"Maybe it's just a coincidence, but to be the Executive of Team Rocket, that person must be very strong," Misty muttered, her voice laced with hesitation.
As a gym leader of Cerulean City, Misty was familiar with the names of other gym leaders in the Kanto Region. However, the thought of a gym leader working with an organization as notorious as Team Rocket was unthinkable to her.
"Surely it's just someone with the same name as the old Fuchsia City gym leader, right?" she added, trying to convince herself.
Satoshi could only roll his eyes. Misty's naivety in this situation was a bit much to handle.
"Misty, I have a question," Satoshi began, his tone serious. "Did you only bring Staryu and the Gyarados you just got back with you?"
Although Misty was a gym leader, her strength ranked near the bottom among Kanto's gym leaders. Still, she should at least have a couple of gym-level Pokémon.
Seeing her eagerness to storm into the cave, Satoshi needed to confirm if she had her full lineup with her.
Misty looked embarrassed. "Well, yeah, I only have Staryu and Gyarados with me. After Gyarados was stolen, I rushed out of Cerulean City in such a hurry that I didn't bring my main team…"
Satoshi sighed. "Then we're at a huge disadvantage. If the so-called Executive inside is as strong as I think, we're in trouble."
In truth, Satoshi knew Koga's strength all too well. As one of Team Rocket's Executives and the gym leader of Fuchsia City, Koga was at the quasi-elite level, with potential to reach full elite status.
But, for Misty's sake, he decided to downplay it. "Let's assume he's at gym-leader level. That's still not something we can handle with just Staryu and Gyarados."
"Even so," Misty replied, her face resolute, "I can't just leave now. I want to at least see how strong this Koga is. That way, I can train and come back stronger to face him properly."
Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'see how strong he is'? If we go in there, we could run straight into him. Do you have a death wish?"
Misty smirked. "We won't stick around for a fight. If we run into him, we'll observe his strength, retreat, and collapse part of the cave to make our escape. These caves should have multiple exits, right?"
Satoshi stared at her blankly for a long moment. "...Did you just suggest a strategy straight out of a plotline?"
"Are you in or not?" Misty pressed.
Satoshi rubbed his temples. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes," Misty replied firmly. "If you think it's too dangerous, I won't force you to come. You can take the Rocket grunts we captured to the police station and leave."
Satoshi glanced at the grunts frozen solid outside the cave, then at Misty's determined expression. His eyes flicked to his mission list, where the words "Incomplete" stared back at him mockingly.
The task itself wasn't the issue—it was the risk of running into Koga. Satoshi had a bright future ahead; dying here would ruin everything.
Just as he opened his mouth to decline, a notification popped up.
"Ding! The difficulty of the task has been detected. The task content is now adjusted!"
"Hidden Task: Misty's Request for Help! The mission content has been modified to: Follow Misty to meet Koga, the third executive of Team Rocket, and then escape with Misty."
"Ding! Since the mission content has been temporarily modified, the mission reward will be doubled upon completion!"
Satoshi froze. He blinked at the new mission details, then cleared his throat. "Misty, do you think I'd abandon a companion in danger? What kind of person do you take me for?"
Misty's eyes widened, and a small smile broke out on her face. "Chenxi... I'm sorry for doubting you. Let's go, then!"
"Ding! Because of your behavior, Misty likes you more. Current favorability: 'Trust'."
Satoshi internally smirked at the notification. One step closer to completing the task and earning Misty's trust.
Still, the real plan was straightforward: go in, confirm Koga's strength, and get out before things got messy. If Misty's plan worked, escaping through another exit by collapsing the cave seemed doable.
With the promise of double rewards, Satoshi felt a renewed sense of determination.
After convincing himself this wasn't just about the rewards (ahem), Satoshi gathered his Pokémon and entered the cave with Misty.
End of the Chapter.