"W-What kind of Pokémon is that?"
Bailey had never seen a Corviknight before. He did not watch the news much, nor did he visit official regional sites to watch championship battles.
But from years of experience, he could tell one thing clearly. This bird Pokémon was not something to mess with… it looked even stronger than the Pokémon used by the executives.
Could it be a Champion's Pokémon?
"Y-You… who are you people?" Bailey's voice dropped as he spoke, trembling slightly. He unconsciously took a step back.
Blue let out a cold snort. After scanning the surroundings, he shouted, "You actually dared to come all the way to Oak Research Institute… stop wasting time and call your executive out!"
"E-Executive?" The Team Rocket members froze.
Where were they supposed to get an executive from?
"Heh, without an executive, how would you dare try to capture Mew?" Blue sounded dismissive. With Shiro behind him, he felt no fear at all.
He firmly believed that even the executives of Team Rocket could not defeat a regional Champion.
Otherwise, the Pokémon League might as well rename itself the Team Rocket branch.
"W-We…" Bailey stammered, not knowing what to say. Fear filled his heart, yet he also felt a sense of frustration.
Why was this kid acting so confident?
As if that giant black bird behind him belonged to him!
"Take your time. No need to rush." Shiro finally spoke.
He patted Corviknight's neck. The massive bird slowly stepped forward, passing Blue and stopping about three meters in front of Magmar.
At the same time, both Magmar and the Team Rocket members instinctively stepped back.
Putting everything else aside, Corviknight's crimson eyes alone made it look like a bloodthirsty beast. Its cold and ruthless aura only made things worse.
Even Bailey, who believed he had seen his fair share of big situations, felt his legs weaken. He feared that the creature might suddenly rush forward and swallow someone whole.
Seeing how terrified these Team Rocket members were, Shiro frowned slightly.
Their quality was really lacking…
After hearing from Blue that Team Rocket was chasing Mew and that an executive might be present, Shiro had been cautious. He had released Corviknight in advance and come here, expecting a fierce battle.
And this was it?
After a brief moment of thought, he decided to try out his psychic ability.
It was a good chance to test mind reading.
A faint blue glow appeared in his eyes. Bailey's heart tightened to the extreme.
As someone who believed he had seen "important figures," Bailey recognized this as the sign of some special ability being activated. After all, when Executive Sabrina turned people into dolls, she looked just like this.
'Is he going to turn me into a doll?' Bailey could not help but think.
'So scary… so scary…' one grunt muttered in his mind, head lowered.
'I haven't even become a Gym-level trainer yet. I don't want to die!' another prayed through gritted teeth.
Shiro clearly heard every thought. A slight smile formed on his lips.
After a short pause, he asked in a deep voice, "What is your purpose here?"
Bailey looked flustered. 'Purpose? We're just doing a mission. What else could it be?'
'We originally took a job to deliver something for the boss. Who knew we'd run into Mew halfway…'
'It's all the captain's fault. If he hadn't chased Mew, none of this would've happened!'
'He didn't even have the proper equipment and acted without reporting to the executives. What an idiot!'
'I wonder if that professor named Shiro will get angry if he doesn't receive the boss's item…'
"???"
Shiro was stunned when he suddenly heard his own name.
These people were sent by Giovanni to deliver something to him?
And they came straight here in Team Rocket uniforms without even recognizing his face!
Their standards were really terrible.
Almost on the same level as that trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth…
Shiro could not help but complain inwardly.
At that moment, Blue stepped forward and shouted coldly, "Speak now! Or do you want to be controlled directly by a Psychic Pokémon?"
Hearing that, the Team Rocket members instantly felt their hair stand on end. They shook their heads frantically.
Bailey, at the front, turned pale with fear and hurriedly said, "We came to Oak Research Institute to—"
"To capture Mew, right?" Shiro cut him off in time.
If they accidentally exposed him, he would have to come up with an explanation for Blue…
Shiro cleared his throat and said seriously to the boy beside him, "Blue, weren't you going to capture Mew? Hurry up and go. I'll handle these Team Rocket members. Otherwise, Mew might run away."
As he spoke, he pointed behind them, where Mew was hovering in midair, watching them with wide, curious eyes.
Blue snapped back to his senses. He quickly called for Pidgeot to turn around. "Professor Corviknight, thanks! I'm going ahead!"
Watching the boy leave with Pidgeot and start chasing Mew again, Shiro finally let out a breath.
Then he turned his gaze toward the Team Rocket group and examined them carefully.
The members felt a chill run down their spines.
The person standing before them was clearly the trainer of that terrifying black bird… did this mean they were about to be buried in this forest today?
One coward immediately begged for mercy. "Sir, I'm a good citizen! I've never done anything bad!"
But what Shiro heard was:
'Aside from stealing Pokémon, I really haven't done anything bad. Taking Pokémon is what Team Rocket does. Does that even count as bad?'
"..."
Although Team Rocket had expanded rapidly and held great power, their internal quality was clearly uneven.
The group in front of him, aside from anything else, lacked ability. Just delivering something had turned into such a mess.
Bailey quickly followed up, shouting, "Spare us, sir! Even though our clothes look like Team Rocket uniforms… but…"
"But what?" Shiro asked.
Bailey forced an awkward smile. "But we're really just a low-level squad. Some of us just joined, complete newcomers… we haven't done anything bad."
'Actually, we're all directly under Lady Sabrina. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten a mission directly from the boss… it's just that she never manages us…'
Shiro listened to his thoughts, then waved his hand. "Forget it. Just be honest. Take out the item. I'm the person you're looking for."
"Ah?" Bailey's mouth fell open. "Y-You're that Professor Shiro?"
"That's right." Shiro nodded. "The item. Fast."
"Then… will you let us go?" Bailey asked again.
Shiro held out his hand. "Stop talking and give it to me first."
"Y-Yes, yes…" The Team Rocket members fumbled in a panic.
In the end, they took out a black, ancient-looking box about half a meter long.
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