Chapter 73: Keeping Up With the Times
When the lookout heard that sentence over the walkie-talkie, he finally realized something.
At that moment, sharp, urgent bird cries sounded from above.
It was his long-time partner, Noctowl, frantically warning him.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Puchi!
A crimson blade made of crystal pierced through his chest from behind at the speed of light.
He looked down at the crystalline tip protruding slightly from his chest. In the final moments of his life, his brain worked at high speed, and he actually managed to identify what it was.
A tangible crystal blade materialized through psychic power—this was the effect of the Psychic-type move "Psycho Cut"!
Simultaneously, another thought crossed his mind:
These crystalline blades were essentially highly condensed psychic energy. They could sometimes detonate a second time after piercing an enemy's body, causing even more horrific damage.
And so, the next moment, the lookout's upper body exploded into fragments.
The splattered pieces coincidentally matched the fish carcasses Arthur and the others had seen in the sea area where they rescued the Dragonair not long ago.
It was an identical scene, replicated.
In the next second, the Noctowl flying above did not escape its fate either.
Meanwhile, thanks to the cruise ship's excellent soundproofing, the wealthy patrons inside the main building were still embracing beautiful companions and gambling away fortunes.
Suddenly, the lights on the grand hall's ceiling flickered abruptly, dimming and brightening for a few seconds before returning to normal.
This was because outside the ship's building, the three enraged Dragonite had just collectively unleashed a round of the Electric-type move "Thunderbolt," which temporarily affected the ship's power supply.
However, soon after, a voice claiming to be the captain came over the ship's broadcast system, soothing everyone's nerves.
"Dear passengers, please do not panic. What just occurred was merely an unexpected thunderstorm encountered at sea. There is no danger whatsoever. Please feel free to continue enjoying yourselves. Additionally, our ship's crew is currently conducting emergency repairs on related equipment outside the cabins. We kindly request all passengers to temporarily refrain from leaving the cabins to avoid any potential danger."
All exterior windows of the ship's building had already been sealed by the Stitched Shadow Army beforehand. At this point, the wealthy individuals aboard had no idea what was truly happening outside. Under the influence of the excellent soundproofing and the reassurances from the service staff, they quickly turned their attention back to the card tables and roulette wheels before them.
And this was precisely the situation the Stitched Shadow Army hoped to achieve.
They aimed for as many wealthy people as possible to die here, killed by the Dragonite, thereby using hatred to ignite a new war.
At this moment, their leader was already giving instructions over the radio channel: "Continue to provoke those stupid dragons a bit more. We should prepare for evacuation next. Everyone needs to leave before the Kingdra clan arrives."
A subordinate beside the leader asked, "After we leave later, will those stupid dragons realize there's a problem?"
The leader gave a contemptuous smile, "So what if they find out? Those Pokémon have limited intelligence; they can't explain anything effectively. We only need a small number of survivors and the majority of the league's populace to believe that they were responsible for this incident. That will suffice."
"Before leaving, prepare to blow open the dome ceiling. Guide the Dragonites' lightning strikes down into the cabins."
"Understood."
Up to this point, their plan could be said to be without any issues, executed quite smoothly.
The infiltration, planned for nearly half a year, had proceeded perfectly. To this moment, no one on this cruise ship had yet discovered that their vessel had fallen under new command.
Afterward, according to their script, the ship would suffer a massive explosion under the Dragonites' lightning attacks. The arriving Kingdra might also have the misfortune of participating. Ultimately, all traces would sink forever beneath the waves, leaving only seeds of hatred buried deep in the hearts of the powerful financial backers behind the scenes, pushing them one day to raise their butcher knives against the Pokémon families within the reserve.
In the last decade or so, the organization had slowly shifted its strategy: they gradually came to understand that in this era, it was difficult for them to incite war between the official leagues and Pokémon anymore. Thus, they settled for the next best thing, constantly attempting to stir up dissatisfaction and hatred towards Pokémon among private financiers and large corporations.
The results were surprisingly quite good.
Nowadays, several corporate representatives, thoroughly twisted by hatred, had even begun to secretly fund their cause.
It forces one to sigh: these days, even terrorist organizations have learned to keep up with the times.
However, currently immersed in the joy of impending success, this group of terrorists had yet to realize that an unexpected variable had quietly arrived.
That variable was the small boat, violently pushed along all the way by the Dragonites' "Hurricane."
Although the sudden rocket attack was completely unexpected, Dragonite One and Dragonite Two couldn't possibly stand by and watch their brother take a beating; Arthur couldn't persuade them otherwise on this matter.
But he could still do what was within his power.
"There is definitely something wrong with this situation! This ship's response is too abnormal! It's ridiculously excessive! I even suspect that the decision-maker on this ship has already been kidnapped."
After briefly explaining his suspicions to the camera, Arthur immediately began to think about how to possibly prevent this disaster.
At this moment, the other production team members on the boat had surprisingly already started putting on life vests...
Oh my god! Even rockets have appeared! What kind of blockbuster movie plot is this?! Is this content I'm allowed to watch for free?
Better slip away! Saving our own skins is paramount!
Then, a sudden sentence from Arthur nearly scared them half to death again.
"I want to board the ship and take a look."
"Damn it, don't lose your head! Maybe we should just forget about this whole thing."
"I need someone to help me carry the camera."
"Damn it, then just lose your head by yourself, don't drag us down with you!"
Everyone wore an expression that screamed 'Stay away from me.'
In such life-threatening moments, even the closest relationships don't count for much, let alone the fact that they barely had any relationship to begin with.
Only Justin asked seriously, "Why do you still need to bring the camera?"
At a time like this, the show itself should surely be unimportant, right? He didn't think Arthur was such a rigid person.
Arthur calmly explained, "This ship in front of us clearly has problems. I suspect most of the people on board are still completely unaware of the situation. In the worst-case scenario, we might be the only ones who know the truth. Therefore, I believe it's necessary to preserve as much visual evidence from inside as possible."
Upon hearing this, everyone gasped again.
Don't talk with such certainty that this ship is going to sink in the future! That's even more terrifying, okay?
Can we please have a show that belongs in the land of the living (i.e., less morbid/terrifying)?
Only Justin looked at him, took a deep breath, nodded firmly, and said, "Okay, then I'll go with you. I'll carry the camera for you!"
Arthur looked at him intently for half a second.
In this race against time, Arthur didn't have the luxury of extra time to pick and choose. Besides, he had never been one for sentimentality.
So he nodded, "Okay. Then have your Pidgeotto come down and grab the camera. Let's prepare to go up."
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