The surface of the box was carved with patterns resembling Lugia, though the design had faded over time, leaving it blurry and worn.
As soon as Shiro held it, he sensed a faint aura of a legendary Pokémon coming from inside.
"Could it be…" he muttered to himself as he gently opened the lid, and a cold, silver glow slowly drifted out.
Inside the box lay a long, ice-blue feather, radiating a chilling aura.
'An Articuno feather!' Unown A spoke first, already moving invisibly around the area to examine it closely.
Shiro, however, frowned.
The item Giovanni sent him was just an Articuno feather? What was the meaning of this?
Even though Articuno was a Legendary Pokémon, a single feather like this was still just an ordinary object with almost no practical use for him.
No wonder this kind of thing had been handed off as a casual task for low-level grunts instead of being delivered personally by an executive.
Team Rocket must have already captured Articuno, and a single feather like this, even if lost, probably would not matter much to them.
Snap!
Shiro closed the lid, his expression calm as he put the box away, then waved at the group of Team Rocket grunts staring at him eagerly.
"Alright, your mission is complete. You can all go back now."
The group stood there in silence for a moment, as if they had forgotten what to do.
After a few seconds, seeing Shiro about to leave, Bailey hurriedly called out, "Wait! Professor Shiro! There's one more thing…"
"Another item?" Shiro had already walked a few meters away, but the moment he heard that, he instantly appeared in front of Bailey.
Bailey was startled, but quickly steadied himself and took out a communication device from his pocket. "This was issued by the boss. It can directly contact him…"
"I see." Shiro was slightly disappointed.
He had thought there might be something better. After all, Giovanni was known for being generous and never stingy when recruiting people.
"P-Professor Shiro…" Bailey asked cautiously, shrinking back a little. "How should we prove that we've delivered the item to you?"
Shiro raised an eyebrow, not expecting the man to dare ask such a question.
They had not even bothered to properly learn the recipient's information before completing the delivery, and now they were asking him how to prove they had actually delivered it?
Sensing Shiro's displeasure, Bailey could not help but tremble, though he still forced a flattering smile.
He knew his preparation had been lacking, but if he could not complete the report, the mission would be marked as a failure. Not only would any chance of promotion and a raise disappear, he might also be punished by Sabrina…
At the thought of Sabrina's punishment, fear rose in his heart.
Among the Team Rocket executives, Sabrina was the most unpredictable. With her psychic powers, she often came up with all sorts of ways to torment people. Turning people into toys was one of her more "normal" punishments.
Compared to that, Professor Shiro in front of him already seemed very mild.
Shiro looked at Bailey for a moment. Seeing the pleading expressions of the entire group, he finally nodded. "Fine."
It was not out of kindness. He simply did not want trouble later, as he would definitely have contact with Giovanni in the future.
If he did not help them, Team Rocket might not be able to confirm whether the delivery was completed, which could lead to unnecessary complications.
And if someone with ill intentions tried to frame him as being involved with Team Rocket, that would be even worse.
He truly had nothing to do with them.
Well… aside from a single feather now.
Shiro casually plucked a black feather from Corviknight and tossed it over.
Bailey fumbled and caught it, looking unsure.
"A peak Gym-level Corviknight. There's probably only one in the entire Kanto region in my hands, so your executives will understand what this means. Just show them the feather."
With that, Shiro jumped onto Corviknight's back.
"I don't care what you do next. Just remember, we've never met."
He swept his gaze over the group as he finished speaking.
The Team Rocket members felt a chill run across their skin and immediately nodded in agreement.
Corviknight spread its wings at once, its black wings casting a wide shadow over their heads.
Within a minute, that shadow vanished into the distant sky.
A short while later.
The Team Rocket members regained their composure, straightened up, and moved through the forest in formation.
"One mission is done. Everyone keep looking. If we happen to catch Mew, we'll strike it rich!" Bailey shouted.
Whether they were truly searching for Mew no longer mattered. What mattered was that they were moving in the opposite direction of Oak Research Institute.
They were leaving.
Not far away, behind a cluster of bushes, a boy in red crouched quietly, watching the strange group depart.
He lowered the brim of his red cap slightly, his mind troubled.
Red had just encountered these people, a group dressed in black uniforms marked with a red "R," with fierce expressions and overbearing behavior.
He could not tell who they were.
Some kind of organization? Or hired security?
But he could vaguely sense that they were searching for and chasing a Pokémon…
After confirming they had gone far enough and would not notice him, Red slowly stood up.
Following a faint intuition, he moved cautiously in a certain direction.
* * *
The sky had already dimmed, and the setting sun could no longer reach every corner of the forest.
In the northeastern part of Viridian Forest near Pallet Town, in a dim clearing, Blue finally stopped, breathing heavily.
His legs felt weak, and ahead lay a completely dark forest, unknown and possibly dangerous.
About ten meters in front of him, Mew also stopped in midair. It spun once, then looked at the human in confusion, as if wondering why he had suddenly stopped the chasing game.
"Huff… huff…"
Blue was completely exhausted.
First, his Pidgeot had run out of stamina and dropped, and when he recalled it, he thought he had already lost Mew.
But instead, Mew slowed down and waited for him to catch up.
Blue initially believed this to be some kind of trial from a Legendary Pokémon, as the records said that legendary Pokémon would test humans, just like Ho-Oh…
But after running for nearly an hour, he began to notice something was off.
"You're messing with me on purpose, aren't you?" he said slowly, staring at Mew.
"Meew~"
Mew tilted its head in confusion.
"Tch…" Blue bent slightly forward, one hand already reaching into his pocket to take out a Poké Ball. "If I want to catch you… I'll have to beat you first, right?"
Mew hovered in the air, giving no response.
* * *
Above the forest, Shiro had just arrived and was sitting on Corviknight, floating in the sky as he watched the scene below with interest.
Blue facing off against Mew, and then…
"I remember," Shiro murmured, "this is the moment when Red and Blue first meet."
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