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"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" The shorter operative looked utterly confused, completely baffled by what was happening before him.
"Haha, Ryu, it's fine, it's fine! I didn't expect this either! Our organization's so-called Vortex leader turns out to be my friend! Hahaha! That means my status in the organization is about to skyrocket! Ahh, just thinking about it makes me a little excited!"
Bruno slung an arm around Liam's shoulder, his face brimming with uncontrollable laughter.
Ryu opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words. He turned to look at the young man before him—someone seemingly around his own age.
His expression gradually stiffened, and after a moment of silence, he reached up, removed his mask, and spoke in an icy tone.
"I really didn't expect that the so-called Vortex leader would be someone our age. I originally thought I was sent here to assist in carrying out the mission, but now it looks like my real job is to protect you, huh? Heh. Alright then, I'm honored."
Liam frowned slightly at Ryu's words. He didn't understand why the guy's attitude had changed so drastically—from warm and welcoming earlier to cold and distant now.
Just as Liam stepped forward to speak, he finally got a clear look at Ryu's face. His eyes flashed with shock as he blurted out,
"You're… Lance!?"
Ryu's brows furrowed as well. A hint of surprise flickered across his face as he hesitantly asked,
"You… How do you know my name? Are you with the Dragon Clans?"
Liam shook his head with a faint, bitter smile.
"I just happened to hear a bit about you. Your home should be in Jhoto, right? Why are you here?"
Lance looked at Liam with confusion.
"I don't recall introducing myself when I joined. Did your organization dig up this information afterward? Team Rocket's intelligence network really is impressive…."
Since Lance didn't answer the question, Liam didn't press further. He simply raised a hand and put his Vortex mask back on. Turning away, he spoke again.
"That's all I know about you. It has nothing to do with the organization. Believe it or not, I won't say anything more. Our main objective right now is dealing with the poachers. If you don't want to come, I won't force you. I wasn't planning on bringing anyone along from the start."
With that, Liam strode toward Cinnabar Gym. Bruno shot a glance at Lance, then put on his own mask and quickly followed after Liam.
"Hmph."
Lance hesitated for a few seconds before letting out a cold snort, donning his mask, and following them as well.
Liam turned his head slightly to see Lance catching up. He chuckled.
"Oh? From the way you spoke earlier, you didn't seem to trust me much. What changed?"
Lance turned his head away and huffed, "Hmph. This is my mission. That's all I care about. As long as I complete it, nothing else matters."
Liam smirked but didn't say anything more. The three of them, clad in black, moved like shadows in the night, blending into the darkness as they approached Cinnabar Gym.
They soon arrived at the perimeter of Cinnabar Gym.
Standing before the two-to-three-meter-high outer wall, Liam was contemplating how to climb over when, suddenly, Bruno took a few quick steps back, then sprinted forward.
With a powerful step against the wall, he propelled himself up, kicking off again mid-air before flipping over the top.
From his new vantage point, Bruno scanned the area. Seeing nothing suspicious, he waved at Liam before hopping down.
Liam: "..."
He stared blankly at Bruno, who had already disappeared beyond the wall, then turned to Lance—only to see…
"Come out, Dragonair."
With a soft murmur from Lance, a PokéBall snapped open, releasing a sleek, blue-and-white Dragonair. Lance smirked at Liam before hopping onto Dragonair's back. The serpent-like Pokémon coiled slightly, then effortlessly carried Lance over the wall.
Liam: "..."
"Arbok, Acid."
Feeling somewhat looked down upon, Liam muttered under his breath. Without even lifting a hand, Arbok slithered out and silently opened its maw, spitting out a thick, corrosive liquid onto the wall.
Within moments, the wall had eroded into a human-sized hole.
Liam casually strolled through it.
On the other side, Bruno and Lance—who had been waiting—stared at the gaping hole in shock.
Ignoring their stunned expressions, Liam relied on his memory from earlier in the day and led Arbok deeper into the gym.
Cinnabar Gym wasn't just a gym—it was also a research facility equipped with various scientific instruments.
As they moved through the building, they saw plenty of research equipment but not a single person. They searched every corner, but there was no sign of Blaine.
"This place is completely deserted. What the hell are they doing at night?" Bruno muttered in confusion.
"Could there be somewhere we haven't checked yet? Maybe there's a secret room, like a basement or something?" Lance speculated.
"A basement? I doubt it. This place is near a volcano, and the backyard even has a hot spring. There's probably magma beneath us. Who in their right mind would dig a basement here?" Bruno quickly dismissed the idea.
"Hm? Iron Fist—" (During the mission, they had decided to use codenames.) "—What did you just say? There's a hot spring in the backyard?"
Liam suddenly perked up, as if something had clicked.
"Yeah, there's a pretty big hot spring back there. Why? Vortex, are you planning to take a dip? Now's probably not the best time…" Bruno asked, puzzled.
"Let's check it out."
Without further explanation, Liam led the way toward the gym's backyard, with Bruno and Lance close behind.
In Liam's memory, there should have been a passage near the hot spring that led into the volcano's interior. He needed to confirm if it was still there.
Upon reaching the backyard, Liam surveyed the area. Apart from a few large rocks, there was nothing out of the ordinary. He frowned slightly.
"There's nothing here but rocks. No one could be hiding," Bruno said with confidence, having checked earlier.
Liam didn't respond. Instead, he crouched near the rocks, examining the ground carefully. When he noticed fresh signs of movement, he smirked and waved the others over.
"Look here—these rocks have been moved recently. Do you really think that's just a coincidence? I—damn! Hide!"
Just as he was explaining, the rocks suddenly began to tremble and slowly shifted aside, revealing a long underground passage.
Startled, the three of them quickly took cover.
Lance, who was further away, slipped outside the entrance. Liam silently ducked behind one of the large rocks with Arbok.
Bruno, seeing no good hiding spots, had no choice but to dive straight into the hot spring, lying motionless beneath the water.
From the passage, a familiar figure emerged—none other than the poachers' leader, Nando.
After stepping out, Nando turned to do something that caused the rocks to slide back into place.
At that moment, Liam and Arbok were fully exposed.
Liam grinned.
"Surprise! Didn't see that coming, huh?"
Nando: "...!!!"
"You—!"
Nando barely had time to react before he saw a masked figure and a massive snake staring him down. His mind lagged for a second before his eyes widened in horror.
He opened his mouth to yell—but before he could finish a single syllable, a thick, muscular tail wrapped tightly around him, squeezing him into silence.
"Chaaarbokk!! (Ahh~ Nothing beats this feeling~)"
Arbok let out a satisfied cry, as if reminiscing fondly.