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Since the Unown weren't with Molly in the uppermost chamber of the Crystal Tower, Kai had no choice but to search elsewhere for their whereabouts.
He called out Gengar, instructing it to use Shadow Ball to shatter the crystal formations, carving a path through the labyrinth. He exited the bedroom the same way he had come in.
To conserve energy this time, he hopped onto Gengar's back and let it carry him swiftly downward.
It hadn't been long since they started descending through the glowing crystal network when they encountered Misty and Brock climbing the stairs, both winded and clearly exhausted.
"Kai!" Misty called out, waving furiously. "Over here!"
Kai patted Gengar's shoulder, and the Ghost-type instinctively descended toward them.
"You two ended up together?" he asked.
"Don't even bring it up," Misty sighed. "The illusion Pokémon Molly summoned was insanely powerful. We managed to hold our own, but barely. Just when we thought we were done for, she suddenly vanished. No clue where she went, so we figured we'd regroup and check the situation upstairs."
When she noticed Kai was alone, Misty frowned. "Where's Ash? You're not together?"
"I split off from him," Kai replied. "I'm tracking the Unown now. Ash is up above… facing Entei on his own. You two should hurry and back him up."
Misty's eyes lit up. "Then I'll come with you instead! Brock can help Ash."
Kai chuckled softly, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "Don't underestimate me. Compared to me, Ash needs the backup more. Go on, catch up with him."
Misty pouted slightly but nodded, clearly disappointed. Getting to adventure alongside Kai, even just briefly, was something she always hoped for.
With a parting wave, Gengar took to the air again, gliding deeper into the lower chambers.
Perhaps because Molly's attention was now fully focused on her battle with Ash, the illusionary spaces were no longer maintained. Kai noticed that the two layers of warped space he had previously passed through had now vanished completely.
A blessing in disguise it saved him time.
Before long, while still searching for the Unown, he came across a sight both familiar and absurd: Team Rocket.
Jessie, James, and Meowth were awkwardly scrambling up the tower, drenched in sweat, climbing with both hands and feet. It was unclear what they were trying to accomplish.
The moment they spotted Kai, they froze like deer in headlights, huddling together and visibly trembling.
"Oh no, it's him!"
"We're doomed! What's he doing here!?"
Whether it was due to Kai's growing reputation among Team Rocket or past encounters that had left deep psychological scars, one thing was certain whenever the trio crossed paths with him, they never had the will to fight. Just the sight of him had them panicking.
"Hey!" Kai called out from midair, Gengar hovering beside him. "Jessie, James have you seen any Pokémon shaped like letters? The Unown?"
They flinched, but upon realizing Kai wasn't attacking them on sight, they cautiously relaxed a little.
"Unown…?" Jessie blinked. "That's a new one."
Kai gave a quick description. "They look like alphabet letters, floating around with a strange, mystical energy."
"Ohhh!" James suddenly pointed downward. "We saw something like that when we 'landed' here—er, fell here. A bunch of them were in a room, circling nonstop and glowing with black energy. Kinda creepy."
"Thanks," Kai nodded, turning to leave. But then he paused, remembering how their blimp had been struck by Entei, inadvertently distracting it.
"You know," he added with a smirk, "you guys actually helped buy us time back there even if it was accidental. Not bad. Keep it up."
And with that, Gengar carried him away, vanishing into the shadows.
Left behind, Team Rocket stood there dumbfounded.
"Wait… did we actually do something helpful?" James asked.
"No clue," Jessie shrugged. "But whatever! As long as that guy doesn't turn on us, I'll take the win!"
James remained unsure. "Honestly, I think it's worse when he's nice. It's like… calm before the storm."
"Less talking, more climbing!" Meowth snapped, giving them a swift kick. "This place gives me the creeps! Let's grab what we can and scram!"
"Right! If Kai came from up there," Jessie said, eyes glinting with ambition, "then the treasure must be at the top!"
They scampered up the tower in pursuit of imaginary riches.
But once they were out of sight, Kai and Gengar reappeared from a nearby crevice, having listened in the entire time.
"Treasure?" Gengar tilted its head. "There's no treasure here…"
Kai sighed, shaking his head. "Who knows what they're thinking. This place screams danger, not hidden loot."
He stared into the darkness where Team Rocket had gone. Somehow, they always managed to tail Ash, no matter where he went. Like unwanted shadows, they were just… always there.
"You think they'll just mess things up for him?" Gengar asked.
"Maybe," Kai shrugged. "But the Unown come first. Ash can handle them. Besides, those three have a weird way of being useful when it matters most."
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