Chapter 27: Code Name: Handsome Guy

Chapter 27: Codename: Handsome Guy

After making the payment, Xia You recalled Magikarp into its Poké Ball, which also meant he had obtained his seventh Pokémon.

Walking through the corridor, the number of tourists gradually dwindled. By the time he entered the cruise ship's guest cabin area, he could barely see any crew members.

It seemed most people were temporarily concentrated in the lobby and on the deck; after all, they had only just boarded, and few would be thinking of resting or wandering through the interior of the ship so soon.

After a loop around, there was no sign of Team Rocket anywhere. Because of the surveillance cameras, Xia You didn't dare wander aimlessly. He pretended to use the restroom, but just as he was about to return to the lobby, he saw several suspicious figures flash past the corner of the corridor ahead.

Was it Team Rocket?

Glancing at Kirlia, Xia You chose to follow quietly.

When he reached the corner and cautiously peeked his head out, he happened to see one of those figures crouching in front of a guest room, attempting to pick the lock with a lockpick.

The man was a middle-aged individual wearing a brown trench coat over a suit and tie. He had a medium build—neither fat nor thin—and though his expression was serious, it couldn't hide a sense of exhaustion, clearly the result of frequent late nights.

Looking up at the security camera above, Xia You realized that the camera had been temporarily disabled by a jamming device; no wonder this man dared to act so brazenly.

The man was focused, his lockpick rotating skillfully. With a soft *click*, the lock was picked. However, before he could even feel a sense of triumph, a shadow slowly appeared on the door panel in front of him under the light!

This immediately sent a cold sweat running down the man's spine.

His hand went to his waist as he hurriedly turned around, only to find a handsome young man around twenty years old standing behind him, watching him with great interest.

"Who... who are you?"

Due to extreme nervousness, his accent shifted, seemingly carrying a foreign inflection.

"Excuse me, mister, you're an Interpol agent, aren't you?"

"Huh?" The man's expression changed drastically. His heart nearly leaped into his throat as he hurriedly denied it, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm not an Interpol agent."

"Oh? Is that so?" As Xia You spoke, he pulled a wallet from behind his back and waved it in front of the man. "But I just picked up your wallet, and it definitely contains your ID photo."

The middle-aged man hurriedly reached for his back pocket; sure enough, the wallet was gone.

"Haha, I see..." He snatched the wallet back, a smile appearing on his face that was awkward yet polite. "To tell you the truth, I am indeed an Interpol agent. I am currently investigating a massive criminal organization. Please, you must help me keep this a secret!"

"A criminal organization?" Xia You asked. "Do you mean Team Rocket?"

This time, the man could no longer remain calm. He grabbed Xia You by the arm and pulled him into a nearby stairwell.

He whispered, "How do you know about Team Rocket!?"

"It's nothing to be surprised about," Xia You said matter-of-factly. "They are notorious here and have appeared on wanted posters more than once. It would be stranger if there were a Trainer who didn't know about them."

"True enough." The man smiled, glanced at Kirlia, and asked, "Are you a Trainer?"

Xia You took out his Pokédex and showed him his identification. "Not just a Trainer—I'm also a Special Research Investigator from a research institute."

"I see." The man straightened his collar and said solemnly, "Then please excuse my rudeness. I haven't introduced myself. My name is Handsome Guy. I am currently investigating Team Rocket in the Kanto region to stop their various evil activities."

"Your name is Handsome Guy!?" This time, it was Xia You's turn to be surprised. He looked the man up and down with a skeptical gaze. "Are you that narcissistic? Because looking at you, you don't seem to have anything to do with being 'handsome' at all."

Perhaps choked by his own saliva, Handsome Guy's face turned slightly red. After coughing a few times, he said, "How could we possibly use our real names! 'Handsome Guy' is just my codename. A codename!"

"Even so..." Xia You continued to stare at him. "Using 'Handsome Guy' as your codename is still quite narcissistic, isn't it?"

Handsome Guy felt somewhat exhausted. Instead of explaining further, he waved his hand and said, "Forget it. I have work to do. Let's part ways here."

"Work? Do you mean entering that room just now?"

Handsome Guy didn't want to involve an unrelated person, but remembering that Xia You had already witnessed what happened, he hesitated before saying, "That's right. While tracking a high-ranking Team Rocket executive, I discovered he boarded this St. Anne. I suspected they might have designs on this ship, so I followed him all the way here, hoping to enter his room and look for intelligence while he's away."

"That's quite a coincidence." Xia You decided to provide a hint, though he couldn't be too direct. "Before boarding, I noticed a group of people in disguise sneaking onto the ship. If there really is Team Rocket, they are likely them!"

"What!? A large group!?"

Seeing Xia You nod, Handsome Guy frowned deeply. "This is bad. Something big must be about to happen; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to act in such large numbers simultaneously. It seems I must immediately request backup from headquarters."

However, just as he finished speaking, amidst a massive blast of the ship's whistle, the hull suddenly shuddered, followed by a brief rocking motion.

He rushed to the window and looked out, only to find that the ship had already left the shore and was sailing out of the harbor.

"This is bad! If I don't contact headquarters right now, it'll be too late!"

At this, Handsome Guy pulled out his phone, but as he was about to make a call, he discovered that the signal had also been jammed.

"Damn it!" Refusing to believe it, he walked a few steps to change his angle, but there was still no signal.

Xia You also took out his phone and found that the signal here had indeed been completely blocked.

Sighing, Handsome Guy looked at Xia You with a complex expression. "You should leave here quickly. Next, I need to go check the captain's quarters. What happens next will have nothing to do with ordinary citizens like you."

...

When Xia You returned to the lobby, he saw Misty and Brock sitting at a dining table, wolfing down food, while Ash sat beside them. Uncharacteristically, Ash was as quiet as a young girl, looking quite melancholy.

"What's wrong, Ash? Did you lose your battle just now?"

Looking at Xia You, Ash said in a low voice, "No, I won just now."

"Oh?" Xia You asked curiously. "Then why do you look so depressed? Did something happen?"

(End of Chapter)