"There are plenty of small islands to the south, and the farther south you go, the more there are. That's the fairly famous Northern Mariana Islands! They belong to the Federation Empire!"
"The islands in the Northern Mariana Islands are all pretty small, though, so they're hard to see on the map unless you zoom in."
After hearing Uncle Mu's explanation, Xiao Ran and the two women felt a headache coming on. They would have preferred a few isolated islands nearby. At least that would have given them a direction to pursue.
An archipelago was another matter entirely. With so many small islands, how were they supposed to conduct their search?
An archipelago was bound to have people living there, which meant Team Rocket could simply blend into the crowds and vanish again.
"Uncle Mu..." Xiao Ran wanted Uncle Mu to point out the most likely island so they could try searching there first.
But before he could finish, he saw a group of Flying-type Pokémon approaching from the distant horizon, heading after the Airship.
These Flying-type Pokémon were not all of the same species. Among them were Pidgeot and Fearow, commonly found inland, as well as Gyarados and Mantine that skimmed and surged across the water.
Without exception, however, they were all moving fast, and their target was clear: the Venus Airship, which had just flown past.
"Are those... the Solomon Pirates?!" Uncle Mu's expression suddenly changed as he made out the people riding on the Pokémon's backs.
"Quick, hide!" Without another word, Uncle Mu plunged into the sea to avoid being spotted.
Though Xiao Ran and the women were bewildered, this clearly was not the time for questions. They obediently followed Uncle Mu underwater.
Only after a good while, once they were certain the group had left, did