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The night passed in silence. Early the next morning, Liam was already awake. He knocked on Lorelei's door, planning to invite her to breakfast, but there was no response.
She was likely not in her room. Without overthinking it, Liam headed to the rescue center's dining area, ordered breakfast, and ate quietly.
Then… he overheard a conversation between two other people eating nearby.
"Hey, did you hear? The police arrested a bunch of people yesterday. Apparently, it was some poacher gang that had been lurking on Cinnabar Island without anyone noticing. But yesterday, our Gym Leader Blaine led the police to wipe them out in one go," said Person A.
"I heard about that! That poacher gang even threatened to trigger a volcanic eruption to take us all down with them. Luckily, Blaine and the police stopped them in time, or the consequences would've been unimaginable," Person B added.
"Yeah, yeah! Blaine really deserves his reputation as a veteran Gym Leader—his strength is unquestionable. He practically saved our lives. Hey, after breakfast, why don't we head to Cinnabar Gym and thank him in person?" suggested Person A.
"Good idea! What are we waiting for? Hurry up and eat! Let's go as soon as we're done!" Person B urged. The two quickly finished their meals and rushed out of the rescue center.
Liam watched them leave in a hurry, chuckled lightly, and shook his head. He hadn't expected Blaine to become a local hero overnight.
Not knowing what else to say about it, he continued eating his breakfast.
Just then, someone walked in—a figure wrapped in a trench coat, wearing a hood, and hiding their face behind oversized sunglasses.
As soon as the person entered, they spotted Liam, froze slightly, and then hurried over to sit across from him.
"You are…? Can I help you?"
Liam looked at the heavily disguised individual sitting across from him, confused.
The person didn't respond but reached up and removed their sunglasses.
"Blaine!"
Liam immediately called out in shock upon seeing the face beneath the hood.
"Shhh!! Keep your voice down, or someone will recognize me!"
Blaine quickly hushed him, looking around nervously. Once he confirmed there were no eavesdroppers, he let out a sigh of relief and put his sunglasses back on.
"Blaine? What are you doing here? And why are you dressed like this?"
Liam lowered his voice and glanced at Blaine's over-the-top disguise.
"It's all because of you!" Blaine said with a dramatic sigh. "After what you guys pulled last night, the police had no choice but to give all the credit to me. What was I supposed to do? To protect you all, I had to take the fall! Now, I can't even step outside without disguising myself like a criminal—it's unbearable!"
Hearing this, Liam rubbed his nose awkwardly, feeling a little guilty. After a brief pause, he asked, "So… why did you come looking for me?"
Blaine peered at him through the tinted lenses before finally sighing.
"I've decided to lay low for a while. After such a big incident, I'm worried those people will try to retaliate. So, I want you to introduce me to your organization. You guys probably need researchers like me, right? My research facility was destroyed, but I assume you still have backups of my data. I want to continue my research with your group."
Liam frowned slightly at this, looking a bit conflicted.
"Gym Leader Blaine… What exactly were those poachers forcing you to research?" Liam asked.
"We do have backups of the data, but I haven't gone through them. I don't even know if it's worthwhile research. To be honest, our organization is still in its early stages—we won't waste resources on meaningless projects."
Blaine hesitated, then leaned in and whispered, "My specialty is genetic research. The poachers captured me to study Pokémon cloning. If they mastered cloning technology, they wouldn't need to waste time capturing wild Pokémon—they could just create as many as they wanted. That's what they were forcing me to work on."
"As for joining your organization… Research isn't my priority right now. I just need a safe place to lay low. I can wait to resume my work."
Liam barely registered Blaine's last few words. The term Pokémon cloning kept flashing through his mind, growing larger and larger.
A powerful Pokémon appeared in his thoughts.
Mewtwo.
A genetically engineered Pokémon of unparalleled power. In Liam's memory, Mewtwo was ultimately created through Blaine's genetic research.
He fell into deep thought.
Blaine, noticing Liam's silence, grew anxious. He wasn't sure if Liam would agree but didn't dare interrupt, so he quietly waited for a response.
After a long time, Liam let out a sigh.
"…I don't know if I'm making the right choice. But in the end, a life is a life—I have no right to decide its fate. Maybe this is just destiny."
Mewtwo's existence had been a disaster for Team Rocket. Its creation marked the beginning of their downfall. Liam had debated whether he should prevent Mewtwo from being born, eliminating the threat before it could arise.
But in the end, he let go of the idea.
As he had said—perhaps this was destiny. No one had the right to decide whether a life should exist.
"That's right! My life is valuable, and so is my knowledge! Letting me join is an absolute bargain! I mean, we can negotiate my salary, but honestly, I'll work just for food and shelter!"
Blaine, misunderstanding Liam's words, broke into a cold sweat. Panicking, he slammed the table and quickly spoke.
"Uh… Huh? What? Uh… Gym Leader Blaine, calm down. I already agreed," Liam said hastily.
"I'll write you a letter of recommendation. Head to Viridian City and take it to the Gym Leader there. Just hand him the letter, and the rest will be taken care of."
To stop Blaine from freaking out, Liam got up, requested paper and a pen from Nurse Joy at the front desk, then returned to the table and wrote the letter.
After a moment's thought, he decided not to mention Blaine's willingness to work for free.
He sealed the letter in an envelope and handed it over. Blaine accepted it like it was a treasure, immediately standing up to express his gratitude.
"Thanks, Liam! I feel so much better now. I won't waste any more time—I need to leave immediately! See you around!"
With that, Blaine tucked the envelope into his coat and quickly exited the rescue center.
Liam watched him go, then turned back—only to see Lorelei walking in through the entrance.
Sensing his gaze, Lorelei looked over. Their eyes met, and she hesitated, seeming conflicted as she made her way toward him and sat down across the table.
Liam looked at her curiously.
Her previous light outfit was gone. Instead, she was now dressed in a thick, white winter coat with a fluffy white hat. Her vibrant red hair contrasted beautifully against the cold tones, making her stand out even more.
Liam found himself momentarily captivated.
Then something clicked in his mind, and he hesitantly asked,
"Are you… planning to go back?"