Main Quest Change

The next day.

Chen Yue was watching Mimikyu eat Pokeblocks when he was summoned to Ariana's office.

Even before reaching the door, Chen Yue could hear a hysterical outburst from inside.

"What more do you want from me? I've done everything you asked me to do, and you promised me! Why isn't anyone taking care of my daughter?!"

Ariana's voice came in a hushed tone, "Quiet, Professor. The manpower in the base has been insufficient lately, and the newly joined members haven't adapted to the environment here yet. Give it two more days, and I'll..."

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Chen Yue, who was approaching. She changed her tone and said, "Professor, what do you think of this person?"

The middle-aged man in a lab coat and round glasses turned around. His expression was vacant, and his eyes were filled with suppressed pain and hysteria, like a madman.

Chen Yue locked eyes with those brown eyes, and in the next moment, the hysteria in the man's eyes disappeared, replaced by a calm demeanor, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

The man gave a calm smile and asked, "What's your name?"

Chen Yue didn't speak and glanced at Ariana, but Ariana seemed unfazed by the situation. She wore a rare look of weariness on her face and approached, introducing, "His name is Chen Yue, one of the new recruits in the base, currently in training. He's a gentle and kind young man. I think your daughter will like him."

Chen Yue was left speechless by her words. He had to admit that Ariana had a way with words.

"Chen Yue..." the middle-aged man murmured twice, then turned to Ariana and said, "It's him. Arrange it as soon as possible. I can't leave my daughter alone at home."

With that, he turned and left.

Chen Yue watched his figure disappear around the corner, then turned to Ariana in confusion, as if asking, "What's going on? Did you just sell me out?"

Ariana understood his meaning, brought the man into her office, and sat down wearily in her office chair.

She didn't say anything; she just sat there.

Chen Yue, neither standing nor sitting, simply lay down on the black sofa—last night, he stayed up reading until 2 in the morning, and his sleep was somewhat lacking.

Ariana watched this scene...

She felt that this guy was nothing like a League investigator. The people from Kanto League were all serious and upright; how could they have trained such a shameless person?

Thinking of this, Ariana recalled the information she received yesterday and suddenly asked, "Is Miss Joy beautiful?"

Chen Yue was taken aback and looked at her questioningly.

He was aware of being monitored, as Mimikyu was highly sensitive to the gaze of others. It had detected it almost the moment that Team Rocket member appeared. However, Ariana's words now seemed to indicate that she didn't mind if the surveillance was known.

What did she want to do? Was she planning to come clean?

Seeing Chen Yue lost in thought, Ariana smiled lightly and casually continued, "Don't overthink it; I don't mean anything else. I just wanted to say, Chen Yue, can I trust you?"

As expected!

Here it comes!

Chen Yue's heart pounded.

He used Sheer Force to calm himself down and looked at Ariana with a furrowed brow, saying in a deep voice, "What do you mean?"

Ariana found his act amusing and couldn't help but smile, her previously bad mood seemingly evaporating in an instant.

Indeed, having Looker by her side had its advantages. At least her mood didn't worsen when she looked at his handsome face compared to the ugly faces of others.

Ariana's red lips curled up slightly, and she looked pleased, saying, "The day after our battle, I asked you if you knew Lance, and your reaction told me that you do, and it's not as simple as just hearing about him."

"Subconscious microexpressions never lie, Chen Yue. Tell me, are you an undercover investigator sent by the Kanto League?"

Ariana locked her gaze onto his eyes.

Chen Yue knew that he couldn't avoid it anymore.

He sighed inwardly and asked, "What if I am?"

Ariana visibly became happier. She relaxed slightly and softly said, "I'm glad, Chen Yue, that you didn't choose to deceive me."

"What are you planning to do?" Chen Yue stopped pretending and asked directly, "Are you going to throw me into the sea to feed Sharpedo?"

Ariana replied, "Why would you think that? Sometimes I really want to open your head and see what your thought processes are like. I can't believe that yesterday, instead of contacting the Kanto League, you went to talk to Joy about love and romance."

Chen Yue didn't deny it. Now that everything was laid out, and considering Ariana's current reaction, there was a good chance he wouldn't be fed to Sharpedo. So, he curiously asked, "What if I had really contacted the League yesterday?"

Ariana smiled and shook her head, "You wouldn't have had the chance. The Team Rocket members responsible for monitoring you four have received special training. They would have dealt with you just before you made the phone call."

Chen Yue:...

As he expected, Team Rocket wasn't that foolish.

"So, what's your decision?" Ariana asked softly.

"Choosing Team Rocket. What the League can offer you, Team Rocket can also provide, whether it's money, power, rare Pokemon, or even... women."

Chen Yue shook his head and said, "No thanks. Women have less appeal to me than a Gardevoir."

At that moment, a task change notification appeared on the panel.

[Do you accept Ariana's offer of goodwill? If accepted, the Main Quest will automatically change!]

Accept!

Refusing now would be foolish!

Without hesitation, Chen Yue chose to agree, and the changed Main Quest appeared.

[Main Quest has been modified!]

[Objective: Identify the traitors within Team Rocket! (0/5)]

[Time Limit: 29 days! Exceeding the time limit will result in mission failure!]

[Due to the increased difficulty of the task, rewards upon completion will be significantly enhanced!]

Ariana received Chen Yue's answer with a slight smile and said, "Very well. As a new member of Team Rocket, you need to complete a very simple task to prove yourself."

Chen Yue was momentarily puzzled but quickly understood, "Related to the man in the white coat from earlier?"

Ariana nodded, "He suffers from severe mental illnesses: paranoia, multiple personalities, delusions, and anxiety disorder. He is a very pitiable man, but at the same time, an outstanding biological researcher."

Thinking back to the conversation he overheard in the hallway, Chen Yue asked, "So, my task is to take care of his daughter? Babysit?"

Ariana shook her head, her expression becoming odd, "No, his daughter is already deceased. What he refers to as his daughter now is just an illusion he has created. You just need to go along with him, accompany him home, and soothe his emotions."