Two days later.
Silver Pokémon Battle Club.
Natsuhiko, looking a bit disheveled with a backpack, had his arm wrapped in torn clothing, and a Weedle perched on his other shoulder.
Returned.
Anai, standing at the front desk, saw Natsuhiko and was visibly surprised, but quickly restrained herself and said with a smile:
"Back? Why do you look so battered?"
"Things were more troublesome than expected." Natsuhiko replied blandly, not wanting to elaborate further.
He then asked, "Is the manager here?"
"The manager? It seems like he went out. Are you injured? You should get it treated at the medical room, an infection wouldn't be good." Anai said with a hint of concern.
The clothing on Natsuhiko's arm was completely soaked with blood.
"I see, thank you." Natsuhiko nodded expressionlessly.
After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, "By the way, Anai, if the manager returns, could you let me know?"
"Sure."
"Thanks." With that, he left in large strides.
Anai looked at his backpack, seemingly lost in thought.
Natsuhiko went to the medical room and got some needed medicine and bandages.
Back in his room.
He quickly treated his arm injury, luckily he had some experience handling emergencies in the wild and carried some medicine, so he had already done some basic wound treatment and infection prevention, even though the pain almost made him pass out at the time.
After a bit more treatment, it should be fine for the most part, though he might not be able to do strenuous activities or carry heavy objects for a while.
Fortunately, the medical standards in the Pokémon Realm are quite advanced, effective not only for Pokémon but for human medicine as well.
Aside from some incurable diseases, the chance of dying from illness is relatively low, possibly even lower than those who die at the hands of Pokémon.
After handling the injury.
He delicately removed the Pokémon Egg from his backpack.
"From today on, we'll rely on each other." Natsuhiko said to the Pokémon Egg and the Weedle next to it, its small eyes filled with curiosity.
"Bzz~~" Weedle chirped softly, suddenly feeling a sense of responsibility as an elder.
Natsuhiko patted Weedle's head, "It might be some time before it hatches, you better start earning money now to care for it in the future."
"Bzz!!"
The Weedle, full of confidence, arched its back and head to show off its muscles and capabilities.
It can do it.
"Let's work hard together."
"Bzz bzz!"
The exhausted Natsuhiko then collapsed onto the bed with the Pokémon Egg and Weedle, falling into a deep sleep.
In the wild, even with a Paras keeping watch, he couldn't sleep soundly.
In the club, although there are surveillance and detection devices everywhere, fortunately, there aren't any in the room, so he could sleep well.
As for whether this mission is a Rocket Team trap, whether living here is unsafe...
Overthinking it.
With Rocket Team's resources, what's the difference between staying here and at a Poke Center?
Besides, he didn't think someone like him would warrant a significant reaction from Rocket Team.
At most...
Maybe some individuals just don't like him.
...
...
Trainer Guild in Goldenrod City.
"I think the pressing issue now is not finding the missing Conversion Device, but figuring out why the other party took it. Otherwise, we can't be sure of any clues." The deputy guild leader Azir said, his pipe glowing at his fingertips.
"Azir, your point matches the overall goal; it's ultimately about retrieving the device and understanding their intentions. According to the latest report from the power station superintendent, if we can't retrieve it, the old one can only last for another month at most." The one speaking was another deputy, Nalorphine.
While the guild master is unavailable, the two deputies oversee all matters in Goldenrod City.
The difference is, Nalorphine handles internal affairs, while Azir manages external relations.
There weren't many people sitting around the small conference table.
The seat of the guild master at the head of the table was empty, as was the seat representing the Dojo Leader of Goldenrod City across from them.
In this ever-growing city of Goldenrod City, the daily electricity consumption is astronomical and continues to grow.
The device replacement was due to the original one being unable to fully meet Goldenrod City's needs.
"Lance has already detailed what they saw and what happened, but we still don't have enough clues to determine anything useful." Azir's gaze swept over to Lance, who was leaning against the corner.
"Lance, what's your take?" Nalorphine also looked at Lance.
Upon hearing this, Lance immediately straightened up and stated truthfully, "I still hold to my earlier opinion. The ones who could take over a power station without a sound are most likely Rocket Team."
It's been over a week since the essential device was lost, and though they don't want to admit it, they really don't have any leads.
If it was Rocket Team, then they are currently very quiet, maintaining their usual level of activity without many conspicuous actions and changes.
They've already had this kind of meeting over five times.
But it always ends the same, with no leads.
"What does headquarters say? Can they supply another new Conversion Device?" Azir took a deep breath, slowly exhaling a smoke ring as he spoke.
The conference room gradually filled with a thin layer of smoke.
"No way." Lance shook his head, "This device is extremely intricate and difficult to manufacture, the last one took an entire year for the Alliance experts to complete. Even with gained experience, it would still take at least three months this time."
He had been in constant contact with headquarters this whole time.
After all, he was responsible for Investigator affairs, not Goldenrod City specifically, and was staying here just to see if he could help.
"Keep a close watch on Rocket Team, if it really is them, they'll definitely make some moves; surely, they won't want to see Goldenrod City come to a standstill." Nalorphine suggested.
They seemed to have no good solutions.
The item is lost, there are no leads, and finding a hidden, basketball-sized Conversion Device in a city as large as Goldenrod City is a stretch.
"Also, keep an eye on the black market; there might be some clues there." Azir added.
It was the same old outcome, and Lance, standing in the corner, felt helpless inside.
The Alliance was aware of Rocket Team's existence, but since the Alliance was in the open and Rocket Team operated from the shadows, without any inside operatives, they were at a disadvantage.
However, at that moment, Lance's mind was on another matter.
Through persistent requests, he finally got some information from the Investigator higher-ups that, while uncertain of its utility, seemed promising.
However, it didn't appear relevant to the meeting, so he remained silent for now.
It was about the Reserve Elite Four defector, Tom Rokicki, who stole something from the Alliance's secret vault, referred to in their system as...
Pure Gold Feather.
And it was connected to the legendary Pokémon, Zapdos!
——————
Second update! Please give a thumbs up to the characters~~