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"Blaine! What do you mean by that? Could it be that Charizard is yours...?"
"Hahaha, kid! When it comes to achievements in Pokémon research, I'm definitely not as skilled as Professor Oak. But I can guarantee you that I'm far better than him at training Fire-type Pokémon," Blaine declared with obvious pride.
"Do you have any idea how difficult it is to train a Charmander that can use Flare Blitz right from birth? In this entire world, perhaps only someone like me—who is both a Fire-type specialist and a Pokémon researcher—could accomplish such a feat."
Despite having his hands and feet frozen solid, Blaine still managed to maintain that proud expression on his face. Training a newborn Charmander to master Flare Blitz was clearly one of his greatest achievements, and he wasn't about to let anyone forget it.
"Roaaaaar!"
As if responding to Blaine's boastful words, Charizard let out a low, rumbling roar in Blaine's direction. The dragon-like Pokémon was clearly acknowledging the man who had trained it during its earliest days as a Charmander.
However, Charizard's expression seemed conflicted at this moment. After all, it had never witnessed Blaine engage in such questionable activities before. The mighty Fire and Flying-type Pokémon appeared torn between loyalty to its former trainer and confusion over the current situation.
In circumstances like these, when a Trainer's actions cause such rage and disappointment, how could any Pokémon not feel furious about the betrayal?
That's exactly why Eddie's Pokémon were now working with such determined intensity to systematically break the bones of every researcher in the facility. This wasn't just following Eddie's direct orders—it was also their own way of venting the anger they felt toward these criminals who had been conducting illegal experiments.
"I never expected you to be a master at specialized breeding techniques. And I certainly didn't expect that my Charmander was actually trained by you," Eddie said, his voice now calmer than before.
He had taken a moment to process this revelation. After all, his Sceptile had been trained by Professor Birch, and now he discovered that his Charizard had been trained by Blaine. Perhaps such connections weren't as unusual as they seemed in the world of Pokémon training.
"So you're someone who knows my true identity, Blaine. But that raises an important question—why are you still working for Team Rocket if you know who I am?"
Even though Charmander had been trained by Blaine, Eddie wasn't about to assume that this automatically made the gym leader an ally. The man was still conducting experiments for Team Rocket, which made him appear more like an enemy than a friend, regardless of any past connections.
"Wait! Don't attack me! I'm on your side! I'm Miss Erika's undercover agent! We're working together!"
A panicked cry for help suddenly interrupted the tense confrontation between Eddie and Blaine. Both trainers turned their attention toward the source of this desperate plea, intrigued by the mention of an insider operation.
The thick smokescreen that had been filling the underground laboratory had finally dissipated completely, revealing numerous researchers who had been knocked unconscious during the battle. Of course, most of them also had severely twisted arms and legs from their encounters with Eddie's Pokémon.
It was quite likely that these criminals would spend the rest of their lives paralyzed in hospital beds within prison walls. Eddie had clearly meant what he said about making them pay for their crimes.
At this moment, both Eddie and Blaine could clearly see the source of the desperate voice. It was a man wearing a standard Team Rocket uniform, and standing beside him was an Exeggutor. The Grass and Psychic-type Pokémon appeared to be quite strong, suggesting its trainer wasn't completely helpless.
However, the man was currently surrounded by several of Eddie's Pokémon, and both he and his Exeggutor were trembling with obvious fear.
"An Exeggutor? That's interesting. I bet he was hiding himself using Psychic-type moves," Eddie observed, immediately understanding how this individual had managed to remain concealed during the earlier chaos.
It turned out that this Team Rocket member had been using his Pokémon's psychic abilities to hide himself in a corner, just as Eddie had suspected. Unfortunately for him, no matter how well someone might hide using conventional methods, they couldn't escape detection from Lucario's aura-sensing abilities. That's exactly how he had been discovered now.
"You must be Mr. Morning Sun, correct? Miss Erika specifically asked me to request your assistance. She wants your help in eliminating the remaining Team Rocket members in this area. If possible, Miss Erika was hoping you could work together with her to secure this entire facility first..."
The undercover agent's explanation trailed off at this point, and his expression became somewhat awkward. The reason was obvious—Eddie had already single-handedly resolved the situation in this laboratory using nothing but his own strength. There was no longer any need for him to coordinate with Erika's forces.
