Chapter 54: Secrets Exposed

Chapter 54: The Secret Exposed

Facing the aggressive Team Rocket trio, Xia You waved his hand lightly. In the next second, his Pokémon concentrated their full strength, and their previously chaotic moves all flew toward the Meowth robot simultaneously.

"Eh!?"

The continuous barrage of attacks caused the warning lights in the cockpit to redline. The steel shell could no longer withstand the pressure, and after a violent explosion, Jessie, James, and Meowth collapsed amidst the ruins before they even had a chance to escape.

Blinking in bewilderment and seeing nothing but ill-intentioned gazes from the surrounding crowd, the trio gave sheepish smiles, their previous arrogance completely vanished.

Wishes were so beautiful, so why was reality so cruel?

They had just been making grand proclamations; why did the situation flip so drastically so quickly?

Before they could say anything, a sudden gust of strange wind swept them into the sky, making them grow smaller and smaller until they disappeared into the clouds.

Finally, it's over...

Xia You let out a long sigh of relief. He looked around to see a scene of devastation; the area was littered with destroyed shipping containers and broken buildings, looking as if it had been struck by a hurricane.

His Pokémon had also sustained varying degrees of injury. Xia You first recalled Zapdos, and just as he was about to recall the others, Wartortle's body suddenly emitted a burst of white light.

It turned out that it had accumulated enough experience during the recent battle and was beginning to evolve!

A few breaths later, Wartortle appeared before Xia You in a new form.

Compared to before, its appearance hadn't changed drastically, except that fangs had grown in its mouth, it had gained a pair of fluffy ears like small wings, and its tail had taken on the shape of an ocean wave.

Xia You pulled out his Pokédex.

Pokédex: "Beep. Wartortle, the Turtle Pokémon, Water type. The evolved form of Squirtle. As an evolved form with greater abilities than Squirtle, Wartortle is not only extremely loyal, but it is also said to live for ten thousand years. That thick, white, fluffy tail is a symbol of its longevity."

Ten thousand years?

Good heavens, if he raised one of these, wouldn't it be able to see his descendants through generations of funerals?

At that moment, guards were running from the distance. Xia You did not linger; after confirming his mask was intact, he recalled his Pokémon and left the area without looking back.

...

In the evening, Xia You arrived at the Pokémon Center to hand his Pokémon over to Nurse Joy for recovery. He then sat in a corner and took out his phone.

There was a message from "Handsome Guy" sent half an hour ago.

Handsome Guy: I have arrived in Saffron City. How is the situation on your end?

Xia You: I have also returned safely to the Pokémon Center. Team Rocket has been temporarily repelled, but I'm not sure if they will come knocking again.

Handsome Guy: That's incredible! To be able to take on many by yourself—you truly are the man I've set my sights on. So, what do you think? Are you really not considering joining the International Police?

Xia You: Forget it, I don't want to go through something like that again. How is your condition?

Handsome Guy: I'm currently lying in a hospital ward. After the doctor's treatment, the wound has been sutured and I'm basically fine. I just need to rest for a while. Thank you so much for this time. The doctor just said that if you hadn't acted in time, my life might have truly ended there!

Xia You's fingers paused. After thinking for a moment, he told him that the Team Rocket base was hidden beneath the Game Corner.

Since Team Rocket had made a move against him, exposing one of their bases would serve as a return gift.

The executives would likely never dream that their secret base, operated for many years, would be leaked in such a manner.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the message was sent, Handsome Guy called him directly.

As soon as he answered, he heard Handsome Guy's deafening shout of astonishment.

"Are you sure the Team Rocket base is really hidden there!? Is the intelligence accurate!?"

Even though he couldn't see Handsome Guy's face, Xia You could imagine how shocked he was just from his tone.

Besides his voice, he could also hear a female nurse beside him repeatedly trying to calm him down.

"Sir, please do not get so excited, otherwise your wound might reopen easily..."

Once Handsome Guy had digested the information, Xia You continued: "It's almost certainly there. However, as for the exact method to enter the underground base, you'll have to send your own people to investigate."

After such a long period of contact, Handsome Guy believed Xia You would not joke about such a major matter.

Calming down slightly, he remarked with emotion, "We have spent so much effort and hard work on this matter, yet you found it so easily in just half a day. Fine, I will report this to my superiors immediately!"

Xia You did not dare take the credit; after all, this was merely due to his foresight from playing the game.

"Don't be in a hurry," Xia You stopped him. "Actually, there is something even more important I haven't told you. But you must promise not to be too shocked after hearing it."

"Don't worry," Handsome Guy smiled confidently. "Right now, nothing could shock me more than discovering the Team Rocket base!"

Seeing how composed Handsome Guy was, Xia You told him that Giovanni was the leader of Team Rocket.

"WHAT!!!???"

Handsome Guy's scream, nearly breaking his voice, echoed through the phone and throughout the entire Pokémon Center. Even Nurse Joy in the distance cast a curious glance.

Xia You's ears rang; for a moment, he thought he had gone deaf!

After a brief silence, he heard the nurse's scream: "Oh my god, sir! Your wound has completely split open! Hang in there! I'll go find the doctor right now!!"

This was followed by a flurry of frantic activity and the sound of hurried footsteps as she rushed away.

After calming down for a while, Handsome Guy panted heavily and said in disbelief, "Giovanni is the leader of Team Rocket!? Are you sure the person you're talking about is the Viridian Gym Leader, the man known as Giovanni of the Earth!?"

Xia You gave a soft hum of affirmation.

Handsome Guy clicked his tongue. After confirming with Xia You several times, his mind felt like a tangled mess. He felt that while the matter was somewhat absurd, it was also quite logical.

Given that man's temperament and personality, even if he really were the leader of Team Rocket, it wouldn't be strange, would it?

"This matter is too significant! I must immediately report to my superiors—no! I will contact headquarters directly right now!"

...

After hanging up the phone, Xia You rested at the Pokémon Center for the night.

He had originally thought Team Rocket would continue to send people to deal with him, but an entire night passed without a single movement.

It wasn't until the next morning, after he had finished breakfast and was about to challenge the Celadon Gym, that he received another callback from Handsome Guy.

This time, Handsome Guy's tone was more formal and heavy than it had been the previous night.

"After discussions at headquarters last night, we have decided to conduct an exploration and raid on the Team Rocket base. As for Giovanni's identity, because it is too sensitive, it needs to be verified again before we can act. However, this will require a large amount of preparation time. To avoid alerting the enemy, you should leave that city as soon as possible."

(End of Chapter)