Two days after Blue had recovered from his injuries inside the cabin. The boy sat up from his bed and rubbed his hands over his shoulders and along chest. Checking for any bruising that might have been left over, it seemed like resting for a bit did ameliorate his energy. Solress, unfortunately, still had to be somewhere aboard the ship. The only way to know for certain was to make sure the coast was clear on all sides of the exit.

Blue walked over toward the door. All seemed quiet based on his senses. There didn't appear to be one person walking around anywhere near where Penny had exited. With good reason too of course; Blue was worried that Penny might actually get the jump on him or Solress and Team Rockets goons could attempt to capture him in his current state. Penny did attempt to take his life earlier and although it was unsuccessful. Blue was not one to risk putting himself in more unnecessary danger. But the risk was worth the reward unless he could do it with precision.

The boy reached into his vest pocket by pulling out a small rounded Poké Ball to prepare for that impending probability. Blue tossed the ball swiftly in front of him. Releasing a Pokémon from his party for one important purpose.

"Raticate, I need you to be my eyes and ears, I'll follow you from behind, you signal to me when there is danger near.

"Cate-cate!" Nodded the cream and brown rat as Raticate pranced his way toward the door by raising his whiskers in arrangement for any enemy goons that approached his scent. Turning the wheel to the left he heard a clicking sound that indicated the door was ready to swing open.

"Alright Raticate on my signal."

"Diiera-caaa!"

The boy pounced the door open and shot out from the Cabin into the hallway. After having exposed himself; he swiveled left and right to view each end of the hallway. The goal, find Solress and approach before getting intercepted. If he caught him in a vulnerability. Blue would lose the advantage to strike him.

"Let's go!" He signaled with a pointed gesture to his Pokémon.

"Diiera-caaate!!"

They each ran toward the south end of the hallway. The same staircase that we initially  infiltrated in the beginning as Raticate stayed several feet ahead of his master but kept him within view as he skittered about the ground. The Pokémon sniffed for a link to where Blue should proceed.

"Where should we go buddy?" He inquired.

"Cate!" Yelped his rat Pokémon as he clamored swiftly up the stairs to an unfamiliar scent.

Blue did his best to keep up with his Raticate while he had already made it up the stairs within seconds. Blue was stammering to keep up by desperately trying to hold onto the railings and avoid falling down below.

Solress had done quite a bit of damage to his body even after the small recovery from some of his injuries. Unfortunately, he was quite sore from head to toe. Walking up the stairs was like watching a crippled old man chase after his grandchildren.

"I'm coming buddy hold on."

After waging a heavy war up the final flight of stairs to reunite with his Pokémon. The rat jovially rattled his teeth to excite his owners attention. Raticate had found something near the top of the stairs.

"Dier-dier-dierarati-cate!"

"What is it Raticate?" Inquired Blue with a quirked tilt.

The brown creamed rat gestured to the door on his right by using his tail. The hallway seemed to end at least five feet from the top of the flight of stairs and into a room that looked a lot more immaculate. In comparison to the cabin doors in front of him. It had a small protruding knob jutting from the side and the glass window on top of the door had letters indicating someone of rank resided in this room. It read, 'Captains Quarters.'

"Get ready." Assured Blue to his Pokémon. While Raticate readied his hind legs in striking position, he hissed with purposeful vengeance.

Reaching in to grab hold of the door handle in front of him. Blue peered through the window into an dark empty void that unnerved the young boy. Team Rocket could have the jump on him at any given moment if he were not careful. What was sketchy about this whole thing was that the lights were out inside this room. There was no way to tell who would get the jump on him.

Following the flick of the door, Blue had inched his way carefully within the room. Observing what looked like a light switch to the right of him. Blue steadied his reach in an attempt to flip the light on. Tensions were high and Blue was not willing to be hit with another Pokémon attack if he could help it. But it was a now or never situation.

"Raticate go!" He shouted.

The critter slithered his way swiftly toward an individual that seemed to silhouette behind a desk near a big large window concealed with blinds. The man seemed to be somewhat horror-stricken that this creature was coming in toward him for the kill.

