Military officers and Investigators actually made up only a small fraction of Border Town's population. The Wilderness Area was rich in resources, so large numbers of adventurers and merchants stayed there.
Take Xiao Ran and his companions, for instance. Their last trip out had netted them quite a haul: Beedrill stingers, Victreebel venom and vines, Pidgeotto claws and beaks... All of these were excellent materials with their own uses once processed.
When they learned that Team Rocket was merely an organization recently founded by some adventurers, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Xiao Ran, too, thought that would be the end of it—until he heard a name from Miao Yourou.
"From what I heard them saying, their leader seemed to be called Athena. Probably an alias. Unfortunately, she wore a mask, so I couldn't get a good look at her face. Otherwise, I'd have dug up everything there was to know about her," Miao Yourou said angrily. The past few days had exhausted her, but most importantly, both of her colleagues had suffered Pokémon casualties.
Fortunately, Qiu Yuxuan's Dewgong had been saved, though its strength had suffered. It still retained Gym Leader Class combat power, but it would never improve again, nor could it undergo intensive training. In effect, Qiu Yuxuan had lost one of her main supports on the path to becoming an Elite Four member.
"What did you say? Their leader is called Athena? A man or a woman?" Xiao Ran, who had been resting at the dining table and listening to Miao Yourou recount her experiences, suddenly went pale. He sprang to his feet and questioned her.
"A woman. Why?" Miao Yourou paused, answering in confusion.
"A woman... You couldn't see her face, but what about her hair? What color was it?" Xiao Ran asked with evident