'Was Miyamoto really the second in command of Team Rocket?'

Even Mark wasn't the only one thinking this. After that brief encounter, even Sato began to have doubts.

Powerful? Sure.

Appearing out of nowhere? Not surprising.

That Ninetales definitely fit the bill too: tsundere, narcissistic, elegant, gluttonous… checked all the boxes.

But Miyamoto's personality was nothing like what they expected from a "villain".

She had Elite Four level strength, yet none of the arrogance of an "Elite Four" Trainer. She was carefree and unrestrained, but didn't act solely on her own whims.

Even when Ninetales ate Joseph's beef strips, her first reaction had been to try and buy them.

"Could it be two people with the same name?" Cynthia offered a possibility, but they all knew that was even less likely.

Anyone with Elite Four strength was almost certainly a well-known figure. Same name? Fine. But both being unknown?

Plus, just before, a Delibird had conveniently thrown itself into their hands, and right after, they met a "wilderness explorer" calling herself Miyamoto. If that wasn't connected…

There's no way it's not connected!

"She's Miyamoto!" Sato finally said with firm conviction.

He didn't waste time trying to analyze inconsistencies in her identity during their brief interaction.

It was just a gut feeling… an instinct born from years of living in darkness in his past life, a sense for recognizing one of his own.

So, after unanimous agreement, they picked up the pace and headed for Lake Acuity as fast as possible, wanting to put as much distance between them and Miyamoto as they could.

If it weren't for how remote Lake Acuity was, with only one path in and out and nothing but wilderness in between, they would've chosen a detour without hesitation.

---

Elsewhere, having just returned from Lake Acuity without finding any sign of Mew, Miyamoto was now resting at a small-town inn.

"Tales~Tales~"

Miyamoto looked up from her tablet and saw Ninetales gnawing happily on a freeze-dried beef stick, no thicker than a finger.

"Tch… is it really that good? Usually, that much meat wouldn't even fill your teeth," she said with a bit of disdain.

Ninetales caught the mocking glance from Miyamoto but didn't get mad. It simply shifted slightly and turned its back to her, continuing to chew on the beef stick.

Miyamoto clicked her tongue and returned her attention to the tablet, though her thoughts kept drifting to the four Trainers they'd just met.

"The name Sato… still feels really familiar…"

She muttered to herself and instinctively pulled up the search page, then began looking up Sato's name in Team Rocket's internal network.

In no time, a long list of detailed records about Sato popped up, starting from his escape from the Ghost Ship Organization; every event logged clearly.

And thanks to Miyamoto's access, she even saw a particularly shocking report.

[Three years ago, Ariana, one of Team Rocket's four Admins, had gone alone to capture Sato, who had disrupted many of Team Rocket's operations.

In the end, Ariana had been forced to retreat to Team Rocket Headquarters.]

Even if type matchups played a role, for Sato to defeat Ariana -one of the top Ace level Admins- three years ago, that level of potential… even for an Elite Four Trainer like Miyamoto, it was borderline insane.

More than ten minutes passed before Miyamoto finally put down the tablet and began mumbling to herself again.

"Ghost Ship defector… Potential Enhancement Serum… special abilities… Mega Evolution… Gym Leader… half-student of Drake… this kid's carrying way too much baggage."

"Maybe… we should just snatch him again?"

Beepbeepbeep… Beepbeepbeep…

The incoming call tone interrupted Miyamoto's thoughts. She glanced at the tablet, and the caller ID prominently displayed the words: "Darling."

Miyamoto instantly became excited. In an unbelievably fast five seconds, she touched up her makeup flawlessly, then carefully answered the video call.

"Aneee~"

Miyamoto's previously carefree demeanor vanished completely. Her eyes turned watery and pitiful, and even her voice took on an exaggerated, flirtatious tone.

"…Act normal."A slightly cool, helpless female voice came from the other side of the video.

"Come on, how can you be so heartless, sending me all over the world alone, and not even let me be a little spoiled…?"

Ninetales suddenly shivered. 'Here she goes again…'

Unable to take it, Ninetales picked up its beef stick and quietly distanced itself from Miyamoto.

Meanwhile, Miyamoto and her "darling" were still completely absorbed in their call, not even noticing Ninetales was gone.

"…Any findings this time?" The voice on the other side ignored Miyamoto's whining, all business.

"Hmph! Not telling~" Miyamoto turned her head away in protest.

"Darling" was silent for a long moment, then slowly said, "…Thanks for your hard work. Once you're done, come home early. I'll be waiting for you."

"You'll be waiting at home! Then I'll come back tomorrow~" Miyamoto instantly turned back around. Whatever she thought of made her cheeks flush slightly as she spoke in a dreamy voice.

"Now you can say it?"

Miyamoto pouted, her tone full of grievance. "Same as always, nothing found. But Lake Acuity is sooo~ cooold~ Look! My face is all red from the cold!"

"…Then come back soon. We've gathered a few new leads that need verification."

"Not important, not important~ Let's just go home first…"

After that, Miyamoto and her "darling" talked about some things that can't be written, and only then did she reluctantly hang up.

"Aneee is still so captivating…"Miyamoto stroked her blushing cheeks and started giggling to herself at whatever thought just crossed her mind.

Ninetales huddled in a corner, shivering. Somehow, in such a big room, it felt like there wasn't a single spot for it to exist.

Ten minutes later, Miyamoto checked out of the inn and walked outside. With a casual flick, she sent out a Fearow and ordered it to return to the Kanto Region at full speed.

As for capturing Sato…

'Sato who? If I capture him, can I feed him to my darling?'

Still traveling, Sato had no idea that a massive crisis had just brushed right past him, leaving not even a ripple as it vanished.

---

A week later, after rushing nonstop, they finally arrived at the long-awaited Lake Acuity.

Surrounded by snow-covered mountains, not a hint of wind could be felt. The lake's surface was so still it looked like a mirror, so clear it seemed to reflect even the impurities within Mark's soul.

The urgency of their journey had left them physically exhausted, but standing before the tranquil Lake Acuity, more than half their mental fatigue melted away.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man, plainly dressed, with a calm face, approached from near the lake.

He walked straight toward them, made a unique greeting gesture, then finally spoke:

"Are you Trainers from afar? If it's convenient, how about a Pokémon battle?"