After payment, Xia You put the Magikarp into a Poké Ball, which also meant he had obtained his seventh Pokémon.
Walking through the corridor, the number of tourists gradually decreased. Upon entering the cruise ship's cabin area, even the crew members were rarely seen.
It seemed that most people were temporarily gathered in the hall and on the deck. After all, they had just boarded the ship, and few would think of resting and coming to this inner part of the cruise ship.
After circling around, there was no trace of Team Rocket anywhere. And because there were cameras, Xia You didn't dare to wander around aimlessly. He pretended to go to the restroom and was about to return to the hall when he saw a shadowy figure flash past the corner of the corridor ahead.
Is it Team Rocket?
Xia You glanced at Kirlia and chose to follow quietly.
When he reached the corner and carefully peeked out halfway, he happened to see that figure crouching at the door of a cabin, using a lock pick to try to open the door in front of him.
This was a middle-aged man wearing a brown trench coat, with a suit and tie underneath. He was of medium build, neither fat nor thin. Although his face was serious, exhaustion was clearly visible, likely caused by frequent late nights.
Looking up at the monitor above, Xia You realized that it had been temporarily shielded by an interference device. No wonder this person dared to be so blatant.
The man was fully focused, the lock pick in his hand spinning deftly. With a soft click, the lock opened.
However, before he could feel smug, a shadow slowly appeared on the door panel in front of him, illuminated by the corridor light.
Cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
He put his hand to his waist and quickly turned around, only to see a handsome young man of about twenty years old standing behind him, watching with interest. He had no idea when the other party had appeared.
"Who… who are you?"
Due to extreme tension, his accent even shifted, mixed with a foreign tone.
"Uncle, you're International Police, aren't you?"
"Ah!?" The man's face changed drastically, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest. He immediately denied it.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm not International Police."
"Oh? Is that so?" Xia You said, pulling out a wallet from behind him and shaking it in front of the man.
"But I just picked this up, and there's your ID photo inside."
The middle-aged man hurriedly checked the pocket behind him. Sure enough, his wallet was gone.
"Haha… so that's how it is." He snatched it back, forcing an awkward but polite smile.
"To be honest, I am International Police. I'm currently investigating a large criminal organization. Please, you must keep this secret."
"A criminal organization?" Xia You asked.
"You mean Team Rocket?"
At those words, the man could no longer stay calm. He grabbed Xia You's arm and pulled him into the nearby stairwell.
"How do you know about Team Rocket!?" he whispered urgently.
"There's nothing surprising about that," Xia You replied calmly.
"They're notorious here and have been on wanted lists more than once. It'd be strange if a Trainer didn't know about them."
"That's true." The man nodded, glanced at Kirlia, then asked,
"Are you a Trainer?"
Xia You took out his Pokédex and showed his identification.
"Not just a Trainer, but also a special research investigator for a research institute."
"I see." The man adjusted his collar and spoke seriously.
"Then I apologize for my rudeness. I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Handsome. I'm currently investigating Team Rocket in the Kanto region to stop their criminal activities."
"Your name is Handsome!?"
This time it was Xia You's turn to be shocked. He looked him up and down suspiciously.
"Are you that narcissistic? You don't look handsome at all."
Handsome nearly choked on his own saliva. His face turned slightly red as he coughed a few times.
"How could we use our real names? Handsome is just my codename. Codename!"
"Even so…" Xia You continued staring at him.
"Using Handsome as your codename still feels pretty narcissistic."
Handsome looked tired and didn't bother explaining further. He waved his hand.
"Forget it. I still have work to do. Let's part ways here."
"Work? You mean breaking into that room just now?"
Handsome hesitated briefly. Since Xia You had already seen everything, he finally said,
"That's right. While tracking a high-ranking Rocket Executive, I found that he boarded the St. Anne. I suspect they have plans for this ship, so I followed him here, hoping to search his room after he left."
"That's quite a coincidence," Xia You said, deciding to reveal part of the truth.
"Before boarding, I noticed a group of people disguised and mixed onto this ship. If Team Rocket is here, it should be them."
"What!? A whole group!?"
Seeing Xia You nod, Handsome frowned deeply.
"This is bad. Something big must be about to happen. Otherwise, they wouldn't move so many people at once. I need to contact headquarters immediately."
But before he could finish speaking, the ship's horn suddenly sounded loudly.
The entire ship shook violently.
Handsome rushed to the window and looked outside, only to find that the ship had already left the shore and sailed out of the port.
"This is bad. If I don't contact headquarters now, it'll be too late!"
He pulled out his phone, but just as he was about to dial, his expression changed.
"No signal?"
He walked a few steps and tried again. Still nothing.
"Damn it!"
Xia You also checked his phone. The signal was completely blocked.
With a complicated expression, Handsome looked at Xia You.
"You should leave this area immediately. I need to go to the captain's cabin next. What happens after this has nothing to do with ordinary citizens."
…
When Xia You returned to the hall, he saw Misty and Brock sitting at a dining table, devouring food without restraint.
Ash sat beside them, unusually quiet, looking melancholic like a sulking child.
"What's wrong, Ash?" Xia You asked.
"Did you lose the battle just now? Why do you look like that?"
Ash looked up and replied in a low voice,
"No… I won the battle."
"Oh?" Xia You said, surprised.
"Then why do you still look so depressed? Did something else happen ?