The long "beep" from the bug Leaf had planted in Feng Che's room signaled a loss of signal.
"Tsk, he saw through it." Leaf tossed her headphones onto the desk and shook her head in frustration. She hadn't overheard a single useful thing.
Leaf had always felt something was off about Feng Che. No matter how many times she hacked the League's system or even Team Rocket's surface databases, his records always came back as "ordinary."
"It's because your records are too ordinary that I'm certain they're fake," she muttered. "How else could you afford such a massive daycare? How did you master all those high-level cultivation and pharmacy techniques? I'll expose you eventually."
Inside the Daycare
"Feng Che, that girl Leaf is suspicious of you," Mewtwo's voice echoed in his mind.
"Let her suspect. I've been suspected before; I'm used to it. As long as she doesn't catch me red-handed, it doesn't matter. The identity Team Rocket crafted for me is nearly flawless for anyone outside the upper echelons. As for Team Rocket itself, once I went deep undercover for the League mission, my active records there 'ceased' to exist."
Feng Che spoke calmly. "Leaf is a master of espionage. She probably exhausted every legitimate avenue and turned to bugs out of desperation. Mewtwo, let's head back to the daycare. Zeraora is due any day now, and I need to check on her."
With a pulse of Mewtwo's psychic power, Feng Che vanished from the Indigo Plateau.
Celadon Daycare
Zeraora had built a nest in a withered tree—but not just any tree. This was a Lightning-Strike Tree, a metallic-infused trunk that naturally attracted lightning. It stood skeletal and bare from years of electric strikes.
When Feng Che arrived, Zeraora was already in labor, golden arcs of electricity flickering across her body. Lanturn and Starmie were nearby, acting as living batteries to provide her with a constant stream of electrical energy.
"Deep breaths, Zeraora. You're doing great," Feng Che whispered, checking her vitals. There was no internal hemorrhaging, and Venusaur was using Grassy Terrain to constantly replenish her stamina.
He pulled a Pomeg Berry from his storage. Peeling back the skin to reveal the translucent flesh, he mixed it with specific herbs to create a high-potency stamina tonic. "Drink this; it will help."
Zeraora cast a grateful glance at him and downed the potion. Once he was sure she was stable, Feng Che headed toward the egg storage. He remembered there was a Pseudo-Legendary egg somewhere in the inventory, but he couldn't find it.
"Useless system, lagging again," he grumbled when the mass-scan function failed.
"Feng Che, is this the one you're looking for?" Mewtwo used its telepathy to float an egg over. "I scanned the room; this one has the highest potential."
Feng Che used the system's appraisal:
Species: Beldum
Gender: Genderless
Level: 0
Type: Steel/Psychic
Status: Near Hatching
Evaluation: A mutant Beldum egg. During development, it absorbed a massive amount of external psychic energy.
"A Beldum? I thought the rumor was a Larvitar," Feng Che mused. "Mewtwo, do you sense any others?"
"No. This one likely resonated with my own psychic frequency, making it easy to spot."
"In that case, you hatch it," Feng Che smiled. "You've never experienced the joy of a new life beginning. Maybe then you'll understand what 'responsibility' truly means."
Outside the Daycare
Dozens of cloaked figures gazed greedily at the facility.
"The client said this place is loaded with rare Pokémon," the leader, a man named Venom, chuckled. "Word is there's a Pseudo-Legendary egg in the vault. We go in as 'poachers,' burn what we can't take, and loot the rest. If you find that egg, you're set for life."
Venom released a Dustox and two Ninjask. The Dustox began silently scattering toxic spores into the air.
"Poachers? Trying to rob my daycare?" Feng Che sensed them immediately through Mewtwo. "I need to move the egg vault to the backyard. The main defense force is back there. If eggs get stolen from the storefront, it'll ruin my reputation."
"Mewtwo, shield the building. I'll handle these guests."
The Ambush
"Wait... why have we been walking for ten minutes and we're still not at the front door?" "Where did the building go?" "Are we walking in circles?"
The cloaked men panicked. "Calm down! It's an illusion. Use a Dark-type to break it! Who has one?"
"I do! Go, Absol!" Venom shouted. The white-furred disaster Pokémon appeared and unleashed a powerful Dark Pulse at the ground.
Dust flew, but the scenery remained unchanged. Just as they grew more confused, a thick fog rolled in. Footsteps echoed from the mist. A figure in a black cloak and a Smiley Mask emerged.
"Welcome, guests from afar. Welcome to my daycare," a synthesized electronic voice greeted them.
"Stop playing games! Dustox, Silver Wind!" Venom roared.
Feng Che signaled his Salazzle. A pillar of flame erupted from her throat, incinerating the Silver Wind instantly. Before the Dustox could scatter more spores, Octillery fired an Ice Beam.
Thud. The Dustox was frozen solid in a block of ice. Octillery then unleashed a massive Haze, plunging the area into total darkness.
"It's a trap! Everyone, release your Pokémon! Break through together!" Venom screamed. Persians, Mightyenas, and Shiftrys filled the space.
But a second later, the poachers gasped. One by one, their Pokémon were being frozen solid where they stood. Massive red tentacles reached out from the black mist, dragging the frozen Pokémon back into the darkness.
Venom's soul nearly left his body. "Sir! We... we didn't mean to offend! Please!"
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