S.S. Anne

"Ah, about that..." Brock shook his head with a bitter smile, never expecting that the first sentence of their reunion would be about who looked older! Still, he knew Xia You was joking, which was a way to close the distance between them, so he also spread his hands. "Maybe it's because I have nine younger brothers and sisters to take care of, so I've been working myself too hard."

"Oh right," Ash asked, "Are you coming with us to the port now?"

Xia You asked in confusion, "What are you guys going to the port for?"

"Just now in the city center, someone gave us a ticket to a luxury cruise ship," Misty explained. "The person who gave it away said that a grand Pokémon Trainer banquet is going to be held there, organized by a major conglomerate. Many people will attend, it's going to be a lot of fun, and everything is completely free!"

"There's something that good?" Xia You frowned. "How does it sound so much like a scam?"

Seeing that Xia You didn't believe it, Ash pulled a ticket out of his pocket.

"It's real, look, this is the ticket for that cruise ship, and we just saw on our way here that a lot of people have already rushed over to the port."

"Even so..." Looking at that ticket, Xia You couldn't help asking, "There's only one ticket, though. How do the three of you plan to get on?"

Ash opened the ticket, letting Xia You see the word 'Group' written on it.

"Hehe, this is a group ticket, so as many people as want to can go. If you want to go too, come with us."

Xia You looked closely at the ticket. Printed on the front was a photo of a luxury cruise ship, and beside it was a large heading-S.S. Anne.

S.S. Anne?

Xia You was stunned. Wasn't this the famous wrecked ship from the anime?!

Not noticing Xia You's hesitation, Ash kept talking in an excited and non-stop tone, "Battling and exchanging information with Pokémon Trainers from different places, and even seeing a lot of Pokémon we've never seen before—it's going to be awesome!"

"That's right, that's right!" Brock nodded in agreement, his mind running wild with thoughts. "And there's definitely going to be lots of delicious food there, along with pretty older girls!"

Even in Misty's eyes, a yearning light flickered. "A leisurely boat trip, lying on the deck and sunbathing-just thinking about it is so exciting."

While the three of them were daydreaming, Xia You was pondering another issue in his mind.

If he remembered correctly, shortly after the S.S. Anne set sail, it was attacked by Team Rocket, encountered a storm, and ultimately sank to the bottom of the sea under the ravages of huge waves.

For a cruise ship with such a high construction cost to just sink like that, the lost property must be at least several billion...

However, on second thought, Xia You figured that even if he kindly reminded them and issued an early warning, he probably wouldn't be able to change its fate.

Since Team Rocket could infiltrate the S.S. Anne, they must have made thorough preparations. Without evidence, rashly intervening would not only fail to attract the captain's attention, but would instead arouse Team Rocket's vigilance. Being too obvious might even draw the attention of the banquet's organizer, which was Team Rocket's behind-the-scenes Boss, Giovanni!

As for that storm...

Although Xia You didn't know much about matters at sea, when a cruise ship this large set sail, it would definitely pay attention to relevant weather information in advance.

Since the captain allowed them to set sail, it meant that either Team Rocket suddenly changed the cruise ship's course, or that huge storm capable of flipping the cruise ship formed suddenly!

"Huh? Xia You, what are you thinking about?" Seeing Xia You remain silent for a long time, Misty couldn't help asking. "Well, are you coming with us or not?"

Xia You nodded. "Of course I'm coming. I was just wanting to go check it out myself."

The group arrived at the port of Vermilion City. As soon as they stepped foot there, they saw many boats of varying sizes docked along the coastline, but the largest and most luxurious among them was undoubtedly the S.S. Anne.

Its height of over a dozen stories made this behemoth the most deservedly dazzling presence at the port.

The S.S. Anne was a world-famous luxury cruise liner. It was said that it stopped at Vermilion City once every year before setting sail for other places on a world cruise.

Just as Ash had said, there were indeed many Pokémon Trainers carrying their own Pokémon, checking their tickets and boarding the ship at the pier.

The closer they got, the more they could be awed by this cruise ship.

"Whoa, it's really huge!" Misty raised her head, gazing upward, and let out an exclamation. "Are we actually taking this ship out to sea?"

Just as Ash and the others were about to board the ship, however, Xia You stopped them first.

"Wait a moment, let me buy some things first."

With that, he walked over to a nearby diving supply store and, after picking and choosing for a long time, bought a pair of diving goggles and a simple breathing apparatus from inside.

They were really expensive...

After buying these two items, the savings he had previously accumulated through part-time work were reduced to just a small fraction.

Seeing Xia You pay and pack them into his backpack with a heavy expression, Ash asked curiously, "What are you buying these things for?"

"My swimming skills aren't very good. These things might come in handy at some point."

Xia You chose not to tell Ash and the others the truth. After all, it still belonged to things that hadn't happened yet, and for various considerations, these individuals were all blessed with good fortune and could always turn danger into safety. Even if the S.S. Anne really sank, they would definitely have a way to escape.

Queuing up, checking tickets, and boarding.

When Xia You and the others stepped onto the gangway, crossed the deck, they arrived at a magnificent hall.

The hall was tall, wide, and tremendously spacious. Reflected by the golden decorations and countless crystal chandeliers, one could see that it was already packed with all sorts of tourists. On top of the red carpet, long tables were set out, laden with rich food available for people to sample at any time.

Xia You walked into the crowd and looked around.

Whether they were acquaintances or meeting for the first time, people were enthusiastically communicating with one another, talking about the interesting anecdotes of their journeys and discussing the Pokémon in their hands. Everyone's face brimmed with smiles, and they seemed very satisfied with this cruise ship.

On both sides of the hall, there were also some vendors selling various commodities.

From small items like ear studs and earrings, to medium ones like action figures, all the way to large Pokémon plushies-everything was available. The sounds of conversation, hawking, and bargaining were ceaseless, making the scene lively and extraordinary.

If there was one thing that drew the most attention, however, it had to be the Pokémon battle currently being held in the center of the hall, surrounded by layers of onlookers.

This battle was organized spontaneously by the travelers. The two Pokémon Trainers were a middle-aged man wearing a suit and a young boy wearing a green shirt.

Their Pokémon were a Rattata battling a Starmie.