"Gary?!"
Ash blurted out the name without thinking.
Hearing that, Gary slightly lowered his head, narrowed his eyes, and looked at Ash as if he were a complete stranger. Then he deliberately put on a look of surprise.
"Oh wow, isn't this the kid who was late on the very first day of his journey?" Gary said, pretending to think hard. "Let me remember… Ash? Or was it… Crash?"
Ash instantly bristled, nearly charging forward with a Pallet Town–style wild punch.
At that moment, a sailor walked over and shouted sharply. Judging by his stiff posture, he was clearly a Team Rocket grunt in disguise.
"Hey! Illegal boarding! You've got three seconds to jump off, or I'm calling the authorities!"
After all, if anyone could board freely, how were they supposed to accurately target wealthy passengers and happily kidnap them?
"Hmph. With a face as handsome as mine, I can board anywhere I want—uh, but since you clearly lack taste…"
Seeing the sailor pull out an electric baton, Gary immediately changed his tone and produced a ticket.
Ignoring the looks around him, Gary leapt down lightly, smoothly recalling his Wartortle in midair.
"I'm the real elite here!"
Ash and the others: "…"
Less like an elite, more like a walking sucker.
Gary then glanced back at Ash and the others, scanning the crowd with a puzzled look.
"Huh? Where's that stupid woman?"
Ash was just about to answer when Gary suddenly threw his head back and burst into wild laughter, his tongue practically vibrating in the air.
"She's not blocking me at the entrance, is she? That's hilarious! Hahahaha!"
Ash and the others: "…"
For once, Ash didn't know how to refute that.
Leaf—defeated again and again, with nowhere left to fall.
"Achoo!"
At the ticket entrance, Leaf—carrying a massive shovel—suddenly sneezed.
"Damn it! That flea still hasn't shown up?!"
She stomped angrily, staring helplessly as more and more people boarded the ship.
The luxurious, upper-class aura drifting from the S.S. Anne made her itch with envy, and her hatred for Gary increased by several tons.
No problem. I can wait all day.
Two hours passed. It was already noon—still no sign of the flea.
Another two hours passed. Afternoon—still nothing.
Another two hours passed again. Late afternoon, the sun nearly setting—still nothing.
Leaf was on the verge of losing her mind.
Even the Team Rocket grunt disguised as a ticket inspector couldn't stand it anymore. With a fake smile, he asked:
"Heh… no one else is boarding now, miss. Are you getting on? The passageway will be closing in a few minutes."
"Wait!"
She'd already waited eight hours. A few more minutes meant nothing.
That flea must have spotted her from afar and was hiding nearby, waiting for the last moment to sneak aboard.
Just then, a nearby bush rustled.
"Hmph. Hiding there, are you?"
Leaf's momentum surged to its peak. Her shovel came down like lightning—
Clang!
A deafening metallic impact rang out. She'd hit something.
"Uuugh…"
The next moment, a Pokémon rolled out, its body wrapped in blue vines, red shoe-like feet sticking out.
One hit—Tangela was knocked out cold.
"Nice trick! Using a Tangela to distract me while you sneak aboard? Too naïve!"
Hearing movement behind her, Leaf swung the shovel in a full 180-degree arc.
Whoosh—!
The blade stopped less than half an inch from a man's face.
Ticket Inspector: "?!"
Pant… pant…
He was just a Team Rocket parking-lot-tier grunt—did being a ticket inspector really come with life-threatening risks?!
"Hmph. As expected of a flea, still testing my limits."
In battle mode, Leaf's mind raced. Everything within dozens of meters fell under her perception.
Sand. Bushes. Water. Airflow.
Beep beep beep.
Her Pokédex suddenly started ringing like a phone.
She tapped it, though her eyes continued scanning the surroundings.
Trying to distract me with a call so you can sneak aboard?
Hmph. Clever—for a flea.
But then Ash's familiar voice came through.
"Hey! We were partying earlier and forgot to tell you—Gary sneaked aboard from the back this morning! Hurry up and get on, we're about to start the cruise banquet!"
Leaf: "?!"
Crack!
With a burst of strength, she snapped the shovel clean in half.
Hot tears slowly streamed down her cheeks.
This world was deeply unfair to her.
At dusk, with Leaf finally aboard, the S.S. Anne retracted its boarding bridge and officially set sail.
Ballroom
The hall glittered with gold and crystal, large enough to accommodate nearly a thousand guests.
Orchestral music filled the air. Everyone was impeccably dressed, elegant and refined—the very image of high society.
Honestly, if you weren't wearing a tuxedo and holding a wine glass, you barely qualified to appear in this chapter.
