Pokémon: The Path of Ascension

The big man saw the newcomer and walked a few steps forward, saying, "Captain Mako, why did you come so late? This isn't like you."

"Heh, look at what Captain Ooyama is saying, making it sound like I'm deliberately neglecting the boss's task. That's quite the wrongful accusation against a young woman!"

The woman named Mako, dressed in a red outfit, threw a flirtatious glance at the big man and the thin guy.

"It just took a bit of time to freshen up; I didn't want to neglect you two!"

The big man clearly knew how this woman operated and frowned without replying.

"Forget it; let's get to the point. We've already obtained the item. Do you want to inspect it, Captain Mako?"

Saying this, the big man shot a glance at the thin guy.

The thin guy understood and immediately opened the car door, retrieving a metal box from inside.

"Third, open it up for our Captain Mako to see."

The thin guy nodded. "Yes, big brother."

"Wait, I can't tell just by looking at it. Let my people inspect it," Mako waved her hand toward two individuals in white coats following her. "You two, go over and check the goods."

"Yes," they replied in unison.

The big man said, "Third, open the box so they can inspect it."

The two lab personnel clearly walked over, carrying some equipment.

Toshi recognized these machines; they were used to assess Pokémon quality.

The thin guy input the password, and with a "ding," the metal box opened.

Inside was a Pokémon egg contained in an egg incubator.

"This should be the perfect quality Pokémon egg!" Although Toshi was hidden in the bushes, he was very eager to see what this kind of Pokémon egg looked like. However, he also knew that if he made even a tiny sound now, it would spell disaster for him, so he could only suppress his curiosity.

After a detailed inspection, the two lab personnel exchanged glances, and then one tall man said to Mako, "Captain, the item is correct."

After hearing this, Mako laughed. "Alright then, you can hand over the item."

"Wait!" The big man immediately interrupted.

Hearing this, the thin guy quickly closed the box again and hugged it tightly before the two lab personnel could react.

Seeing this, Mako's expression changed. "Captain Ooyama, what do you mean by this?"

"What do you mean? I'd like to ask what you mean, Captain Mako. The boss said earlier that you two should take good care of this Pokémon egg!"

Mako chuckled. "What, does Captain Ooyama think I have ulterior motives?"

"That's not it; it's just that your usual practices make it hard for me to hand the item over to your subordinates. I think it's better to keep it with us until the boss returns."

"It seems that Captain Ooyama is quite displeased with my usual methods?" Mako gave a strange smile.

The big man didn't respond, instead looking around. "Captain Mako, we've wasted enough time. Do you really want to keep talking here? It wouldn't be good if we got discovered!"

"Alright, I'll take your advice, Ooyama," Mako smiled, waving the two back. "You two come back now."

"Yes." The two tidied up the items and returned to stand behind Mako.

"Captain Ooyama, should we head out now?"

"Third, hold onto the item, and let's go," the big man instructed the thin guy.

"Yes, big brother, don't worry."

The thin guy walked with a meaningful smile.

No one knew what he was thinking at that moment.

Then the five of them walked together into the forest. 

…

During this time, Toshi didn't dare make any movement until he could no longer see the lights from the five people, at which point he cautiously emerged.

He inspected the off-road vehicle but found nothing of value.

"In this situation, I should report to the police and have Officer Jenny come handle this, but..."

Toshi fell into deep thought. The benefits of reporting to the police were clear, but that would also mean he would have no connection to the matter afterward.

He had finally come across a perfect quality Pokémon; claiming he didn't care about it would be a lie. Furthermore, having been observing the thin guy, Toshi didn't believe for a second that the thin guy would easily give up the Pokémon.

There could very well be unexpected developments later.

"As they say, fortune favors the bold; if I don't take risks, how can I expect greater rewards?"

After some consideration, Toshi determined his next action.

"First, I need to figure out where those people are headed."

Although the lights had disappeared, it was nighttime, and the light beams were still very clear. Toshi had mentally noted the direction they had taken.

Using the cover of the bushes and large trees, Toshi stealthily advanced forward.

Five minutes later.

"I remember the lights disappeared around here. Where are they?"

Toshi looked at his surroundings but couldn't see anything suspicious.

"Could they be underground?"

After analyzing the situation, Toshi concluded that the group must have gone underground since it was impossible for them to be in the air or on the ground. If they weren't there, where else could they be?

He said to Butterfree beside him, "Butterfree, use Supersonic to see if the area underground is empty."

Butterfree nodded and then used Supersonic.

"Butterfree, is it empty down there?"

"Butterfree!" Butterfree nodded.

"Good!" Toshi smiled and praised Butterfree.

"It turns out there are indeed hidden surprises underground... But first, I don't know how to open a passage, and if I go in, I'm sure I'll be discovered immediately..."

He certainly wouldn't gamble that there wouldn't be anyone guarding the entrance to the passage.

"Am I really just supposed to wait here or notify Officer Jenny to come...?"

Toshi fell into deep thought once again.

…

Underground.

"Captain Mako, aren't you usually very busy here? How come I hardly see anyone around right now?" The big man said as he walked alongside Mako, constantly scanning the surroundings with his eyes.

"Captain Ooyama, are you really pretending to be clueless with me? I didn't go to the daytime operation, but I sent a lot of my subordinates. They haven't returned, and I haven't asked you to explain. Why are you the one asking me first?"

At that moment, the thin guy chimed in, "What, does Captain Mako have something against my big brother?"

The big man waved his hand. "Captain Mako, not many of your people have come back. Does that mean my people have returned in droves?"

"This operation was arranged by the boss, and we deployed more than eighty percent of our personnel, spending an unknown amount of money. Furthermore, before we took action, we all assured the boss that regardless of the losses, as long as we succeeded in the end, we would be compensated, and no one was allowed to complain! Has Captain Mako forgotten about that?"

Mako turned her head and chuckled. "Of course, I haven't forgotten that. I was just joking with Captain Ooyama. Is it really necessary to keep bringing up the boss to put pressure on me?"