Ryuuske sat atop Draganoir, propping his chin on one hand as he asked his question.
Sabrina stood before him, wearing a long coat—likely to conceal her Team Rocket uniform underneath. But as Ryuuske recalled her snow-white, jade-like skin and near-perfect feminine figure from their time in the psychic realm, an inexplicable heat surged through him. Even in this eerie environment, he felt the urge to pin her down.
Ah, the stirrings of youth... Especially for a man who had already tasted a woman's charms—self-restraint was becoming harder.
Still, Ryuuske knew that if Sabrina caught even a hint of his thoughts, she wouldn't indulge him in some graveyard tryst. More likely, she'd kill him on the spot and bury him right here, no tombstone included.
After asking his question, he hadn't expected Sabrina to answer. He assumed she'd keep her purpose secret—but instead, she countered with a question of her own:
"...Why did you come to Lavender Town?"
"Of course, it was to see you, Miss Sabrina."
The moment the words left his mouth, Sabrina glared at him furiously. Ryuuske quickly backtracked, pausing before answering more seriously:
"...Well, I might as well tell you. A friend of mine, Gary, went missing in Lavender Town. I'm here to investigate."
"Gary? Professor Oak's grandson, right?"
Clearly, Team Rocket had extensive intel. Just a name was enough for Sabrina to place him.
"Yeah, that's him. Regardless, he's a friend. Since he's missing and I was nearby, I figured I'd check it out."
Ryuuske smiled, though inwardly, he hoped Sabrina might have some leads. Team Rocket's influence in Kanto and Johto was vast—sometimes even more effective than the Pokémon League. They operated in both legal and illegal spheres, driven by straightforward goals: money, power, and technology.
Sabrina hesitated. Her identity was already exposed, as was Lt Surge's. At this point, there wasn't much left to hide from Ryuuske.
Speaking of Surge, the man had had it rough—nearly lost his life and was still recovering in a Team Rocket safehouse. If he hadn't already completed Boss Giovanni's mission, his injuries might've derailed Team Rocket's plans entirely.
"...I'm also here to find someone."
After a moment's thought, Sabrina decided to be honest. Her reasoning mirrored Ryuuske's—maybe he had information she needed. If Ryuuske saw Team Rocket as resourceful, Sabrina viewed Professor Ōkido, tied to this incident, as equally formidable.
Honestly, even Team Rocket had been baffled by how easily they'd kidnapped the professor that one time.
"Oh? Who's missing from Team Rocket? Important enough for you to come personally?"
Ryuuske's interest was piqued. While Sakaki was the boss, in terms of strength, Sabrina was undoubtedly second-in-command—even if she didn't seem keen on managing affairs.
"One of Team Rocket's three executives—Koga!"
Sabrina answered without much thought.
"Koga? The Fuchsia City Gym Leader, Koga?"
Ryuuske narrowed his eyes. Many people shared that name, but the one Sabrina would mention had to be the ninja-themed Gym Leader. "...Team Rocket's three executives—you, Surge, who I've already met, and this Koga. Not counting Giovanni, I guess that's the core of Team Rocket's leadership, huh?"
Sabrina shot him a sharp glare, annoyed that her casual mention of "three executives" had revealed so much.
"Don't look at me like that—you're the one who said it."
Ryuuske shrugged.
Taking a deep breath, Sabrina let it go. Team Rocket was about to step out of the shadows anyway—some leaks didn't matter now.
"The famous Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town was supposed to be one of Team Rocket's secret bases. The place is teeming with Ghost-type Pokémon, making them a natural defense. But our scouts sent to survey the tower went missing shortly after arriving. Before disappearing, their last report mentioned that all the Ghost-types inside had vanished."
"...After hearing this, Koga, as one of the executives, went to investigate personally. But even he ended up missing."
Sabrina's expression turned grave, and Ryuuske dropped his casual demeanor, matching her seriousness.
As a veteran Gym Leader, Koga's strength might not rival Giovanni or Sabrina's, but he far surpassed newer Gym Leaders like Brock or Misty. Surge had already proven just how powerful Gym Leaders could be—yet even someone like Koga had vanished without a trace. Lavender Town was more complicated than it seemed.
What Ryuuske had initially treated as a simple investigation now demanded full attention. Without caution, even he could get dragged into something dangerous. Running into Sabrina and getting this intel was a stroke of luck.
"This is... I thought Gary just ran into some minor trouble, but it looks like it's way bigger than that."
Ryuuske muttered to himself. Recalling Professor Oak's expression when mentioning Gary's disappearance, the old man must've known more—yet he'd said nothing!
He glanced up at Sabrina, just as she looked back at him. Their eyes met—and the teasing glint in Ryuuske's gaze made Sabrina flinch away, her cheeks inexplicably flushing.
Annoyed at herself, Sabrina clenched her fists. Since when did I become someone who can't even hold eye contact? Back then, she was the one who made others lower their heads in silence!
"Miss Sabrina, Lavender Town is more complicated than we thought. A Gym Leader disappearing without a trace isn't a small matter. How about we check it out together?"
Ryuuske's eyes gleamed as he looked at her. This was a golden opportunity—she'd be an incredibly powerful ally.
Sabrina felt a flicker of relief at his suggestion. Truthfully, she'd had the same idea upon seeing him. No matter how she felt about him personally, she couldn't deny his strength. She just hadn't wanted to be the one to propose it.
"...Fine. I'll reluctantly accompany you for now. But keep your distance—I might not be able to stop myself from attacking you first."
After a dignified pause, Sabrina replied with tsundere pride.
Ryuuske shrugged. Either way, traveling with a beauty like her was always a pleasure.
To be continued…
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