Raj watched the lotus lantern drifting away along the river and recalled everything that had happened over the past two days.
Raj had actually lied earlier. He had not gotten lost while chasing Gastly.
With his strength, how could he fail to deal with a single Gastly and end up lost?
That night, after following the maiden's spirit deep into the forest, he arrived in front of Maiden's Rock.
"According to what Gastly said earlier, it should be here," Raj said while looking at the stone statue.
"But where is the entrance? Gastly said that once I reached this place I would understand."
"I've got it. Haunter, come out."
Raj released Haunter.
"Haunter, check this statue carefully. See if there's anything unusual."
"Haunter."
After receiving the command, Haunter circled around the statue before finally stopping at the top of its head.
"Haunter, did you find something?"
"Haunter."
Haunter nodded.
"Use Psychic and lift me up there."
Haunter's eyes glowed blue as Psychic lifted Raj onto the statue's head.
Raj carefully tapped and examined the surface.
Click.
Suddenly a hidden opening appeared beneath his feet.
"Haunter."
Haunter immediately used Psychic to support Raj as he slowly descended through the opening.
After descending for some time, a faint light gradually illuminated the surroundings.
The space became clearer.
"I didn't expect such a hidden mechanism inside this statue. It's hollow, and there's actually a hidden chamber inside," Raj said while looking around.
The base of the statue contained a room-sized chamber.
At the far end stood a table with a photograph placed on top.
The photo showed a woman holding a baby, and the large red R on her clothes revealed her identity.
"Someone from Team Rocket? But who is she, and why would something like this be hidden here?" Raj said thoughtfully.
"Haunter."
Haunter called out again from another direction.
Raj followed its gaze and noticed a wooden box nearby.
"Is there something unusual about this box?"
He picked it up and examined it carefully.
It looked like an ordinary wooden box carved with strange patterns.
Inside was only a small amount of white powder.
Then Haunter's eyes suddenly glowed blue again as Psychic activated.
Immediately a faint white light filled the stone chamber.
A woman's figure slowly appeared from inside the box.
"It's you. The mysterious girl from the dock," Raj said while staring at the spirit in front of him.
"Yes. It's me. I'm sorry for bringing you here," the maiden's spirit said apologetically.
"Judging from your clothes, you're also from Team Rocket, right? Why did you bring me here instead of Jessie? What do you want from me?" Raj asked calmly.
"I know you are also from Team Rocket. Since you are hiding your identity there must be a reason. That arrangement came from higher authority, so I cannot question it. Besides, I am already dead and I don't know how Team Rocket has developed since then," the girl said slowly.
"You know I'm from Team Rocket. Who exactly are you? How did you recognize me?" Raj asked.
"I actually don't know you personally," the girl replied with a gentle smile.
"You tricked me?" Raj said unhappily.
"No. I didn't trick you. I do know you belong to Team Rocket, but what is Kenji's relationship to you?"
"You know my father? Then who are you?" Raj asked seriously.
"My name is Cassidy. I am Jessie's mother," she said calmly.
"Then why did you bring me here instead of Jessie? And how do you know my father?" Raj asked with confusion.
"I once worked under your grandmother. Because of my performance I gained a position inside Team Rocket."
"When I was in my twenties I was assigned by your grandmother to search for the legendary Pokémon Mew."
"I chose to bring you here instead of Jessie because she is still too weak right now."
Raj frowned slightly.
"If that's true then why is Giovanni leading Team Rocket now instead of my father?"
"What? Giovanni is leading Team Rocket now instead of Kenji?" Cassidy looked surprised.
"It seems many changes happened after I left to search for Mew. I'm sorry but I cannot answer that question."
"However I can tell you something important. Team Rocket's true enemy is not Team Plasma."
"What? Not Team Plasma? Aren't they Team Rocket's greatest enemy?" Raj asked in shock.
"I used to believe that too, but later I discovered the truth was different," Cassidy said quietly.
"Let me tell you what happened."
"That year I heard a sound like a baby crying deep inside the South American jungle."
"I immediately realized how unusual that was and reported the discovery to my superior, your grandmother."
"After that I was sent on a long mission to search for Mew."
"I never forgot my daughter Jessie. I always carried the photo you just saw."
"Eventually my persistence paid off and I finally found the legendary Mew near the Andes Mountains."
"I was very happy because no one had ever truly seen Mew's real form before, but I did."
"Mew is a very gentle Pokémon."
"He communicated with me and even looked at Jessie's photograph with curiosity."
"After meeting Mew I gave up the idea of capturing him because I understood the difference between us. I simply could not defeat him."
"Mew should not be captured or controlled by anyone."
"But suddenly a crack opened in the sky and a spacecraft emerged from it."
"The person who stepped out was someone I never expected."
"It was Giovanni."
"At that time I felt something was wrong because Giovanni did not have the authority to participate in the search for Mew."
"And he appeared through what looked like a space-time rift, which was not something he could normally do."
"He released a Pokémon I had never seen before and tried to capture Mew."
"He didn't even seem to recognize me."
"After that my memory becomes unclear."
"My final memory is Mew trying to protect me but failing."
"That was probably when I died."
"And at that time I noticed something strange."
"The Team Rocket uniform Giovanni was wearing had a large R on the chest."
"But it was not our Team Rocket symbol."
"It was rainbow-colored."
A rainbow-colored Team Rocket uniform.
...
📢 Author's Note
Part 1 of Pokémon: Rise of the Dark Trainer! is now completed and available on Patreon!
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✅ Part 1 Complete — 100+ Chapters
Join Raj on his journey through the Pokémon world as he gains the mysterious Strongest Villain System, captures terrifying Pokémon, and walks the path toward becoming the most feared villain in history.
🔥 I also have additional 18+ fanfics available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories. 😉
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