"You two, go monitor this boy. If you have the chance, try to find out his true identity..."
"Bang!"
Before he could finish, the office door was pushed open.
"Boss, let me handle this mission."
Sabrina walked in, her face showing an unquestionable expression.
Giovanni raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You're interested in this boy?"
"It's just some personal grudge... I've also rested long enough. Besides, from what I know, this boy has a good relationship with Professor Oak. It won't be easy to either absorb him or get rid of him."
"I see... Then Butch and Cassidy will assist you."
Sabrina frowned, wanting to say something else, but Giovanni raised his hand to stop her. "If there's nothing else, you may leave. Find out his situation as soon as possible. There are other missions to be arranged later."
"Butch and Cassidy, stay. Everyone else can go."
Sabrina frowned but didn't say anything in the end. She could only turn around and leave.
"Boss, what are your orders?" Cassidy smoothed her bright yellow hair, constantly replaying the arrangements in her mind.
"With your mind, you should be able to see something, right?"
Giovanni seemed to be testing her.
"I've heard that Department Head Sabrina has been a recluse ever since the Viridian Forest mission... and we just came back with the news not long ago. The fact that she came in time to take the mission must mean she has a connection to this boy..."
"You arranged for us to assist her because you want me and the fourth kid to monitor her and report back to you privately, right?"
Butch's face turned red... Damn it, my name is Butch! Not the fourth kid, not the third kid, and not even James!
Unfortunately, Giovanni didn't care about the name.
"Hahaha... Such a mind. I was right about you."
"However..." Giovanni's tone shifted, and his eyes glinted. "No matter what, Sabrina is your superior. Questioning a superior's actions is absolutely forbidden in Team Rocket!"
"Your salary will be docked for half a month as a warning. You may go now."
"Yes!"
Giovanni was the only one left in the office, sitting in his boss's chair and stroking Persian. After a long time, he muttered to himself, "Sabrina... I hope you don't disappoint me..."
He then made a phone call. "Go to Mt. Moon and get some fossils."
"Also, Officer Jenny seems to have formed some kind of Dynamic Support Team recently. Although they shouldn't pose a challenge for you, it's better to be careful and avoid conflicts with the League."
"Yes!" A powerful male voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Click!" Giovanni hung up the phone and closed his eyes to rest.
This time, he could have gotten some fossils for his cloning and cell reproduction research, but his plan was ruined. He had no choice but to send a top executive to personally lead the mission.
Outside the door, Butch finally couldn't help but complain, "Can't you just remember my name properly?! My name is Butch!!"
"Also, what the hell?! I didn't say a single word! Why are you docking my salary too???"
Butch's eyes bulged, and he was very angry.
"What do you know! This is the boss hinting at us. Have you ever seen someone who questions their superior only get their salary docked for half a month? Don't they all get fired on the spot!"
"Oh... You're right..." Butch suddenly understood.
Cassidy glared at him, annoyed that he was so clueless. She then walked toward Sabrina's room. She still had to cooperate with this Psychic Queen.
In the afternoon, Ash and the three girls arrived at Mt. Moon Plaza.
Mt. Moon was a continuous mountain range. It would probably take a month to cross it, so a tunnel was dug to facilitate passage.
There was a Pokémon Center at the plaza for mountain climbers to rest. Ash planned to rest here for a short while before crossing the Mt. Moon tunnel.
"After two and a half years, the Ore Mining Competition is officially back! This year's competition will be in a completely open environment. You can get a certain number of points for finding rare ores and fossils. The person with the most points will get a set of top-quality Evolution Stones!"
"Wow!" The crowd burst into an uproar. Many people immediately picked up their pickaxes, their enthusiasm for mining soaring.
"The registration fee is only 10,000! 10,000 for a chance at a fortune! Don't miss out, come and join!"
"Waaah, there's a mining event! Let's go join!" Ayumi had always been interested in this kind of thing. She immediately pulled the three of them to register...
Soon, the four of them entered the Mt. Moon cave. Many contestants were already digging around. Of course, most of them were just dabbling and went home empty-handed.
After all, digging was just a waste of effort if you weren't a professional.
"Even though 40,000 is nothing for Ash, who just won a million, Ayumi, you can't be so extravagant?" Green scolded her sister. After all, in her eyes, Ash still needed money.
"Oh, come on, I've checked. The mining location this time is deep inside the cave! Not to mention we might be able to find Evolution Stones or fossils, we might even run into a rare Clefairy!"
Ayumi said, pointing her index fingers together on her chest and looking down to act cute. "I've been wanting a Clefairy for a long time... If Ash is short on money, then... then I'll pay him back with my body!"
"Pfft..." Misty couldn't help but burst out laughing.
She knew the little girl had been coveting Ash's body for a long time...
But as a senior who got there first, she couldn't help but laugh at her trying to take advantage of him like this.
Ash was also amused by the little girl and stepped in to mediate. "Alright, it's not a lot of money anyway. Let's just try to dig up a few more stones~"
"Yay! Ash is the best~" Ayumi immediately clung to him, shaking his arm. Her two little rabbits rubbed against him in a way that was both subtle and not.
Green shook her head with a helpless smile. This sister was truly a little imp. The problem was that everyone spoiled her.
Whatever, let her be.
On the other side, the team of two people and one cat had quietly snuck into the cave. It was the original Team Rocket trio.
"Lady Sabrina just called and said that a new elite member is coming to investigate the kid's background!"
"She said we have to find a way to stop him without being noticed..." Jessie frowned and scratched her head. "It feels so hard!"
"I don't think it's that hard at all, meow~ It might be difficult for us to succeed at something, but when it comes to causing trouble..."
"It's definitely no problem!" James added.
Suddenly, the trio's eyes lit up, as if they had found a new direction in life...
Soon, Ash and the three girls arrived at the mining site.
"Whoa! A Stardust!"
A digger nearby let out a gasp. The red, star-shaped gem in his hand glowed.
This was a gem with great collectible value and a type of rare ore. It was often used for carving and decoration. In this event, it was worth 100 points.
"That's pretty good. Just two more, and I'll have made my money back..."
The people around them looked on with envy. Most of them didn't plan to compete for the championship. They just hoped to spend 10,000 to dig up some valuables to sell.
"Let's go too! I have a feeling we're going to have a big harvest today!"
Ayumi held her pickaxe and took the lead.
The four of them found a corner with no one around and started digging. Soon, Misty had a find.
It was a blue crystal fragment.
Water Stone Shard: A stone containing a small amount of Water-type elements. It can increase a Pokémon's growth rate.
"I got something too~" Green pried a large golden bead out of a rock crack. It was a Nugget, which had the same value as a Stardust. It was also a type of decoration and collectible.
She was quite fond of collecting shiny accessories and looked very happy.
"Mmm... What's wrong? Why can't I find anything?"
Ayumi threw her pickaxe aside and plopped down on a rock, giving up.