"Ah, about that…" Takeshi shook his head with a bitter smile. He hadn't expected the first thing they'd talk about upon meeting again was who looked older! But he also knew Xia You was joking, that it was a way to break the ice, so he spread his hands. "Maybe it's because I have nine younger siblings to take care of, so I've been overworked."
"Oh, right," Ash asked, "Do you want to come with us to the Port now?"
Xia You asked, puzzled, "What are you going to the Port for?"
"Earlier in the city center, someone gave us a ticket for a luxury cruise ship," Xiao Xia explained. "The person who gave us the ticket said that a grand Trainer banquet would be held there, organized by a big conglomerate. Many people will attend, it will be a lot of fun, and everything is free!"
"There's such a good thing?" Xia You frowned. "Why does it sound like a scam?"
Seeing Xia You didn't believe him, Ash pulled a ticket from his pocket.
"It's real, look, this is the ticket for that cruise ship, and we just saw many people already heading to the Port on our way here."
"Even so…" Looking at the ticket, Xia You couldn't help but ask, "But there's only one ticket, how do you three plan to get on?"
Ash opened the ticket, letting Xia You see the words "Group" on it.
"Hehe, this is a group ticket! As many people as you want can go. If you want to go too, then come with us."
Xia You carefully examined the ticket. On its front, there was a photo of a luxury cruise ship, and next to it, a line of large characters—St. Anne.
St. Anne?
Xia You was startled. Wasn't this the famous sunken ship from the anime!?
Not noticing Xia You's hesitation, Ash continued to speak excitedly, gushing, "Battling and interacting with Trainers from different places, and being able to see many Pokémon I've never seen before, it's truly wonderful!"
"Exactly, exactly!" Takeshi nodded in agreement, his mind full of fantasies. "And there must be lots of delicious food, and beautiful older sisters!"
Even Xiao Xia's eyes glowed with anticipation: "A leisurely boat trip, lying on the deck sunbathing, just thinking about it makes me look forward to it."
While the three of them were fantasizing, Xia You was pondering another question.
If he remembered correctly, shortly after the St. Anne set sail, it was attacked by Team Rockets and encountered a storm, eventually sinking to the bottom of the sea under the massive waves.
Such an expensive cruise ship sinking like that, the property loss would be at least several billion…
However, Xia You then thought that even if he kindly reminded them and issued an early warning, he probably wouldn't be able to change its fate.
Since Team Rockets could infiltrate the St. Anne, they must have made thorough preparations. Without evidence, a rash intervention would not only fail to attract the captain's attention but would also alert Team Rockets. If it was too obvious, it might even attract the attention of the banquet's organizer, who is Team Rockets' behind-the-scenes Boss, Sakamaki!
As for that storm…
Although Xia You didn't know much about things at sea, such a large cruise ship setting sail would definitely pay attention to relevant weather information beforehand.
Since the captain allowed it to set sail, it means that either Team Rockets suddenly changed the cruise ship's course, or that massive storm, powerful enough to capsize the cruise ship, formed suddenly!
"Huh? Xia You, what are you thinking about?" Xiao Xia saw Xia You remain silent for a long time and couldn't help but ask, "Well, do you want to come with us?"
Xia You nodded: "Of course I want to go. I also want to experience it."
The group arrived at Vermilion City's Port. As soon as they stepped in, they saw many ships of various sizes docked along the coast, but the largest and most luxurious among them was undoubtedly the St. Anne.
Its height of over a dozen stories made this behemoth the undisputed dazzling presence at the Port.
The St. Anne is a world-renowned luxury cruise ship. It is said that it docks in Vermilion City once a year before sailing to other places for a world tour.
Just as Ash had said earlier, many Trainers were indeed bringing their Pokémon to the pier to have their tickets checked and board the ship.
And the closer they walked, the more they were awed by this cruise ship.
"Wow, it's so big!" Xiao Xia looked up, gazing upwards, and exclaimed, "Are we going to sail out to sea on this ship?"
However, just as Ash and the others were about to board, Xia You called out to them first.
"Wait a moment, I need to buy something first."
Saying that, he walked to a nearby diving equipment store, browsed for a long time, and finally bought a diving mask and a simple respirator from inside.
It's really expensive…
After buying these two items, only a small portion of the savings he had accumulated from his previous part-time jobs remained.
Seeing Xia You pay and put them into his backpack with a heavy expression, Ash asked curiously, "What are you buying these things for?"
"I'm not very good at swimming. These things might come in handy sometime."
Xia You chose not to tell Ash and the others the truth, after all, it was still something that hadn't happened, and for various reasons, these people were all blessed with good fortune and could always turn danger into safety. Even if the St. Anne really sank, they would definitely have a way to escape.
Queueing, ticket checking, boarding.
When Xia You and the others boarded the gangway, walked across the deck, they arrived at a magnificent hall.
This hall was tall and wide, with an immense space. Under the golden decorations and the illumination of countless crystal chandeliers, various tourists could be seen already filling the area. On the red carpet, there were long tables laden with abundant food, available for people to sample at any time.
Xia You walked into the crowd and looked around.
Whether acquaintances or first-time meetings, people were enthusiastically interacting with each other, sharing interesting stories from their travels, and discussing their Pokémon. Everyone's face was beaming with smiles, seemingly very satisfied with this cruise ship.
And on both sides of the hall, there were also some vendors selling various goods.
From small earrings and necklaces to action figures, and large Pokémon dolls, everything was available. The sounds of conversations, shouts, and bargaining were endless, making it exceptionally lively.
However, what drew the most attention was undoubtedly the Pokémon battle currently taking place in the center of the hall, surrounded by layers of onlookers.
This battle was organized by the travelers themselves. The Trainers on both sides were a middle-aged man in a suit and a young man in a green shirt.
And their Pokémon were a Rattata versus a Starmie.