"Oh my~ don't be so hostile," Cassidy drawled lazily.
"I just got back from completing an important mission assigned by Boss Giovanni. I heard that you, Jessie, still haven't completed your task, so I came over to check on you~"
"Of course," Cassidy added as she leaned forward, raising a single finger with a playful smile,
"I also brought you a very important piece of intelligence."
Jessie's first instinct was to slam the door shut in Cassidy's face.
But the moment she heard the words important intelligence, and thinking of how desperate they were to complete the mission, Jessie forcibly swallowed her anger.
Cassidy noticed this immediately.
The smile on her face only grew brighter. She fanned herself lightly at the neck and cheek, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Jessie.
"I just finished a mission—so hot~ And I even brought you such valuable information. Can't you at least be a little polite and invite me in to sit down?"
"Oh? Or is it that Jessie really doesn't welcome me at all?" Cassidy sighed dramatically.
"In that case, maybe I just won't tell you this important intel after all. Watching you scramble and panic over the mission sounds pretty entertaining too~"
"Butch, let's go," Cassidy said, turning to the young Team Rocket elite behind her—a short-haired man with teal-colored hair who looked unusually young.
"Cassidy, you arrogant bitch," Jessie snapped, finally losing control.
"You came here today just to laugh at us, didn't you?!"
"Oh my~ not at all," Cassidy replied innocently.
"I came with great sincerity. Who knew that you, a barbaric and willful woman, would be so rude and unfriendly."
"You—!"
"Jessie, calm down," James quickly stepped in, grabbing her arm.
"Let's at least hear what Cassidy has to say. This mission has already dragged on for over a week. If we fail again, Boss Giovanni might really demote us."
"Beautiful Lady Cassidy, and the valiant, handsome Butch—welcome!"
Meowth rubbed his paws together, his face plastered with a flattering grin.
"You two must've worked hard. Please, come in—meow!"
"Well, Meowth, you're much more sensible than a certain violent and willful woman," Cassidy said smugly as she walked inside with Butch.
"How about leaving Jessie's team and joining ours? I'm sure you'd have much better prospects with us."
"Ahahaha… you flatter me," Meowth laughed awkwardly.
"Our team is a trinity—we're inseparable. Jessie's team is James's and my team too. There's no way I'd abandon my teammates to join someone else's crew."
"Now then," Meowth continued eagerly,
"tell us about this important intelligence~ meow!!"
"Fine~"
Cassidy's expression finally turned serious.
"The intelligence I brought is this: at noon today, your mission target—that brat named Ash—listed a new service on his skill shop."
"He's offering a service to help Magikarp learn Tackle."
"The entire Kanto Trainer community has been shaken by this news. The Indigo League, as well as all the major upper-class families in Kanto, are eager to sign contracts with that little brat."
"If my guess is correct, security around Pallet Town has already been reinforced again. As for infiltrating Pallet Town to capture the boy—well, I don't need to spell out how difficult that's become."
"And there's more~"
"You should know that Team Rocket maintains deep ties with Kanto's major families. That's the reason we've managed to remain safe even under the League's aggressive crackdowns."
"But if that boy Ash establishes connections with those families…"
"…then even Team Rocket won't be able to act against him so easily."
"At the moment, Ash has accepted three trial orders through his shop. The results of Magikarp learning Tackle haven't come out yet, so most forces are still observing."
"But once those three trial orders succeed…"
"All the major Kanto families and financial groups will rush to cooperate with him."
"And by then," Cassidy said softly,
"you won't be able to touch him at all."
"Based on how this brat uses psychic abilities to help Pokémon comprehend moves, the average cycle is two to three days. Teaching Magikarp Tackle will take longer—but at most five days."
"In other words…"
"The difficulty of your mission is about to skyrocket, and the time you have left is extremely limited."
"Best case: two days. Worst case: five days."
"If you fail to capture this brat within that window, you will never get another chance."
After finishing, Cassidy smiled sweetly at Jessie, clearly eager to see her reaction.
And she wasn't disappointed.
Jessie slammed her hand onto the table, her face contorting with rage.
"Cassidy, you annoying woman! This isn't important intelligence—this is bad news!"
"You came here today just to watch us make fools of ourselves, didn't you?!!"
"Oh my~" Cassidy replied calmly.
"I was kindly warning you. If I hadn't told you, the next time you acted, you might've been captured by the League and thrown straight into prison."
"Who needs you to tell us this?" Jessie roared.
"We could've checked online ourselves before acting!"
"Alright, alright—Jessie, don't lose your temper~ meow," Meowth quickly soothed.
"Cassidy," Meowth continued, narrowing his eyes,
"judging by your expression, you're not done talking. Say whatever else you've got."
"Oh my~ as expected of Team Rocket's evil mastermind, Meowth," Cassidy praised.
"Are you really not considering joining our team? Your future would be so much brighter~"
"Cassidy, hurry up and talk!" Jessie snarled.
"If you keep trying to poach my teammates right in front of me, I swear I'll tear you apart!"
"Oh dear, Jessie," Cassidy sighed.
"You truly are violent and willful. Being in the same elite unit as you is the greatest disgrace of my life."
"And you're no better," Jessie shot back.
"You arrogant, savage bitch—you're even more annoying than that baby-faced Matori!"
"Enough, enough—you two stop it," Meowth quickly interrupted.
"Cassidy, what's your real purpose here? You didn't come just to laugh at us, did you?"
"Of course not," Cassidy replied lightly.
"Ever since Boss Giovanni assigned this mission to your team, Butch and I have been closely monitoring your progress."
"And clearly… you've made no progress at all."
"With the information I just shared, this mission is already heading toward disaster."
"It might even become a permanent stain on your team's 100% mission completion record—a humiliating failure."
"But," Cassidy continued, raising one finger and gently swaying it side to side,
"Butch and I happen to have an excellent plan."
"So we're here to help you."
"However—once the mission is completed… the credit will be split 70% to us."
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T/N:
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