A man in a suit stood with his back to Jiang Han; it was Laic.
Before him was the final Pirate Leader, a fierce-looking fellow with a face full of scars and a savage gaze.
"Go! Tear them to shreds!" the Pirate Leader roared at the top of his lungs.
A massive Kingler swung its giant pincers, smashing toward Laic's Pokémon with the sound of breaking wind.
On the other side, a purple shadow flickered in the curtain of rain; it was Gengar, its sinister laughter sounding exceptionally eerie amidst the storm.
Laic didn't even spare a glance back at Jiang Han, his voice as cold as the standing water on the deck.
"Machamp, finish it."
"Crobat, deal with that purple fatso."
The commands were concise, yet carried an unquestionable authority.
"Machamp! Machamp!"
With a thunderous shout, the Machamp standing before Laic moved.
Its robust, light-blue physique resembled that of a god of war.
Its four thick arms spread out simultaneously; two arms reached up, precisely parrying the Kingler's heavy pincers with a loud 'clang.'
The other two arms shot out like lightning, muscles bulging, as it rained punch after punch onto the Kingler's carapace!
"Crack!"
The crisp sound of shattering was clearly audible even amidst the howling wind and rain.
The Level 35 Kingler's prideful shell defense couldn't hold out at all against the Level 44 Machamp.
It let out a mournful cry as its massive body was sent flying off the ground, slamming heavily several meters away, where it twitched twice before falling still.
Almost at the same time, Machamp suddenly grabbed the Gengar that was attempting a sneak attack from the side.
The arm gripping the Gengar exerted sudden force, ignoring the Gengar's intangible body and dragging it forcibly out of the shadows!
A flash of terror crossed the Level 34 Gengar's eyes; it hadn't expected the opponent's Machamp to be able to capture its physical form so easily.
Machamp gave it no chance; another free arm transformed into a hand-blade, delivering a sharp chop right to the center of Gengar's forehead.
"Gen..."
Gengar couldn't even finish its scream before its eyes rolled back, and it collapsed onto the ground like a puddle of mud.
In just two exchanges, two Pokémon had instantly lost their ability to fight.
Jiang Han's pupils constricted slightly.
Is this... the strength of a Superior Trainer?
Meanwhile, in the sky, the battle was also nearing its end.
The Pirate Leader's Gyarados was being suppressed by a large purple bat. That Pokémon's speed was astonishing, weaving through the gale with ease and leaving behind afterimages.
It was Laic's Crobat.
The Gyarados opened its bloody maw, spraying a surging jet of water, but Crobat dodged it easily with a nimble sidestep.
Immediately after, Crobat flapped its wings, and a cross-shaped poison blade sliced through the rain, slashing heavily across Gyarados's back.
"Roar—!"
The Level 37 Gyarados let out a roar of pain, its massive body staggering in the air.
The Level 44 Crobat's level suppression was too obvious.
Seeing his two main Pokémon defeated in an instant and his final Gyarados in critical condition, the Pirate Leader's ferocity was instantly replaced by fear.
He was a smart man; he knew that if he kept fighting, only death awaited him.
"Come back, Gyarados!"
He decisively recalled Gyarados and turned to rush toward the other side of the ship's rail. There, Gyarados's massive form reappeared, diving straight into the surging ocean.
The Pirate Leader flipped over and mounted Gyarados's back steadily, looking back at Laic with a venomous gaze.
"I'll remember you! You'll regret this!"
Laic remained expressionless, merely tilting his head toward the Crobat beside him.
Crobat understood, letting out a shrill screech as it carried Laic into the sky, turning into a purple streak of light to pursue the fleeing Pirate Leader.
"Take this, a Swellow. Leave here first."
From mid-air, Laic's voice drifted through the wind and rain as he tossed a red-and-white Poké Ball toward Jiang Han.
"I'm going to slaughter him."
Before his voice had even faded, he and Crobat had already disappeared into the end of the vast curtain of rain.
Jiang Han caught the Poké Ball steadily; it felt slightly heavy in his hand.
He glanced in the direction Laic had vanished, then looked down at the Poké Ball in his hand. It seemed Laic had prepared a getaway tool for him.
That guy was certainly thoughtful.
On the deck, the wind and rain continued.
With the end of the battle, only the sound of waves and wind remained. The once noisy cruise ship was now so deathly silent it made one's heart race with unease.
Jiang Han recalled Sandile, tucked the Poké Ball into his pocket, and scanned the cold corpses of the pirates scattered across the deck.
At this moment, there was not another living soul on the wave chaser besides him.
The tourists and Trainers who had been hijacked had already been slaughtered and thrown into the sea after the pirates had satisfied their greed and lust.
Jiang Han walked to the nearest corpse, crouched down, and began his familiar work.
However, as he finished searching the first body, his brow furrowed.
Empty.
Aside from soaked clothes, there was nothing.
Refusing to believe it, he moved to the second, the third... the results were all the same.
Every pirate killed by Laic had been stripped clean of both valuables and Poké Balls.
The professionalism and efficiency of the technique left Jiang Han somewhat speechless.
"Damn it..."
Jiang Han couldn't help but curse in a low voice.
Is this guy a Pixiu or something?
Not only did he take all the Poké Balls, he didn't even leave a scrap of treasure!
While complaining in his heart, he continued to rummage through the pile of corpses, hoping to find a fish that had slipped through the net.
Hard work pays off.
Finally, in the inner pocket of a corpse that seemed more flashily dressed than the others—likely a leader's lieutenant—Jiang Han felt a hard object.
It wasn't a Poké Ball, nor was it a wallet.
He pulled it out to see a roll of something tightly wrapped in oilcloth.
Jiang Han's heart stirred. He tore open the oilcloth to find an old, yellowed piece of parchment inside.
Unrolling the parchment, Jiang Han saw the contents clearly by the occasional flash of lightning on the horizon.
It appeared to be a map.
The map's style was very ancient, using strange symbols to mark islands, reefs, and shipping routes. Its ultimate destination was a small island marked with a skull and a treasure chest icon.
A Treasure Map?
Jiang Han's breath hitched slightly, and his heart skipped a few beats in excitement.
This truly was an unexpected surprise.
He carefully rewrapped the parchment in the oilcloth and gingerly placed it into his space ring.
Just then, a faint speck of light flickered in the storm on the distant horizon, rapidly approaching the wave chaser.
Judging by its size and speed, it looked like a small patrol speedboat.
The Alliance's Officer Jenny, or a maritime patrol team?
Jiang Han's gaze sharpened.
He couldn't be discovered by them.
A rookie Trainer appearing alone on a passenger ship full of corpses, covered in blood... there was no way to explain this clearly. He'd never be able to wash himself clean of suspicion.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately took out the Poké Ball Laic had given him.
"Come out, Swellow!"
With a flash of red light, a majestic swallow appeared in mid-air.
It was deep blue all over with a sharp gaze. Its outspread wings were steady as a rock in the storm, emitting a powerful aura that far surpassed Sandile and Corphish.
He recalled Sandile.
Jiang Han flipped himself onto Swellow's broad back.
"Go!"
Swellow let out a clear cry, its wings flapping to kick up a gust of air as it instantly took flight, racing away in the opposite direction of the patrol boat.
The gale whistled in his ears, and cold rain lashed against his face.
Jiang Han looked back once.
The cruise ship named the wave chaser resembled a giant steel coffin in the storm-tossed sea, carrying blood and sin,
While he would fly toward the distance, carrying a new secret.
The harvest this time was truly not small.
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