Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 241 Damn it! Both the real and fake Sakaki have shown up!

It has been confirmed that the Red Flame Pine has moved far away.

Daigo breathed a sigh of relief without making it obvious, and raised his hand to rub his cheek muscles, which had become stiff from maintaining a serious expression.

He really didn't expect that he would know the person sent by Team Rainbow Rocket.

Moreover, he is the highest-ranking official of the prestigious "World Environmental Protection Organization" in the Hoenn region, Red Pine!

They had met a few times before due to some social activities and environmental issues within the alliance. Although their relationship was not deep, it was limited to nodding to each other and exchanging a few pleasantries.

However, Steven quite agrees with and admires Red Pine's ideals and dedication to restoring the natural environment and improving Pokémon habitats.

In another world, he actually joins Team Rainbow Rocket, aiding and abetting their evil deeds.

This stark contrast left Daigo with mixed feelings.

Taking this opportunity, Shirashu quietly introduced to Daigo and Giovanni the possible "executives" from other regions who might exist within Team Rainbow Rocket.

It mentions figures such as Gotoku, the leader of Team Aqua, and Gakiz, the leader of Team Plasma.

He hadn't gone into detail before, partly because he believed that those Yu tribesmen might have met with misfortune during their journey.

On the other hand, and more importantly, the people in this world have not committed any crimes so far.

Surveillance and vigilance are necessary, but we must never condemn innocent people in this world based on unfounded reasons such as "you in another world might be a bad person."

After all, not every parallel world has the same life trajectory and development.

"That's roughly the situation."

Bai Zhou's tone was somewhat solemn.

"What's uncertain now is exactly how many officers the Rainbow Rockets have successfully recovered."

If it were just dealing with Rainbow Sakaki, a lone commander, Shiraishu wouldn't be under too much pressure due to his limited direct action capabilities.

However, if Team Rainbow Rocket successfully assembles its diverse and complementary officers, they can conduct multi-pronged operations, simultaneously invading and disrupting multiple regions.

That would be a really tricky situation.

They weren't given much time to wait or discuss.

Crimson Pine returned, bringing several sets of professional mining equipment and some practical exploration tools, which he handed over to Giovanni, as well as Shirafune and Daigo behind him.

Everyone quickly put on their gear.

Chi Yansong personally led the way, guiding them into the mine tunnel that his men had already explored and made some basic construction of.

The interior of the mine tunnels is far more deep and complex than it appears from the outside.

For illumination, a stable flame generator is placed approximately every ten meters.

The dim, flickering firelight barely dispelled the darkness underground, casting swaying shadows on the rough rock walls.

Besides the main road marked as such, there are countless naturally formed, unexplored narrow branch roads on both sides of the mine tunnel.

It stretches into the depths of darkness like a labyrinth.

If someone unfamiliar with the route were to venture in, they could easily become completely lost in this underground network.

Red Flame Pine walked at the front of the group, holding a specially made tablet computer in his hands, the screen displaying complex terrain data and energy readings.

While monitoring the environmental changes, he skillfully guided the group.

After traveling for about half an hour, the road surface, which was originally relatively dry and flat, began to become muddy and damp, and the earthy smell in the air became much stronger.

The mine tunnel gradually narrows, and the rock walls on both sides appear even more primitive and rough.

Most importantly, the artificial lighting facilities came to an abrupt end there.

In the middle of the road ahead, a strange boulder, entirely deep black, completely blocked the way, its edges blending seamlessly with the surrounding rock walls.

"This is it."

Chiyansong stopped, put away her tablet, turned to look at Sakaki, and spoke with a hint of helplessness and the seriousness of reporting work.

"Based on our most precise energy detection, this is the closest we can currently reach to the energy source of the rock slab."

He raised his hand and pointed to the black boulder.

"This thing is a special mineral that was naturally formed due to the long-term radiation of energy from the rock slabs."

"Its texture is extremely hard, far exceeding that of ordinary metals and rocks, and most of our attack methods have little effect on it."

"The progress has therefore completely stalled here."

Sakaki waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to explain any further.

