For an ordinary person like Dale, Shiro's current psychic ability could easily sense their emotions. From that, he could judge whether their words were truthful and whether their displayed personality was genuine.
After giving the S.S. Anne a brief glance, he had Mesprit lift him into the air.
When he passed the rocky area where Team Rocket was stationed earlier, the injured and unconscious Koga was already gone. He was likely rescued by the Team Rocket grunts who arrived later.
Through the connection between the Sea Shard Rock, which was a fragment of Kyogre's body, and Team Rocket, Shiro could roughly guess why they were transporting Kyogre's body fragments here.
The Mewtwo Project.
Team Rocket was searching across the world for the genes of various Pokémon. Using Mew's genes as a template, they created the ultimate weapon.
It was an artificial Pokémon created by Giovanni to fulfill his ambitions. It was born purely for battle, with strength comparable to top-tier legendary Pokémon.
However...
With just this information, Shiro could not completely confirm that it was the Mewtwo Project. He needed to find Koga and verify it with Team Rocket.
If it truly was the Mewtwo Project, he could roughly determine the timeline.
Right now, it was either shortly after Red from the Special manga started his journey, or during Ash's movie timeline.
Based on the current state of the Pokémon world, it was unlikely to be Ash. There was a very high chance that Red had just begun traveling.
As Shiro's body rose higher and higher, he withdrew his thoughts.
The area near Octillery Island became clearer. Only the S.S. Anne and an Octillery-themed pirate ship not far away were visible. Team Rocket likely remained on the island and had not left yet.
As he continued ascending, Octillery Island below grew smaller. The central mountain, shaped like an Octillery head, was covered in lush greenery. To the north was a very obvious gray rocky zone.
On the northwest beach of Octillery Island, Team Rocket members gathered like black ants. They seemed to be waiting for ships to rescue them.
Shiro looked around again and soon discovered three different ships approaching Octillery Island from three directions.
The ship from the northwest carried a large "R." It was clearly Team Rocket's.
He could not identify the other two and did not care much. He simply had Mesprit teleport him to the edge of Team Rocket's main group.
* * *
Northwest beach of Octillery Island.
Team Rocket members were spread out in an orderly manner along the southern edge of the beach, where the forest met the shrubs. Their Pokémon stayed beside them as they cautiously scanned the surroundings.
At a glance, their discipline resembled soldiers in an army.
On the northern side of the beach, two Team Rocket members supported Koga while feeding him a nutrient solution.
"Executive, Executive?" one of them called anxiously.
They had not run far earlier. When they returned to the base, Koga was lying on shattered rocks.
One of his arms was bent and broken. He looked almost dead, which terrified the Team Rocket grunts.
Fortunately, he only looked dead. He was still alive.
They carried him over and sent out messages, urging the Team Rocket warship wandering nearby to hurry over for rescue.
"Executive, Executive!" The grunt shook Koga forcefully again.
Koga had just regained a bit of consciousness. His eyes were open, but his mind was still dizzy. He did not respond to his subordinates for the moment.
This made the grunt panic. Thinking that his brain might be damaged, the grunt stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to slap him awake from both sides.
Smack!
Koga instinctively blocked one slap with his remaining arm, but the other still landed on his face.
"Executive!"
The grunt who slapped him immediately dropped to the ground, crying loudly.
"That black-cloaked hunter beat you half to death. I had no choice but to do this. Please don't…"
"I'm fine."
Koga touched the side of his face that had been slapped. It felt hot, but he did not care about his subordinate's actions.
He looked around and recognized that this was the northwest beach of Octillery Island.
He was still confused.
'Hunter A did not kill me? I actually survived?'
It was said that Hunter A moved mysteriously and was extremely bloodthirsty. He always killed people and dismembered Pokémon. Yet this time, he walked away unharmed.
Koga supported himself and sat upright. He expressed gratitude to the two subordinates beside him.
"Thanks to you two."
The two squad captains immediately responded, "Executive, rest assured. Our loyalty is unquestionable. We would die without hesitation."
'Never thought I survived because of these useless underlings…'
Koga nodded at them, feeling relieved, when suddenly a Team Rocket grunt standing guard nearby turned and shouted urgently, "The black-cloaked hunter is back!"
"…"
The moment those words fell, the guards on the beach scattered instantly. Some grabbed their Koffing and flew away. Others rode their Arbok and fled into the distance. Some even jumped straight into the sea and swam toward the approaching Team Rocket warship that was now visible on the horizon.
Everyone used their own methods to escape.
Shiro watched from midair for a moment before slowly descending toward Koga.
Koga's face turned pale. The two squad captains beside him retreated repeatedly, but they had almost nowhere left to go.
"Executive!" One of the squad captains shouted sorrowfully. "To protect the organization's information, I can only leave first. We will meet again in the next life!"
After speaking, he ran toward the sea and jumped in, skillfully swimming into the distance.
The other squad captain remained still.
Koga sighed in his heart and waved his hand. "You should escape too. This hunter seems to be here just for me."
"Executive…" The remaining squad captain looked troubled. "I… can't swim."
Koga glanced at him suspiciously. "What about your Pokémon?"
"Uh…" The squad captain glanced toward Shiro, then quickly replied, "They can't swim either, Executive."
"Then you—"
Before Koga could finish, the squad captain spoke first, "Can you lend me one of your Pokémon? One that can fly is enough. If I survive, I will definitely avenge you!"
"…Fine." Koga sighed and searched around his waist. "I'll give you a…"
Halfway through his sentence, his expression froze.
His Poké Balls were all gone.
Which bastard took them? Was it these two squad captains who carried him here?
As suspicion arose, he quickly dismissed it. If they had taken them, why would they wake him up and ask to borrow a Pokémon now?
It must have been Hunter A.
It was over.
Under the expectant gaze of the squad captain in front of him, Koga could only sigh and say, "All my Pokémon were taken by that hunter."
Hearing this, the squad captain also showed a sorrowful expression and shouted, "Executive, I cannot betray the organization's information. I can only jump into the sea!"
He ran and leapt into the ocean, splashing wildly and choking on seawater as he sank. He truly could not swim.
Koga watched as this subordinate quickly disappeared beneath the water. His mood became extremely heavy.
Suddenly, a red light flashed beneath the sea. In Koga's slowly widening eyes, a Starmie carried the squad captain away into the distance.
**
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