Woooo—
"Everyone! We've arrived at Porta Vista, the coastal resort paradise!"
With the captain's cheerful announcement, the S.S. Anne cruised into the sparkling waters off Porta Vista.
"Kazuki, sir, are you really disembarking here? Are you sure you don't want to stay aboard and enjoy a bit more of your vacation?"
The captain, teary-eyed and clearly reluctant to see him go, clutched Kazuki's hands tightly. After all, the S.S. Anne had been treating him like royalty—gourmet meals, luxury accommodations, and charming companions at every turn.
But if he stayed aboard any longer, he'd be heading away from the Kanto region altogether—and Kazuki hadn't claimed his Indigo Plateau Conference championship yet, nor did he have any plans for a world tour just yet.
"Thank you for everything, Captain, but I've got a Pokémon League tournament to win!"
"Next time, I promise I'll come back for another cruise."
"Oh? I see! Mr. Kazuki, you've got the aura of a champion—I knew it the moment I saw you!"
Suddenly, the captain produced an elegant little box.
"Then allow me to present you with the S.S. Anne VIP Emblem. From now on, you're an official Supreme VIP of our cruise line! You can board any time—no charge whatsoever—and there are special services included too."
He winked conspiratorially.
A one-time luxury treatment had suddenly been upgraded to a lifelong all-access pass. Kazuki was momentarily stunned. But who in their right mind would turn down such perks?
He accepted the emblem, though he couldn't help asking what had prompted such generosity.
The captain explained that someone had recorded footage of Kazuki reeling in a shiny Horsea aboard the ship, and that video had gone viral on social media. Once people saw a shiny Pokémon caught from the S.S. Anne, ticket sales had exploded overnight.
In recent years, business had been declining. Most rare Pokémon sightings had been reported on land, not at sea. And in the Pokémon world, people spent their money based on one thing—Pokémon.
Cruise prices weren't cheap, and with no Pokémon tie-in, the S.S. Anne had started to lose its appeal. This year, they'd even begun offering discounts for trainers in hopes of tapping into the Pokémon craze, but only greenhorns with common Pokémon had boarded, and results were… underwhelming.
But after Kazuki's shiny Horsea catch?
Chaos.
Trainers flooded the ticketing system, desperate for a shot at a rare find. Even non-trainers scrambled to book, enchanted by the beauty of the glittering Horsea in the video.
Exaggerated as it sounded, Kazuki had single-handedly revived the S.S. Anne's business.
The captain had promptly reported the incident to the cruise line's stakeholders, and after some discussion, they all agreed Kazuki was a long-term asset. One of them even predicted Kazuki would be a future Champion and imagined headlines like: 'The Champion Who Caught a Shiny Horsea Aboard the S.S. Anne!'
After all, a shrewd businessman always sniffs out profit.
Kazuki, hearing all this, accepted the emblem with no more hesitation. Honestly, whatever he'd spent on this trip had probably already paid for itself several times over.
Saying farewell to the captain, Kazuki stepped off the ship alongside Delia and Misty onto the sunny docks of Porta Vista.
And the moment he did, a new mission popped up.
[Ding! Perfect Hero Mission: Save Porta Vista! Protect the Ocean—Resolve the Tentacruel Incident!]
[Mission Reward: Dragon Scale – Evolution item for Seadra to become Kingdra!
Beginner Hero's Soul Aura – Strengthens the host's will, reducing susceptibility to illusions!
+2 Justice Reputation]
The Tentacruel Incident…
Kazuki turned his gaze to the calm sea.
If he remembered correctly, that incident would break out at Seaside Wharf.
In the original plot, a wealthy developer named Nastina had built a seaside hotel over a coral reef, enraging a swarm of Tentacool. To clean up the chaos, Team Rocket had been hired—but something went wrong, and a mutated giant Tentacruel was unleashed, flooding all of Porta Vista.
The mission required him not only to save the city, but to protect the marine ecosystem too.
Which meant: after dealing with the Tentacruel, he'd also need to shut down construction of Nastina's ocean hotel.
A bit complicated—not something brute force alone could solve.
That hotel must've had government backing, likely intended to boost local tourism. So if he wanted to make a point, the Tentacruel couldn't be stopped too soon. The city council needed to see the damage firsthand before they'd act.
