Chapter 15: Executive? Bounty? You Misheard!

"You, you got it wrong! We never said anything like that! It must be that you didn't sleep well last night and misheard in your dream!" Musashi, his lie exposed, dodged his gaze but still forced a reply, his previously arrogant tone now largely diminished.

"Oh? It's me who misheard?" Huo La raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to Meow Meow crouched on the ground, licking the bowl until it gleamed, his voice deliberately pitched higher, "Meow Meow should remember, right? Who was the one outside the tent last night saying, 'Snatch that little brat's Bulbasaur and sell it to the Boss for a whole crate of canned food'? And who pounded his chest, bragging, 'Our Rocket Team Executive is on the case; catching a rookie Pokemon is a piece of cake'?"

Meow Meow's licking suddenly halted, its snow‑white ears drooping with a "swish", its paws nervously scrabbling the ground, and it didn't dare raise its head.

Musashi, seeing Meow Meow like that, his face swelling like a ripe tomato, still clung to his lie: "Th‑that was just us speaking off the cuff! Even if we're part of the Rocket Team, we're only low‑level ordinary members, not any kind of Executive!"

"Ordinary members, huh." Huo La let out a low laugh, his tone full of disappointment, "I thought I'd met some formidable characters and spent the whole night on edge, only to find you're just two bragging little goons. Had I known, I should've let the Bulbasaur toss you into the creek last night to wake you up."

Those words were like a needle, instantly exploding Musashi's temper: "What are you saying! Even if we're ordinary members, we're still stronger than you little brat! If you hadn't staged that ambush and tied us up, you'd never be our opponent!"

"Ambush?" Huo La raised an eyebrow, pointing at the scattered instant‑noodle packets outside his tent—the mess the Rocket Team had made while rummaging last night, "Clearly you guys snuck in at midnight to steal stuff, snatch Pokemon, got caught red‑handed and then tried to turn the tables? This logic, I've never seen before."

Musashi, stung into speechlessness, could only fume, stomping his foot on the Vine Whip, which only made him sway more violently, like an out‑of‑control swing.

Kojiro, seeing the situation getting more tense, quickly tried to smooth things over, his tone pleading, "Um... kid, we know we were wrong, and we won't ever again try to mess with anyone's Pokemon. You've had us hanging all night, your anger should be gone by now, so just let us go, okay? We promise to leave immediately and never bother you again!"

Huo La, looking at the sorry state of the two men and the cat, put away his teasing expression, his tone turning serious, "I can let you go, but you must tell the truth—what exactly brought you to this forest? Don't try to fool me with some 'got lost while traveling' nonsense."

He paused, deliberately pulling a Pokemon Pokedex from his backpack, his fingertip landing on the "SOS Emergency Contact" button, his gaze gaining a hint of intimidation, "Otherwise, I'll contact Officer Jenny right now. I figure, even if you're just ordinary members of the Rocket Team, the bounty won't be that small. When Officer Jenny shows up, whether you can get away will be out of your hands."

"Bounty?!" The words struck like a bolt of thunder, instantly stunning the two men perched in the tree.

Musashi's flushed face went pale with a "swish", and even his stomping stopped; Kojiro's eyes widened even more, his voice trembling, "Y‑you stop talking nonsense! We're not wanted! Officer Jenny wouldn't bother with this kind of petty matter!"

"Whether you're wanted or not, you know that better than anyone," Huo La said evenly but firmly, "Last night you said you wanted to 'snatch a Pokemon to give to the Boss.' Just the intent to 'steal a Trainer's Pokemon' is enough for Officer Jenny to bring you back to the police station for questioning. Not to mention you even called yourselves Rocket Team members—you're surely aware of how aggressively the League cracks down on illegal organizations."

At that point, Musashi and Kojiro panicked completely—last time in Cerulean City, they had only tried to steal a little Lada, and barely after getting it, Officer Jenny chased them for three blocks; in the end they lost the Lada, and only escaped by disguising themselves as a family of three with Meow Meow, still feeling the lingering fear when they recall that episode.

If Officer Jenny really catches them, not to mention finding anything, it's uncertain whether they'll even keep their freedom.

"Don't, don't contact Officer Jenny! We'll talk! We'll say it right now!" Kojiro was the first to break, hurriedly begging, fearing Huo La would actually press the button.

Musashi clenched his teeth, his complexion flashing green then white, finally glowering fiercely at Kojiro, reluctantly conceding, "Hmph! Fine, we'll say it! It's not like it's anything shameful!"

Huo La, seeing them relent, put away the Pokedex, signaling them to continue.

Kojiro swallowed, glanced covertly at Musashi, then whispered, "We... we came to this forest looking for an Evolution Stone... not intentionally to steal your Pokemon, we just got hungry last night and acted foolishly!"

"Evolution Stone?"

Huo La's mind flickered—stones that cause Pokemon to evolve are mostly rare and valuable; the Rocket Team actually targeting the Evolution Stones in this forest?

What's stranger still, since they know Evolution Stones exist, why didn't they send more professional people, and instead let these two half‑baked amateurs try their luck?

He pressed, "How did your organization learn this forest has Evolution Stones? Since you know, why didn't you send your own people to extract them, and instead sent you?"

"We... we only overheard the info from within the organization..."

Musashi answered irritably, his tone full of reluctance, "We only knew this forest had Evolution Stones; we didn't know where exactly or what attributes they had. We thought if we could find them we'd sell them quietly for cash, but after two days of searching without even seeing a shadow, we got lost, and ended up hungry enough to steal your stuff!"

Huo La nodded, having formed a judgment in his mind.

It seems the two really came to try their luck, knowing nothing about the specifics of the Evolution Stones, likely having heard a fragment of rumor and coming on their own.

Huo La's gaze first fell on Meow Meow, who had licked the bowl clean enough to reflect a silhouette; now it lay on its back, head tilted upward, tail swaying, clearly still not recovered from the scent of instant noodles.

Then he looked up at Musashi and Kojiro perched in the tree, both bodies taut, eyes full of tension, even their breathing softened a bit, fearing he might make an unreasonable demand.

Watching the three of them so different, Huo La's mouth twitched into an enlightened smile, leisurely saying, "Don't worry, it's not a difficult task; it should be quite simple for you."

Musashi and Kojiro exchanged a glance, each seeing "half‑believing, half‑doubting" in the other's eyes, but they still patiently listened, under the eaves; even if Huo La's request turned out a bit troublesome, they'd probably have to agree.

Moreover, they're from the Rocket Team; once they're let down, what can a little brat possibly do to them?