The fishing boat's engine rumbled low in the darkness. After Red adjusted their heading ten degrees north, he left the wheel untouched.
Lin Hao leaned against the railing, Pikachu curled up beside his legs. The sea breeze kept buffeting the brim of his cap.
His phone vibrated. He took it out, and Morty's name flashed on the screen. "The report on the destruction of Team Galactic's Whirl Islands base has been submitted to the League. Also, there's a problem with Cyrus's equipment at Spear Pillar."
Lin Hao tapped the latter message. "What problem?"
Morty replied quickly. "You blew up his undersea energy relay station. The frequency collection chain is broken, so he has to build a new transmission line."
"How long?"
"Intelligence estimates at least seven to ten days."
Lin Hao stared at the numbers, then held the phone right in front of Red. Red glanced at it and took his hand off the wheel. "No rush to get to Sinnoh, then?"
"Not for now." Lin Hao slipped his phone back into his pocket and straightened against the railing. "We demolished his relay station. The three-day deadline is off."
Inside System Space, Ho-Oh held back for ages before finally blurting out, "Master, then we..."
"This isn't a break," Mewtwo interrupted. "We have more time to prepare."
Lin Hao ignored the argument in the space and turned to Red. "The Johto League's Silver Conference starts next week."
Red leaned halfway out of the wheelhouse. "You entering?"
"I've collected all eight badges."
"Short on money?"
Lin Hao pressed his thumb against his temple. The sea breeze poured into his collar, and he tugged his zipper up. "I need a legitimate reason to stay in Johto. If Cyrus's intelligence network finds out I'm competing in the League, he won't realize I'm laying the