When Red heard that hollow echo, different from the surrounding floor, his eyes lit up with excitement. He dropped to his knees at once, pressing his ear against the ground, not caring for the dirt and dust clinging to his clothes.

Beside him, Caitlin was much more restrained. Though clearly just as excited, the refined lady from Sinnoh still carried herself with measured grace, unlike Red’s lively, monkey-like eagerness.

It wasn’t long before Red managed to push aside a loose floor tile, revealing a hidden panel with a keypad waiting for a passcode.

“So there really is a code…” Caitlin leaned over, shining her flashlight across it, and let out a soft sigh of disappointment.

Both Red and Caitlin exchanged a helpless look, then turned their eyes toward Logan.

“Why are you two staring at me? I’m not some kind of hacker genius,” Logan said, his tone a little exasperated. He didn’t know a thing about cracking high-tech locks. If only Green were here—that girl, from the look of her, would probably know exactly what to do.

“Then what do we do?” Red scratched his head. He was clever enough in battle, quick-thinking when commanding Pokémon—but when it came to something like this, a piece of technology… he was stumped.

“Just have Pikachu fry the circuit board,” Logan offered, with a shrug—a suggestion so simple and direct it was almost brutal.

“Great idea! Pikachu, it’s all yours!” Red called out instantly.

“Pika~~” Pikachu, who had been perched on Red’s shoulder, let out a spark-filled cry. In the pitch-black cargo hold, a blinding flash of electricity cut through the darkness. With a sharp crackle and pop, the hidden mechanism inside sparked and failed. Instantly, the floor panel shook, and the sound of turning gears echoed as the secret door unlocked.

Logan gave Pikachu a sidelong glance. This Pikachu, he thought, really was different from the one he remembered. Not just in looks or personality—but in sheer power. Its control over its moves, its fighting spirit… it was nothing short of formidable.

Seeing the passage open at last, Red didn’t hesitate for a second. He dashed down the stairs without looking back. Caitlin cast a glance at Logan, eyes sparkling with shared excitement, and quickly followed.

Kids will be kids, Logan thought with a wry smile. They don’t even realize that smashing the lock just announced our arrival to everyone.

He shrugged. To him, sneaking around or just openly barging in made little difference. As for Red and Caitlin—they likely hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Logan turned his head toward a shadowed corner of the cargo hold. In his deep violet eyes, a faint glint caught the tiny surveillance camera hidden there. Their intrusion had already been noticed.

Beyond the hidden door, they descended into what seemed to be the ship’s machinery deck. Rows of iron beams crisscrossed overhead; heavy machines clanked and churned, propelling the S.S. Anne steadily forward. Floating here and there, little Magnemite patrolled the air, watching for intruders.

“Give me your hand,” Logan called softly over his shoulder as he stepped down an iron staircase.

Caitlin smiled sweetly and offered her pale, slender hand, her skin soft and cool as polished jade. Holding her skirt delicately in her other hand, she jumped lightly down. Logan caught her, steadying her by wrapping an arm gently around her waist so she wouldn’t slip or stumble.

“You really are quite gentle, Lord Logan,” she teased, her voice as soft as silk. Her elegant, dark hair looked so out of place here, surrounded by rusting steel and roaring engines.

At first, she had thought him cold—a man who would bluntly refuse her plea without a second thought. But seeing this side of him, the question grew stronger in her heart: Which one was the real Logan? And the curiosity only deepened.

Red, meanwhile, paid them no mind at all, keeping low and moving cautiously ahead. Logan nearly laughed—he wanted to tell Red that their cover had already been blown. Between the cameras and the electromagnetic pulses from the Magnemite floating around, anyone trying to sneak in was already exposed.

“Rocket Team!” Red hissed suddenly, dropping into a crouch behind a railing.

Caitlin pressed herself against Logan, peeking through a gap to see. Down below, several Rocket Grunts in black uniforms were hefting crates from one place to another. The thrill of seeing the infamous criminal gang up close made her heart pound.

“So, even in Sinnoh you’ve heard of Team Rocket?” Logan asked quietly.

“Of course,”Caitlin whispered back, her eyes glinting with curiosity and excitement.

“I’m surprised their name travels that far… Red, you’ve got history with them?” Logan asked.

“I’ve run into them a few times before—and stopped their plans,” Red answered, his voice low but unwavering. “They even tried to capture me once or twice, but I got away each time.”

Logan raised an eyebrow. So Red and Team Rocket still have their own tangled story…

“Look at those crates—they’re filled with Poké Balls,”Caitlin murmured near Logan’s ear, her breath brushing his skin like warm, fragrant nectar. For a moment, the soft tickle and scent made Logan shiver despite himself.

“And from what I can see,” Logan said, narrowing his eyes, “the Pokémon inside are barely conscious. Team Rocket must have stolen them, then forced them into weakness so they couldn’t resist once sealed inside the balls.”

“And look there…” Logan added, pointing subtly. “Kanto and Johto are often treated as one region for trade. The S.S. Anne’s first stop is near Johto. My guess: they’ll offload the stolen Pokémon to Rocket-run companies in Johto. Then, using official channels, those Pokémon will be laundered right back into Kanto, all clean on paper. A perfect cycle.”

Red’s eyes widened at the plan’s ruthlessness.

But then, Logan grabbed Red’s shoulder, voice suddenly sharp: “…Where do you think you’re going, Red?”

“To stop them, of course! And free the Pokémon!” Red answered instantly, pulling his cap lower, muscles tensed to leap.

“Look again, Red,” Logan said, voice calm but firm. “We’re in the middle of the ocean. And see there? Voltorb and Electrode everywhere—Team Rocket planted them. If they detonate, the explosion could level a whole building. On the S.S. Anne? It’d tear the ship apart.”

Red followed Logan’s finger. His pupils shrank when he saw the swarm of Voltorb and Electrode hidden around the cargo hold. Red might not know the exact explosive force—but as a trainer, he could imagine all too well what a synchronized Self-Destruct could do.

He remembered the terror attack back in Vermilion City, when Rocket used living bombs.

“So what should we do?” Red asked, his voice quieter now.

“In about two days,” Logan explained, “the S.S. Anne will dock at the nearest island to Johto. There’ll be supplies, emergency services—if things go wrong, help can reach us. The stolen Pokémon can’t go anywhere before then. So we wait, and act when it’s safest.”

“Smart…” Red said, the fight draining out of his posture. “Calling you along really was the right move, Logan. You always think ahead! Alright, we’ll wait two days.”

“And Caitlin,” Logan added softly, turning to her, “in the meantime, if you’re free, come find me. I can teach you more about controlling your powers.”

Caitlin’s eyes lit up with eagerness, her mind already racing with plans.

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the ship—

“Lord Proton, they’ve left for now. What are your orders?” a Rocket Grunt asked respectfully inside the S.S. Anne’s monitoring room.

“We wait three days,” Proton answered with a cold grin. “Just like that brat said—if something happens in the middle of the ocean, the cargo goes down with the ship. But they can’t run far on board, either.”

His grin widened into laughter, voice echoing off the steel walls.

“Besides… I want to see what that kid can do—the one who made Sabrina hide in her room for three whole days!”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep