"Hey hey hey— I'll have you know, just because we're close doesn't mean you can slander me. I was being a perfect gentleman just now. My hand never even went under your clothes."
Logan silently complained about Green's provocative move, but when he saw the teasing spark in her eyes, he simply gave up on arguing. Instead, acting as if nothing happened, he turned to Cynthia calmly:
"…Good work, Cynthia. Just leave the things there for now. Any news in Vermilion City?"
Cynthia set the bags aside and finally released the hand she used to shield Yellow's eyes.
The little girl blinked in confusion — completely unaware of the scandal she almost witnessed.
"Nothing unusual. I checked local news too — no suspicious movement."
But Cynthia's gaze lingered on Logan, scrutinizing him.
She was silently giving herself reasons — maybe defending her best friend Caitlin from heartbreak in advance.
Because in all the time she'd known him, Logan had been too close with too many girls.
And today she had directly walked in on him and Green kissing — hardly something explainable.
For some reason, an uncomfortable irritation stirred in her chest.
Logan noticed the mood shift, but didn't bother explaining.
He truly felt he didn't owe her one — explaining without a reason would only create more misunderstanding.
"Then Lance probably isn't here yet. Knowing him, if he were in Vermilion — especially with a goal — half the city would already be upside down."
Logan leaned back with a sigh.
"Green still needs recovery. Let's stay here a few days."
"…Agreed."
Cynthia nodded after a moment of thought.
Green listened, amused.
She originally thought Logan and Cynthia had something between them — but now?
Maybe she imagined it?
Hopefully just her imagination.
She muttered inwardly.
Five days later
Green had mostly recovered.
Staying inside a Pokémon Center endlessly was suffocating for teenagers — even Cynthia began feeling restless.
So once Green could move freely, they finally left — one man, two women and a little girl — forming a striking scene as they wandered Vermilion City.
It wasn't that Logan didn't care about Red and Blue Oak's disappearance.
It had been over a month, and he still had zero clues to where they were being held.
He even talked seriously with Professor Oak, suspecting the old man was hiding something again — but for once, Logan realized he misjudged him.
Oak genuinely knew nothing about the Elite Four's base.
Logan felt aggrieved.
"Aren't villains supposed to be idiots? Charging out to get beaten, revealing their boss layer by layer so I can wipe them clean?"
But no — his enemies had brains.
Giovanni vanished after causing chaos like a madman, likely planning something bigger behind the scenes.
And the Elite Four — powerful, cautious, terrifyingly strategic.
Even the arrogant Lance hid in shadows, stockpiling strength.
Instead of storming cities, they picked off strong trainers silently — one by one.
Red and Blue Oak were the first sacrifices.
If Logan hadn't intervened, Green would have been captured next.
Then, Gym Leaders would have fallen one after another — leaving Kanto defenseless.
They even refused to act alone — always in groups.
Hard to ambush. Hard to corner.
Logan rubbed his forehead.
"Can't even one of my enemies be stupid? This is exhausting."
"Big brother, what's wrong?"
Little Yellow tugged his sleeve, innocent eyes sparkling.
Logan laughed softly.
"Nothing. Forget it — let's just enjoy the day."
He took her hand gently. The grass hat she wore had two colorful feathers attached.
He paused.
"…Where did you get these feathers?"
"Green gave them to me~"
Yellow answered sweetly.
"Green…?"
Logan glanced up at Green chatting with Cynthia ahead.
When she wasn't looking, he plucked the feathers off Yellow's hat.
He knew Green never acted without intention.
Rubbing the feathers between his fingers, he suddenly stopped — expression sharpening.
"What's wrong, big brother?"
Yellow tilted her head.
Logan exhaled slowly and placed the feathers back.
"It's fine. They're beautiful — keep them."
He smiled, though his thoughts stirred like storm clouds.
These feathers carried a mysterious divine aura — power only noticeable when held.
To most people, they appeared ordinary. To Yellow, harmless.
But Logan recognized them.
The Rainbow Feather of Ho-Oh.
The Silver Feather of Lugia.
Not ordinary feathers — core relics infused with legendary power.
"Interesting… Someone wants to grasp 'time', huh?"
Logan murmured, recalling research he once saw in Professor Oak's archives.
At that moment, he subconsciously looked up — and stopped walking entirely.
"Logan?"
Cynthia and Green halted ahead and turned to him.
Logan pointed toward the western coast of Vermilion.
"…Something just fell over there. A Dragon-type Pokémon."
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