At two in the afternoon, a massive white cruise liner lay docked at Vermilion City's harbor: the S.S. Anne.
Its pristine white hull gleamed in the sunlight. The harbor was packed, with Trainers leading their Pokémon everywhere.
"Oh my gosh, this is so luxurious!" May stared at the enormous ship.
"Stop gawking. Let's get our tickets checked and board," Lin Hao urged.
"You've got some nerve!" May shot him a fierce glare. That ticket had just eaten up half a month's salary, and the expense hurt enough to make her flinch.
"As an Investigator, this is the price you must pay for the truth." Lin Hao held his chin up defiantly.
The three followed the crowd onto the deck. "This ship is full of big-name Trainers from Kanto," May said, looking around.
She had barely finished speaking when a deafening cry erupted from the crowd. "Look over there! That red-and-white cap!"
"Oh my gosh! It's Red! He's on this ship too!"
A huge crowd immediately surged over, surrounding Red so tightly there wasn't a gap to be found.
"You're a legend! Can I have your autograph?"
"Red! Please battle me!"
Red stood there without a word, tugging his cap lower without looking up. Taking advantage of the chaos, Lin Hao grabbed May and slipped out of the crowd.
"That was terrifying." Lin Hao patted his chest. "The troubles of being famous."
"You actually abandoned your 'good friend' and ran?" May gave him a scornful look.
"Better him than me." Lin Hao spread his hands. "Come on, let's go to the top-floor restaurant. I'm starving."
The panoramic buffet restaurant on the ship's top floor had a spacious dining hall, with long tables laden with all kinds of premium seafood.
There were king crab legs as thick as an arm, translucent bluefin tuna sashimi, and grilled lobsters bigger than a face.
Lin Hao grabbed five plates and launched into a feeding frenzy. "Pikachu, eat all you want. Don't hold back." He grabbed a plate for Pikachu too.
"Pika!" Pikachu's eyes lit up, and Pikachu dashed straight for the premium grilled meat section.
Carrying a plate of oysters, Lin Hao found a sofa in a corner and sat down. May sat opposite him with a glass of juice, looking utterly resigned.
"You really did come just to freeload." May watched him wolf down his food.
"Obviously." Lin Hao stuffed a piece of tuna into his mouth. "Ordinary people have to make every penny count."
While the two tucked into their feast, three figures in server uniforms were peeking furtively out from beside the kitchen door in a corner of the restaurant.
"Jessie, there are so many rich people here, meow!" Meowth pushed a cart piled with empty plates, practically drooling.
"Obviously!" Jessie lowered her voice. "This is the S.S. Anne! The whole ship is full of top-quality Pokémon!"
"Once the ship reaches international waters, we'll steal all their Pokémon!" James let out a sinister laugh.
"Heh heh heh! The boss is sure to promote us then, meow!" The more Meowth thought about it, the more pleased Meowth became.
Then Meowth's gaze swept across the corner of the restaurant, and the laughter caught in Meowth's throat. Those eyes landed on the back of someone devouring oysters.
That familiar, languid posture. That yellow rat clutching grilled meat and gnawing away. "M-meow..." Every hair on Meowth's body stood on end.
"What's wrong, Meowth? Having a seizure?" Jessie prodded Meowth.
"It's... it's that monster, meow!" Meowth grabbed Jessie's leg, voice shaking badly.
"What monster?"
"The one from Viridian Forest! The monster with a whole bunch of Legendary Pokémon backing him up, meow!" Meowth sounded close to tears. "What's he doing on this ship, meow?!"
Jessie and James looked where Meowth pointed, and both their faces instantly turned deathly pale.
"Damn it! Why does that walking disaster keep haunting us?!" Jessie nearly flung away the tray in her hands.
"Cancel the plan! Absolutely cancel it! We've got to get off this ship!" James turned to run.
"Hoooo!" A horn sounded, and the cruise liner shuddered.
"It's too late, meow..." Meowth pointed out the window in despair. "The ship's already moving, meow..." The Team Rocket Trio clung to each other, huddling into a ball.
Having finally shaken off his fans, Red entered the restaurant and headed straight for Lin Hao's table.
The Trainers around him immediately cleared a path, their gazes all settling on Lin Hao.
"Who's that guy? How does he get to sit at the same table as Red?"
"No idea. He looks pretty shabby, and his table manners are awful."
Red sat beside Lin Hao without a word.
"Want some?" Lin Hao offered him a lobster.
"Not hungry." Red shook his head.
Just then, a shout rang out across the restaurant. "Hey! You in the red cap! Battle me!"
A young man wearing an expensive suit, his hair slicked back to a glossy shine, strode over. It was Xiao Ming, a well-known Trainer from a wealthy family in Vermilion City.
Red didn't even look up, ignoring him completely. Humiliated, Xiao Ming's face flushed bright red.
"You dare ignore me?!" Xiao Ming gritted his teeth. Then he looked at Lin Hao beside Red, and his eyes shifted.
"If Red thinks I'm beneath him, what about you?!" Xiao Ming pointed at Lin Hao. "You're with him, right? Have you got the guts to battle me?"
Lin Hao put down his crab leg and sighed. "Seriously, is there something wrong with you?" He pulled out a napkin to wipe his hands.
"What did you say?!"
"I'm just an ordinary guy eating at a buffet." Lin Hao stood up. "If you want a beating, go ask him. Leave me alone."
"Scared?" Xiao Ming sneered. "If you're a coward, get the hell off this ship!"
The people around them began egging them on too. Eager to stir up trouble, May chimed in from the side. "Lin Hao, he's calling you out by name."
Red turned to look at Lin Hao too. "Fight him," he said. "I want to see."
Lin Hao steadied his breathing, looked at the unfinished seafood on his plate, then glanced at the arrogant Xiao Ming.
"Fine." Lin Hao picked up Pikachu, who was still eating meat. "Let's go to the battle deck. The sooner we finish, the sooner I can come back for round two."
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