Pokemon: Becoming A Pokemon Master

Chapter 16: The Fierce Battle of the St. Anne

"Lorelei-san," Alex said carefully as he approached the elegant woman with the mask. Lorelei looked slightly startled, then responded evasively, "Young man, you must be mistaken. There's no way I'm an Elite Trainer."

"It's me, Alex," he said earnestly. "Don't you recognize me? Professor Oak's grandson?"

Lorelei squinted at his face, her sharp eyes scanning him with recognition dawning slowly. "Wait… You're Alex? I didn't expect to run into you here. What are you doing on the St. Anne?"

"I'm a Pokémon Trainer now," Alex replied, trying to sound casual. "I just got my Thunder Badge from Vermilion City. I heard there was a sightseeing cruise event, so we thought we'd check it out."

"And you, Lorelei-san?" he asked, feigning innocence.

Lorelei leaned closer and lowered her voice. "Listen closely, Alex. This ship is under surveillance. It's actually a trap set up by Team Rocket. Their real plan is to steal the passengers' Pokémon. The Indigo League Council sent me here to disrupt their operation."

Only then did Alex understand her presence. So, the Elite Four member had already caught wind of Rocket's scheme and arrived undercover.

Playing along, Alex pretended to be shocked. "What should we do? We can't just sit around and let this happen!"

"Relax," Lorelei replied. "Alliance agents have already surrounded the port, but… their numbers may be a little insufficient. Team Rocket brought more operatives than we expected."

She gave Alex a serious look. "Our priority is to protect the passengers and their Pokémon. Right now, the Rocket agents haven't made their move yet. Stick close to me until they do."

"Got it, Lorelei-san." Lorelei still assumed Alex was just a rookie Trainer on his first journey. She had no idea that Alex, with his battle system, was strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Gym Leaders and perhaps even hold his own against an Elite.

Meanwhile, Ash had finally stuffed himself full at the buffet and went looking for his friends. When he saw Alex walking with the elegant, red-haired woman, he stopped in surprise.

"Hey Alex, who's that?"

"This? Uh... she's my older sister," Alex replied quickly.

"Sister? We live in the same town, how come I never knew you had a sister?"

"She's... recently adopted," Alex said, annoyed by Ash's persistence.

Just then, Misty and Brock showed up. Brock, upon laying eyes on Lorelei's cool, refined beauty, immediately dropped to one knee.

"Oh, beautiful lady," he said, overly dramatic, "Will you grant me the honor of spending a lifetime with you?"

"Scram," Lorelei replied icily, her tone as cold as her Ice-type Pokémon.

Brock jumped up in fear. "Yikes! She's... intense!"

Suddenly, a familiar ding echoed in Alex's mind.

[System Notification: Diamond-Rank Mission Triggered – Stop Team Rocket's Operation on the St. Anne. Reward: 1 Epic Lottery Ticket + 2 Gold Lottery Tickets.]

A Diamond-rank mission? This was the highest difficulty task Alex had encountered so far. It meant serious danger and serious rewards.

After another hour, most of the guests had arrived. The cruise ship finally set sail. Cheers rang out on deck as passengers came out to enjoy the ocean view. The sea stretched endlessly, sparkling like sapphires. Every so often, a few Water-type Pokémon could be seen jumping from the waves—Horsea, Staryu, even a wild Lapras in the distance.

But the peaceful moment didn't last.

From the main cabin, a sudden burst of noise echoed out. A dozen or so men in black uniforms with red R logos stormed the deck. Their sudden appearance caused panic.

"Team Rocket!" someone shouted. The crowd immediately broke into chaos.

Screams rang out as people ran in every direction, trying to protect their Pokémon or find safety.

Then, from behind the uniformed grunts, three figures emerged—two men and a woman in white outfits with a bold red R on the chest.

"We are Team Rocket Executives," the woman announced smugly. "We're not here to hurt anyone. Just hand over your Pokémon quietly, and we'll let you leave."

"Hah!" A sharply dressed man in a dark suit stepped forward, leaning on a Dragonite-headed cane. "Your Rocket gang has a foul reputation. No one with a brain would believe you!"

"Foul reputation?" one of the Executives chuckled darkly. "Then it looks like you'll have a rough time ahead."

"Go, Houndoom—Flamethrower!" a Rocket agent ordered. Houndoom opened its jaws wide, unleashing a torrent of flames straight toward a frightened civilian.

