Dodging the crowd, Ash passed through the alley and arrived at the back of the Silph Co. building. Under Pikachu's guidance, he found the ventilation duct Pikachu had used to sneak in earlier.
Silph Co. had no back door, so there were no Rocket personnel guarding the area. With no pedestrians around, Ash removed his coat.
"Pika!" Pikachu leaped onto a small platform beside the ventilation duct, lifted the grate, climbed inside, and held it open with his tiny hands.
"Thanks!" Ash jumped slightly, grabbed the edge of the duct, pulled himself up, and crawled inside, gently closing the grate behind him.
"Pikachu, Pikachu!" Pikachu pointed ahead, urging Ash to follow. Ash, taking deep breaths to calm his nerves, crawled behind Pikachu.
The ventilation duct was narrow, forcing Ash to crawl. Soon, they reached a vertical section. Looking up, Ash saw a five or six-meter drop.
"This..." Ash was stunned. If the duct were wider, he could climb down using his feet for support, but it was too narrow. Unable to brace himself against the walls, descending the five or six meters was impossible.
Pikachu hadn't considered this before and scratched his head in frustration. He could only have Ash back up and try another route.
For nearly ten minutes, Ash crawled through the maze of ducts. At one point, he reached the lobby and peered through the grate, observing the situation below.
There were about ten Team Rocket members in the lobby.
Ash proceeded cautiously, careful not to alert the Rockets below. Finally, he found the restroom.
"Going down from here should be okay..."
Ash observed for a moment, ensuring no one was near the restroom. He quietly opened the grate, allowing Pikachu to jump down first.
"Thud..." The sound of shoes hitting the floor echoed in the silent corridor, making Ash nervous. After a while, he was relieved that no one had noticed.
"Thank goodness, no one found out..." Ash's heart pounded. Sneaking around wasn't his forte. Next time, he vowed to choose a different approach.
"What now?"
Ash entered the men's room. It was empty, providing a safe space to think.
Handsome had instructed him to find the Master Ball research lab, but how could he pinpoint its location?
"In the game, I reached the top floor and rescued the Silph Co. president. Should I go to the eleventh floor? But how do I get there?" Ash removed his hat, ruffled his hair, and pondered his next move.
"Pika..." Pikachu patted Ash's shoulder reassuringly.
As Ash contemplated his options, the restroom door opened, and a Team Rocket grunt entered. He was startled to see Ash and Pikachu but quickly composed himself.
"You're not assigned to the first floor. Why are you here?" The grunt didn't question Ash's identity, only his presence.
"This, this... I..." Ash, caught off guard, looked at Pikachu, hoping he would attack.
"Don't tell me you're slacking off?" The grunt raised an eyebrow, then walked to the urinal, unzipped his pants, and sighed in relief. "You must be slacking off. I've had those thoughts too, but you're being reckless. Archer and Petrel are in charge of this operation."
"If they catch you slacking off, you'll be in big trouble." The grunt shuddered, washed his hands, and looked at Ash through the mirror.
"Haha, I'm heading back now. I was a bit tired, so I came down to rest, but I didn't expect to be caught." Ash played along, feigning embarrassment.
"I knew you weren't from the first floor. Which floor are you assigned to? How's the situation there?" The grunt asked, curious.
"I'm in charge of the fourth floor. We've secured the personnel there, and others are searching for the research lab. I took this opportunity to come down for a break." Ash seized the chance to extract information from the grunt.
"Haha, it's more comfortable down here. Besides dealing with tourists, there's nothing to do." The grunt chuckled, seemingly gloating.
"Alright, I advise you to return to the fourth floor
"Okay, I advise you to go back to the fourth floor as soon as possible so you're not missed, or you'll be in big trouble with Archer and Petrel." The Rocket patted Ash on the shoulder and left the bathroom.
Ash was relieved after confirming the Rocket had left and frowned. "Archer and Petrel... Judging from that Rocket's tone, they should be two high-ranking executives."
"Wait!" Ash suddenly thought of something, and his expression changed. He immediately opened the bathroom door and looked up. He hadn't closed the grate when he came down from the ventilation duct!
However, when Ash looked, he found that the grate had been closed at some point, as if it had never been opened.
"This..." Ash was confused. He was sure he hadn't closed the grate, but now it was closed.
"Could it be... Marshadow?" Ash glanced back at his faint shadow. If he wasn't mistaken, Marshadow must have cleaned up for him. This made Ash relax again, feeling grateful once more.
"Thank you, Marshadow." Although Ash couldn't see Marshadow, he still expressed his thanks.
"Pika..." Pikachu also noticed the issue from Ash's actions and thanked Marshadow with some fear.
In the shadows, Marshadow's eyes flickered, then disappeared again.
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