Read ahead on my P@treon...
p@treon.com/MayaMatengele01
....
"Name?"
"Caleb Chase."
"Age?"
"20."
"Occupation?"
"League Investigator."
Officer Jenny raised an eyebrow with an amused smirk, "A League Investigator digging up graves?"
Caleb: "..."
Jenny set down her pen and straightened the interrogation record, "What exactly did you find?"
Caleb smoothly fabricated an excuse, "Sorry, that's classified. Higher-ups have forbidden disclosure to outsiders."
"Fine." Jenny didn't press further. She stood up and nodded, "In that case, I'll have an insider from the League come talk to you."
Hearing this, Caleb's internal alarms blared.
Before he could respond, Jenny turned and walked out of the interrogation room...
The sound of a door opening echoed from outside, followed by a young man's voice greeting Jenny through the wall.
Moments later, the door swung open again.
Caleb looked up to see a red-haired young man draped in a sleek black cape stride confidently into the room and take the seat Jenny had just vacated.
Red hair. Cape. An aura of righteousness. Caleb knew exactly who this was...
Lance, the Dragon-type Elite Four member of the Kanto region...
Lance studied Caleb with an amused expression, "How's the undercover mission going? Found any evidence yet?"
Caleb blinked, "You know me?"
Lance nodded, "I met all of you investigators before you infiltrated Team Rocket's training base."
Caleb's mind raced... Then easily reached a conclusion... Lance didn't actually know 'him', but rather the identity the system had generated for this world.
Lance leaned back and silently awaited Caleb's report. However, seeing him stay silent for some time, Lance raised an eyebrow and spoke, "You haven't answered my question."
Caleb pressed his lips together. If his main mission had not changed, he could've handed over all the intel he had gathered in Team Rocket to Lance right now, completed the mission, and left this world.
But his allegiance had shifted. He wasn't with the League anymore... he was with Team Rocket.
The problem? Lance didn't know that yet.
Seizing the opportunity, Caleb spun another lie, "No progress. Team Rocket is on high alert. They blindfold us whenever we enter or leave the base so we can't memorize the location."
Lance frowned, and fell deep in thought, "So the infiltration plan might already be compromised..."
Lance was the epitome of justice, the kind of hero who despised organizations like Team Rocket. But he wasn't the type to sacrifice his subordinates for the greater good...
"Your mission ends here," he declared, "From today onward, you're not returning to Team Rocket."
Caleb: "...."
Leaving Team Rocket now wasn't an option.
Summoning his most righteous tone, Caleb channeled the spirit of a martyr, "No! How can I prioritize my own safety over my fellow undercover agents still trapped in Team Rocket?! If I leave now, the others under surveillance will be exposed immediately! I refuse to stand by while they suffer at Team Rocket's hands!"
Lance was visibly moved. He clapped Caleb's shoulder, his eyes shining with admiration, then said, "You're a true comrade! With investigators like you, the League's future is bright!"
Caleb: "...."
'Alright, enough. We're laying it on a bit thick here...'
If anything, Lance was hamming it up more than he was.
"Anyway, can I have my Pokémon back now?" Caleb asked.
"Of course!" Lance nodded, then he opened the door and called officer Jenny back in.
She unlocked Caleb's handcuffs first, then retrieved Mimikyu's Poké Ball from a drawer.
A flash of light, and Mimikyu lunged straight into Caleb's arms, shielding him while glaring daggers at Lance and Jenny.
Lance raised his hands innocently, "Easy there, little one. I didn't lay a finger on your trainer."
Jenny observed Caleb, "You seem to have a good relationship with your Pokémon..."
Caleb rubbed his nose and pulled Mimikyu into a hug, "It's okay. They're not bad people."
Officer Jenny raised an eyebrow, then she crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, "So, care to explain why you were grave-robbing, Tomb Raider?"
'Tomb Raider?!'
Caleb's face twisted into the perfect picture of 'Are you serious right now?'
Jenny burst out laughing, "Relax, I'm just messing with you. You don't have to explain if you don't want to. I'm sure you had your reasons." She sobered, "What's your next move? Returning to Team Rocket's base?"
Lance watched him, waiting for an answer.
Caleb shook his head, "Team Rocket already knows I was arrested."
Their spies had eyes on him 24/7. Ariana had probably been notified the second he was hauled into the squad car.
He met Lance's gaze, "Your whereabouts today... they weren't leaked, were they?"
Lance shook his head, "Of course not. When I don't want to be found, no one can find me."
"Good. Then I'll stay put. Team Rocket will send someone to retrieve me," Caleb said.
Jenny and Lance exchanged a glance. Lance nodded, then left without another word.
Caleb spent the rest of the evening in the police station's interrogation room, and enjoyed surprisingly decent food, until 10 PM, when his extraction finally arrived.
Or rather, his jailbreak...
When Ariana descended from the sky, Caleb thought he was dreaming.
'What the... Since when was Team Rocket this bold?!'
Ariana didn't waste time. A rope shot down from the helicopter above through a hole that was blown out in the roof, lassoing Caleb's waist and yanking him upward with enough force to make his ribs scream.
Officer Jenny's composed orders faded into the distance as the helicopter soared higher...
...
Ariana hauled Caleb inside, and the aircraft vanished into the night sky.
Once the chaos settled, Caleb clutched his aching sides and shot Ariana a dry look, "I thought you were gonna toss me out midair to tie up loose ends."
Ariana: "...."
She never imagined her offhand remark would come back to haunt her like this.
Caleb exhaled, and said, "Go ahead. Ask away. I'll tell you everything I know."
'Yeah, right.' he scoffed inwardly.
Ariana's eye twitched. Suppressing the urge to strangle him, she asked through gritted teeth, "Why did you dig up Amber's grave?"
Caleb met her gaze evenly, then he firmly replied, "You saw it too, didn't you? The coffin was empty..."
...
Officer Jenny & Lance (With Dragonite)...