Just like that, three days passed by.
Sieg received notification of the urgent mission assignment, which had been issued directly by Archer himself.
Sieg erased all traces of his presence from the room. After confirming he hadn't left anything behind, he left the residential district.
Following his memory from last time, he headed deeper into the third floor. During this time, his mid-captain position meant he encountered no obstacles or security checks.
Only when entering the fourth floor did he show the badge Archer had given him before being allowed through.
"Executive Archer, sir, subordinate Black Sky requests an audience!"
Sieg knocked on the office door, speaking respectfully to whoever was inside.
"Enter!"
A powerful, resonant voice came from within. Only then did Sieg carefully push the door open.
Inside the room, aside from Sieg, almost everyone else had already arrived.
Beyond the twin brothers and Rose, there was also the young man who'd guided him last time. This person seemed to be another confidant Archer was cultivating, and one who'd been recruited even earlier than the four of them.
"I won't waste words. This mission was personally assigned by me, making it classified. Apart from you all, no one else knows about it."
"You'll form a squad to complete this mission. The operation will take place in one month. During this month, Mushin will lead you in training exercises so you can familiarize yourselves with coordinating together!"
Archer stood up and patted the young man beside him on the shoulder. This lad called "Mushin" seemed to be highly trusted.
Sieg's eyes flickered slightly, his thoughts unknown.
Rose looked quite interested. The older twin brother maintained an expressionless face, while the younger brother looked defiant. However, at his older brother's subtle signal, he suppressed his dissatisfaction.
Everyone's various expressions and small gestures naturally didn't escape Archer's observation, though he showed no intention of intervening.
After all, if Mushin couldn't keep these four in line, there'd be no point in heavily investing in his development.
"During this month, I'll provide substantial resource investment for all of you. I hope you won't disappoint me. Mushin, take them to collect their combat equipment." Archer waved his hand, dismissing them.
The group including Sieg kept their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts.
But regardless of what they were thinking internally, they maintained very respectful appearances on the surface. After bowing to Archer, they slowly retreated, carefully leaving the room.
"Sir Mushin, may I ask what exactly this mission entails? Why would it warrant such importance from the Executive?"
As the five walked through the corridor in silence, Rose was the first to break it.
Her honeyed, sultry voice was indeed somewhat provocative. However, everyone present was an elite within Team Rocket, such cheap tricks wouldn't work on them.
Mushin swept his gaze over the four, then said in a low voice, "I only just learned about this mission myself. Bottom line, talk less, ask less, do more."
At these words, the twin brothers weren't pleased.
They'd already gotten somewhat inflated egos from their recent promotion to mid-captain, and they believed their numerical advantage gave them control of the situation.
"Hey! Don't act all mysterious. Just tell us the mission already. Don't think we'll automatically respect you just because Executive Archer backs you. Here, fists do the talking."
The younger twin spoke first. his personality seemed straightforward, but he lacked any actual cunning. He couldn't hide anything and always spoke without restraint, loud and careless.
His older brother, while outwardly pretending to restrain him, who knew what he was really thinking inside.
Sieg silently followed behind the four. He had no interest in getting involved in this scheming little group's power plays.
"Though this Mushin seems much more agreeable now compared to the dissatisfaction he showed when guiding me last time."
Sieg naturally understood why, it was simply a matter of treating people according to their status. Nothing unusual for Team Rocket.
Now that he was one of Archer's direct subordinates, it wasn't strange for Mushin to show them a friendly face.
Whether it was winning hearts or building his own inner circle, this kind of false performance was essential.
"Wolf in sheep's clothing."
That was the label Sieg mentally attached to Mushin.
However, Mushin suddenly stopped. That young, handsome face maintained a gentle, refined smile.
"This mission was meticulously planned by the Executive. I don't know how many connections and favors it cost. For this, he even specially..."
"So I'm warning you, don't you dare cause any problems during the mission, or I'll put you down myself!"
Though Mushin's expression remained gentle on the surface, everyone could feel the cold killing intent in his words.
Rose was the first to agree. "Sir Mushin, this insignificant woman will absolutely follow your lead~"
Sieg also nodded, indicating he would absolutely obey orders.
Only the twin brothers exchanged glances, their faces extremely ugly as they said, "Hmph, naturally we won't interfere with the Executive's mission. But the question is whether your strength is enough to command the entire team?"
Clearly, the twins' implication was that if he wanted their respect, he'd need to demonstrate his ability. Otherwise, he was unqualified for the position.
Mushin's previously gentle face suddenly darkened.
The air became oppressively tense. Sieg and Rose quietly exchanged a glance and retreated to the corner.
"Heh~ You're right. Here, strength does the talking!" Mushin laughed lightly and pulled out a miniaturized Luxury Ball from his pocket. Everyone's attention was drawn to it, wanting to see what kind of Pokémon he, who was designated as team leader would produce.
"Gennn~~~"
Everyone heard a Pokémon's cry, and instantly felt the surrounding temperature drop several degrees. A chill crept into their hearts.
A large purple figure suddenly rose from the ground, floating and drifting through the air.
Crimson eyes radiated an ominous aura. It grinned, revealing sharp white fangs, its upturned mouth seeming to mock them silently.
The Shadow Pokémon, Gengar!
"If any of you drag us down during the mission, I'll make sure to make you wish you were dead!"
This time Mushin's face showed no gentle smile, instead carrying a heavily meaningful warning.
Though honestly, anyone mocked like that would probably strike back.
Sieg and Rose exchanged glances. From the aura emanating from Gengar's body, they both immediately thought: "Elite level!"
And definitely not freshly broken through to elite level either. This one had been at elite level for a long time, a standout among its peers.
Just from the aura it gave off, it had to be at least level 50 or above, quite possibly at elite level peak.
In other words, somewhere around levels 57 to 59.
After all, levels 60 to 70 would be quasi-Elite Four tier.
Without question, this Gengar alone would be enough to handle Sieg's Crawdaunt or the twins' Nidoking and Nidoqueen.
A single peak elite-level Pokémon was worth dozens of Pokémon that had just barely crossed into elite level.