Chapter 121: Showdown! Heist!

The group quickly arrived at the Pokemon Center; Huo La handed the battle‑worn Beedrill, Scyther, Chou Ni, and Li Jia's Meili Hua to Nurse Joy, then returned with Xiao Gang and Bilan to the pre‑booked room.

"Xiao Gang, you've been wanting to ask me about something on the road; Bilan and I have discussed it, and I can tell you part of it," Huo La said, sitting on the chair with a serious tone, "but for your safety you must promise that everything you hear today stays strictly confidential—never tell a third person."

Xiao Gang immediately dropped his usual carefree grin, nodded solemnly, and said, "Don't worry, I know the gravity of this and will never speak out of turn."

"Actually… I'm a member of the Rocket Team," Huo La said, dropping a shocking revelation.

Xiao Gang was startled, his eyes filled with astonishment, his lips moved as if to speak but nothing came out, and his expression gradually turned uneasy—he had always known the Rocket Team was an evil organization, yet never expected his companion to be one of them.

"Don't worry just yet," Huo La added quickly. "I joined the Rocket Team because I have a special mission, not because I truly want to help them."

Hearing the word "mission," Xiao Gang's tense shoulders visibly relaxed, his brow eased, and he asked, "You mean… you're an undercover?"

"You could say that," Huo La replied without outright denying, and then recounted how he joined the Rocket Team, how he met Bilan, and how the two of them, under the guise of the Masked Child, covertly sabotaged the Rocket Team's plans, telling only what he could.

"So, the reason I asked you earlier not to let Karakara be exposed is because of this," Huo La explained finally. "Karakara is something we stole from the Rocket Team; it still bears some of their traces."

Xiao Gang, after listening, nodded with sudden realization, "I get it! If there's any place I can help in the future, just tell me."

"Very good, Xiao Gang Ge, your sense of justice is impressive! As it happens, there's something coming up where you can really help," Huo La began, but Bilan cut in first, a hint of slyness flashing in her eyes.

Huo La: "???!!!"

His heart gave a sudden thump; he thought, this isn't good—what trick is this girl about to pull now?

"Huh? What is it? How can I help?" Xiao Gang instantly perked up, clearly ready to lend a hand.

Huo La reacted instantly, grabbed Bilan's mouth, waved his hands at Xiao Gang, and forced a smile onto his face: "No, no, no, she's just kidding! We haven't finalized anything yet; when it's confirmed and we truly need help, we'll definitely come to you first."

Saying that, he ignored Bilan's struggling in his arms, half‑dragging her out the door and slamming the room door shut behind him.

Once in the hallway, Huo La immediately released his grip, staring at Bilan with an unfriendly look: "What are you up to now? You just confessed to Xiao Gang, and you already want to rope him into something?"

"What could we do, other than being short on money," Bilan said, rubbing her sore, muffled mouth. "I've scouted it—Yuhong City Game Hall is a Rocket Team base. Tonight we go 'take' something and earn some League Coins."

"What about the money we earned from Grandma Jin last time? That was a lot—how did you spend it all again?" Huo La frowned—he remembered the amount Bilan received was enough to cover a year's travel expenses.

"It went to buying stuff for breeding Pokemon," Bilan shrugged, speaking calmly. "I also returned it to Professor Oak; I didn't want to owe him too many favors, so it got spent after a few transactions."

Huo La fell silent.

Seeing Huo La remain silent, Bilan leaned in again, her tone softer: "Don't worry, we'll go stealthily at night; nothing major will happen."

Huo La couldn't help but have doubts in his mind.

His own funds were indeed running low: 300,000 League Coins, having paid Gastly's hiring fee, bought a Skill Machine and breeding materials, and just now promised to cover the cost of Li Jia's Leaf Stone; after tallying it up, there was indeed little left. If they could 'snatch' something from the Rocket Team base, it would truly relieve the urgent need.

"Do you have a detailed plan? The number of guards, where the money is stored—have you scouted all that?" Huo La pressed on, his eyes full of unease—Bilan's confident demeanor always made him think something could go wrong.

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Bilan waved her hand, her tone full of certainty. "I've already scoped that game hall; on the surface there are only a few security staff. When the time comes, I'll lead the way, you let Chou Ni use Poison Gas as cover, Scyther handles the security, and in minutes we can empty the cash box inside. With hands and feet we can get the job done—no need for such complications!"

Huo La, watching her look so "settled," suddenly shifted tone and asked abruptly, "Do you… know how many floors that game hall has?"

"Just one floor—how could there be more?" Bilan blinked, looking completely matter‑of‑fact. "I walked around outside three times and only saw one entrance; inside are just arcade machines and a bar. It looks like a single‑story building—why are you asking?"

"One floor? That's just the façade!" Huo La felt his temples throb and couldn't help raising his voice. "Since you know it's a Rocket Team base, you should realize—Yuhong City is huge; how could the Rocket Team assign only a few guards to a single‑story game hall? Such a hidden base in the city likely has a basement, maybe even a secret level!"

He took a deep breath, suppressing his impatience, and continued analyzing: "Moreover, according to Rocket Team organization, a point like Yuhong City Game Hall that handles 'fund circulation' would have at least a squad leader stationed there, with at least two or three Elite Class Pokemon in hand. If we're unlucky and run into the area's battalion commander on patrol, we wouldn't even be able to run away!"

"And you still think Chou Ni and Scyther are enough? You forgot we need to keep our identities hidden. The only ones we can actually use are Kingler and Pikipek; with that setup, are we courting death?"

Bilan was left speechless by his barrage of questions; the smile that had been on her face gradually drooped, her gaze drifting. "I… I just saw no one guarding the outside of the game hall and assumed the inside was really lax…"

Huo La pressed his forehead, feeling a wave of frustration—Bilan's luck in 'robberies' was absurdly good, yet she seemed never to realize that luck couldn't always be on her side.

The last time in Gold City, the two of them only rescued Hongzhi and didn't dare enter Silph Company; even when they encountered the 'Secretary,' they could only run away.

And on the League side, for Silph Company, they mobilized several Gym Leaders' forces; reportedly they almost had to deploy a Kanto Elite Four trainer.

The Saint Tenu incident was pure luck. If it weren't for Ash, the Child of Luck, Pikachu wouldn't have summoned a thunderbolt that split the ship's hull, and Chen Si wouldn't have been crushed by a chandelier into serious injury. Whether the two of them could even escape the vessel was questionable, let alone retrieve anything.

Now they're talking about robbing the Yuhong Game Hall… as if this were a game!

The Rocket Team can set a game hall in downtown Yuhong City, so there must be a complete defense system behind it; if we slip up and get trapped inside, there won't even be a chance to call for help.

He's short on money, but he doesn't want to die.

"I'll think it over. Remember, without my permission, don't go doing it on your own."