While it was true that Eddie's success had been partly due to the fact that most of the combat-ready Team Rocket members had fled when the fighting started, the undercover agent knew that he himself would never have been capable of capturing all the researchers in the base with such efficiency.
"Ding! You have received Erika's request for assistance, triggering a hidden mission: Eliminate Team Rocket's presence in Rainbow City!"
"Mission Details: Work alongside Erika and other Trainers in Rainbow City to capture or eliminate all Team Rocket operatives in the area!"
Eddie accepted the mission notification while maintaining his calm exterior expression, though internally he was absolutely thrilled by this development.
"This isn't just a double mission—it's actually a triple mission! This is incredible!"
"Three completely different missions, but all of them are directly targeting Team Rocket operations. It seems that missions issued by different people under different circumstances are still considered separate missions, even when their objectives overlap significantly."
"As long as I do what needs to be done and successfully eliminate Team Rocket's presence in Rainbow City, I'll be able to collect three generous mission rewards!"
Eddie couldn't help but feel ecstatic about this unexpected development. Getting three rewards for essentially completing one major objective would make any reasonable person happy, especially considering that all three of these hidden missions came with substantial rewards.
If Blaine and the undercover agent hadn't been present at that moment, Eddie probably would have burst out laughing with joy.
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
Just as Eddie was feeling ecstatic and trying to stretch casually to hide his excitement, his Pokédex began ringing again with the distinctive sound of an incoming text message.
The familiar beeping immediately brought him back to full alertness, and he quickly pulled out his Pokédex to check the new message.
"I can't hold on any longer!"
The same five urgent words appeared on the screen, along with the same location coordinates as before. However, this time the message seemed to convey much more desperation and anxiety than the previous one.
"What's happening? It's only been ten minutes since the last message, and Green is already saying she can't hold on any longer?"
Eddie frowned deeply, genuinely puzzled by this rapid deterioration in the situation. He had received Green's initial distress message just a short time ago, and he had already managed to neutralize this underground laboratory in record time.
The entire process had taken only about ten minutes, and his actions had obviously been extremely efficient. Despite his quick response, he hadn't expected that Green's situation would become so critically serious in such a short period.
However, Eddie still had unfinished business to deal with at his current location, and until these matters were resolved, he couldn't afford to think about rushing off to help with the Mewtwo situation.
"You look somewhat troubled by something. Would you like to tell me what you're planning to do? Perhaps I could offer some assistance," Blaine observed.
Eddie had been maintaining his characteristically calm expression throughout the conversation, but the confusion and concern in his eyes hadn't escaped the notice of the experienced gym leader, who decided to make this direct offer of help.
Eddie looked at Blaine carefully after hearing this suggestion, but his confusion didn't decrease much. In fact, he felt even more troubled by the complexity of the situation he was facing.
However, Eddie was still Eddie, and he never allowed himself to appear indecisive when it came to making important decisions that could affect the outcome of a mission.
"You need to move quickly and inform Erika that this underground laboratory has been completely neutralized by me. Tell her that the other Team Rocket bases need to be dealt with as rapidly as possible. Then lead everyone to this specific location to meet up with me so we can work together to eliminate any remaining Team Rocket operatives in the area."
After just a few seconds of rapid strategic thinking, Eddie gave clear, direct orders to the undercover agent who was still hugging his Exeggutor protectively. He also provided the man with the exact address that Green had sent him in her distress messages.
Don't question why Eddie had chosen to believe the undercover agent's words so easily and trust him with this important task. It wasn't simply because the man had been the one to trigger Erika's hidden mission in the first place. More importantly, it was because Lucario had already communicated with Eddie through their aura connection and confirmed the man's honesty.
The power of aura reading could accurately determine whether someone was telling the truth or lying. When Lucario indicated that the undercover agent wasn't lying about his identity or mission, Eddie felt confident enough to trust him with these instructions.
Furthermore, at this particular moment, Eddie had some sensitive matters he needed to discuss privately with Blaine—conversations that wouldn't be appropriate for outsiders to overhear. Sending the potentially troublesome undercover agent away first would give them the privacy they needed for their discussion.