His deep gaze fell on Bai Zhou, he nodded slightly, and gave a concise instruction.

"Let's test it out."

Bai Zhou understood immediately and stepped forward.

"Gengar! Shadow Ball!"

As the command fell, Gengar, which had been lurking in the shadows of the white boat, finally couldn't resist the urge and leaped out with a monstrous laugh.

Its chubby hands quickly clasped together in front of its chest, and a shadow sphere containing rich ghost-type energy rapidly condensed and expanded as it rotated and compressed!

The next moment, the Shadow Ball slammed into the surface of the boulder with a whooshing sound!

However, the anticipated explosion or impact did not occur.

The shadow orb, powerful enough to split rocks and shatter stone, was completely absorbed into the boulder the instant it touched its surface, just like water droplets merging into a sponge!

It vanished so mysteriously without even causing a ripple of energy or a slight vibration!

"Genga?"

Gengar scratched its head, looking at the unharmed boulder with curiosity in its scarlet eyes.

It tilted its head, seemingly considering whether to switch to a physical attack like Shadow Claw and see if that would be more effective.

Bai Zhou expressionlessly pulled the eager little rascal into his arms.

I forcibly pulled it back into my shadow and warned it with my eyes not to be naughty at such a crucial moment.

After dealing with Gengar, Bai Zhou calmly threw out a Poké Ball.

A flash of light, and Kirlia gracefully landed in White Boat's arms.

It raised its head, smiled at its trainer, and waited quietly.

"Kirullian, use your mental powers to carefully examine this boulder blocking our path."

Bai Zhou gave the order in a calm tone.

"Try to sense its thickness, and—whether there are other spaces or special objects behind the boulder."

Kirlian nodded gently, closed her eyes, and clasped her hands together in front of her chest.

The next moment, its orange horn on its head lit up slightly, and when it opened its eyes again, they were covered with a layer of pale pink and beautiful light!

An invisible yet powerful spiritual force spread out from it like ripples on water, and then condensed into a high concentration.

It transformed into an invisible probe and "drilled" straight into the depths of the black boulder ahead!

A moment later, the pink light in Kirlia's eyes faded, and a clear look of fatigue appeared on its little face.

Her body swayed slightly, and she softly fell into Bai Zhou's arms.

I'm sorry, Master.

It conveys a message through telepathy, carrying an apology.

My mental energy couldn't completely penetrate this stone; its internal structure is very peculiar, possessing a strong ability to hinder and absorb superpowers.

"but----

It paused, trying to concentrate.

"I can vaguely sense that there should be a fairly large space behind the stone —"

Moreover, there was something glittering in that space that seemed somewhat familiar to me.

"Thank you for your hard work, you did a great job, get some rest."

A knowing smile flashed across Bai Zhou's eyes. He gently patted Kirlia's head, showering it with praise, before putting it back into its Poké Ball.

The "sparkling thing" that Kirlia described was undoubtedly the rock slab they were looking for!

If it weren't for the fact that Crimson Flame Pine, an "outsider," was nearby, I would have needed to conceal my super-countering power to avoid alerting him.

Shirashu didn't need to cooperate with Sakaki in staging this "performance test, covert reconnaissance" act at all.

He exchanged a knowing glance with Sakaki, then turned to Sakaki and reported respectfully, "Chief, preliminary tests show that this vein has extremely high resistance to, and even absorption of, special energy attacks. As for the specific situation behind it—"

"Because the mineral vein also strongly interferes with mental energy, Kirullian was unable to fully explore it and could not determine its specific depth and internal structure."

Chi Yansong glanced at Bai Zhou with some surprise, then picked up the conversation with an appreciative tone.

"That's right, conventional special attack methods are almost ineffective in breaking through this kind of ore."

"At present, it seems that only pure physical brute force, or some extremely powerful physical attribute moves, can possibly shake it —"

He couldn't help but look at the young deputy brought by the leader with newfound respect.

Quick to react, strong in execution, and good at understanding intentions.

Moreover, the Pokémon under his command are quite powerful, whether it is the elusive Gengar or the Kirlia with its exceptionally strong psychic power.

