"Who are you?! What are you doing here?!"
The nearest Team Rocket grunt barked out a warning.
A few others quickly closed in and formed a loose encirclement. Their hands hovered near the Poké Balls at their waists, ready to release their Pokémon at any moment.
Shiro swept his gaze around them. After a brief pause, he said, "I'm just a League trainer passing by."
"..."
"Get him! Grab him!"
Several Poké Balls were thrown at the same time. Two Koffing and three Arbok appeared at once.
Thick poison gas burst from the bumps on the Koffing and rushed toward him. The three cobra-like Arbok slid rapidly across the rocky ground. When they reached a certain distance, they sprang forward together, lunging as they bared their venomous fangs.
Shiro's eyes moved quickly.
All five Pokémon were at Intermediate-level, very much in Team Rocket's usual style.
"Stop."
He gave a low command, and the five Pokémon froze instantly.
The two Koffing were still in the posture of releasing gas, yet even the poison around them stopped moving. The three Arbok were caught mid-leap, their bodies stretched taut, fangs still exposed.
The air fell silent. Only the sound of several grunts swallowing could be heard.
"P-psychic powers?" one of them said, his voice warped with fear.
They had some experience, far more than those pirates at least.
"Correct." Shiro walked forward calmly, passing the frozen Pokémon. He stopped in front of one grunt and ordered, "Call your executive out here."
"Y-you are…" The round-faced grunt trembled. "Are you a Hunter?"
As he spoke, the other Team Rocket members suddenly turned and ran.
Shiro was about to deny it when the round-faced grunt let out a piercing scream,
"Enemy attack!"
The shout echoed through the forest, causing the entire rocky camp to erupt into motion. After a brief moment of chaos, most of the Team Rocket members began moving toward the scene in an orderly manner.
Shiro said nothing. He quietly observed them.
The Pokémon in their Poké Balls were mostly Advanced-level at best. Those who actually had Advanced-level Pokémon looked like squad leaders.
Because of the motionless Koffing and Arbok floating in the air, the newcomers stayed silent and lined up along the edge. They were clearly ready to fight or flee at any second.
Things were a bit unexpected, but the outcome would likely be the same.
Shiro stood still and waited.
If nothing went wrong, Koga should already be here, disguised as a grunt and watching from the shadows.
A faint glow lit Shiro's eyes as he scanned the gathered Team Rocket members. Where his eyes passed, one grunt's body stiffened unnaturally. He was far too tense.
Shiro shifted his focus to that man's face. Sure enough, there was a mask.
It was Koga.
"It's you, isn't it? Team Rocket executive…" Shiro said, psychic light suddenly flaring in his eyes. "Koga."
The moment the name left his mouth, Koga's heart jumped. He turned and tried to flee while pulling out a Poké Ball.
Psychic power formed into a giant invisible hand that broke through the layers of grunts and reached for him.
The Poké Ball at Koga's waist had just cracked open before it was forced shut again. Under his wide, shocked eyes, psychic restraints wrapped tightly around his body, locking him in place.
The entire exchange lasted only an instant. The surrounding Team Rocket members were still confused when they saw a somewhat unfamiliar companion suddenly float up, then drop from midair to the front of the black-cloaked intruder. One after another, they instinctively stepped back.
"Koga…" Shiro waved his hand lightly across the man's face. The thin mask vanished, revealing sharp and angular features beneath.
"It's the executive!"
A grunt recognized him immediately and staggered back several steps.
"Executive…"
Others echoed the word, almost all of them retreating.
In just a few moments, the grunts had backed away nearly ten meters, leaving a wide open space around Shiro.
Team Rocket grunts might be weak, but they were not stupid.
If even such a powerful executive could be captured instantly by this strange black-cloaked man, rushing in would just be suicide.
There was a rule in Team Rocket that everyone agreed on most. It was better to sell out a teammate than to die for nothing, even if that teammate was a superior. As long as you lived, there would always be another chance. If you survived, maybe you could even avenge the executive one day.
"..."
Koga watched all of this from the corner of his eye, but his expression did not change. As a ninja, he had never expected these small fry to be of any use.
Suspended in midair, he forced his stiff neck to move slightly. He did not look like a captive at all as he asked calmly, "Who are you? Hunters Guild's A, or B?"
A? B?
Shiro shook his head. "I already said it. I'm just a League trainer passing by."
Koga glanced at his clothing and clearly did not believe him.
What League trainer wore a black cloak favored by hunters and spoke such nonsense?
And what did 'a League trainer passing by' even mean?
Next, would it become 'a League Elite Four passing by' or 'a Champion passing by'?
Koga turned his head aside and said bluntly, "What do you want? A personal grudge, or a mission?"
"I'm also a League Pokémon researcher," Shiro answered honestly. "I'm here out of personal interest to ask you about something."
"..." Koga ignored the first half. "What is it? Sea Shard Rock?"
"That's right." Shiro smiled and nodded. "Take me to see it. It would be best if you also shared your research results with me."
Koga's face remained blank as he stared at Shiro. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not recall ever seeing him before.
Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos. He had studied the information of nearly every known League trainer above Gym-level and spent time memorizing them.
Yet this abnormally young man left no impression at all.
Either he had appeared out of nowhere, or he was hiding his identity.
Koga leaned toward the latter.
Lowering his voice, he spoke with certainty, "You're that most mysterious 'Hunter A', aren't you? No one knows your whereabouts or your purpose, and you possess abnormally powerful psychic abilities…"
Shiro frowned slightly. He had no idea how he looked like some Hunter A.
He was clearly the former Champion of Galar and a future Pokémon Professor.
Did no one recognize his real identity at all?
But that was not important…
As Shiro was thinking, a brilliant pink light suddenly flared around Koga's body. A gray-white blade slashed upward from below at a sharp angle.
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