"Jynx, Ice Punch!" Lorelei finally revealed herself from the crowd, releasing her trusted Pokémon. Jynx's fist shimmered with frost, slicing cleanly through the Flamethrower. The chilling blow landed squarely on Houndoom, knocking it unconscious in a single strike.

Alex watched from the side, eyes narrowing in admiration. As expected of Lorelei, one of the Indigo Elite Four her Ice-type mastery is terrifying.

"Lorelei?! Why is someone from the League here?" one of the Rocket Executives gasped.

"Who cares!" barked another, recovering quickly. "She's only one person! There's dozens of us! Everyone, attack!"

The Rocket grunts and agents hurled Poké Balls onto the deck. One by one, Nidoking, Hitmonchan, Beedrill, Charmeleon, Sharpedo, and Tentacruel emerged, snarling and ready for battle.

"Banjirō, let's go!"

"Flygon, battle mode!"

The two Executives released their strongest Pokémon, causing the deck to tremble under the sheer pressure.

"Abomasnow! Glalie! Alolan Ninetales! I need all of you!" Lorelei shouted, releasing her full battle squad Pokémon that had won her many Elite-class victories.

"Impressive Pokémon, Lorelei," the Rocket Executive grinned, "But no matter how strong they are, you're still outnumbered ten to one."

Passengers on board began panicking. Earlier, they had been asked to submit their Pokémon for 'safety processing'—a clever ruse. In truth, it was all part of Team Rocket's grand heist.

In a corner of the crowd, Jessie, James, and Meowth huddled together, miserable.

"Why weren't we told about this mission, nya?!" Meowth cried.

"Does the boss not trust us anymore?!" James whimpered.

"Ugh… we're being replaced!" Jessie growled, glaring at the Executives.

Back on the deck, Lorelei's frown deepened. Even with my team at full strength, this is too many. And the Alliance agents can't receive my signal through this electromagnetic field.

"Begin the assault!" the Rocket Executive yelled.

A barrage of attacks Sludge Bombs, Fire Punches, Thunderbolts, and Shadow Balls rained down on Lorelei's team. Her Pokémon stood firm, knocking out several opponents with Ice Beams and Blizzard counters, but more kept coming. Banjirō's Earthquake and Flygon's Dragon Claw added to the chaos.

Just when things looked grim, a voice echoed through the din:

"That's enough. You villains won't be laying another finger on these people."

Everyone turned to see Alex walking forward, his expression icy.

He tossed out six Poké Balls, and with bursts of light, Garchomp, Gyarados, Electivire, Dragonair, Charizard, and Metagross appeared each radiating the aura of champion-level training.

He didn't release Onix—too big for the ship, and this battle didn't call for him.

Even Lorelei paused, stunned. This... this is the kind of strength expected of a Champion…

Behind a camera feed, Giovanni leaned forward in his chair, watching from a Rocket surveillance hub. His brows rose in interest.

"Is this power… from a kid?"

Alex gave the signal.

"Garchomp, Dragon Breath!

Gyarados, Hyper Beam!

Electivire, Thunderbolt!

Dragonair, Ancient Power!

Charizard, Flamethrower!

Metagross, Zen Headbutt!"

The attacks launched in perfect sync—light, flame, energy, and psionic power weaving through the battlefield.

Dozens of Team Rocket Pokémon were overwhelmed in a matter of seconds. The deck shook as they collapsed unconscious. Only Banjirō and Flygon were still on their feet, barely.

The Executive roared, "Banjirō, Earth Fury! Flygon, Sandstorm!"

The deck trembled as dust and force surged toward Alex's team.

"Charizard, use Dragon Claw! Garchomp, Dragon Rage now!"

Charizard soared through the Sandstorm and slashed Flygon down. Garchomp's spiraling energy engulfed Banjirō, smashing it through the deck into unconsciousness.

The ship fell into a stunned silence.

"You've already lost," Alex said calmly, standing amid his calm, battle-scarred Pokémon.

In the Rocket HQ, Giovanni smirked.

"Pull the St. Anne's manifest. I want to know who this kid is."

A female admin with glasses typed swiftly. "His name is Alex, sir. Grandson of Professor Oak, registered from Pallet Town."

"Alex…" Giovanni murmured. "This talent… he belongs with us. Make contact."

"Yes, Boss," the admin said. She, too, was dazzled by Alex's team—Pokémon many would kill to control.

---