"Ah-Please I don't wanna die!" Shouted the man.

"Then you better start talkin' I ain't in the mood for games. Tell me who you are or I am going to have Raticate do more than just scratch you."

The Raticate used all four of his limbs to climb up along the man's waist and opened his sharp nozzle like jaws to encircle the man's neck. Blue was not messing around; he needed to have us return back to our world safely. If people got in his way. They would end up hurt or even worse. Those who opposed Blue needed to provide ample information to Solress's whereabouts at all costs.

After flipping the switch on the man was exposed. Sitting right across his desk from where Blue had observed him. The light revealed an immaculate room filled with gold trim and shaded green striped wallpaper. The man held a prestige on this voyage. Wearing what appeared to be a badge stitched across his decorated white and blue Sailor outfit. Indicating that this man was of high rank. Raticate inched his exposed jaws tightly around his neck. Being justifiably scared that this person could end his life at any moment.

"P-p-please, I mean you no harm, I am the Captain of the ship, the S.S. Anne!"

"Do you work for Team Rocket?" Inquired Blue with skepticism.

"I-I don't work for them, I was actually threatened by them to commandeer my ship. There was nothing that I nor my crew could do to stop them."

"So did he just hold this place hostage from the start?"

"Whom?" Asked the Captain.

"You know who I am referring too. The one man who beat me in a Pokémon battle. I want to settle the score with him." Said Blue as he placed one hand down on the desk with keen interest.

"The man you are looking for is not on this floor, is he the one with glasses?"

The boy nodded from his question.

"That man has done some serious damage; he'll destroy the Pokémon world if we don't stop him. You tell me where he is and I won't let me Raticate lay a claw on you." Said Blue.

"Okay-okay, I'll talk, the man is not on the bottom floor. Last I heard, he was on the bow of the ship looking for a boy with spiky brown hair and he informed me that if I told him where you were he'd reward me significantly."

"What is the reward?"

"He'd give me more gold and lots of it." He said with a pathetic whimper as the Raticate continued to enclose his sharp fangs around the man's neck."

"What's my reward if I find him and stop them altogether?"

The man paused from his question, he was more drawn in from his curiosity. This boy had a certain vibe about him. Whether it was good or ill it was not determinate whether his intentions were to save the ship or to destroy the man whom he sought vengeance.

For Blue, he was intent on wanting to put an end to the organization all around. Which if proven well for the benefit of the Captain and his crew. Gave him the assurance that Team Rocket would be booted off the ship for good.

"I'll give you the Hidden Machine, a powerful tool used for navigating through certain areas of the region. If you help me with getting them all off my ship. I'll make sure you are rewarded well for your work.

The boy looked into his soul, his emerald eyes shimmering from the light from the blinded windows. He had everything that he needed in order to accomplish his goal. The first priority was to defeat Solress, afterward, he needed to release us back into our world by turning the StarWarp machine on. Smirking with enormous satisfaction Blue gestured for his Raticate to release him from the ensnaring bite.

"Oh thank god, thank you child."

Sighing with relief, the Captain clasped hold of his own neck to massage the stiff areas.

"You are going to show me where Solress is."

The Captain already shocked by this boy's goals. He certainly wondered if his scheme was to torture him on purpose all along.

"That's not part of the agreement, he'll kill me if he sees me with you!—

"You won't be killed, not when you are with me." He assured to the old man.

Without warning, the man's stomach began to growl, one of his hands was placed along his mouth and his left hand toward his stomach. Blue was astonished by his sudden reaction as well. He wasn't sure if he was being poisoned or if he was reacting in noncompliance to his request.

"Are you trying to avoid getting killed?"

"No-no-I just get sea sick real easily."

"Oh boy." Thought Blue out loud with disgust as he imagined just how gross it was already for him to make such a declaration.

It was certainly inconvenient for him to be feeling this way. If he kept wasting Blue's time, there was no way he was ever going to locate his enemy. Not unless he was in good health.

Crossover to Pokémon Red 2 Continues: ⬇️⬇️⬇️
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