That's great, we're finally ashore. I think I won't want to ride a cruise ship for a long time." They originally thought they were lucky to board a luxury cruise ship.
They didn't expect to encounter such a thing. Fortunately, they were safe and sound now. Misty let out a big sigh of relief. Ash and Brock exchanged glances and couldn't help but smile.
"It's getting late. Let's find a place to rest!"
Looking at the sky, after so many things had happened, the sky had already darkened. It seemed they would have to sleep outdoors again tonight. But after what they had experienced, they should be secretly smiling just to be alive. Even staying in a tent was a blessing.
The three found a spot near the coastline and set up camp. Ash released all his Pokémon and had Charmander light a bonfire. The three and their Pokémon sat around the bonfire, creating a warm atmosphere.
They took out all the food collected from the ship and shared it with their Pokémon. Seeing their Pokémon happy, Ash and the others also smiled knowingly.
After a hearty meal, Ash and the others returned to their tent, while the Pokémon rested outside, huddled together.
1.5 Boom!!!
"Hmm?? Ash, Brock, did you hear something?"
In the middle of the night, a sudden roar. Misty was startled awake. Ash and Brock naturally heard it too, and woke up in a daze.
"It must be thunder! This kind of weather is normal by the sea," Brock listened and replied.
Pikachu!!
At this moment, Pikachu and the other Pokémon's voices came from outside. Ash frowned slightly upon hearing this and quickly got up and walked outside. Misty and Brock exchanged glances and followed him.
Outside, the Pokémon were also awake, looking up at the distant sky. The three also looked up and saw a dark shadow gradually approaching in the sky.
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