As cold water splashed on his face, the man who had been following Ma En slowly opened his eyes, though his mind was still groggy.
The last thing he remembered was shadowing his target, then suddenly losing consciousness. The final image before everything went dark was a grinning Gengar staring at him with eerie red eyes.
Memories rushed back, and panic flashed across his face. He tried to move, but his body refused to budge. That's when he realized he was tied to a chair with thick ropes. Struggling was pointless.
Just then, the same Gengar reappeared, its mischievous smirk unchanged. Across from him sat Ma En, his gaze sharp and unreadable.
"Awake? Now, tell me—why were you following me?" Ma En's voice was cold, leaving no room for deception.
"T-This… tourist, what are you talking about? I wasn't following you," the man stammered, trying to feign innocence.
Ma En sighed. "So that's how it's going to be? Fine. Gengar, he's all yours."
Hearing his trainer's command, Gengar hovered closer, its eyes gleaming with an ominous glow. The room darkened slightly as a wave of blue energy pulsed from Gengar's body.
The pirate locked eyes with the spectral Pokémon. His expression shifted—first to confusion, then to numbness, and finally to complete blankness. His willpower crumbled under Gengar's hypnotic stare.
"Now, let me ask again," Ma En said, leaning forward. "Why were you following me?"
---
The pirate now sat slumped in the chair, unconscious once more. Ma En stroked his chin, deep in thought as he reviewed the information he had just extracted.
The man was a member of the Blood Hand Pirates, a notorious criminal group. During the S.S. Anne's stop at Shallot City, he and two others had secretly boarded the ship. Their mission? To gather intelligence before their captain, Jack, launched a raid.
At first, Ma En found it hard to believe. The S.S. Anne wasn't just any cruise ship—it was well-defended. Attacking it was practically suicidal, especially since many passengers were trainers, and the Pokémon League kept a close watch on the vessel. If the attack dragged on too long, the League would surely intervene.
Unless… the pirates were confident they could pull off the heist before reinforcements arrived.
Ma En had tried to extract the specifics of their plan, but his captive knew little. Only Jack and his first mate were privy to the full details. However, Ma En did confirm that two other infiltrators were still lurking on the ship, gathering intel just like the man he captured.
As for why he was being followed? The answer was simple—Lapras.
A few days earlier, during training, Lapras had sung a soothing melody to calm Gengar and Deino. Though the private training rooms were well-insulated, the sound had faintly leaked out into the hallway, reaching the ears of the lurking pirate.
Most people wouldn't have given it much thought, but the pirate, a seasoned sailor, instantly recognized the melody as that of a Lapras. Given how rare Lapras had become in the wild, it was a valuable prize, fetching an exorbitant price on the black market.
That revelation put Ma En on the pirates' radar.
The pirates' strategy was now clear: they were identifying high-value targets—trainers with rare Pokémon. When the attack began, they would focus on stealing Poké Balls from these trainers, making their robbery as efficient as possible.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Ma En sighed. He had a bad feeling about this voyage from the start, and now, it seemed he was right.
Escape wasn't an option. Jumping ship with Lapras might lead him straight into the pirates' grasp, and he had no guarantee of surviving a battle at sea. No, the only way forward was to deal with the situation head-on.
But first, he needed to inform the ship's captain.
---
On his way to the captain's quarters, Ma En was stopped by a sailor. The upper decks were off-limits to passengers, after all.
"I need to speak with Captain Bill," Ma En stated firmly. "It's about pirates."
The moment he uttered the word 'pirates,' the sailor's expression changed. Without hesitation, he rushed off to call the captain.
Moments later, Ma En was ushered into the captain's quarters, where he once again met Captain Bill—a grizzled veteran of the sea.
"Young man, we meet again," Bill greeted, his voice calm but serious. "You mentioned pirates. Care to explain?"
Ma En recounted everything—his interrogation of the captured pirate, the two remaining infiltrators, and the Blood Hand Pirates' planned attack.
Bill's face darkened. "So that scoundrel Jack is making his move after all…"
He immediately issued orders. Sailors were dispatched to secure the captured pirate and locate the other two spies still on board.
"Captain Bill," Ma En asked, "shouldn't we send a distress signal to the Pokémon League?"
Bill sighed, rubbing his temples. "I wish it were that simple."
---
The tension in the captain's quarters was palpable. Ma En watched as Bill motioned to a large nautical map spread across his desk.
"We're in open waters now, en route to the Hoenn region. While we do have an emergency distress beacon, the problem is response time. If we send a signal now, the nearest League patrol won't arrive for hours. The pirates are likely counting on that."
Ma En frowned. "So what's the plan?"
Bill leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. "We'll continue with standard procedures for now. The crew will be on high alert. As for the passengers, I'd rather not start a panic just yet. If we prepare too obviously, the pirates might change tactics."
Ma En nodded. He understood the captain's reasoning, but he still didn't like it. Staying quiet felt like waiting for disaster to strike.
"There's one more thing," Bill added, narrowing his eyes. "You said they were making a list of rare Pokémon?"
"Yes."
Bill's fingers drummed against the table. "That means they already have targets in mind. If this attack happens, we'll need to defend those trainers first."
Ma En clenched his fists. His name was probably near the top of that list.
---
Elsewhere, in the vast darkness of the ocean, a lone Sharpedo cut through the waves, carrying a man dressed in pirate garb. His long coat billowed in the salty breeze, and a cruel smile played on his lips as he gazed toward the distant lights of the S.S. Anne.
Jack, the captain of the Blood Hand Pirates, had waited long enough.
The hunt was about to begin.
---
With danger looming, Ma En knew he had only a short time to prepare. He needed to stay vigilant, protect his Pokémon, and, most importantly—
Be ready for the fight of his life.
--------------
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