"The Hoenn Champion!"
Seeing the highlighted chat message, Iono's eyes sparkled as she excitedly called out to Rei Akagi.
"Salted Fish! The Hoenn Champion came into my livestream because of you! Collaborating with you is definitely the smartest decision I've made in my life!"
"Hm? You mean that Hoenn Champion who says 'In the end I'm number one—strong and awesome'?"
When the Hoenn Champion was mentioned, Rei Akagi couldn't immediately confirm who it was.
After all, there were two during the same era—
Steven Stone and Wallace, who later succeeded him.
"Hahaha! That description is way too accurate!"
"Try imagining Steven saying that sentence out loud!"
A highlighted message appeared again.
"Currently out mining, please contact Devon Corporation if needed:"
"Teacher Salted Fish seems to have a very high opinion of me. If there's a chance, I'd really like to meet him in person."
"Champion verification!"
"Salted Fish knows how to compliment people—just not Iono, lol!"
"Salted Fish: It's still daytime!"
What do you mean…
Salted Fish definitely has a high opinion of me too!
Iono raised her eyebrows stubbornly, ignoring the teasing chat.
"Yep! It's the Hoenn Champion! He said he couldn't reach you and wanted to ask about some mineral data. Also, he said he learned a lot from Pokémon and wants to thank you."
Now Rei Akagi understood.
The rock fanatic—Steven.
"Oh, it's Champion Steven. No problem. I'll organize the relevant information and send it to him after the stream."
"If he ever comes to Eastern, I'll treat him to dinner."
"Okay! Salted Fish says that's the plan!"
Iono relayed the message immediately.
Steven responded with a Metagross nodding GIF, then went silent.
After the small interruption, the two continued deeper into the cave.
The sound of metal striking stone grew louder and louder.
Under Bai's lead, they arrived at an enormous underground mining chamber.
Inside the cavern—
Dozens of Team Rocket members operated strange machines, forcing various Pokémon to endlessly dig through the mountain.
Every single Pokémon wore a metal control collar.
Even those covered in injuries and barely able to stand were still being forced into exhausting labor.
On a high command platform, a Team Rocket Field Captain shouted orders through a loudspeaker.
He pressed something.
Immediately, several slower Pokémon below were struck with electric shocks, their bodies convulsing in agony.
Yet they had no choice but to keep working.
"Team Rocket Field Captain: Faster! Even if you have to hollow out the entire mountain—find Mew!"
"Don't worry about whether these Pokémon live or die!"
Pokémon that collapsed from exhaustion were casually thrown into a corner like trash.
And that wasn't the worst part.
On the other side of the cavern stood a massive steel cage.
Inside were dozens of Clefairy—clearly an entire Mt. Moon colony.
Most of them lay weakly on the ground.
Their pink fur was covered in wounds.
Their eyes were dull and lifeless.
"How… how can they do this?!"
Seeing the scene, anger surged through Iono.
Her normally cute face tightened with rare seriousness.
She was almost about to charge forward when Rei Akagi's steady voice stopped her.
"Don't rush. Follow me."
Rei quietly led Iono toward the command platform.
At the same time, Rei Akagi explained in a low voice.
"Team Rocket—on the surface they're a legitimate profit-driven organization. They recruit trainers and offer excellent benefits…"
"But behind the scenes they poach Pokémon, enslave them, and conduct dangerous biological experiments."
"The Red Gyarados is one of their victims."
"Maybe there are people in Team Rocket who truly love Pokémon…"
"But in the end—they're the minority."
His voice was slow and heavy.
Both Iono and the livestream chat fell into rare silence.
Only the harsh sounds of mining and shouting echoed through the cavern.
The two quietly reached the back of the command platform.
Suddenly—
The Team Rocket Field Captain sensed something and turned sharply.
His sharp gaze locked onto them.
"Team Rocket Field Captain: Stop! Which unit are you from?!"
A dialogue box appeared.
Rei Akagi typed decisively.
Bai: "Supervisory Division executive. The Boss is very dissatisfied with your progress."
The captain stared at Rei and Little Iono suspiciously.
He didn't trust them immediately.
One hand slowly moved toward the Poké Ball at his waist.
Rei Akagi remained expressionless and typed again.
Bai: "Hmph. If the research schedule gets delayed, you won't be able to take responsibility."
The captain's body stiffened instantly.
His eyes flickered for a moment.
Finally, he removed his hand from the Poké Ball and stiffly saluted.
"Team Rocket Field Captain: Apologies, Executive! The situation is critical—I had to be cautious."
Bai: "Your rudeness is forgiven. Hand over the controller. Their efficiency is terrible. They're wasting time."
The captain hesitated.
But Rei Akagi gave him no time to think.
Rei stepped forward and reached directly for the controller in his hand.
The captain instinctively tried to stop him—
BAM!
Bai's fist smashed straight into his face, knocking him to the ground.
Bai: "I don't want to repeat myself."
Rei simply stood there, looking down coldly at the fallen captain.
This ruthless attitude completely broke the man's resistance.
Struggling to his feet, he respectfully handed the controller to Bai.
At the moment Rei grabbed it—
Gastly suddenly emerged from the captain's shadow.
Its eyes flashed purple.
A perfectly timed Hypnosis struck the target.
The captain didn't even groan before collapsing unconscious.
"Holy crap! Salted Fish is insane! If they got caught the consequences would be terrifying!"
"Oh no… I think I'm starting to fall for Salted Fish. That was way too cool!"
"Yep. That's exactly what happens to Team Rocket members whose disguises are exposed… their methods are brutal."
"Controller secured— Iono…"
"Huh? Ah! I'm here!"
Iono finally snapped out of her shock.
Looking at Rei on the screen, her eyes were full of undisguised admiration.
Even her voice sparkled with excitement.
"Salted Fish! What do we do next?!"
"Change back into our own clothes."
Rei Akagi chuckled lightly.
"We don't need the disguise anymore."
The two quickly changed outfits.
Fully prepared, Rei took out the Great Ball.
"Now."
Rei Akagi's voice was calm—but powerful.
"Let's cause some chaos."
The Great Ball cut through the heavy air.
It flew forward.
ROOOAR—
The Crimson Gyarados appeared in the center of the cavern with a thunderous roar.
When its ferocious eyes swept across the scene—
The red in its pupils exploded with fury.
Its massive body slammed onto the ground.
Rocks shattered everywhere as the entire cavern trembled.
At that moment, Rei Akagi issued the command.
"Gyarados—use Outrage!"
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