Chapter 20: Secret Base  

"Really?" Bob's interest was piqued when he heard Gary say this. "How do you know their strength isn't that good? Have you met them before?"

"I suppose I have. When I caught Magikarp, they tried to steal it, but I managed to fend them off. I didn't expect to run into them again here. It's really a small world," Gary replied, recalling the incident when he first caught Magikarp. If his Deino hadn't been strong enough, that Magikarp might not have been his.

"So that's the case. Now that we've figured out they're the only Team Rocket members left in Viridian Forest, should we take them down? You said they're not strong, so it should be doable," Bob suggested, eager to eliminate the remaining Team Rocket members from Viridian Forest. It would be a great victory, and they might even learn something valuable from them.

"Don't rush it. We don't know if what they said is true, so we should be cautious. Let me think about it first," Gary advised. He was more thoughtful than Bob and didn't want to jump to conclusions based on a single overheard conversation.

"Ding!"

"The host has discovered Team Rocket. Options are now available."

"Option 1: Defeat Team Rocket now and receive a doll as a reward."

"Option 2: Discover Team Rocket's secret base, destroy it, and receive a rare candy and a Hyper Beam skill card as rewards."

As the two debated what to do, the system prompt sounded in Gary's mind.

"The choices this time are a bit different. There are actually two rewards, and one of them is a Hyper Beam skill card. It seems the second option is more challenging, but fortune favors the bold. Let's go for it!" Gary thought, his eyes narrowing with determination after hearing the system prompt.

"Have you decided?" Bob asked, noticing Gary's change in demeanor.

"Let's follow them first. I have a feeling things aren't as simple as they seem. What do you think?" Gary suggested. Though he already knew what they might encounter next due to the system, he couldn't explain that to Bob and Mia directly.

"I trust your judgment," Bob replied, nodding in agreement.

"What about you, Mia? Do you have any different ideas?" Gary asked, turning to Mia to see if she had any objections.

As expected, Mia didn't have any different ideas and agreed with Gary's plan.

After unifying their opinions, the three of them quietly followed Butch and Cassidy deeper into Viridian Forest.

They continued following for about an hour before Butch and Cassidy suddenly stopped.

"Butch, do you feel like someone's following us?" Cassidy asked.

"Can you stop being so paranoid? Are you still spooked by that kid from before? Lately, you've been jumping at shadows, thinking someone's following us or watching us. It's getting on my nerves," Butch replied, glancing at Cassidy. He was clearly tired of hearing her constant suspicions.

Embarrassed by Cassidy's complaints, Butch scratched his head awkwardly and continued walking.

"Phew, that was close. I thought they'd caught on to us," Bob whispered, relieved.

"Look at you, getting scared so easily. Let's catch up before we lose them," Gary said, shaking his head in mild exasperation.

After another half hour, Butch and Cassidy stopped again. This time, they didn't say anything but walked into the depths of a bush.

"Should we follow them?" Bob asked, looking at Gary.

"Hold on. Let's see what happens first," Gary advised. He was almost certain this was Team Rocket's secret base, but for safety reasons, he didn't want to rush in.

Ten minutes passed, and Butch and Cassidy didn't reappear. Sensing something was wrong, Bob turned to Gary. "Something's off. There's definitely something behind those bushes. We should check it out."

"Hmm..." Gary pondered for a moment, then looked at Bob and Mia. "Bob, you and I will go in. Mia, you stay here. If they come out, stop them and wait for us. Do you have any objections to this arrangement?"

"I do! I want to go in too!" Mia protested, not happy about being left behind again.

"I figured you'd say that, so here's why I need you to stay. First, you're strong enough to handle Butch and Cassidy if they come back. Second, you're not as familiar with Viridian Forest, so I'd feel safer with Bob by my side. Do you still have any objections?"

Gary had anticipated Mia's protest and was ready to convince her to stay.

Sure enough, after hearing Gary's reasoning, Mia was speechless and reluctantly agreed to stay.

Afterwards, Gary and Bob approached the bushes.

"They must have gone through this door, but I don't understand why they left the key on it," Gary said, puzzled, as a small door appeared before them with a set of keys hanging on it.

"It's possible they just forgot to take it," Bob suggested, his first reaction to Gary's comment.

"That doesn't seem likely. This place is so well-hidden. It can't be unimportant. On the contrary, it's probably very significant. I think they left the key here because this location is so concealed, deep in Viridian Forest, where few people venture," Gary thought to himself. He knew the Rocket Team's secret base wouldn't be unimportant, but he didn't say it out loud to avoid raising Bob's suspicions.

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