Late at night, in the Sea Shrine.
At this hour, the Sea Shrine seemed to have fallen completely silent. Almost no sound could be heard, only the turbulent whirlpool below the distant cliff, still flowing tirelessly and rapidly, making a rushing sound.
Natsui walked silently through the corridor. It was incredibly quiet around him, and he could only hear the echo of his own footsteps. Although Gengar was beside him, it made no sound as it moved, like a shadow, making it almost no different from walking alone.
Compared to its solemn and mysterious atmosphere during the day, at night, the mood here changed, becoming somewhat eerie and terrifying.
The man and the Pokémon had not gone far before Natsui discovered that, for some unknown reason, there were no modern lighting fixtures like electric lamps in the corridor. Instead, an oil lamp hung every few meters. The hazy lamplight illuminated the entire corridor, bringing a faint, dim light to the night.
But this was not hard to understand. It was a shrine, after all. If it didn't create a bit of mystery, how could it embody its mystique!
And there was another benefit to this: the burning flames could slightly disperse the humidity in the air, keeping the inside of the Sea Shrine dry.
After walking another ten meters or so, Natsui couldn't help but turn to look at the Gengar beside him.
"Where exactly did you see the Team Rocket trio?"
Gengar raised its short, stubby arm and pointed forward. "Just ahead. There's a shortcut nearby that can get us in front of them. Follow me!"
Led by Gengar, Natsui came to a staircase at a corner. He saw Gengar fiddle with a lampstand on the side, and then a secret door unexpectedly appeared on the wall!
"Go on in." Gengar let out its characteristic strange laugh. "This is a secret passage I discovered during my adventure earlier. It connects to most parts of the shrine and is very hidden."
It was truly hard to imagine that Gengar had managed to find even the secret passages here in just a few short hours!
Wasn't this like exposing the other party's biggest secret!
But thinking about it, it made sense. Pokémon of Gengar's line generally like to pass through walls, and they also love dark places, so it wasn't surprising that it could discover such a secret.
Entering the secret passage, the world inside the door was even darker. A narrow and low corridor was just wide enough for one person to pass through.
And compared to the corridor outside, you could barely see your hand in front of your face here. For a Pokémon like Gengar, which was already adapted to the darkness, this was no problem, but as a human, he didn't have such an ability.
Left with no choice, Natsui could only send out his Jolteon and have it generate an electric current to light the path ahead.
Following the passage, Natsui made several turns, passed through a few intersections, and finally went through another secret door, leaving the hidden path.
However, before Natsui could see where he was, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps in the distance, getting closer and closer. With no time to think, he quickly recalled Jolteon and hid himself in the darkness.
...
Deep within the Sea Shrine.
At this moment, the Team Rocket trio was tiptoeing around nearby.
Because it was too late and they couldn't use flashlights, had no map, and couldn't ask for directions, James and Jessie had been walking back and forth here for a long time, completely lost, since they broke in.
Now, both of them felt their legs were sore and weak, unable to take another step.
Finding a stone step, James decided not to walk anymore. He sat down with a plop, and while massaging his legs, he couldn't help but frown. "Hey, Jessie, haven't we already been through this place? Why does it look so familiar?"
"Really?" Jessie was also leaning against a nearby pillar, sticking her tongue out like a dog, seemingly trying to relieve her fatigue this way. "The layout here is all pretty much the same. You must be mistaken!"
Hearing their conversation, Meowth's expression changed. It quickly jumped beside them and made a hushing gesture. "Shh! You two keep it down, don't wake up the guards here!"
"What's there to be afraid of?" Jessie curled her lip nonchalantly. "The competition is over. Officer Jenny and those police officers have already gone back. Now it's just some women and those few gatekeepers at the entrance. If they dare to get in our way, I'll take care of them myself!"
James hesitated for a moment. "But I saw Natsui and that twerp's group seem to have moved in here too. If we wake them up, it'll be trouble!"
"So what if they are?" Jessie said stubbornly, but her expression clearly lacked confidence. "We'll leave as soon as we get the scepter. It's so dark now, once we're out the door, we can just hide in any tree, and even if they want to chase us, they won't be able to find us!"
Thinking that Jessie had a point, James and Meowth's hearts settled down a bit.
What they didn't know was that in the shadows right beside them, Natsui was watching them with narrowed eyes!
So these guys... are after the scepter in Maya's hand?
Overhearing their entire conversation, Natsui finally understood their objective.
Speaking of which, not only was the scepter itself made of pure gold, but the Soul of the Sea on it was also priceless and held great symbolic meaning. If they really got their hands on it, it would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to Maya, the Sea Shrine, and the entire Whirl Islands.
He wondered if targeting the scepter was just these three's idea, or an order from Team Rocket's higher-ups.
The panting Team Rocket trio, of course, had no idea that the person they were most worried about, the person they feared most, was hiding right beside them!
After resting for another moment, a sudden draft blew through, making the trio shiver collectively.
James tightened his clothes and complained, "This darn place looked fine during the day. How come it feels so eerie and terrifying at night!?"
"You're just overthinking it. It's all in your head," Jessie rolled her eyes at him. "Seriously, how can you be in Team Rocket if you're such a coward!"
James looked around. The more he looked at the place, the more hair-raising it became. He couldn't help but urge, "Alright, we've rested enough. Let's get a move on!"
"Coward..."
Jessie was about to say something when, at that exact moment, the trio heard a spine-chilling laugh. The sound was sometimes near, sometimes far, as if it were right next to their ears. But when they turned to look, they saw nothing!
Yet the sound, even now, could still be clearly heard!
Gulp!
The three of them subconsciously swallowed. They looked at each other and quickly stood up from the ground.
Jessie looked at James and forced a dry laugh. "Y-you have a point. We really can't stay here long. Let's hurry up and steal that scepter!"
But after what had just happened, this time, James and Meowth refused to walk in front. The big man and the Pokémon actually pushed Jessie to the very front.
Being shoved by these two jerks, Jessie wanted to curse them out. She was naturally very scared herself, but since she was the one who initiated this operation, she could only brace herself and walk at the front...
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