Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 240 This organization... is it really not some kind of cult?

Sakaki subtly shifted his body slightly, using an extremely subtle yet perfectly timed angle to dodge Shirashu's "ambush."

He didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, completely ignoring the squad leader who was still kneeling on the ground, trembling.

He simply swept his cold gaze over the Rainbow Rocket members who were panicking, dropping their weapons, and looking completely lost at the cave entrance.

Then he started walking, leading the "receiving team" members behind him who were struggling to suppress their laughter, straight into the cave.

It exudes sophistication and class.

As the "deputy," Bai Zhou immediately understood and stepped forward.

He addressed the squad leader, who was still kneeling on the ground, too afraid to get up, in a businesslike tone tinged with impatience: "What are you all standing there for? Get your men moving!"

"Our boss personally brought us, the brothers from the receiving team, here to transfer the Pokémon captured inside back to headquarters as soon as possible!"

"Hurry up! Can you afford to take the blame if we waste time?"

The squad leader, as if receiving a pardon, scrambled to his feet, not even bothering to brush the dirt off his knees, and bowed and scraped in agreement.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Understood! Arrange it immediately! Arrange it right away!"

After saying that, he turned around and ran into the cave, wishing he could immediately transform into an octopus and arrange everything perfectly.

Although he was the nominal supreme commander of this outpost, he was nothing but a fart in front of Boss Sakaki's "confidants"!

Crisis is an opportunity!

If I perform well and handle things efficiently, leaving a deep impression on the important figures from headquarters—

What if—what if—the rarely seen boss Sakaki takes a liking to him? That would be a meteoric rise to the top, with limitless potential!

Opportunities are fleeting; we must seize them with all our might!

He immediately became extremely alert and began to shout orders to his still bewildered subordinates.

"Are you all deaf?! Didn't you hear the adults' orders?!"

"Quickly! Cooperate with the receiving team and carefully move all those goods out of there! And be quick about it!"

"If anyone makes a mistake, I'll skin him alive!"

To make himself stand out and appear more capable, he even personally led a few trusted confidants to a relatively dry and flat spot inside the cave.

Using the boxes and canvas they found, they temporarily set up a "command post" that looked fairly comfortable, and invited Sakaki inside to rest.

Sakaki looked at this obsequious fellow and the simple yet "thoughtful" command post, and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

He hasn't uttered a single word since he appeared at the cave entrance.

These junior members of Team Rainbow Rocket have already relied on their amazing "comprehension ability" and "imagination talent".

They treated him like an emperor on a secret incognito visit, treating him with the same reverence they would show him.

This excessive flattery is so overt, it's as if they want to elevate him to the highest level.

He even began to seriously suspect that the Rainbow Rockets' recruitment criteria prioritized the ability to "flatter" and "self-management."

They placed strength and intelligence in a secondary position.

Is this organization really not some kind of cult?

Inside the newly erected makeshift command post.

Sakaki leaned back wearily in the fairly sturdy chair.

He glanced helplessly at Shirafune, who had finally lost his composure and whose shoulders were trembling slightly, and Daigo, who also had a smile on his face.

"I'm saying—you two have laughed enough, haven't you—"

His voice carried a hint of weariness and speechlessness.

"Ahem—this isn't meant to be mocking, Boss Sakaki, it's the highest compliment to your personal charm!"

Bai Zhou quickly suppressed his smile, trying his best to put on a serious expression, and even gave Sakaki a thumbs up.

His words actually carried a hint of sincerity.

"To be honest, it's you."

"Looking at the whole world, when it comes to the art of playing a villainous boss, in terms of temperament, aura, and that innate boss-like presence, no one is more charismatic or more professional than you."

He meticulously listed the leaders of the regional villainous organizations he remembered: Team Magma, Team Ocean, Team Galaxy, Team Plasma—

Compared to the person in front of them, they really do seem like children playing house.

They either lack the ability, have a narrow vision, or their ideals are too naive and laughable.

"Ahem—back to the topic, back to the topic."

Seeing that Sakaki's eyes were dangerous and he was about to "break down" and pull out his Master Ball for a big fight, Shirashu quickly changed the subject.

He lowered his voice and explained the next course of action.