High-society banquets were practically offices for the elite, making Ash and his companions stand out awkwardly.
Most of the guests were wealthy elites—kidnapping them for ransom was Team Rocket's primary objective for this "team-building exercise."
There were also some promising young Trainers aboard. Their rare, high-potential Pokémon—still unrefined—were also valuable targets.
"Welcome, everyone, to the S.S. Anne's seven-day ocean voyage! We hope you all enjoy a wonderful journey!"
An elderly man in a tuxedo, wearing round transparent glasses over one eye, stood on stage as host, rattling off polite formalities.
The crowd applauded.
Ash didn't understand a word. He was busy stuffing his face with Pikachu.
"These people are so dumb—no one's even eating."
"Pikachu, let's eat more! The more we eat, the healthier we get!"
"Pika-pika munch munch!"
"Next, please welcome our special guest—Professor Oak's grandson, Mr. Gary Oak!"
On stage, the host handed the microphone to a spiky-haired boy.
Even facing a thousand people, Gary showed no nervousness—only growing arrogance.
Smug, flamboyant, and utterly unrestrained.
"Hello everyone! I'm Gary Oak from Pallet Town—the future strongest Pokémon Trainer! Hahahahaha!"
Facing a thousand people, he was still bouncing with energy.
Pfft—
Ash spat out his food, staring at the stage in shock.
How did this guy end up there?!
Isn't this way too arrogant?!
Gary was arrogant, sure—but Ash remembered him having at least some sense.
On stage, Gary continued laughing wildly, looking every bit like a rich playboy.
The audience applauded enthusiastically.
They were all elites—sharp-eyed enough to tell that this was just a spoiled heir riding on his grandfather's fame.
Still, Professor Oak's name commanded respect, so no one mocked him openly.
"Gary, isn't this a bit much?"
A calm voice echoed in Gary's mind.
It was Green.
"Big bro Green, you've never been a rich heir. Being one means acting this arrogant."
Outwardly laughing, inwardly Gary was perfectly composed.
He was acting.
Days ago, Gary had already learned that this ship was a Team Rocket trap.
Yet he boarded anyway.
Crushing criminal organizations was every Trainer's duty—and it ignited his fighting spirit.
With the enemy hidden and himself exposed, pretending to be an idiotic rich kid was the best way to catch them off guard.
"Big bro Green, I've got this. Watch my moves."
Green: "…"
I'm a rich heir too, okay?!
In a corner of the ballroom, while everyone watched the stage with forced smiles, a short-haired man revealed a faint, appreciative grin.
He had short teal hair, hands clasped behind his back, and looked a few years older than Ash. Calm, refined, and dressed in an elegant tuxedo—every bit a noble.
"As expected of Professor Oak's grandson. Acting arrogant on purpose, yet never stopping his observation of the entire hall."
The stage was indeed the best vantage point.
But the next moment, cold malice flashed in the man's eyes.
"Hmph. Crude acting. An undeveloped genius is meaningless."
"So, boss… should we take him out first?" a subordinate asked quietly.
"No need. Just a brat. This operation must not fail."
"Yes, boss."
The subordinate bowed respectfully.
"Boss, there are two other Trainers from Pallet Town aboard as well."
The teal-haired man frowned slightly.
Pallet Town hadn't produced many famous Trainers lately—but Professor Oak alone demanded caution.
If Gary wasn't ordinary, what about the other two?
He followed his subordinate's pointing finger.
A plainly dressed boy, wearing a promotional cap from their company's event last year.
On the table beside him sat an unusually fat Electric-type mouse.
"That Electric mouse is… really fat," the man muttered.
At that moment, the boy raised his head and locked eyes with him.
"I can't read him at all?!"
The man's expression changed instantly.
There was no scheming. No calculation.
This was the most perfect disguise.
Simplicity returning to nature?
At such a young age—terrifying.
Since their eyes had already met, retreating would look suspicious.
He steadied himself, put on a professional smile, lifted his wine glass, and approached.
"My name is Boros. I'm a Trainer from the Johto region, currently training to improve Pokémon combat."
He introduced himself gracefully.
Ash wiped his hands, about to greet him—
When his Pokédex suddenly vibrated.
A familiar mechanical voice sounded.
"Beep. Target identified. Boros—real name unknown. Codename: Apollo. Core executive of Team Rocket. Confidant of Boss Giovanni. General Director of the Rainbow Group, a large multinational corporation. One of Team Rocket's future successors."
Apollo: "…"
Ash: "…"
Their eyes met.
And the scene instantly fell into awkward silence.
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