Chapter 5: Mission Team Members

The next day at noon, Noah arrived punctually at the meeting point, where five others were already present: one Team Rocket elite member and four Team Rocket grunts.

The elite was a mature, sexy woman with purple hair. Although she wasn't particularly beautiful, her figure was stunning, curvaceous like a ripe peach. The three male Team Rocket grunts hovered around her, vying for her attention.

The purple-haired woman smiled coyly at the three grunts, her pretty purple eyes occasionally flashing a flirtatious look, making the three men behave like eager, tail-wagging dogs.

The last of the grunts was a blue-haired beauty, an ice queen, whose cold demeanor created a palpable barrier even from a distance.

"Hey, little brother, are you here for the mission too? If so, you're the last one we were waiting for," the female elite member asked as she swayed her hips seductively, approaching Noah with an alluring smile.

Noah's face remained expressionless, his eyes cold. He gave the female elite a brief glance, nodded indifferently, and then walked past her without another word.

He didn't trust strangers, especially women who used their bodies to gain an advantage. He had seen enough of such manipulative tactics in his previous life and wanted nothing to do with it.

The woman's smile didn't falter, but a closer look would reveal her right hand clenching tightly, and the flirtatious look in her eyes fading. She turned to look at Noah's broad back, her cherry-red lips curving upward slightly, her eyes showing a predatory gleam mixed with a hint of killing intent.

The three grunts, noticing Noah's treatment of their "goddess," also looked at him coldly. One, a large, bald man with a scar, even glared at him menacingly.

The only one who seemed to feel a slight affinity toward Noah was the ice queen, who introduced herself before returning to her distant demeanor.

"Bianca," she said, her voice unusually melodious despite her cold exterior.

"A shame she isn't a singer," Noah thought, slightly surprised by her voice, and nodded in response.

"Alright, since everyone is here, let's start discussing the mission. First, let's introduce ourselves again for the newcomer. I'm Vivian, the mission initiator," the mature woman, Vivian, said as she strutted up to Noah and looked at him intently.

"Noah."

"Bianca."

Both Noah and Bianca introduced themselves coolly.

"I'm Bruno. Remember that, kid," the burly man with the scar growled, pointing at Noah before turning to grin at Vivian, who paid him no mind, continuing to stare at Noah.

Seeing this, Bruno's face twisted in displeasure as he turned back to glare at Noah, seemingly itching to kill him on the spot.

Noah deemed Bruno a non-threat, deciding to deal with him later if necessary. For now, he remained impassive, even closing his eyes, indicating that he didn't consider the man worth his attention.

The other two grunts introduced themselves: Brian, a small youth, and Dwanye, a stout one.

With introductions complete, Vivian began explaining the mission details. Although not exhaustive, she provided enough information for the team to grasp the basics. The true mission issuer was actually a high-ranking officer, Vivian's superior. Vivian merely relayed the mission.

The task involved capturing a Muk, but that was just the minimum requirement. To receive the full reward, they needed to retrieve an item the officer had lost in the Muk's territory. Vivian glossed over the specifics of this valuable item.

"How about it? Help retrieve the officer's item and not only will you get double the reward, but you might also gain the officer's favor, possibly even a promotion to elite status," Vivian said enticingly.

"Haha! I, Bruno, won't shirk from aiding the officer. Leave it to me. I'll retrieve the item," Bruno boasted, eyeing Vivian eagerly. The prospect of gaining a high-ranking officer's favor thrilled him.

Brian and Dwanye also showed greedy expressions. The disparity between a grunt and an elite was vast. Elites earned ten times the salary of grunts, had lighter workloads, and were exempt from compulsory missions. The potential rewards made the two grunts, who had just survived their first compulsory missions, eager to participate.

Even the ice queen, Bianca, opened her beautiful blue eyes, showing a hint of excitement.

Noah feigned interest, though his eyes remained calm. He was skeptical of Vivian's vague details, suspecting they were being used as cannon fodder.

Nevertheless, the mission intrigued him. Something valuable enough to captivate a high-ranking officer was worth the risk.

Seeing the interest in everyone's eyes, Vivian smiled, subtly signaling to a man in the corner before turning back to the group with a playful look.

Two hours later, in the labyrinthine sewer system of Cerulean City, six people in black uniforms walked with flashlights. They were Noah's group.

They had changed out of their Team Rocket uniforms into tight-fitting black suits. Their mission was in the sewers of Cerulean City's abandoned district, home to many wild Pokémon, with Grimer and Zubat being the dominant species.

They had already encountered numerous wild Pokémon, and as they neared the mission's center, the Pokémon grew stronger.

"Ekans, Glare."

"Jynx, Ice Beam."

Noah and Bianca commanded their Pokémon, coordinating effortlessly to defeat the attacking Pokémon. Ekans's glare paralyzed several Grimer, which were then frozen solid by Jynx's Ice Beam, only for a Hitmonchan to swoop in and finish them off with Fire Punch.

"Hahaha, your teamwork is impressive. Let my Hitmonchan handle the rest," Bruno laughed, as his Hitmonchan dealt the final blows. He had repeated this stunt several times, thinking the two wouldn't retaliate.

However, Brian and Dwanye were unhappy. Their Zubat and Venonat were trembling under Eknas's icy stare, indicating they knew Noah was not to be trifled with.

The large man, oblivious to their discomfort, continued his boisterous antics, arm around their shoulders as if they were best friends.

"You're impressive. We're almost there," Vivian said, her Grimer leading the way. Her Pokémon had been guiding them.

"Indeed, we are close," Noah replied coldly, eyes fixed on the countless pairs of sinister, glowing red eyes emerging from the darkness.

To be continued.