Ariana changed her approach.
"What exactly did you discover?"
Armin met her gaze steadily and said, word by word,
"Dr. Fuji doesn't have delusions. Amber is alive."
Whether the one alive was the original Amber—
That was another matter entirely.
"No. Impossible." Ariana frowned slightly. "I saw Amber die with my own eyes. I attended her funeral."
Armin studied her expression carefully as he continued,
"Besides Amber, I saw numerous Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander in Dr. Fuji's estate. All marked with black serial numbers."
The moment he said that—
Ariana's face changed.
Her pupils contracted sharply. A flicker of shock passed through her eyes—small, but unmistakable.
Armin caught it instantly.
"So the current Amber—and those Pokémon—are clones, aren't they?"
Ariana knew there was no point denying it.
She turned toward the night sky beyond the helicopter window and sighed softly.
"Yes."
She offered no further explanation.
Armin didn't press.
Silence settled inside the cabin until the helicopter touched down atop the Celadon Game Corner.
As they stepped off, Ariana spoke again.
"This ends here. Do not mention this matter in front of Dr. Fuji—or 'Amber.'"
She paused.
"You didn't go to the estate today. Dr. Fuji was furious. After tomorrow's operation, you'll move into his estate permanently."
Armin stopped walking.
"So you want to use me to stabilize him? Do you really think that'll work?"
Ariana shrugged coldly.
"I don't know if it'll work. I only know that as long as Amber is happy, Dr. Fuji works efficiently. And you…"
She looked at him sideways.
"…don't have another option."
The threat was subtle, but unmistakable.
Armin's eyes narrowed.
His gaze was dark and unreadable beneath the night.
He hated this feeling.
Being maneuvered.
Controlled.
Compared to Team Rocket—
The Kanto League almost felt preferable.
Fine.
If everything was laid bare like this—
Then whatever happened next wouldn't be his responsibility.
"Alright," he said calmly. "I'll take care of the kid."
The moment the words left his mouth—
A notification flashed before him.
…
[Unique Hidden Quest "Amber" — Progress Updated!]
Objective: ???
Progress: 10%
…
Ariana left without another word.
Armin returned to his dormitory with Mimikyu.
As usual, the other three were waiting outside his door.
"Tomorrow's the Dragon-type Pokemon Festival," Hannah said. "If everything goes smoothly, my Main Quest will be complete."
"Same for us," Rento and Floyd added in unison.
Armin fell into thought.
He wasn't worried about finishing his Main Quest.
He was wondering—
If Team Rocket were destroyed tomorrow…
What would happen to his mission?
Surely it wouldn't devolve into "Lead the remnants of Team Rocket in a glorious comeback."
"By the way," Armin suddenly asked, turning to Floyd, "once the Main Quest is completed, can we leave immediately?"
Floyd nodded.
"After submitting the quest, yes. Though in peaceful instances, most players stay until the final day of the time limit."
Rento frowned.
"I just hope Team Rocket doesn't pull something crazy tomorrow. This instance is way too dangerous."
Floyd quickly covered his mouth.
"Don't jinx it!"
Rento shoved him away.
"Haven't you noticed? The base has been flooded with people these past two days. I talked to someone this afternoon—turns out they transferred from the Mt. Moon base. With this many people, it smells like open war with the League."
Floyd sighed.
"I just want out. Being monitored twenty hours a day is torture. Hopefully the next instance is slice-of-life."
Hannah blinked.
"There are different instance types?"
Floyd shrugged.
"Yeah. Tons of them. This one is a combat instance. Battles are unavoidable—and lethal if you're careless."
"Compared to that, slice-of-life instances are easy. Raise Pokémon, challenge Gyms, travel around. Done."
"There are also special types—like Werewolf-style deduction games, or battle royale survival."
He glanced at the two newcomers.
"Honestly? You two just got unlucky. First instance, and it's this kind."
They chatted a bit longer before dispersing.
-----
The next morning—
The annual Dragon-type Pokémon Festival officially began.
Celadon City exploded into celebration.
Every storefront displayed Dragon-type plushies and figurines.
Massive posters of Lance hung across the city skyline, visible from nearly every street.
At 8 a.m., the ceremony commenced at Celadon Plaza.
At the same time—
Team Rocket base.
Ariana gathered Armin and the other three in the same meeting room as their first day.
They exchanged subtle glances.
The door opened.
A middle-aged man in a black suit entered.
Crew cut.
Sharp as a hawk.
His eyes swept across the four of them.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Welcome to Team Rocket. Before becoming full members, you must complete one final task to prove yourselves."
Ariana spoke calmly.
"This is the current leader of Team Rocket. You may address him as Boss."
No one spoke.
They didn't need her introduction.
They recognized him instantly.
Giovanni.
"What's the task?" Floyd asked quietly.
Giovanni made a small gesture.
"Bring them in."
Several Rocket grunts entered carrying four black cases.
They set them down in front of the four players.
Click.
The lids opened.
Rento swallowed hard.
Inside—
Timed bombs.
Handguns.
Smoke grenades.
Giovanni watched their reactions with amusement.
"Go disrupt the festival. Plant the bombs. Seize Pokémon from Trainers using firearms."
He paused, smiling faintly.
"Or, if you prefer—attack Lance directly."
"Don't worry," he added smoothly. "To prevent accidents, I've arranged for specialists to assist you. They'll teach you how to use the guns and set the explosives."
Four more men stepped into the room.
Armin and the others' expressions darkened.
It was obvious.
These men were not assistants.
They were supervisors.
Rento's voice trembled with restrained anger.
"You're sending us to die."
Giovanni laughed confidently.
"Lance won't kill you."
He knew Lance well.
After so many battles between them—
He understood.
Lance would rather take a hit himself—
Than harm innocents.
And that—
Was the flaw Giovanni intended to exploit.
Outside—
The festival cheered.
Inside—
The variation began.