"Then you stay here and keep things stable for now. Daigo and I will go down into the mine to check the situation and look for an opportunity—"

Before he could finish speaking, a series of slightly hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the canvas curtain of the command post, followed by a fairly calm male voice.

"Report! Lord Crimson Flame Pine has returned to the base! Requesting an update on the underground mine."

The three people in the command post exchanged a glance.

Sakaki glanced at Shiraishu subconsciously, not knowing who this "Crimson Flame Pine" was.

However, based solely on the tone and content of this report, he could tell that the person who came was at least a cadre-level member of Team Rainbow Rocket.

Bai Zhou frowned slightly, clearly not expecting this guy to appear here.

He remembered very clearly that when dealing with Team Rainbow Rocket's invasion in the previous world, he had eliminated all but one of them, Giovanni, who had escaped using special means.

All the known core members of Team Rainbow Rocket, along with their main Pokémon, were blasted into the spacetime turbulence!

Let's not even talk about whether they can reposition themselves and return to the Rainbow Rockets.

The probability of surviving a spacetime storm of that magnitude unscathed is extremely low, almost impossible.

But now————

This Crimson Pine actually survived? And it even rejoined Team Rainbow Rocket?

Tsk—why are these guys so hard to kill?!

Bai Zhou was still suffering from the disadvantage of information asymmetry.

He couldn't immediately synchronize detailed information with Sakaki, since Crimson Pine was standing outside the command post and could come in at any moment.

He could only shake his head slightly at Sakaki, indicating that he didn't know the specifics either.

Then he quickly stood back beside Sakaki, adopting a respectful "second-in-command" posture, and gestured to Sakaki with his eyes.

It's up to you to be adaptable.

At this point, we can only rely on Giovanni's improvisation and his "villainous nature."

If all else fails, just confront them directly. Taking them down by force will only take more time and cause a bigger commotion.

When Daigo heard the name "Crimson Pine," it sounded somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it in some places in the Hoenn region.

However, it was not possible to match the names with the specific faces immediately.

He simply stopped thinking about it and, like Bai Zhou, stood discreetly a little behind, pretending to be a silent follower.

Come in—

Sakaki adjusted his posture to project a more imposing presence, and spoke calmly to the outside.

He wanted to see just what kind of talent this other subordinate he had recruited was.

The canvas curtain was lifted by a hand with distinct knuckles.

A stern-looking man with keystone-encrusted glasses and a specially made dark red uniform walked in, bending down.

After entering the command post, Chi Yansong's gaze immediately and precisely landed on Sakaki, who was sitting in the center.

He quickly and carefully examined it, seemingly confirming some details.

A moment later, he quietly loosened his grip on the Poké Ball behind his back, and then bowed slightly towards Giovanni, a small but respectful gesture.

"I'm sorry, Chief."

His voice, like his personality, carries a sense of calm and detachment.

"I just heard from my subordinates that you have come in person, which is not in line with our original plan. For security reasons, we have to remain vigilant. Please forgive us."

These words were spoken with neither arrogance nor servility, expressing both the necessary vigilance and sense of duty, while also showing sufficient respect to those in higher positions.

Sakaki waved his hand dismissively, as if it were just a trivial matter.

He cut straight to the point, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"The plans have changed; progress here is too slow."

Sakaki deliberately emphasized the words "too slow," clearly expressing his dissatisfaction.

"I decided to come over myself to supervise the progress."

Without giving him time to react, he looked sharply at Crimson Pine and posed a crucial probing question.

"What about the rock slabs? Has there been any substantial progress?"

Upon hearing the words "rock slabs," Chi Yansong's eyes flickered slightly, and the last remaining doubt in his heart instantly vanished.

This plan regarding the "Slate" is a top-secret, top-level secret of Team Rainbow Rocket!

Within the entire organization, apart from the supreme leader Sakaki and himself, only that reckless Gotoku knew the truth.

The fact that he could say this with such certainty and directly inquire about the progress meant that there was absolutely no doubt about the identity of this Lord Sakaki!

Although from the moment he entered, based on that unique, seemingly innate aura of dominance, he was already 99% certain—

After all, that kind of temperament is too unique; others simply cannot imitate it.

He was about to speak when his peripheral vision caught sight of Shirafune and Daigo standing quietly beside Sakaki, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

There was no information about these two unfamiliar faces in his memory or intelligence network.

