Ding!
A crisp, pleasant sound rang out.
The Great Ball landed steadily back in Bai's hand and stopped shaking.
Only then did Iono realize she had been holding her breath the whole time. She exhaled deeply and patted her chest.
"Phew… that scared me to death… How is this a surprise? This is clearly a super jump scare…"
Before she finished speaking, she suddenly noticed something on the screen.
Rei held the Great Ball out toward Little Iono.
At the same time, Rei Akagi's voice sounded with a faint smile.
"A crimson Gyarados, you know. A one-in-ten-thousand shiny variant. Because of certain special experiences, its power and potential far exceed those of ordinary Gyarados."
Then his tone turned serious.
"But Iono… before you truly form a bond with it and become a partner it recognizes, you have to remember the promise I made to it on your behalf."
"To help it take revenge."
"That obsession is the foundation of the bond we just formed."
Iono froze completely.
Her in-game character stood motionless as well.
Rei Akagi seemed to think she was worried about the weight of the promise, so he added gently:
"Don't worry. Since I made the promise for you, I'll help you fulfill it."
"N-no, that's not it!"
Iono suddenly raised her voice like she had been burned. Her face turned bright red.
"This is… this is the Pokémon that formed a bond with you…"
"Not me."
Rei Akagi interrupted calmly.
"It's us."
Three simple words—
Yet Iono felt the temperature on her cheeks skyrocket.
She instinctively fanned her flushed face with both hands, her voice becoming hurried and embarrassed.
"Ah—no! This is… this is way too fast! And besides… besides…"
She stammered for a long time without finishing the sentence.
Finally, with a bit of stubbornness, she insisted:
"Anyway—it's not happening!"
"???"
"Iono why are you blushing?! Noooo the thing I feared most has happened!"
"This isn't a proposal! Why are you reacting like that?!"
"I approve of this marriage! Do you even understand the value of a red Gyarados? The Flying-type—uh, Dragon-type—Champion next door has the exact same signature Pokémon!"
"When Salted Fish negotiated with Gyarados he deliberately said 'we.' Iono shouldn't be shy—just accept it!"
"Revenge? Revenge against what? Salted Fish is using insider information!"
"I want to see bloodshed!!!"
Rei Akagi couldn't see what was happening on her side.
He frowned slightly in confusion.
He could clearly tell Iono cared a lot about the Gyarados.
He had even emphasized the word "we" when negotiating.
So why did she refuse the moment he handed her the Great Ball?
Women… impossible to understand.
Was it just the restraint of a big-name streamer?
He didn't say anything else and quietly withdrew the Great Ball.
"Alright then. Let's go. We still need to head into Mt. Moon's cave and fulfill our promise to Gyarados."
The other Pokémon returned to their Poké Balls.
The fierce crimson Gyarados reappeared.
Rei nimbly climbed onto its head and gestured for Little Iono to get on as well.
Little Iono still looked slightly dazed as she climbed up.
After confirming its passengers were ready, Gyarados twisted its enormous body and shot into the sky.
As they approached the cave, they spotted two black-clad figures guarding the entrance.
Instead of approaching directly, Rei Akagi recalled Gyarados and guided Rei and Little Iono into a hidden spot.
Then he released Ivysaur, which spread Sleep Powder toward the guards.
Just to be safe, after the two guards collapsed, he had Gastly follow up with two Hypnosis attacks from a distance.
After confirming both were fully unconscious, Rei Akagi called Iono over.
"Two Team Rocket gate guards taken care of. Let's change into their uniforms and sneak inside."
"Infiltration? Sounds fun!"
Iono's mood shifted instantly.
All her previous embarrassment vanished, replaced entirely by excitement.
"Quick, quick!"
After changing into Team Rocket uniforms, the two of them walked openly into the cave.
The interior of the cave wasn't dark.
Torches were placed along the path, and occasionally they passed one or two Team Rocket members hurrying by.
They simply nodded to each other.
No one suspected anything.
The deeper they went, the torches became sparser.
The tunnels twisted like a maze.
But strangely, the number of Team Rocket members increased.
From fragments of their conversations, they learned that Team Rocket had already explored about 70–80% of Mt. Moon's cave system and had laid out an extensive search network.
There were over a hundred members gathered here.
If Mew was really hiding here, it would probably only be a matter of time before it was discovered.
Fortunately, they hadn't tried to break through by force earlier.
Otherwise they would have been trapped with no way out.
"Salted Fish… what should we do now?" Iono asked nervously.
"If Mew gets discovered, that'd be bad!"
Her worry came from two things:
The increasing number of Team Rocket members.
And the cave's maze-like complexity.
"Relax."
Rei Akagi said calmly.
"Here—take this."
On the screen, Rei performed a slightly ridiculous motion and pulled two pickaxes out from… somewhere suspicious near his pants.
He handed one to Little Iono.
"Since we're already here, we might as well grab some loot first."
"See that pile of scattered rocks ahead? Just dig wherever looks promising. There's good stuff inside."
Watching Rei enthusiastically digging through the rubble, Iono's anxiety faded significantly.
Soon she happily joined the treasure-hunting operation.
"Rei broke open a rock pile… nothing was found."
"Little Iono broke open a rock pile… obtained a Rare Candy!"
"…."
Half an hour later, the two finally left the rock field.
"That was amazing!"
"Rare Candies, Moon Stones, Star Pieces, Amulet Coins…"
Looking at the various items that had appeared in her bag, Iono couldn't help smiling foolishly.
Meanwhile—
Rei Akagi fell into silence.
In thirty minutes, he had dug over eighty rock piles.
He even broke two pickaxes.
And found absolutely nothing.
Meanwhile Iono dug only ten piles, and her bag was practically overflowing.
Some pits even dropped multiple items.
Rare Candy from a rock pile?!
That shouldn't even be possible.
This must be a bug!
Noticing Rei Akagi's silence, Iono looked at Rei on the screen—dirty, exhausted, and empty-handed.
After thinking for a moment, she searched her bag and handed him an item.
"Alright, here. You can have this."
"Fire Stone. Growlithe should be able to use it, right?"
Seeing the Fire Stone offered by Little Iono, Rei Akagi felt deeply moved.
Although a gentleman shouldn't accept charity…
He really didn't want to leave empty-handed.
"Thank you, Iono."
"You're a good person."
"Hehe, no need to praise me like that~"
Iono scratched her head shyly.
Beep! You received a "Good Person" card!
"Iono's still happily smiling."
A highlighted livestream message suddenly appeared:
"Currently out mining, please contact Devon Corporation if needed."
"Gym Leader Iono, could you help pass a message to Teacher Salted Fish? His livestream isn't open, and I couldn't find a way to contact him privately."
Another highlighted message appeared:
"My progress has also reached Mt. Moon. The real-time excavation system is excellent—I'm completely addicted to it."
"However, there are some special stones whose data I haven't collected yet. I'd like to consult Teacher Salted Fish privately."
"And please thank him for me. I've learned a lot of valuable mineral knowledge from Pokémon."
"Wait… why is that badge sparkling?"
"Holy crap!"
"Champion verification!!!"
"The Hoenn Champion!!!"
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