Red frowned, about to refuse.
But Rei Akagi acted first, controlling Rei and agreeing to the offer.
The Team Rocket member was overjoyed. He quickly handed each of them a Team Rocket ID Card and a glittering Nugget.
Then, like an NPC who had finished delivering a quest, he hurriedly disappeared into the roadside grass.
"Listen," Rei Akagi said calmly before Red could question him, "people need to learn to be flexible."
"If I say I joined Team Rocket, does that mean I actually joined Team Rocket?"
"This is called tactical infiltration. Ever heard of undercover work?"
"Undercover?" Red blinked. "You can play it like that?"
"Team Rocket: Wow, thank you so much!"
"Absolutely shameless! Teacher Salted Fish really knows how to 'join' an organization! Hahaha!"
Amid a flood of amazed comments in the livestream chat, Rei Akagi led the still-confused Red toward the green park beside the bridge, also known as Route 25.
There wasn't much here either—just a lot of Trainers.
They pushed through battle after battle until reaching the end of the route, where the view suddenly opened up.
An endless azure sea, seemingly blending into the sky itself, spread out before them. The ocean breeze carried the salty scent of the sea.
This was the famous Cape scenic spot.
Legend said that if lovers walked here hand in hand, they would receive an eternal blessing.
On the shore stood a plain wooden cottage.
On the mailbox outside was a slightly messy handwritten sign:
"Seaside Cottage."
"Bill lives here!"
They pushed the door open.
Inside, the room was packed with scientific equipment blinking with indicator lights. Parts and papers were scattered everywhere.
Most eye-catching were the two large cylindrical chambers in the center of the room, connected by thick pipes.
But there was no one around.
Without even waiting for Rei Akagi to prompt him, Red started rummaging through the piles of machinery with Red.
After a moment, he came back holding a struggling Rattata by the scruff.
Strangely enough…
This Rattata had hair.
When they got closer, dialogue triggered—and it actually spoke.
"Rattata: Hey! Let me go! I'm a Pokémon—wait, no! I'm not! I'm Bill, a genuine Pokémon maniac!"
"Rattata: Why are you looking at me like that? Kid! I'm not joking!"
"Rattata: My experiment failed and I fused with a Pokémon! Help me return to normal and I'll reward you!"
The Rattata squirmed wildly in Red's grasp as it spoke, making the whole scene absurdly hilarious.
"Talking Pokémon! Wait… this Rattata is Bill?"
"This whole Pokémon fusion thing… is it even legitimate?"
"I'm dying laughing. A talking Rattata—I want one."
"Fusion… hehe…"
"Reward the guy above with a Jynx."
The chat scrolled wildly while the dialogue continued.
But Red clearly didn't have the patience for long explanations.
With practiced ease, he grabbed the Rattata by the scruff, walked over to the massive machine, opened one of the chamber doors, and tossed it straight inside.
The hatch closed.
Red returned to the nearby control computer and decisively pressed the Start button.
The machine hummed to life.
Energy lights lit up inside the chamber containing Rattata, surging through the thick pipes into the empty chamber opposite.
A few seconds later—
Hiss!
The target chamber door opened with a release of pressure.
Through the swirling steam stepped out a young man with messy hair, a lab coat, and a slightly shaken expression.
Staggering forward, he patted his chest in relief before smiling at Rei and Red.
"Bill: Ahhh! Thank you, boys! I owe you one!"
"Bill: How should I show my gratitude… Ah! This! This should work!"
Rei and Red received the S.S. Ticket!
The S.S. Ticket was placed in the Key Items Pocket.
"Bill: The cruise ship S.S. Anne is currently docked in Vermilion City. I hear lots of Trainers board it—go and enjoy yourselves for me!"
After saying that, he didn't even bother chatting further. He rushed back to his computer and resumed tinkering with his suspicious-looking machines.
"An S.S. Anne ticket? I remember back then I snuck onto the ship…"
Red had barely begun speaking when Rei Akagi burst into exaggerated coughing.
"Cough cough cough! Family-friendly content! Family-friendly content!"
Rei Akagi emphasized the livestream's "healthy atmosphere."
"Since we've got the ticket, our next destination is Vermilion City. I'll show everyone the luxurious life aboard a cruise ship."
"Follow me. I know a shortcut."
Red scratched his head awkwardly and had Red follow Rei out the door.
At the end of Route 25 was the sea, but Rei Akagi didn't return the way they came.
"We're going by water."
At his command:
Rei rode atop Gyarados,
while Red clung tightly to Poliwrath.
Two Trainers, one dragon, one frog, and a mouse cut through the waves and crossed the bay directly, arriving back at the beach of Cerulean City.
After landing, Rei led Red through the narrow alleys of Cerulean City.
Eventually, they stopped in front of a house that looked like it had just been devastated by a typhoon.
Standing outside was a sharp-looking Officer Jenny, dressed in her crisp police uniform and frowning deeply.
Approaching her triggered dialogue.
"Officer Jenny: This poor man's house has been completely ransacked."
"Officer Jenny: It's obvious that this kind of heinous crime must be the work of Team Rocket again!"
"Officer Jenny: Even when we gather all our police forces, we still can't match Team Rocket!"
"Teacher Salted Fish, let's go inside and look around," Red said confidently, relying on his adventure experience. "There's definitely a quest reward here."
Rei Akagi seemed uninterested and replied casually.
"Mm-hmm."
"Officer Jenny is so cool! I want—"
"The Pokémon League has a complete criminal code."
"Team Rocket again! Their reputation is really something."
They entered the house.
Inside was complete chaos—furniture overturned and clearly smashed during a violent raid.
An old man stepped forward, sobbing.
"Victim: Look what they've done! They stole my Technical Machine for Dig! That thing cost me a fortune!"
"Alright," Rei Akagi said calmly. "Let's go take it back. After that we'll head to Route 5 toward Vermilion City."
Rei pushed aside a collapsed bookshelf.
Behind it was a dug-out tunnel.
Without hesitation, he crawled straight inside.
Seeing this, Red found it amusing and followed right behind.
"After Iono, even the legendary Red has been led astray…"
"Don't worry—more victims will follow in the future."
"Teacher Salted Fish really has endless tricks. So the 'shortcut' means using someone else's tunnel?"
They crawled through the passage.
On the other side was a lush forest path—
Route 5.
Fresh footprints still remained on the ground.
Following them, they soon found a Team Rocket grunt beneath a large tree, counting stolen loot.
"Team Rocket Grunt: Hey! Stop right there! Who are you—"
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