1.Ash's Story (Part 2: Johto)

Chapter 65: Rocket Signal

Mahogany Town looked unchanged when we returned from the Lake of Rage, but the quiet streets felt different now. The souvenir shop stood near the center road with cheerful signs, candy displays, and polished Magikarp charms, hiding the source of the signal beneath an ordinary wooden floor.

Lillie held the special Egg case close while Togetic floated beside her shoulder. "The sound is stronger here."

Girafarig stepped beside us with both heads tense. Its tail-head snapped toward the floor while the front head stared through the window. "The bad sound is directly below us."

Pikachu flattened his ears against my neck. "And it still hurts, even with Lance's device helping."

Espeon stayed close to my leg. "There are people moving beneath the shop. I can feel the vibration through the boards."

Before I could answer, a crash shook the front room. We hurried through the door and found Lance beside Dragonite, facing one of the shop workers near the back wall.

"Dragonite, Hyper Beam!" Lance commanded.

Dragonite fired past the worker and blasted the wall behind him. The shock knocked the disguised Rocket grunt off balance without taking the attack directly. A cabinet rattled, candy boxes toppled, and a hidden section of wall cracked open.

"Lance!" I shouted. "We heard the blast from outside."

"The signal led here," Lance said. "This man reached for an alarm when I moved the cabinet."

The grunt tried to crawl toward a switch beneath the counter. Dragonite planted one claw between him and the button.

Dragonite watched the grunt carefully. "Stay where you are. Don't touch the alarm."

Lance shoved the large cabinet aside. A concealed stairway descended into cold mechanical light.

"The headquarters is under the shop," Lance said. "The transmitter is deeper inside. I also detected several large electrical sources clustered around it."

Kris looked toward the stairs. "You think they are Electrode?"

"Most likely," Lance said. "If Team Rocket is using them as generators, we need to get them clear before we destroy the transmitter."

Pikachu's cheeks flickered. "I can feel their electricity fighting the machine."

I rubbed his back. "Then we're getting them out."

Lance went first with Dragonite. Lillie checked the Egg case latch once, and the rest of us followed into Team Rocket's underground headquarters.

The first basement smelled of metal, dust, and hot wiring. Red lights blinked along the walls, while polished Persian statues stood at several intersections with dark glass set into their eyes.

East raised one hand. "Those eyes are cameras. Stay clear of the center path."

We edged toward the wall, but a Rocket grunt burst through a side door and forced us toward one of the statues. Its eyes flashed red, and an alarm screamed through the corridor.

"Intruder alert!" a mechanical voice repeated.

Doors opened on both sides. Grunts rushed in with Raticate, Zubat, and Koffing, filling the passage before we could retreat.

One Raticate lunged at Umbreon with dark energy around its claws.

"Umbreon, dodge the Thief!" Lillie called.

Umbreon twisted aside before the claws connected. The Move Dex beeped as the attack passed him.

Move Dex Updated — Shared National Record: Ash and Lillie