Chapter 150: The Young Bird Leaves the Nest, the Mother Bird Sheds a Tear
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
Without further hesitation, the trio entered the Game Corner. The old man at the door thoroughly checked Ash's age before letting him pass.
Upon entering the main gate, several more dazzling signs came into view, but this time, the words were different.
"What kid cries every day? What gambler loses every day?"
"A little gambling is for fun, a lot of gambling supports the family, and hardcore gambling is for the glory of the nation!"
"A gambler is humanity's best friend."
Ash: "?"
So the signs outside were just for show?
The three of them passed through the corridor and into the interior of the Game Corner, where the bright, colorful lights were a bit blinding.
Glancing around, he saw a vast gaming hall. The lighting and decorations were lavish, with a mahogany-red carpet underfoot and famous paintings and precious gems on the walls.
On one side of the hall stood dozens of slot machines, shimmering with flowing light and emitting catchy, mechanical music. They seemed to possess a strange power, luring people to insert a coin and pull the handle.
On the other side were several green-felt tables. Seated at one end of each table were several rather alluring women who looked like dealers, currently dealing cards.
In the middle was a counter where a few receptionists stood, presumably the exchange point for the casino's coins.
There were also several secret doors, the inner workings of which could not be seen with the naked eye.
Ash also noticed that although it was still early morning, the place was quite busy. At least half of the slot machines were occupied, and the card-playing area also had quite a few people looking at their hands and watching the dealers.
However, there weren't many staff members in uniform. There were only a few employees walking around providing assistance, as well as some security guards leaning against the walls on the edge of the hall, surveying the area.
Ash and the others exchanged a glance and quickly split up to search for clues about Team Rocket.
They had learned beforehand that this was a legitimate casino. Anyone causing trouble would, at most, be thrown out, not subjected to private punishments like having their hands chopped off.
Ash, feigning interest, walked up to a slot machine. He appeared to be fiddling with the machine, but in reality, he was secretly observing his surroundings.
"Hey, Brother Red, what's the next move?" he asked carefully.
"..."
Red didn't answer directly. He simply summarized three points, and then with a thought, his translucent body floated out of Ash.
A person and a soul appeared simultaneously in front of a slot machine. There was a noticeable height difference between them; Red was about two heads taller than Ash. The scene was somewhat startling.
This was an ability they had acquired in Lavender Town, after a Gengar in the Pokémon Tower struck Ash with an Exorcism Paper Fan. The two could now separate and act independently.
"Hey, Brother Red, don't come out and scare people in broad daylight."
Ash was startled.
To be honest, it was fun to banter with Brother Red in his mind, but whenever he had to face Brother Red's silent, profound, true form, he always felt a chill run down his spine, his confidence vanishing.
Red made a gesture to calm him down. In his current soul state, only Ash, Gary, and Blue could see him. Ordinary people would only see a blurry shadow.
"I'm in a soul state right now, which means I'm invincible. I can go scout ahead," Red said, his reasoning sound.
Truthfully, he had just been cooped up inside Ash for too long and wanted a chance to get out and stretch his legs.
Alone.
As a reclusive Trainer who had spent years in arduous training alone on Mt. Silver, he was, deep down, quite nostalgic for the feeling of being by himself.
Of course, following Ash was also quite interesting, though it often gave him a massive headache.
"Then what about me?" Ash asked eagerly, feeling like he was about to be left out of the fun.
Was he going to be a bystander in this dungeon too?
Red thought for a moment before replying, "Hmm... you can cause some trouble out here. The bigger the commotion outside, the less anyone will pay attention to what's happening inside. It'll be easier for me to act."
After all, it was a legitimate casino. The worst that could happen from causing trouble was getting thrown out and blacklisted, which was a good thing.
It wasn't like Ash could smash up the whole casino, right?
Red then scanned the hall. Comparing it to his memories from the Digital World, he quickly locked onto a direction. After nodding to Ash, his soul flew toward one side of the hall.
He was flying solo.
Ash watched Red's departing soul with great emotion. As the soul gradually faded into the distance, he couldn't help but sigh softly.
"This must be what a mother bird feels, shedding a tear after her young one leaves the nest, right?"
Red: "..."
His soul trembled, nearly dissipating into thin air in mid-air.
On the wall in a remote corner of the Celadon Game Corner hung a promotional poster. The poster depicted a handsome Persian.
"This is it."
Red's soul floated in front of the poster.
In Red's memory, in the Digital World, there was also a poster on the wall in this corner, but it was actually the switch for a secret door leading to Team Rocket's secret basement.
However, he was currently in a soul state. Others couldn't harm him, but he couldn't harm others either, which meant he couldn't touch the switch.
"It's you, then."
Red's soul turned its gaze to a security guard in a black uniform standing next to the poster, dozing off.
He could not only separate from Ash now but also had another ability: possession, a short-term body snatching of a small fry.
That's right, it had to be a small fry.
He couldn't possess anyone with even slightly higher willpower. The target's willpower had to be below that of a sixth grader.
He had observed this security guard. Despite his burly, bear-like physique, his willpower was, at best, at the level of a third-grader in the first semester.
Perfect.
Red's soul slowly drifted over and began to merge with the security guard...
The guard immediately trembled all over. Despite the summer heat, his whole body turned ice-cold, and he couldn't help but close his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, the simpleton's aura he had exuded was completely gone. In its place was a cold arrogance that looked down on all creation, his eyes deep and glacial.
The originally plain-looking guard's appearance now had a touch of melancholic coolness.
Of course, the explosive, wild aura that erupted from him vanished in an instant, so it didn't cause any confusion.
"This physical condition... is no good."
The possessed Red clenched his fist, comparing it to Ash's body, and shook his head.
Without further delay, Red scanned his surroundings. Seeing that no one was looking his way, he pressed the Persian poster.
His possession wouldn't last long; he had to act fast.
*Click.*
Sure enough, a secret door switch popped out from a nearby wall panel. A corner of the possessed Red's mouth lifted as he pushed the door open and stepped inside. No one noticed his actions.
After entering the secret door, he found a whole new world inside!
Unlike the colorful extravagance outside, the inside of the secret door was a solemn, simple metal path. With his superior skill and courage, Red didn't overthink it. Seeing no immediate danger, he followed the secret stairs down towards the secret basement.
Along the way, he casually slipped off the security guard's outer jacket, revealing the standard black uniform of a Team Rocket Grunt underneath. The 'R' logo was emblazoned in red and purple on his chest.
"This time... I'll clear this dungeon by myself."
A rare spark of battle intent ignited within Red, just like when he, as a young boy, first stepped into this secret basement...
As someone who walked the Path of Battle, he was never one to love peace.
(end of chapter)