Clang!
The blades collided, sparks bursting out.
Almost by instinct, Shiro drew the short blade he carried with him and intercepted Koga's strike at the exact moment.
Koga had broken free from Mesprit's psychic power?
Shiro found it hard to believe.
Koga, on the other hand, moved with extreme agility. Using the force of that clash, he dropped into a half-crouch as he landed, then leapt backward several times in a row, retreating like a springing insect.
Shiro snapped back to his senses. Without the slightest hesitation, he vanished from where he stood.
Koga, still midair from his backward jump, felt his pupils shrink. A chilling sense of sharp danger erupted behind him. The blade had not even fallen yet, but it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
He twisted his body with all his strength. In midair, he bent his arm at an unnatural angle. As he turned sideways, the back of his blade barely blocked Shiro's slash.
In an instant, a terrifying force traveled from the blade into his wrist. His tendons trembled violently. The hilt slipped free, and his body spun as he crashed down.
Thud!
A dull sound echoed across the gray-white rocky area, causing the nearby Team Rocket members who were about to rush over to flee even faster in all directions.
Koga lay tilted on the rubble, clutching his slightly twisted right arm. His body curled inward as he clenched his teeth and said nothing.
Standing in front of him, Shiro asked Mesprit in his mind, 'What was that just now?'
Mesprit replied softly, 'There is a device at his waist that can briefly release a powerful psychic burst. I don't quite understand what it is…'
Shiro hooked a finger. A black cylindrical device at Koga's waist instantly teleported into his hand.
The device was semi-transparent. A strange liquid could be seen inside, but it had clearly lost its power.
"Single-use, huh…"
He slipped it into his pocket, growing even more interested in Koga and Team Rocket.
Whatever else, Team Rocket's technology truly lived up to its reputation.
No matter the cost, a device that could briefly break through a Master-level psychic restraint was far from ordinary.
Up ahead, Koga struggled to lift his gaze. A chill crept into his heart.
He had not expected the opponent's individual combat strength to be this terrifying. His power and the blade techniques he took pride in had been completely useless.
As long as he could land even a single cut, even a shallow one, he was confident he could turn the tables.
Yet his most confident first strike had not even grazed the opponent's clothes. On top of that, the psychic power on this man surpassed even Sabrina's.
There was no room left to resist.
Today, he would die here.
"Cough. As expected of Hunter A…" Koga spoke hoarsely. "But there is Sabrina's psychic power implanted in my brain. The moment any external psychic force interferes, my brain will be destroyed. No matter what method you use, I will never hand over the organization's research results. Even if I die here, Boss Giovanni will—"
It was nothing but nonsense.
Shiro knocked him out cleanly and began searching his body.
Aside from the single-use device, Koga carried five Poké Balls. One contained an Elite-level Crobat. The other four were Gym-level Poison-type Pokémon.
"Quite a haul." Shiro smiled as he put away the Pokémon.
There was no reason to kill Koga. Provoking Giovanni's pursuit would be troublesome.
Taking a few winner's rewards was more than enough.
That was a fine Galar tradition. Even if outsiders did not understand it, it did not stop him from practicing it personally.
After putting away the Poké Balls, Shiro glanced at the Team Rocket grunts who had mostly fled. He paid them no mind and walked straight toward a dim cave entrance formed by a raised rocky mound nearby.
That place should be the so-called Sea Shard Rock Cavern.
Whatever it was called, going inside would answer everything.
He stopped at the entrance and, as usual, used psychic power to scout the interior first.
The tunnel inside curved slightly. Several long black data cables overlapped and stretched outward, connecting to some of the tents in the rocky area.
The people in those tents had already fled. Shiro did not bother chasing them. For now, only the S.S. Anne was anchored outside the island, and Koga was still here. Team Rocket would eventually come back to retrieve him.
He slowly stepped into the tunnel.
Thanks to the black mechanical lamps installed along the inner walls by Team Rocket, the passage was brightly lit. The path ahead was clear at a glance.
As he went deeper, his pace gradually quickened. Before long, he reached the end.
It was a wide, flattened oval cavern, brightly illuminated by orderly rows of lights. At the center lay a deep pool. In the clear blue water stood three tall stone pillars of strange shape.
"Y-you are…" A timid voice came from the side.
Shiro glanced over and saw two Team Rocket members who had remained inside. Judging by their white lab coats, they were researchers.
There were two of them, a man and a woman. The one speaking was the male researcher. Both wore thick glasses.
"I'm a Pokémon researcher." Shiro spoke without hesitation. "Brought in by Team Rocket from the League to help you in researching Sea Shard Rock."
The male researcher visibly relaxed. His expression returned to normal as he continued typing on a large black computer in the corner.
The female researcher, however, still kept her head lowered. She clutched her companion's coat and whispered shakily, "Dale, Dale…"
Shiro had already walked closer. Smiling, he asked, "Any research results so far?"
The male researcher, Dale, adjusted his glasses. While watching the screen, he explained, "So far, we've only confirmed that Sea Shard Rock contains some strange factors. These seem to promote secondary physical development in Water-type Pokémon and also enhance their potential to a certain degree. But the exact cause is still unclear."
"Oh." Shiro nodded and openly glanced at the data on the screen.
It seemed to be some kind of advanced technology projecting the three stone pillars in the pool. The details were beyond his understanding.
He then glanced at the trembling female researcher and offered a sincere, gentle smile.
Instead of calming her, it nearly broke her.
She tried to retreat and hide behind the computer, then froze halfway, as if realizing how pointless it was. Stammering, she asked, "T-this League sir… do you have some kind of… mission?"
As she spoke, she tugged harder on Dale's coat, finally pulling him out of his data-focused trance.
"Huh?"
Dale looked at his assistant in confusion, then at Shiro, who also seemed absorbed in the data.
Sensing his gaze, Shiro turned his head. His eyes were filled with the same confusion.
"Bria, what's wrong?" Dale asked instinctively.
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