Chapter 176: Causing Trouble Under the Rocket Team

Huo La rubbed his still‑tingling cheek, sat up again, and picked up the Rotom Phone on the bed to examine it carefully.

This system upgrade was astonishingly fast; counting Bilan's visit, it took barely ten minutes total, completely overturning his notion of an "upgrade."

His fingertips swiped the screen, browsing the phone's apps one by one, and finally on the last page he found four brand‑new functional modules, apparently the result of this system‑and‑phone upgrade.

The first icon matched the system's logo in his mind exactly; curious, Huo La tapped it, and the screen instantly displayed a "System syncing, unavailable for use" notice.

He nodded in understanding—it seemed to be the system's extension on the phone, later allowing direct operation of the system via the phone without relying on the mental panel, which would be much more convenient.

The second icon resembled a Pokemon Pokedex; opening it revealed a detailed Pokemon database, containing basic attributes, move descriptions, and even notes on regional subspecies differences and hidden traits, surpassing the League's current Pokédex technology by several levels.

The third was a Real-time Global Map; once loaded it instantly displayed a three‑dimensional terrain of Shuangye Town and the surrounding five kilometers, with roads, vegetation, and water‑type distributions crystal clear, and it could precisely mark wild Pokemon activity zones, even flagging areas of abnormal energy wave fluctuations—utterly practical.

The last was a Danger Warning System, with a clean interface that automatically scans nearby energy signals, identifies potential hostile forces, and can be called a "Life‑saving Artifact" for travel and exploration.

"This is definitely a Cheat tailor‑made for me!" Huo La couldn't help exclaiming, and just as he reached to open the map, he seemed to recall something, set the phone flat on the table, and tentatively said, "Rotom, open the Real-time Map."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Rotom instantly made the phone hover, steadily stopping before Huo La's eyes; the screen lit up, the Real-time Map interface unfolded in an instant, and it thoughtfully adjusted the angle to match his line of sight.

"Switch to Energy Wave Detection Mode," Huo La continued, testing Rotom's response speed in his mind.

The Rotom Phone obeyed immediately, the interface flicked rapidly, and the screen quickly displayed the terrain outline of Shuangye Town and its surroundings.

The map was speckled with green dots representing ordinary energy—the reactions of wild Pokemon and town facilities—but toward the West Suburb Abandoned Factory a striking orange‑red dot stood out, clearly labeled "Suspected hostile force," perfectly matching the Flash Flame Team clue Bilan had mentioned earlier.

"Good thing the smash didn't ruin anything; Rotom and the phone's functions are still intact," Huo La said satisfied, tapping the orange‑red dot; it instantly enlarged, showing a more precise coordinate.

To his surprise, the energy detection mode could directly label "Suspected hostile force," saving him the effort of discerning it.

He gathered his thoughts and ordered the Rotom Phone, "Lock onto the energy signal of the West Suburb Abandoned Factory, keep a real‑time trace, and alert me immediately of any change."

"Rotom!" a lively little Rotom head appeared on the phone screen, cheerfully replying, then the screen dimmed and the phone settled steadily on the table, leaving a tiny orange‑red dot flashing in the status bar, continuously monitoring the target area.

Huo La stretched lazily, and the fatigue in his mind eased considerably.

With the Rotom Phone's aid, the night operation was undeniably more secure; even if the Flash Flame Team set an ambush, he could detect it in advance.

Night fell, and the western outskirts of Shuangye Town were silent; in a narrow alley outside the abandoned factory, Huo La and Bilan's silhouettes hid within the shadows.

"The warehouse is ahead; should we charge straight in?" Bilan stared at the dark building not far off, lowered her voice, and quietly pressed a Pokeball against her waist.

"Hold on a bit longer, let's gauge the situation first," Huo La reached out, stopped her, pulled out the Rotom Phone, and opened Energy Wave Detection Mode—on the screen, the orange‑red dot representing the Flash Flame Team still flickered steadily at the warehouse location, with no change.

"Rotom, can you detect how many people are inside the warehouse?" Huo La asked the phone softly.

The Rotom Phone's screen lit up instantly, the device trembling slightly as if processing at high speed. A few seconds later, a huge "X" appeared in the center, accompanied by a "Unable to detect" prompt.

"Sigh, still can't," Huo La sighed helplessly, pocketing the phone; it seemed the energy detection system could only flag suspected hostile forces at best, and pinpointing exact numbers was still beyond its capability.

Bilan glanced curiously at his phone, pupils narrowing: "Is this… a Rotom Phone?"

Huo La gave her a look, nodded lightly, and said succinctly, "Rotom from Professor Oak."

He deliberately mentioned Professor Oak, and Bilan, being sharp, naturally understood what he meant.

Sure enough, Bilan nodded thoughtfully, didn't press for details, and turned back to the warehouse, her gaze now a bit more cautious.

"Old Ghost, I have to ask you to step in," Huo La said without hesitation, whispering the plea in his mind.

"Jie jie jie, the crucial moment still calls for me to act! Wait for it, little brat!" Gastly's hoarse laugh echoed in Huo La's mind.

The next second, a shadow that almost merged with the darkness drifted from Huo La's shoulder, sweeping through the alley like a gust of gloom, slipping silently into the abandoned factory's shadows and vanishing instantly.

A moment later, Gastly's hoarse voice sounded again in Huo La's mind: "Little brat, I've checked! There are four people in the warehouse, but plenty of Pokemon, mostly weak fodder—if you release all the Pokemon for a group brawl, you can finish it in under three minutes!"

Huo La gave a slight nod at the words, his mind already formulating a plan.

He reached into his pack and pulled out a solid black mask, its edges etched with fine patterns, covering most of his face and leaving only a pair of sharp eyes exposed, starkly different from the Silver Kamen of the Masked Child he'd worn before.

"You changed masks?" Bilan asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"It's not a mask swap, it's a change of identity." Huo La adjusted the mask, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a crimson‑backed emblem stamped with an "R," the Team Rocket Emblem, and pinned it to his chest without hesitation, "We can't act under the 'Masked Child' identity this time."

Bilan's gaze fell on the conspicuous emblem, her pupils narrowing slightly: "You intend… to seize them under the Rocket Team's identity?"

"Kanto is already Rocket Team territory," Huo La whispered, his tone laced with calculation, "These Flash Flame Team outsiders are causing trouble here; the 'Masked Child' name isn't as useful as the Rocket Team's reputation."

"Even if they investigate later, they'll think it was the Rocket Team clearing the area, not implicating us, saving a lot of trouble afterward."

Bilan fell silent for a moment, then realized it was indeed so; within Kanto's underground circles, the Rocket Team wielded absolute dominance.

She nodded, approving Huo La's approach: "You're right."

"What about me? I can't just follow you in like that, can I?" Bilan glanced at her outfit, worried about revealing her identity.

Huo La hesitated briefly, then turned and pulled a black long coat from his pack.

It was a coat he had bought deliberately in Shuangye Town during the day, its style similar to the Black Coat Man who had been with Chakra earlier, originally kept for emergencies, now perfectly useful.

He handed the coat to Bilan: "Put this on, pull the hood down low; it will cover most of your face, and no one will recognize you."

Bilan took the coat, its weight solid and its length just right to conceal her figure. She slipped it on quickly, pulled up the hood, leaving only a small chin exposed, and nodded at Huo La: "Now it's fine."