"It looks like our plans need to change."
"But don't worry, the battles I promised you definitely won't be skipped."
After deleting the message, Gu Yuan began to conceive a detailed plan. The message just now was from Shadow; it was long, but most of it consisted of data. The core of Shadow's message was simple: Gu Yuan was to eliminate certain individuals.
The identity of these people was the most surprising part—they were also members of Team Rocket. Just as there are different voices and factions within the League, even under Giovanni's leadership, Team Rocket inevitably has its own internal cliques or those with ulterior motives.
Take Hawkins, for example. Even thinking back now, Gu Yuan felt there were many suspicious points surrounding his death. Conveniently, Gu Yuan didn't have much Team Rocket blood on his hands yet. Eliminating them would undoubtedly earn him more trust. Although he already enjoyed a high level of trust, one can never have too much of it.
The next morning, Gu Yuan set off for the current location of those Team Rocket members. Passing through the forests marked on the map along the way, he still chose to take action. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to search them one by one this time, so he opted to cut directly through. Any wild Pokémon he encountered could only be considered unlucky.
With Alakazam's Teleport for transportation, Gu Yuan traveled at a decent pace. Three days after receiving the message, he arrived at the Team Rocket members' gathering point: Neon Town.
In the anime, Neon Town is known as the "city that never sleeps," bustling at all hours. Because people get very little sleep, the residents are irritable and short-tempered, keeping Officer Jenny perpetually busy. The town is filled with bright neon lights that shine brilliantly day and night.
To the south of Neon Town lies a desert, and to the north is a forest. Although Shadow hadn't explained in detail why these members needed to be eliminated, he had provided a thorough breakdown of their strength.
There were five people in total. The leader was an Intermediate Executive named Kamiyama, who possessed Leader Rank strength. His ace Pokémon was an Arbok—the standard Pokémon most Team Rocket members receive and train from the start—which was said to be close to Elite Rank in power.
The remaining four were his trusted subordinates, all of whom were at the Ace Rank and considered top-tier within that level. Of course, these descriptions were based on previously recorded information; whether they were hiding their true strength was anyone's guess. Thus, Shadow reminded Gu Yuan to be careful and, if necessary, coordinate with the League. As for how to explain things to the League, that was Gu Yuan's problem to solve.
On the way, Gu Yuan had come up with a rough excuse. He would claim he happened to be resting in Neon Town when he encountered Team Rocket members attempting to cause sabotage. Out of his duty as a League Trainer, he intervened and eventually wiped them out. The specifics would depend on the situation and his ability to improvise. One could say that everything would be true except for his initial motive.
Upon entering Neon Town, Gu Yuan went straight to the hotel where the Team Rocket group was staying. As described in the info, Neon Town was brightly lit day and night, leading to a lack of rest for everyone. When Gu Yuan checked in, even the front desk clerk looked listless. Gu Yuan didn't mind, as long as he secured a room. The next step was to find a reason to strike at Team Rocket as soon as possible.
In truth, Gu Yuan was most curious about what these people had done to make Shadow decide to eliminate them. Of course, it was possible Shadow was removing political rivals, but that seemed unlikely. While Giovanni allowed internal competition, he did not permit subordinates to slaughter each other. At the very least, an executive of Shadow's level wouldn't be allowed to act so blatantly—especially by using Gu Yuan, which was far too obvious.
It was also unlikely they were League moles, unless Shadow was trying to set him up. Despite his doubts, Gu Yuan continued to think of ways to handle them. The best way was undoubtedly to force them to reveal a flaw themselves.
"Sir, we've stayed in Neon Town long enough. It's time to leave."
In a spacious room, Shinya first observed the environment from the window before speaking to Kamiyama. Hearing this, the other three in the room also focused their attention, waiting for Kamiyama to speak.
"We leave tomorrow morning. Go prepare all the supplies in a moment."
"This time, we must find a way to leave the Kanto region."
Opening his eyes, Kamiyama spoke slowly. Even while being hunted by Team Rocket, he showed no signs of anxiety or worry; instead, he seemed full of anticipation.
As evening approached, there was still no sign of nightfall in Neon Town. Walking through the streets, Shinya skillfully replenished their supplies. Knowing the short tempers of the townspeople, he maintained a very polite attitude and finished the task quickly.
Just as Shinya was about to head back, he felt someone was following him. He was very confident in his instincts, yet despite using the counter-reconnaissance techniques he had mastered, he still found nothing. This was the part that shocked him the most.
Not daring to return directly to their lodgings, Shinya first contacted Kamiyama and then began to lead his tail in circles, specifically heading toward crowded areas to prevent the other party from striking directly. Even so, he kept a tight grip on his Poké Balls.
"Shinya might be followed. It's not clear whose people they are yet."
"Stay alert and maintain contact. I'm going to intercept him."
"Yes!"
After a quick distribution of roles, the other three immediately took action, spreading out quickly through Neon Town. Kamiyama moved toward Shinya's position; he valued these trusted subordinates highly. It wasn't just their abilities, but their potential. Unless absolutely necessary, Kamiyama would not easily abandon them.
"Shinya, keep moving. I can't confirm how many are tailing you yet. Be ready to counterattack at any moment."
Over the phone, Kamiyama's voice came through, providing a bit of comfort to the increasingly tense Shinya. Unlike Kamiyama, who never seemed to care about Team Rocket's pursuit, Shinya and the others knew exactly what it felt like to be targeted by such a massive organization.
After circling Neon Town twice, Shinya became anxious again. Even for Team Rocket, after following for this long, they should have made a move by now. Were they really just going to keep following him?
"Watch out! It seems like everyone tailing you has disappeared!"
Suddenly, Kamiyama's voice rang out again, his tone becoming increasingly grim.