He's a promising talent!

He even started to consider whether he could ask Boss Sakaki to transfer the kid to his department for some experience after this mission was over.

No wonder Boss Sakaki trusts him so much, even taking him along on such a top-secret mission.

Just as he was lost in thought.

Sizzle————

The tiny encrypted communication headset hanging on Crimson Flame Pine's ear suddenly emitted a very faint electrical static.

Immediately, a calm, deep voice, carrying an unquestionable authority and a hint of dissatisfaction, rang directly in his ears.

"The cleanup operation seems to be progressing too slowly — Crimson Pine."

These words were like a thunderclap, instantly exploding in Chi Yansong's mind!

This caused his mind to go completely blank!

The person who can disregard conventional communication protocols, possess the highest privileges to directly and remotely access his encrypted channel, and speak to him in this tone —

Within the entire massive Team Rainbow Rocket organization, there is only one person!

That's the Rainbow Rocket Team's supreme leader standing right next to him right now—Gakki!

Can----

If Boss Sakaki were standing right next to him right now—

Then whose voice is that coming through his earpiece?!

How can there be two leaders?!

Damn it! Both the real and fake Giovanni are here!

"Hmm? Why aren't you replying?"

The voice in the headset sounded again, tinged with obvious impatience.

Crimson Pine's heart skipped a beat and then began to race wildly!

The intense shock almost made him lose control of his expression!

He forcibly suppressed the turmoil within him and quickly glanced at the "Sakaki" beside him out of the corner of his eye.

o

After confirming that the other person and the other two did not seem to have noticed anything amiss, he barely managed to maintain his composure and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He dared not hesitate for a moment, trying his best to make his voice sound normal as he continued what he hadn't finished saying.

"—This is precisely the main reason why our progress was so slow in the early stages; conventional methods were of little use."

"I don't need your explanations—just give me a solution."

Sakaki interrupted him calmly, walked slowly to the black boulder, and gently stroked its cool, smooth surface.

His gaze followed the translucent stone textures into the depths, eventually disappearing into the endless darkness.

The sound from the headset continued.

"—Something went wrong on your end, didn't it?"

Chi Yansong felt a chill run down his spine, but thanks to his years of experience and strong mental fortitude, he was not disturbed by the voice in his earpiece.

Immediately respond to what Sakaki said.

"Based on our energy detection analysis, the core area surrounding the 'rock slab' is not entirely composed of this special mineral."

"If we can plan the route precisely and bypass these indestructible mineral veins, we can theoretically reach our target location."

He paused, walked to a natural fork in the road next to the black boulder where there was no lighting, and pointed to the bottomless darkness inside, saying, "Provided we don't get lost in this maze-like mine tunnels, I suggest we use the escape rope to set up a safe spatial anchor point here."

"If you encounter a dead end during the exploration, immediately activate the escape rope to return to this point. This will perfectly avoid the risk of getting lost. However, this method requires at least one person to stay here to guard the anchor point and ensure an escape route."

After speaking, Chiyansong stepped aside and waited quietly for Sakaki to make his choice.

"Um----"

Sakaki responded calmly, seemingly lost in thought once again.

After a moment, he made a decision.

"Red Flame Pine, you, and him."

He gestured with his eyes to Daigo, who was standing a little further away and had been playing the role of an ordinary team member, remaining silent throughout.

"You two stay here and ensure the anchorage is safe."

After Daigo walked to stand next to the Crimson Pine as instructed, Giovanni continued to speak.

"I'll go in and investigate myself."

"—As you wish."

Red Flame Pine bowed slightly, offering no objections or seeking an opportunity to accompany him, displaying extreme obedience.

If that voice in the headset hadn't suddenly sounded just now.

He would definitely have expressed his opinion and asked to accompany them, leaving the other two members behind, but now—he had already made his decision.

The man next to me, Giovanni, is very likely an imposter!

Although they didn't know what kind of unbelievable method the other party used to deceive their eyes.

But he was almost certain that this wasn't the real Boss Sakaki!