"Kill them!" One of the men in black immediately reached for the Poké Ball at his waist.
Bang! Bang! Two flashes of red light revealed a Weezing and an oversized Golbat, completely blocking their retreat from the dock.
"Kid, bad luck for you two. You saw something you shouldn't have!" The man in black stared at Lin Hao.
Lin Hao shook his head, glanced at the men in black, then at the luxury speedboat sitting on the water. "See?" He turned to May. "I told you there'd be a boat."
May was about to lose her mind. "That's someone else's smuggling boat! They're going to kill us to keep us quiet!"
"Why turn down a free boat?" Completely unruffled, Lin Hao reached up and tapped the Pikachu dozing on his shoulder. "Pikachu, pay the fare."
"Pika?" Pikachu reluctantly opened one eye, looked at the two Pokémon opposite them, and gave a bored yawn.
"Weezing! Use Sludge Bomb!"
"Golbat! Use Poison Fang!"
Both men in black gave their lethal orders at once. A purple bomb of venom and fangs glowing violet came rushing toward them.
"Look out!" May frantically reached for a Poké Ball.
"Pikachu, give them a quick sweep." Lin Hao didn't even glance over.
"Pika!" Pikachu pushed off with those little legs, and a dazzling silver light burst from the tail.
There were no flashy movements. Pikachu spun in midair and casually swung that silver tail.
Bang!
Bang! The heavy impacts overlapped. Weezing and Golbat didn't even have time to scream.
They flew straight backward and slammed into a shipping container dozens of meters away, instantly knocked unconscious.
"What?!" Both men in black stared in disbelief.
Pikachu landed steadily, flicked the dust off that tail in disgust, and hopped back onto Lin Hao's shoulder.
With his hands in his pockets, Lin Hao strolled over to the two men in black. "This boat is mine now. Any objections?"
The men shrank back. "N-no objections!"
Splash! Splash! Without hesitation, the two men jumped into the icy seawater and paddled desperately away.
Lin Hao nodded in satisfaction, stepped aboard the speedboat, and settled into the driver's seat.
"What are you standing there for? Get aboard." Lin Hao beckoned to May.
May awkwardly climbed onto the speedboat. She looked at the bewildering array of gauges and the steering wheel before her. "Do you know how to drive a speedboat?"
"No," Lin Hao answered frankly.
"Then why did you steal it?!" May clutched her head.
"This thing should work pretty much like a game console, right?" Lin Hao casually pulled down a lever.
The speedboat's engine roared violently. Its bow jerked upward, and it cut through the waves, shooting out onto the dark sea.
"Aaaaah! Slow down! You're going to hit the rocks!" May's screams rang out over the water.
After traveling across the sea for a long while, the speedboat steadied. Lin Hao leaned back in his seat and dozed with his eyes closed. May huddled at the stern, curled into a ball in the cold wind.
Just then, the League Encrypted Communicator in May's pocket began vibrating urgently. It was a red emergency override call-the highest priority level!
May looked at the screen and quickly pressed the answer button. A holographic screen popped up above the Communicator.
The screen split into three feeds: Kanto League Champion Lance, Ice-type Elite Four member Lorelei, and League President Charles Goodshow.
That lineup was enough to scare any League Investigator to their knees. "President! Champion Lance! Master Lorelei!" May hastily lowered her voice and saluted.
"May," Lance said, looking at the screen. "Is Lin Hao with you?"
May glanced at Lin Hao, who was snoring up front. "Yes. He's asleep."
On the screen, Lorelei adjusted her glasses. "I fought him this afternoon." She lowered her voice. "I used Lapras."
"And the result?" President Charles Goodshow asked, stroking his beard.
"My Lapras was forced back by his Charizard in a single move." Lorelei paused.
Silence fell over the holographic screen. President Charles Goodshow's hand trembled, pulling out several strands of his beard.
"He forced back an Elite Four member's main Pokémon in one move?!" Charles Goodshow was speechless for a long moment.
"That's not even the most outrageous part," Lance said. "Lt. Surge just sent word. Lin Hao used an unevolved Pikachu to overpower Raichu's Volt Absorb Ability head-on and knock Raichu out instantly."
"That's impossible!" Lorelei exclaimed. "The laws of physics don't allow that!"
"But he did it." Lance said nothing more.
"Um, everyone," May whispered. "Just now, he used that Pikachu to send two men in black's main Pokémon flying with a single swing of the tail. We're currently drifting at sea in the speedboat he stole."
"President." Lance looked at Charles Goodshow. "If Team Rocket recruits a monster of this caliber, Kanto is finished."
"We have to arrest him!" Lorelei said grimly. "He's a serious wildcard!"
"Arrest him?" Charles Goodshow shook his head. "Lorelei, are you confident you can capture him?"
Lorelei fell silent. "Keep him appeased, whatever the cost!" Charles Goodshow ordered without hesitation.
He turned to May. "Investigator May."
"Yes, sir!"
"Your assignment is now a top-secret League mission!" Charles Goodshow's tone was stern. "Whatever he wants-food, drinks, entertainment-the League will cover it all! You must keep a close eye on him and make him think favorably of the League!"
"Even if he wants you to throw yourself at him, you have to agree!" Charles Goodshow added.
May's face flushed bright red. "President! I'm an Investigator, not a drinking hostess!"
"That's an order!" Charles Goodshow's tone was forceful. "Also, we've already secretly dispatched Koga from Fuchsia City to protect him covertly and assess his threat level."
"Beep." The call forcibly disconnected. May held the Communicator, gripping it without a word. As if throwing myself at him weren't bad enough, now this is a high-level mission for the entire League?
Just then, Lin Hao coughed twice from the driver's seat. "Why'd it go quiet?" He tapped the dashboard.
The speedboat's engine had abruptly stopped. With all power gone, the boat bobbed on the water, drifting with the current.
"What's wrong?" May hurried over.
Lin Hao pointed at the blinking red light on the dashboard. "Out of fuel," he answered casually.
"Out of fuel?!" May practically jumped in panic. "We're in the middle of the ocean! And you're telling me we're out of fuel?!"
"How would an ordinary person know this lousy boat guzzled so much fuel?" Lin Hao yawned.
"Then where do we go now?! Cinnabar Island isn't even in this direction!"
Lin Hao rose and pointed toward the distant horizon, where the faint light of dawn was breaking. A coastline covered in primeval forest was faintly coming into view.
"Just let it drift." Lin Hao stood up. "As long as there's somewhere to get breakfast."
May glanced at the navigation display, her expression turning strange. "Lin Hao."
"What?"
"Your blind driving has brought us to Kanto's most dangerous gathering ground for Poison-type Pokémon." May's breath caught.
"The coast outside Fuchsia City."
"Whatever city." Lin Hao rubbed his stomach and looked toward the distant beach. "Wait, is there something lying over there?"
Before you continue