Chapter 27: Three Mysteries Unfold
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"You win. Here is the information about Team Rocket. Take it."
Aiko, taking a deep look at Gary, recalled her Pidgeot and pulled a piece of paper from her pocket, tossing it to Gary.
After receiving the note, Gary looked at Aiko and said, "I'll take the information. Until next time."
Now that he had obtained the information, Gary saw no reason to linger in the battle area. After all, his primary goal in coming here was to find and gather intelligence.
As he was about to leave, murmurs arose from the crowd:
"Where did this guy come from? He's really strong."
"I don't know; I've never seen him before."
"He seems like a new trainer. With strength like that, he has a bright future ahead of him."
But Gary paid no attention to the whispers. With the Team Rocket information in hand, he left the battle area. He didn't notice that Aiko was still staring at his back, a complex expression crossing her face.
After leaving the battle area, Gary headed straight back to the lounge. As soon as he got there, he eagerly took out the note to see what was written on it.
The note read: "Team Rocket is suspected to be appearing at Mt. Moon, but the specific circumstances are unknown."
"Mt. Moon... I think Team Rocket's objective is likely related to the Clefairy ceremony."
Upon seeing the mention of Mt. Moon, Gary recalled the story from the anime about the place. There, Clefairy would perform rituals under the moon. Gary had some understanding of these so-called rituals—it was actually Clefairy evolving with the help of the Moon Stone. The Moon Stone is a mystical item that can trigger evolution in certain Pokémon.
"We now understand Team Rocket's possible goal. Let's head to Mt. Moon tomorrow and see what's going on." Gary put away the note, then said, "For now, let's focus on strengthening our Pokémon. Use the Rare Candies on Magikarp, and allocate the Flamethrower skill card to Charmander."
After distributing the rewards, Gary waited for the system's response. Soon, the system confirmed that the rewards had been applied.
"System, show me the status panels for all three Pokémon."
The rewards had been distributed, and Gary was eager to check on his Pokémon.
''Pokémon: Magikarp (Shiny)''
Category: Fish Pokémon
Type: Water
Level: 17 [550/7000]
Next Stage: Gyarados (Evolves at Level 30)
HP: 410
Physical Attack: 215
Special Attack: 195
Special Defense: 210
Defense: 210
Speed: 225
Ability: Swift Swim (Speed doubles in rainy conditions)
Moves: Splash, Water Gun
''Pokémon: Deino''
Category: Irate Pokémon
Type: Dark/Dragon
Level: 12 [650/2000]
Next Stage: Zweilous (Evolves at Level 50)
HP: 420
Physical Attack: 180
Special Attack: 160
Special Defense: 170
Defense: 170
Speed: 185
Ability: Hustle (Increases Physical Attack, but lowers accuracy)
Moves: Tackle, Dragon Rage, Hyper Beam
''Pokémon: Charmander''
Category: Lizard Pokémon
Type: Fire
Level: 11 [580/1000]
Next Stage: Charmeleon (Evolves at Level 16)
HP: 380
Physical Attack: 160
Special Attack: 185
Special Defense: 155
Defense: 155
Speed: 195
Ability: Blaze (Powers up Fire-type moves when HP is low)
Moves: Scratch, Ember, Flamethrower
"With their current strength, as long as we don't encounter Team Rocket's main force, we should be safe."
After reviewing the stats, Gary was quite satisfied with his Pokémon's progress.
Just as Gary was feeling content, there was a knock on the door. Thinking it was Mia returning from shopping, Gary opened the door, only to find that it wasn't Mia but Aiko, the woman who had battled him earlier and provided the information about Team Rocket.
"I'm sorry to disturb you so late. My name is Aiko, and I'm a researcher," Aiko said as Gary opened the door.
"Huh?" Gary looked at her with curiosity, unsure of her intentions, but he smiled and said, "I see. What brings you here, Miss Aiko?"
"Well... it's about Team Rocket. I could use your help."
Hesitating for a moment, Aiko finally gritted her teeth and looked at Gary.
"Oh?" Gary's interest was piqued when he heard that Aiko had come to him about Team Rocket. "What do you need help with?"
"You've probably read the note I gave you. It mentioned that Team Rocket is at Mt. Moon, but we don't yet know their exact purpose. We're planning to organize a group to investigate."
After glancing at Gary, Aiko revealed her purpose.
"I understand, but why did you come to me?" Gary asked, puzzled about why Aiko had sought him out specifically.
"Because of your strength. If you and I work together, we'll definitely stand a better chance against Team Rocket."
Aiko explained her reasoning after Gary questioned why she had approached him.
"I'm willing to help. After all, as a trainer, it's my duty to fight Team Rocket. But do you know how many of them are involved? If there are too many, we might be outmatched."
Gary nodded in agreement with Aiko's reasoning but wasn't one to rush into things. He wanted to know more about the situation before committing fully.
"That... I'm not sure about."
Aiko admitted, looking slightly embarrassed when Gary pressed her about the number of Team Rocket members involved.
"If we don't know their numbers or their strength, how can you be sure we can handle them?"
Gary had anticipated Aiko's uncertain answer. The note she had given him mentioned nothing beyond Team Rocket's presence at Mt. Moon.
"I..."
Aiko found herself speechless in the face of Gary's doubts.
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