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"What you said makes sense, but why should we think about these things now? Our primary goal now is to find them. As for the key, either take it with us or leave it here. Choose one."
After listening to Gary's explanation about the key being left on the door, Bob understood it but didn't care much. However, Gary thought it would be better to take the key, just to be safe.
After hearing Gary's suggestion to take the key, Bob didn't say anything. He just pulled out the key and handed it to Gary. Gary took the key, and the two walked through the door.
Behind the door was a long corridor, seemingly endless, with no one knowing where it led. The two continued forward along the corridor.
"We can't go on like this. We've been walking along this corridor for a long time. Something feels wrong."
"It is a bit strange. It seems this place is really important to Team Rocket, but it's so dark here. Luckily, I have Charmander, a natural light source."
After walking for a while, Bob felt uneasy and asked Gary to stop. When Charmander appeared, a patch of light suddenly illuminated the previously pitch-black area. In front of them, the corridor continued, deep and endless, with some forks branching off on both sides.
"This should be a secret base of Team Rocket. Otherwise, they wouldn't have set up these forks, making it like a maze. What do you think?"
Gary asked Bob for his opinion, wondering if he had any other ideas.
"In my opinion, we should continue to walk along the main corridor first. As for the forks, let's ignore them for now. I think they're just meant to confuse intruders."
After hearing Gary's thoughts, Bob nodded and shared his opinion. After exchanging ideas, the two continued along the corridor.
After about half an hour of walking, they reached a door. Leaning against the door, they heard some faint sounds coming from behind it, like people talking inside. However, the door's soundproofing was good, and they couldn't hear what was being said clearly.
"It seems that Butch and Cassidy should be behind this door, and the voices we're hearing must be them. But the soundproofing is really good. Should we break in?"
Listening to the sounds behind the door, Bob suggested breaking in. However, his suggestion was rejected by Gary, as they had no idea what was going on behind the door. Plus, they were at a disadvantage, not knowing what was behind it.
"What should we do then? Just wait?"
Bob understood Gary's reasoning, but he was still a little frustrated. After all, Butch and Cassidy were right behind the door, but they couldn't just charge in and take them down. It was hard to accept, but he suppressed his frustration and followed Gary to a fork in the road to hide. After waiting for what felt like forever, the door finally opened.
Butch and Cassidy emerged, walking side by side.
Gary, who had sharp eyes, spotted them immediately. Seeing this, he quickly tapped Bob to get his attention. Bob, now alert, looked out and saw Butch and Cassidy walking toward the fork where they were hiding.
"Now we have two choices. The first is to jump out and take them down directly. The second is safer: wait for them to leave and then try to break in. Personally, I prefer the first option. After all, they're not very strong. What do you think?"
Gary presented two options, though he favored the first one. Bob naturally agreed with the first choice—he had been itching for action the entire time they'd been hiding at the fork.
After Bob made his choice, Gary nodded. The two divided their tasks: Gary would investigate the situation behind the door, and Bob would focus on taking down Butch and Cassidy.
The plan in place, they sprang into action. Bob jumped out first, drawing Butch and Cassidy's attention, while Gary took the opportunity to sneak to the other side of the door. Before long, the sound of a battle erupted from Bob's direction.
Hearing that Bob had already engaged Butch and Cassidy, Gary wasted no time and quickly examined the door to figure out how to open it. After some searching, he found a small hole that appeared to be the keyhole but couldn't find anything else.
Just when he was at a loss, he suddenly remembered the key they had used earlier to enter.
"Could it be that this key opens not only the outer door but also this one?"
After carefully inspecting the key, Gary spoke to himself. With no other options, he inserted the key into the small hole and turned it a few times.
After a few turns, he heard a creak as the door opened. Seeing the door in front of him swing open, Gary smiled.
But now wasn't the time to celebrate. Gary quickly walked through the door, remembering to take the key with him. Upon entering, he was stunned by the scene before him. The room was filled with a dazzling array of instruments.
Though Gary didn't know what the instruments did, he knew they were likely dangerous, given that they were made by Team Rocket.
Not willing to take any chances, Gary released Charmander once more and instructed it to destroy the instruments. Charmander unleashed its flames, burning everything in its path.
With the instruments destroyed, Gary hurried out of the room with Charmander, just as the aftermath of the explosion began to catch up to them.
He shouted to Bob, "Bob, stop fighting and retreat!"
Bob, hearing Gary's voice, immediately turned and ran toward him.
"It's you?!"
Following the light from Charmander, Butch and Cassidy finally spotted Gary. Butch, furious, shouted angrily, "Kid, stop right there!"
Seeing Butch's outburst, Cassidy glanced behind them and, noticing the flames inside the room, quickly pulled Butch, urging him to run.
As for Gary and Bob, they were already racing toward the exit, with the explosion's shockwave closing in.
"Do you still have the key?"
Seeing the exit ahead, Bob glanced at Gary. Gary smiled and reached into his pocket, but after searching for a moment, he realized the key was gone.
With the explosion getting closer, they had no time to worry about the key and sprinted for the exit. Once outside, they clung to a tree, panting heavily from the exhausting run.
"We still need to leave a big gift for Butch and Cassidy."
After catching his breath, Gary looked back at the exit of Team Rocket's secret base. Bob was a bit confused when he heard Gary mention leaving a big gift for Butch and Cassidy.
Gary simply smiled, not explaining further. He then took Charmander and positioned himself at the exit of the secret base. Bob stood a short distance away, watching.
As soon as they emerged, Mia spotted them and hurried over. But Bob stopped her, saying, "Gary said he's going to leave Team Rocket a big gift. Let's wait here for now."
Hearing that Gary was planning something, Mia immediately understood, while Bob, still curious, decided not to press the matter further.
"That's exactly what I want, Charmander, use Ember on the shockwave."
Seeing Butch and Cassidy fleeing in panic, with the explosion's shockwave behind them, Gary smiled and instructed Charmander to use Ember. Charmander spat a fireball toward the shockwave.
"Run!"
Seeing the fireball heading toward the shockwave, Gary quickly recalled Charmander and ran back, calling out to Bob and Mia as he ran.
Mia immediately followed Gary's lead and ran back, but Bob hesitated until Gary quickly grabbed him and pulled him along. Just as they managed to distance themselves, a loud explosion erupted behind them.
"Kid, you better watch out! I'll be back!"
The explosion was followed by Butch's furious roar. Bob, now aware of Gary's "gift," broke out in a cold sweat.
"They're just getting what they deserve. Let's go." Gary smiled after hearing Bob's reaction.
"Ding!"
"Host has completed the selection. The reward has been issued."
The system prompt sounded as Gary smiled in satisfaction, mentally distributing the rewards. "Although this was really intense, the rewards are worth it. With these rewards, Magikarp's strength can reach a higher level. But I think I'll share the rewards with Charmander and Dragonite too. Their strength needs to improve as well, making the upcoming gym battle more certain."
With a satisfied smile, Gary planned his next steps.
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