On the shallow surface of the water, a pair of eyes suddenly opened. The next instant, a Pokémon leapt out—its entire body made of flowing water, like a mermaid carved from liquid. From within its aqueous form, a human figure slowly emerged.
"Hah… turning myself into water molecules didn't feel good at all. Thanks for that, Vaporeon!"
Logan rose to his feet, rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck. The strange sensation of being dissolved by the Pokémon's move was impossible to put into words. He had been able to breathe, to think, to remain aware of himself—yet at the same time, it felt as though his body had lost its shape entirely. A bizarre experience, so strange that language failed to describe it.
The Water Pokémon bounded happily to Logan's side, sticking out a watery tongue to lick his hand.
"Vui~!"
In the blink of an eye, the water spirit transformed back into an Eevee, and then into its evolved form, hopping lightly onto Logan's shoulder.
"Let's move. First, we'll head down to the basement of this building. After that, we'll go to the top floor. I've got a feeling… someone is waiting for me there."
Logan lifted his gaze toward the ceiling of Silph Co.'s towering skyscraper. The building stretched over a hundred floors, more than five hundred meters tall—the highest structure in all of Kanto.
…
In the basement monitoring room of Silph Co., a girl sat bound, her hands and feet tied cruelly behind her back. A strip of tape covered her mouth. Her long, light-brown hair was disheveled, her body slumped in the corner. But unlike what most would expect, there was no fear in her eyes. Instead, they burned with fury and an unshakable will.
Her gaze locked with the two Team Rocket grunts sitting nearby. After a quick glance at her, the men lost interest and slouched lazily in their chairs, watching the surveillance feeds on the wall.
"She's Professor Oak's granddaughter, right? She's not some famous researcher, and she's not a notable Trainer either. Why bother giving her special treatment by locking her in here? Wouldn't it be easier to just toss her in with the other Pallet Town folk?"
"Who knows? Boss gave the order, so we just follow it. Can't say I'm not bored though. Wonder when the next rotation is coming."
"Doesn't matter. Saffron City's resistance is already collapsing. Once we hold off those pesky Gym Leaders and reorganize, we'll march on the next city. Before long, all of Kanto will belong to Team Rocket! And once Kanto is our base… Johto will be next!"
The two Rockets spoke with excitement, their eyes gleaming with ambition. Beside them, two Hypno stood guard, their eyes glowing as they monitored Daisy Oak.
"Hey, look at this! It's Koga's battle feed. Hey, girl—take a look at this. Isn't that your little brother fighting him?"
One of the grunts spun the screen toward her with a wicked grin.
Daisy's breath caught. On the monitor, her younger brother Blue was locked in battle against Koga—and worse, against the legendary Articuno. Blue was being pushed back, outmatched and struggling. Daisy's heart clenched with fear.
For the first time, her expression shifted from defiance to raw panic. The Rockets burst into laughter.
"Ha! Finally! Look at her face now!"
"Hahaha! Don't worry, woman. Once Koga captures your brother, you'll be reunited soon enough. Then maybe we'll play a little game. You two siblings can decide which one of you should die. Will you sacrifice yourself for family? Or let survival instinct push you to sacrifice him?"
"Heh heh heh!"
Their malicious voices filled the room. Daisy's fury burned hotter, her muffled cries tearing against the tape. But beneath her rage, worry for Blue consumed her.
Even so, she realized she was fortunate in one regard. As cruel as Team Rocket was, slaughtering many resisters in their Saffron assault, they operated with military-like discipline. They were no band of chaotic thugs. For all their cruelty, they had not descended into worse atrocities—at least not yet.
"…That's unfortunate for you two."
A sudden voice cut through the room.
"Because you won't be around to see Daisy and Blue forced to kill each other. The only reunion you'll have… will be in hell."
"What?!"
The Rockets snapped their heads around, barking orders for their Pokémon to attack. But before they could react, a storm of needles whistled through the air, filling their vision like a deadly rainstorm.
"AHHH!!"
The cries were brief. Their bodies collapsed almost immediately, riddled with countless tiny punctures. Though only a few drops of blood spilled, their lives were already gone.
Thud!
The two Rockets and their Hypno fell in unison. Silence returned to the monitoring room.
Daisy stared wide-eyed. The walls around her were peppered with hundreds of sharp spines, and yet… not a single one had harmed her. The ropes binding her wrists and ankles, however, had been shredded clean through. The precision was terrifying.
"Pin Missile really is a handy move. Especially against Psychic-types—it deals double the damage. The only downside is… well, the sheer density of those needles would give anyone trypophobia."
Logan stepped calmly into the room, his Jolteon at his side, both scanning for danger before lowering their guard.
"Logan!!"
Daisy's eyes lit up. She ripped the tape from her mouth, staggering to her feet. Her legs, numb from being bound for so long, stumbled as she tried to run.
Logan moved quickly, extending his arms to catch her as she nearly collapsed against him.
"Th-thank goodness… thank goodness you came!"
The girl who had faced her captors with unwavering defiance now broke down, sobbing into his chest. People could hold strong in crisis, but once safety arrived, the tension snapped—and even the strongest would collapse into tears.
"It's alright now, Daisy. It's over…"
Logan's voice was steady and comforting. She buried her face against him, her tears soaking his shirt. He felt the warmth of her trembling body, her scent, her fragility—but his focus remained only on easing her fears.
At last, after letting out her fear and grief, Daisy pulled away, blushing furiously as she whispered, "S-sorry… you had to see me like that. So embarrassing."
Her tear-streaked face shone with vulnerability, her eyes like rain-washed petals.
"Crying isn't embarrassing, Daisy."
"…Then please… just call me Daisy. No more formalities."
She bit her lip shyly, then glanced at the monitors, gasping. "Wait—Blue! He's still fighting!"
"That's his battle. I shouldn't interfere. What we need to do now is rescue the people of Pallet Town. Do you know where they're being held?"
Daisy hesitated, then nodded slowly. "…You're right. Blue's grown. He can fight his own battles. The villagers need us more."
Logan nodded approvingly. Yes… if Daisy and the townsfolk are safe, Red and Blue can focus fully on their fights. That way, they'll share my burden.
And if I can push them toward Sabrina, all the better.
"Unfortunately…" Daisy lowered her head, guilt in her voice. "I don't know where the villagers are. I was captured and brought straight here. I never saw them."
Logan frowned, but then his eyes softened. "It's fine. This is the monitoring room. We'll search the feeds and find them."
Just then, the intercom crackled to life. A voice—familiar, chilling—filled the room.
"If you want to find the people of Pallet Town, Logan… I can tell you exactly where they are."
Logan's eyes narrowed sharply. His head snapped toward the speaker. His voice was low, edged with steel.
"…Giovanni?!"
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