St. Anne

"All right, I'm heading out. See you tomorrow." Tetsuya tossed out those words and ran off.

Brock was used to it by now and simply went about his own business.

As Tetsuya walked back, he thought about the favor Brock had asked him to handle today.

It was understandable. After all, Brock had a whole group of younger siblings to look after. Apparently, he didn't trust outsiders to care for them, and Gym Leader Brock was also too busy to spare the time.

Besides, Tetsuya was still under seventeen and stronger than Brock, so it made perfect sense to send him.

After so many battles, Brock had probably figured out that Tetsuya's Combusken didn't have Champion Potential. But it wasn't a big problem.

What Tetsuya feared wasn't the League and other forces operating in the open. They still had rules to follow, after all.

Just as he had considered before, as long as Zero wasn't exposed, even if Combusken's possible Champion Potential was revealed, it wouldn't be too dangerous.

After all, Pewter Gym had already taken notice of his talent and invested in him. Pewter Gym wouldn't stoop to stealing someone's Pokemon.

Other forces wouldn't risk offending Pewter Gym to steal a Pokemon whose Champion Potential wasn't even certain.

Even if they secretly stole it and were later discovered, they would still have to apologize to Pewter Gym and return it. The loss would outweigh the gain.

What he feared most were poaching groups and the like setting their sights on him and costing him his life.

For internal competitions like this one, it didn't matter. But he still needed to be careful in other competitions.

Tetsuya looked over the profiles of contestants from the other Gyms that Brock had sent him and gave them a rough scan.

"So basically, this is a competition between kids." Tetsuya flipped through the files. Including himself, there were thirty-two contestants. Seventeen of them had only recently turned sixteen, and their Starter Pokemon were all still at Normal Level, let alone having a second Pokemon.

Another eight were slightly older, with two Pokemon each at Normal Level. Three others had Starter Pokemon that had broken through to Elite.

The remaining three, like him, were trainers who had received investment. They were all just over seventeen.

"So my opponents are those last three." Looking at the three familiar photos, Tetsuya fell into thought.

Forget it, he would see when the time came. Even if he didn't win the championship, there was still two million to earn. He shook his head and restrained himself from overthinking.

Either way, he was helping a friend out.

Ten days later, four in the afternoon.

Vermilion City was a city in the Kanto Region, located at the southern sea entrance. It was an international port city visited even by luxury cruise ships.

It was mainly divided into two areas: the central city district and the harbor district.

Countless cargo ships and cruise ships came and went through the harbor district every day, driving the continued growth of the Regional Economy.

The S.S. Aqua traveled back and forth between Olivine City in the Johto Region and Vermilion Harbor; ten Sea Rapidash ferries sailed from Vermilion Harbor to the Sevrii Islands.

But the most famous of all was the St. Anne, which cruised around the world and returned to Vermilion Harbor only once a year.

Tetsuya arrived at Vermilion City Harbor, dusty from the road, and immediately spotted the luxury cruise ship docked in the distance.

It couldn't be helped. Among all the ordinary cruise ships, the St. Anne was simply too massive and extravagant.

Its white hull, golden decorations, and several stacked decks made it impossible to look away.

Up close, the St. Anne looked even more enormous. Tetsuya took out his ticket for the guard to inspect.

The guard scanned the ticket with a machine, then respectfully gestured for Tetsuya to enter.

The residents watching nearby looked at Tetsuya with envy. They couldn't board the St. Anne.

Tetsuya strolled aboard. The moment he entered the ship's interior, an attendant approached him.

"Hello, Mr. Tetsuya Tamaki. You are holding a VIP room ticket for the St. Anne, located in one of the best viewing spots on the fourth deck.

Would you like me to first give you an overview of all the facilities aboard the St. Anne?"

"A brief introduction will be enough, thank you." Tetsuya smiled slightly at the attendant.

"Certainly. It would be my honor. Please follow me." The attendant gave a slight bow, then gestured ahead with his right hand.

"The St. Anne has six decks in total. The second deck contains standard rooms, while the fourth deck contains VIP rooms.

The first deck is where we currently are. It mainly contains various entertainment facilities. From left to right, there are the Game Center, theater, bar, library, gym, hot spring baths, card and board game room, and an all-day buffet restaurant.

The outer deck features an open swimming pool and water park.

The third and fifth decks contain battle arenas and training grounds for trainers, but they are only open from nine in the morning to six in the evening. Outside those hours, they are closed out of consideration for our guests' rest and for cleaning. We ask for your understanding.

The sixth deck is a semi-open banquet venue. It is only available to VIP room guests such as yourself, as well as a small number of standard room guests. It will open on the second and third evenings after the St. Anne departs, and you will be notified by a dedicated staff member at that time.

Each deck also has supporting basic facilities. If you have any needs or questions, you may ask any attendant at any time."

As he led Tetsuya toward his room, the attendant gave him the brief introduction to the St. Anne's layout that he had requested.

It truly deserved to be called a luxury cruise ship. Every facility was comprehensive.

At the door to the room, the attendant bowed slightly. "This is your room. You only need to swipe your ID Card to enter. It is linked to your identity.

If you have no further requests, I will take my leave."

"Thank you very much. I don't need anything else." Tetsuya took his ID Card from his backpack and swiped it against the lock. The door opened, and he went inside.

"May you have a pleasant journey aboard the St. Anne." The attendant bid him farewell and went downstairs to continue his work.

Tetsuya entered the room and raised an eyebrow.

Before him was a floor-to-ceiling glass window, beyond which stretched the boundless sea and the beautiful afterglow of the setting sun.

"Ah, this feels amazing."

Tetsuya sighed, tossed his backpack onto the bed, and lay down on the soft sofa.

He opened the refrigerator beside him, took out a can of drink, cracked it open, and took a sip. It was included in the ticket price anyway, so he didn't have to pay for it himself.

"It's even in commemorative packaging. Rich people really are awful." He glanced at it. It cost three times as much as the regular version of the same drink. The joys of a rich person's life truly were beyond imagination.

As for drinking even more expensive red wine?

Tetsuya considered himself a common man. Expensive drinks were already his limit; red wine was something he simply couldn't appreciate.

After all, in this world, even fruits grown specifically for human consumption were difficult to cultivate. The price of a single bottle of red wine was far beyond what ordinary people could afford.

"No, I can't be this lazy." After sprawling there for nearly fifteen minutes, Tetsuya struggled to his feet.

"I'll take a shower first. Riding that electric scooter all the way here has left my back aching. Maybe I should sell it and get another one. The comfort really is mediocre." Stretching his sore body, Tetsuya headed for the bathroom.

He pushed open the door. "Wow, is this how rich people even do bathrooms?"

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