He remembered they'd also been involved in a scheme on the S.S. Anne… but that cell had been completely taken out. Maybe they were caught too?
Well, no use counting on those unpredictable clowns. He'd rather rely on himself.
There was still some distance to Seaside Wharf—plenty of time to plan.
Kazuki closed the system interface with a blink, then turned to head toward the beach with Misty and Delia.
—
At that moment, deep beneath the sea, inside a submarine…
The Team Rocket trio was reporting to Giovanni—though only his silhouette was visible on the screen.
"Well, well! You three weren't captured? Seems you do have some skills after all." Giovanni puffed on a cigar, sounding half-amused.
In truth, the trio had just gotten drunk at a seafood night market and slept through the raid the next morning.
"Yes, Boss! Our keen instincts told us something was fishy, so we withdrew at once!" Jessie declared, shamelessly owning the undeserved praise.
"Damn it!" Giovanni slammed his armrest. "Things have been going sideways lately!"
"The Vermilion Gym got shut down out of nowhere!"
"The S.S. Anne plan went up in smoke!"
"I spent a fortune on those tickets to bait trainers onboard!"
"And now I've spent even more pulling people out of custody!"
"Budget's tighter than ever!"
"...?" The trio exchanged uncertain looks.
"Which means your team's funds are temporarily suspended. No objections, right? Hmm?"
"Suspended? But Boss, we're broke!" James checked his pockets. He didn't even have enough for breakfast tomorrow.
"What? Complaints?" Giovanni clenched a fist in the video feed. "You three may have dodged this raid, but you've never succeeded in a single operation!"
"You waste gear, waste money—this is a mercy!"
"If you screw up again in Porta Vista…"
Hmph!
Jessie immediately smacked James upside the head. "Don't worry, Boss! We won't fail this time!"
"You'd better not." Giovanni cut the feed with a hard punch to the console.
"Ugh… Without funds, how are we supposed to gather supplies?" James slumped over the controls.
"Quit moping! We're Team Rocket—unbeatable across the galaxy!"
"…But we're broke…"
Jessie raised the periscope. "Look at that beach! Full of rich folks. Let's go rob 'em blind!"
"Yeah! Let's do it!" James perked up at the mention of cash.
"Beach! Beach!"
"Cash! Cash!"
"Meowth? What's that?"
"Ka? Looks like a speedboat!"
Their crime spree ended before it even began.
—
"Huh? What's going on over there?" Misty turned toward the crash site, curious.
"Probably just a boat collision. Come on, let's check the private beach rates!"
Of course, beach time meant swimsuits. And while it was easy to mock others for ogling bikini-clad girlfriends, showing off your own wasn't necessary.
With the reward from uncovering the S.S. Anne plot and the profit from his deal with Bill, Kazuki had more than enough to rent a private beach.
Why not enjoy it?
Unless he was into exhibitionism or something…
Delia and Misty both winced at the cost.
But when Kazuki mentioned the reward money, the harem's mood shifted in unison:
"Boss, you're amazing!"
In truth, neither Delia nor Misty liked revealing outfits in public.
Delia was the scholarly type—quiet, elegant—her flirty side reserved for Kazuki alone.
Misty, daughter of a once-great Water-type Gym, still carried herself with pride.
So, naturally, they preferred the privacy.
"Hey, Misty, let's go change into our swimsuits together!"
"Let's show Kazuki our best sides!"
"Consider it a little thank-you for treating us to a private beach! Sound good?"
Delia gave Kazuki a knowing smile, nudging Misty closer.
Misty froze.
Swimsuit?
It's not like she minded showing Kazuki… but she'd promised him a swimsuit reward after he won the championship.
Wouldn't this ruin the motivation?
But… if Delia was going to wear one, could she really refuse?
Maybe just something simple.
She could save the sexy set for after his victory.
That way, Kazuki would still have something to look forward to.
And judging by the way that perv looked at her before…
Yeah, there was plenty of motivation left.
"Fine! As a token of gratitude for the cruise and the private beach—here's a little teaser!"
With that, Misty dashed off with Delia toward the changing rooms.