"The only thing that can be confirmed is that these traces left behind weren't from researchers. If they were ordinary researchers, they wouldn't be in such a hurry. Instead, they would take their time to explore and find research subjects that interest them. This is going to be a bit troublesome."
Ryuuske straightened his body, one hand in his pocket, muttering to himself while scanning his surroundings. However, all he saw were towering trees. Occasionally, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, preventing the forest from falling into complete darkness.
"Ga?"
Gible tilted its head in confusion. It didn't fully understand what Ryuuske meant or why things had suddenly become troublesome.
Seeing Gible's clueless expression, Ryuuske chuckled and shook his head. No matter how intelligent a Pokémon might be, no matter how well it could understand human speech, it would never truly possess a human's way of thinking.
To Ryuuske, the wild Pokémon in Viridian Forest were indeed dangerous. Their survival and hunting instincts could easily put him in life-threatening situations if he wasn't careful. However, compared to Pokémon, what was truly terrifying was the human heart. Ryuuske had no trouble socializing, but if given a choice, he would rather interact with Pokémon—who were much easier to understand—than deal with the complexities of human nature.
[I was just about to tell you—I sensed a presence earlier, one that felt both familiar and repulsive. But the aura disappeared in an instant, and I couldn't make sense of it.]
At that moment, Mewtwo suddenly connected with Ryuuske's mind, communicating telepathically.
[Familiar and repulsive?]
Ryuuske was puzzled. By now, Mewtwo had learned a lot about human concepts, yet it used two completely contradictory words to describe what it sensed. This left Ryuuske unsure of how to interpret its meaning.
[It felt close, as if it were something beside me, yet at the same time, I felt an instinctive sense of disgust.]
[That doesn't sound like something good.]
A thought flickered in Ryuuske's mind—he had a vague idea of what Mewtwo had sensed. But if it really was that, wasn't it a little too soon for them to cross paths?
"...These footprints, huh… Forget it. This is just my speculation. If I want to know the truth, I need to investigate myself. Gible, come with me. We're going to find those humans—but we'll do it stealthily!"
Ryuuske gestured, and Gible eagerly followed at his side.
"Even though I didn't want to use it, I don't really have a choice in this situation…"
Ryuuske rummaged through his belt pouch and quickly pulled out a Poké Ball, tossing it forward.
"...Come on out, Rattata. Your nose is the sharpest here. Help me track those humans."
A small rodent-like Pokémon appeared from the Poké Ball. For wild Pokémon, unless they were highly intelligent or aggressive like dragons, they would generally submit to the strong once captured, following the natural law of survival where the strong ruled. Of course, a newly captured Pokémon wouldn't have any real bond with its trainer—it would only obey simple commands.
Rattata was an easy Pokémon to capture, and it didn't have any injuries. Meanwhile, the stronger Pokémon Ryuuske had captured were all wounded in battle. Using Rattata to track people allowed him to conserve his healing supplies—after all, potions and berries cost money!
Rattata sniffed the ground, its expression confused. The scent was too mixed up for it to decide which trail to follow. Ryuuske had already noticed that the group of humans had split up, heading in different directions.
"Pick the closest one."
With Ryuuske's clear command, Rattata finally knew what to do. It darted forward through the underbrush, swiftly choosing a direction. Ryuuske and Gible followed closely behind.
Their pace was quick. After about twenty minutes, Ryuuske spotted a figure standing in a clearing ahead.
"Good job, Rattata."
Swiftly, he recalled Rattata into its Poké Ball and tucked it away in his belt pouch. Then, crouching low, he and Gible sneaked closer.
"As expected... it's Team Rocket."
Seeing the familiar black uniform, Ryuuske's suspicions were confirmed. The man ahead wore a red scarf around his neck, likely indicating he was a squad leader. He stood in place, issuing orders through a device, while a Golbat flapped its wings beside him, standing guard.
Ryuuske patted Gible's head. Already understanding the plan, Gible dropped onto all fours and moved swiftly into position. Only after ensuring that Gible was ready did Ryuuske quietly retreat and begin circling around.
——
"You'll split into teams of four and search in eight different directions. Once you find the target, report back immediately—do not act on your own. I know it's difficult to locate the target with just our numbers in Viridian Forest, but the organization is short on manpower. The Boss has already sent some of our forces to the Johto region, so our squad is all we have for Viridian Forest... Shut up! The Boss's orders aren't for you to question! Viridian Forest is dangerous, so stay alert. But since you'll be moving in groups of four, you shouldn't run into too much trouble."
"Hm? What was that?"
The Team Rocket squad leader noticed movement in the bushes. He immediately ordered Golbat to fly in front of him, keeping its eyes locked on the disturbance.
The shaking grew more intense until, from the underbrush, a figure dressed in a Team Rocket uniform stepped out.
"Stop right there. Which unit are you from? I ordered everyone to search for Mew's whereabouts. Why are you returning alone?"
The squad leader wasn't completely stupid. Seeing an unfamiliar Team Rocket grunt suddenly appear, his suspicions were immediately raised.
"Ah? And here I was, preparing a whole speech to showcase my Oscar-worthy acting skills… But you went ahead and told me exactly what I wanted to know. How boring."
Ryuuske's lazy voice drifted over, making the squad leader's expression darken.
"…You're not one of us. Who the hell are you? Hmph, playing tricks won't save you. Golbat—"
"Too late!"
Before the squad leader could issue an attack command, Ryuuske raised a single finger.
Sensing something above him, the squad leader looked up in shock—only to see a shadow plummeting from the tree canopy.
"Dragon Rush!"
The figure crashed down like a meteor, rapidly growing larger in the squad leader's widening eyes. Just as he had time to think, I'm screwed, Gible slammed into him with bone-crushing force. A bloodcurdling scream rang out. Even from several meters away, Ryuuske could hear bones shattering. The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, creating cracks within a three-meter radius, with a half-meter deep crater at the center.
Golbat, now without a commanding trainer, hesitated in confusion. It flapped its wings a few times before instinctively lunging at Gible with a Bite attack.
Golbat's fangs pierced Gible's tough, shark-like skin, but Ryuuske merely smirked.
"A Pokémon without a trainer's command… is even worse than a wild one. And at a time like this, you chose to use Leech Life?"
"Forget it, Gible. End this with Dragon Pulse."
A terrifying dragon roar echoed. The intense sonic vibrations shattered Golbat's fangs. Without needing further instruction, Gible lunged and bit down on Golbat's fragile wing, tearing it off and rendering the Pokémon flightless.
"Now, just as I taught you…"
Following Ryuuske's words, Gible returned to the squad leader's fallen body, clamped down on his Poké Ball, and bit through the release switch.
"Good job, Gible. That training with empty Poké Balls really paid off."
Ryuuske chuckled, his attire shifting back into his casual outfit. This was just a minor trick using hypnosis. Unlike using hypnosis on enemies, which could alert them, Ryuuske had Mewtwo cast it on himself, deceiving the opponent's vision without any offensive intent.
[Mewtwo, you heard that, right? The presence you sensed—it really was Mew. It's here in Viridian Forest!]
To be continued…