Are they Lord Sakaki's newly promoted confidants?

"It's alright, go ahead and speak."

Sakaki noticed his slight hesitation and interrupted his thoughts directly, his tone conveying an absolute trust that said, "My people need not be questioned."

"----yes."

Without further hesitation, Chi Yansong reported in a deep voice.

"After several days of exploration, we have basically determined the approximate range of the energy reaction in the stone slab."

"However—the problem is that the surrounding rock layers, which have been permeated by the power of the stone slab for a long time, have been transformed into a very special new type of composite mineral vein."

His tone carried a hint of solemnity and helplessness.

"This mineral has very peculiar physical properties; it is incredibly hard and also highly resistant to conventional energy attacks."

"The engineering equipment and Pokémon moves we currently carry are not very effective at breaking and mining."

"Currently, we can only rely on manpower, in conjunction with Pokémon of specific types, to conduct small-scale, extremely inefficient exploratory excavations —"

Chi Yansong hesitated slightly at this point.

In the end, he still did not reveal his plan to plant high-energy explosives in key rock strata in preparation for a violent blasting operation if absolutely necessary.

Firstly, Sakaki already knew about the bombing and had entrusted the entire task to him, so he wouldn't be upset that Sakaki didn't proactively report on the progress.

Secondly, it's also out of habit to always keep something in reserve.

Even if we take a step back and assume (though he thinks it's impossible) that the person in front of him is indeed an extremely skilled imposter, he can still retain some key information and the initiative in his own hands.

"This also directly led to the unusually slow progress of the overall exploration."

"I am sorry," Chi Yansong concluded, his tone carrying a hint of apology.

"To pinpoint the exact location where the stone slab is buried, it will likely take a considerable amount of time."

Sakaki let out a low hum from his nose at just the right moment, his brows furrowed slightly, and a clear hint of displeasure was visible on his face.

The intense sense of oppression made the air inside the command post seem to freeze.

"We don't have that much time to waste waiting here."

His voice turned colder.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have come in person beforehand."

This move of "turning the tables" and "applying pressure" was executed with such skill that Bai Zhou, who was disguised next to him, almost applauded.

Giovanni actually had no idea about the Rainbow Rocket Team's specific plans regarding the "Rock Slab".

All he knew was that Team Rainbow Rocket's objectives conflicted with their search for and protection of the Slate.

So he decided to take a gamble and directly threw out the "rock slab" as the core hook.

The results were surprisingly good!

In an instant, it attracted and dominated all of Crimson Flame Pine's attention, and successfully made the other party follow the rhythm it set!

"this----"

A genuine look of difficulty appeared on Chi Yansong's face.

That's the current mining speed; he really can't speed it up any further.

That damn new mineral vein was incredibly hard!

Even if all the team members were to gather together and command their respective Pokémon to bombard the mine walls, they wouldn't be able to advance much distance in an hour.

Instead, by avoiding the hardest veins and digging from the relatively softer side, the speed can be faster.

But doing so would make it difficult to accurately locate the rock slabs hidden in some unknown corner of the mineral layer.

Then it really depends entirely on luck, which is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Moreover, the narrow and complex terrain of the underground mines also prevents large-scale personnel collaboration.

A group of four or five people is the limit; they don't have that much time and resources to create an extra wide work area.

Red Flame Pine had no choice but to report all these objective difficulties and bottlenecks in detail, leaving the decision to Sakaki.

Sakaki remained silent for a moment, as if weighing the pros and cons.

Ultimately, he made a decision.

"Forget it, it's not a solution to keep dragging this out."

"Get ready, take me down into the mine myself, I want to see the situation for myself."

He stood up, his gaze sharp.

"This matter cannot be delayed any longer."

"What? You want to go down into the mine yourself?"

Chi Yansong wondered if he had misheard, a look of disbelief and astonishment flashing across his face.

But seeing Sakaki's serious expression, which showed no sign of joking, he swallowed back the doubt that was on the tip of his tongue.

He immediately changed his tune and resumed the proper demeanor of a subordinate.

"Yes! I understand! I'll go and prepare the protective gear and lighting tools you'll need for going down the mine right away!"

After saying that, he bowed to Sakaki again.

He then quickly left the command post and swiftly went to arrange the relevant matters.

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