Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command!

Cinnabar Island had countless ties to Team Rocket.

Behind the scenes, Team Rocket had invested heavily in the island's Pokémon Lab, embedding agents there to gather invaluable research data.

Blaine, the Cinnabar Gym Leader, was once a scientist in Team Rocket, playing a crucial role in the Mewtwo Project.

Had he not left Team Rocket, the island might have already become an official Rocket base.

Even though Blaine had cut ties with Team Rocket, he hadn't severed them entirely.

There remained an unspoken agreement between him and Giovanni.

You could tell as much from the fact that, despite being a League Gym Leader, Blaine hadn't turned Giovanni in.

However, as the Mewtwo Project neared completion, this unspoken understanding seemed on the verge of breaking.

"Is he hiding, scared of Giovanni's retribution, trying to avoid Team Rocket by closing the gym?" Luo Yuan mused as he read the words "current whereabouts unknown" on his intel.

Apparently, Blaine had shut down the gym two weeks ago. While he hadn't left Cinnabar, he was hiding somewhere on the island.

But for Luo Yuan, tracking Blaine wouldn't be a problem.

He arrived at the locked-down gym, broke the lock, and stepped into the empty Cinnabar Gym.

"Deoxys, pick up Blaine's trace from any lingering aura in this place."

With its remote sensing ability, Deoxys could, through contact with an object, lock onto its previous owner from miles away.

Following Luo Yuan's command, Deoxys transformed one of its tentacles into a hand and touched a cup on a nearby table. Another tentacle reached out to Luo Yuan's shoulder, linking their minds.

In an instant, Luo Yuan's consciousness seemed to rise above the Earth, then swiftly descended.

From Kanto to Cinnabar Island, to the hotel district, then to a small hot spring inn…

"Found him!"

Luo Yuan's perception zeroed in on Blaine, who sat on a tatami mat, disguised as the inn's proprietor.

With ease, Luo Yuan had located Blaine, who had eluded Rocket's exhaustive manhunt. That was the power of Deoxys.

"Thanks, Deoxys."

He rewarded Deoxys with a small surge of healing energy from his Viridian Power before returning it to its Master Ball.

Then he headed to the inn.

---

Blaine's spirits were at an all-time low.

It had been two full weeks since he'd shut down his gym and gone into hiding at this small hot spring inn.

During that time, he'd kept a close eye on the island, and as he'd expected, Team Rocket had sent people searching for him everywhere.

"I should've never let curiosity get the best of me and joined that project," Blaine thought bitterly.

If he hadn't been part of the Mewtwo Project, he'd still be back at his gym, peacefully fulfilling his duties as Gym Leader, rather than hiding away in a cheap inn.

Not to mention, he wouldn't have had to make himself look like this—half-man, half-something-else.

At that thought, Blaine's right arm tensed. Under his sleeve, it throbbed and writhed.

He knew all too well what this meant.

When creating Mewtwo, they'd initially used genes from Mew's eyelash as a blueprint. But due to the shortage of Mew's cells, they had substituted in his own human DNA.

As a result, Blaine's arm had been tainted with Mewtwo's cells. The mutation damaged his body severely, but it also allowed him to sense Mewtwo's status.

"Mewtwo's creation is almost complete!"

The pain and movement in his arm confirmed his suspicions.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Blaine knew he had to act soon, or he'd succumb to Mewtwo's cellular invasion before Rocket could even find him.

"Maybe if I reveal the Rocket Boss's identity to the League, I can deflect Team Rocket's attention off myself."

The thought crossed his mind.

If the League learned that Giovanni, the Viridian Gym Leader, was the leader of Team Rocket, they'd immediately go after him. Team Rocket would have its hands full, giving Blaine a chance to escape unnoticed.

But just as he considered it, the door of the inn slid open.

"Is Blaine here?"

Hearing his own name, Blaine's hands shook, causing him to spill his tea. He fumbled, trying to dry his pants.

The tea was the least of his concerns.

Looking up, he eyed the stranger at the entrance.

Relieved to see it wasn't a Rocket grunt, Blaine quickly denied the question.

"Blaine? You mean the Cinnabar Gym Leader? He hasn't been seen on the island in two weeks. If you're looking for him, I'd suggest you try the gym."

His performance was almost flawless.

With the wig and glasses, no one would recognize him as the bald, bespectacled Blaine.

An unsuspecting person might indeed think he was just a local innkeeper.

But Luo Yuan had Deoxys's validation—there was no mistaking his target.

"Nice try, but you're definitely Blaine."

"…"

Blaine sighed, realizing this visitor wasn't guessing.

Confusion gnawed at him.

He'd been so careful in his disguise—how did this person figure it out?

Seeing Blaine's bewilderment, Luo Yuan answered. "Your disguise is impressive. Under normal circumstances, no one would have guessed, but… it was your scent that gave you away."

Luo Yuan wasn't exactly lying.

Deoxys had traced Blaine's location through the faint scent on his cup, but Blaine didn't know that. Instead, he assumed Luo Yuan had some dog-like Pokémon with a sharp nose that tracked him down.

Blaine sighed again. "Fine… you got me. I am Blaine. So, who are you? And what do you want?"

His fingers inched toward his belt, subtly gripping a Poké Ball.

If Luo Yuan's answer suggested danger, he'd attack and escape to start fresh somewhere else.

Though Blaine thought his move went unnoticed, Luo Yuan saw everything. He had multiple chances to restrain Blaine but chose to ignore the gesture, letting him think he had the upper hand.

"What do I want? To challenge you as a Gym Leader and earn a badge."

"Oh, and I'm Luo Yuan, a newly registered Trainer of the League."

Luo Yuan smiled.

"A… new Trainer?!"

Looking at Luo Yuan, Blaine couldn't reconcile the confident presence before him with the title "new Trainer." It was almost absurdly out of place.

---

Hello! Thank you so much for reading this chapter. WiseTL has worked hard to bring these wonderful stories to you, and I'm so happy we could share this moment together! Don't you think stories are a little like dreams? Each one has its own colors and shapes, and they grow even brighter when shared with others.

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