Gu Qiu opened the system panel.
The mission "Conquer Cerulean Gym" now had a new label beside it:
[Submittable]
He blinked.
This was the first time he had seen a mission formatted like this.
When he opened the details, he saw the current evaluation:
Grade: B
If he submitted now, he would only receive a B-rank reward.
"System, what's this about?"
"Host may choose to submit the mission now or continue progressing. The higher the completion rating, the better the reward."
Gu Qiu nodded slowly.
The scope of this mission was large—it required conquering the entire Cerulean Gym.
From his understanding, as long as he achieved a level of "conquest," the mission could be cleared.
But that would only yield the minimum acceptable evaluation.
The system displayed the grading scale:
D Rank – Very poor completionC Rank – AverageB Rank – GoodA Rank – ExcellentS Rank – Perfect
Currently: B Rank – Good
As expected.
The true boss of Cerulean Gym was Misty.
Without defeating her, achieving a perfect evaluation would be nearly impossible.
After some thought, Gu Qiu decided to wait.
At the very least, he should aim for A Rank.
He followed Misty.
And no—
By "strategize," he did not mean that kind of strategizing.
She led him into a conference room.
Four people were seated inside.
Two were familiar.
Brock.
Lorelei.
The other two were women he didn't recognize, but judging by their seating positions—equal to Brock's—they were clearly powerful Gym Leaders.
These were big names from the Western Kanto faction, likely aligned under Lorelei.
"Gu Qiu, you're here."
"We've been waiting. Impressive fishing skills—you even suppressed Misty."
"Luck. Just luck."
His expression turned serious.
Brock. Misty. Lorelei. Two more top-tier Gym Leaders.
This lineup wasn't casual.
"Sit here," Lorelei said directly.
The two unfamiliar women exchanged surprised glances.
Clearly, they hadn't expected her tone.
"This is Gym Leader Li Hong of Neon Gym. You can call her Sister Hong."
"Nice to meet you, Sister Hong."
Neon Gym was one of the four major gyms in Western Kanto, alongside Cerulean, Pewter, and Vermilion.
"And this is Gym Leader Ye Munan."
"You guessed right, little brother," Ye Munan said with a faint smile before falling silent.
Lorelei got straight to the point.
"We brought you here because we need your help."
Gu Qiu didn't answer immediately.
He wasn't reckless.
"What kind of help?"
"You're aware of the incident on Route 24?"
He nodded.
He had just treated dozens of injured Pokémon from there.
"It was man-made. A dark organization is targeting the Pokémon inside Cerulean Cave."
"Lorelei!" Li Hong frowned slightly—a subtle warning.
Cerulean Cave was classified information.
"It's fine. Gu Qiu isn't an outsider."
She continued calmly.
"Cerulean Cave—also known as the Unknown Dungeon."
"It is extremely dangerous."
"There is a terrifying Legendary Pokémon sleeping inside."
The room grew heavy at the word Legendary.
In this world—
Legendaries weren't anime mascots.
An adult Legendary possessed, at minimum, Champion-tier power.
First-tier Legendaries could reshape regions.
There were seven major nations in the world.
Each protected by a guardian Legendary.
China—one of the seven—had its own as well.
"That Legendary has long been dormant. It signed a peace agreement with certain powerful humans."
"But recently, someone has been provoking it repeatedly."
"That's why the Pokémon on Route 24 have become violent."
Lorelei did not name it.
But Gu Qiu already knew.
Cerulean Cave.
There was only one answer.
Mewtwo.
"You're not asking me to fight a Legendary, right?" Gu Qiu said dryly.
Lorelei laughed.
"Even I am not its opponent. I wouldn't send you to die."
"Our plan is simple. You train on Route 24 and draw out the hidden forces."
"You don't need to worry. Their higher-ups won't dare touch you."
She gave him a meaningful look.
"Because of the Joy family's protection?"
Approval flashed in her eyes.
"Smart. Without that, I wouldn't risk you. Your value alive is far greater."
She leaned back slightly.
"I also secured a benefit for you."
"No matter whether the mission succeeds or fails—you'll receive one opportunity to enter Cerulean Cave and capture a Pokémon."
"What?!" Li Hong reacted instantly.
"Even Marshall failed to get approval after meritorious service!"
Marshall was another Gym Leader.
Lorelei's voice remained calm.
"Because of that Legendary's presence, many powerful Pokémon with High-tier and above talent gather there."
"If you obtain one, your future achievements will not be below mine."
Her gaze was steady.
Serious.
Gu Qiu was just about to respond—
When the system notification sounded.
[Ding! Host has triggered a Legendary-related mission. Accepting the mission to disrupt the mysterious faction's plan will grant the following reward: Mewtwo's…]
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