" Oh, come on! Don't be such a stick in the mud! You won't even let us have a little look around?"

Me and the receptionist turned to see.... Guess who.

Blue.

I blinked. How did he know I was at Silph Co headquarters?

Then Gary came running in.

" Mia!" He shouted in relief.

" Gary?!"

I flung myself into his arms and he caught me, spinning me around. " Are you okay?*

I nodded. " Yeah! I missed you, Gary! So much!"

Gary grinned. " I've missed you too. Missed your smile, and your personality. And everything that makes you my best friend and my rival and... And the reason I live."

I gave him a sweet smile. " And I missed you because.... Well because I just did."

Gary raised a brow, grinning. " Oh really?"

" Yeah."

He mocked harrumphed me. " Wow. This is how you repay my love for you."

I laughed.

Then my eyes drifted to Blue and the receptionist.

They were just staring.

I elbowed Gary, and he set me down.

Then we both smiled innocently. " Hi Gary." I said brightly.

He just blinked. " Uh......."

Then he cleared his throat. " Right. Well, let's go do... Whatever we came here to do."

Then he looked at me. " What did you come for exactly?"

I shrugged innocently. " Oh, nooooothing. Buuuuut... I'm just gonna go upstairs.... For no reason..."

" We're here because we saw Jessie and James from Team Rocket." Gary said.

I gave them my best grin. " Wow. Cool. Okay GTG byeeee girlie pop!"

And with that me and Pikachu ran off.

Blue looked at Gary. " Did she just call us girlie pop?"

Gary nodded. " Unfortunately."

As soon as I hopped into the elevator I sighed.

" Okay girl. If we see the boys we'll just disguise ourselves, okay? Out main priority is to find Team Rocket and defeat them."

" Pika." Pikachu said, nodding her head

" Good girl."

The elevator dinged third floor, and I slipped out, tiptoing and using my best disguise story I could think of.

" I'm an undercover detective." I whispered to a worker. " I'll help."

" The leader of Team Rocket, he's on the top floor. But there's no way to get up there. It's blocked."

I nodded. " Okay. Thank you for the information."

I adjusted my disguise—a pair of oversized sunglasses and a floppy hat I had grabbed from a random stand in the lobby. Totally inconspicuous. Pikachu tugged on my sleeve, giving me a look that screamed "This isn't going to work."

"Trust me, Pikachu," I whispered. "Nobody will suspect a thing."

"Pika..." she muttered, clearly unconvinced.

I crept down the hallway, sticking close to the walls like I was in a spy movie. Workers occasionally passed by, giving me odd looks, but I just nodded at them with what I hoped was an authoritative expression.

"Undercover detective business," I muttered, hoping they'd buy it.

Finally, I reached the stairs leading to the fourth floor. As promised, a huge barricade blocked the way, guarded by two Team Rocket grunts. They looked bored, leaning against the railing and chatting about their next break.

"Okay, Pikachu," I whispered. "Here's the plan: I'll distract them, and you sneak past to scope out the area."

Pikachu tilted her head, unimpressed. "Pika?"

"Yes, it's a good plan!" I hissed.

Stepping out from behind the corner, I struck my most confident pose and called out, "Hey! You two! Stop right there!"

The grunts snapped to attention, their eyes narrowing. "Who are you?" one of them demanded.

"I'm..." I paused for dramatic effect, adjusting my sunglasses. "Agent Mia, undercover detective. I've been sent here to investigate suspicious activity, and you two look very suspicious."

The grunts exchanged confused glances. "What kind of detective wears sunglasses indoors?" the other muttered.

"Fashionable ones," I shot back, my tone dripping with authority. "Now, if you don't want trouble, you'll tell me how to get past this barricade."

They burst out laughing. "Yeah, right," one said. "Like we're going to let some kid through. Nice try, though."

I smirked, pulling out a Pokéball. "Oh, I was hoping you'd say that. Pikachu, let's show them what happens when you mess with Agent Mia."

"Pika!" Pikachu leaped forward, sparks flying from her cheeks.

The grunts' laughter died instantly. "Wait, wait—!"

"Thunderbolt!" I commanded.

Pikachu unleashed a powerful jolt, zapping the barricade and sending the grunts scrambling. They yelped and ran off, leaving the path clear.

"Mission accomplished," I said with a grin, giving Pikachu a high-five. "Now, let's go stop Team Rocket!"

As we ascended the stairs to the top floor, I couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement. Sure, this was risky, but stopping Team Rocket? Totally worth it.

Nothing could stop Agent Mia now.

Except Gary.

And Blue.

Climbing up the same staircase.

I yelped and dove for the bathroom.

Inside, there were a bunch of clothes which had been forgotten.

Among them was a violet dress which I thought would fit my body.

It did not.

" Well..... Could we say we're going to the beach after this?" I asked Pikachu as I applied loads of face paint on my face, pointing to the crop top I was wearing.

Pikachu tilted her head, looking at me like I had completely lost my mind. “Pika…”

“Look, Pikachu, desperate times call for desperate measures!” I whispered as I tied a scarf around my head and adjusted the ill-fitting crop top. The violet dress had been a total bust, but the random beachwear? Perfect for throwing Gary and Blue off my trail.

Or so I hoped.

I glanced in the mirror. My face paint looked like a toddler had attacked me with finger paints. I sighed. “Okay, maybe this is not my best work, but it’ll have to do. Just act natural, okay?”

“Pika…” Pikachu sighed, clearly giving up on questioning my methods.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the bathroom just as Gary and Blue reached the top of the stairs.

They froze, their eyes immediately locking onto me.

“Mia?” Gary asked, his voice filled with suspicion.

I gasped dramatically, throwing on an exaggerated accent. “Mia? Who is this Mia you speak of? I am… uh… Sophia Riviera, beachgoer extraordinaire!” I struck a pose, flipping the scarf around my neck for extra flair.

Blue blinked, clearly unimpressed. “Sophia Riviera?”

“Yes!” I said, clutching my nonexistent pearls. “And I was just on my way to the… uh… rooftop pool! Yes, that’s it! The pool!”

Gary crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing. “You’re terrible at lying, Mia.”

I huffed. “Well, maybe you’re just terrible at recognizing a disguise! Ever think about that, Gary?”

Pikachu facepalmed.

Blue sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Alright, enough of this. What are you really doing here?”

I took a step back, clutching Pikachu like a lifeline. “I, uh… I’m here to… get a suntan?”

Gary and Blue exchanged a look.

“You’re chasing after Team Rocket, aren’t you?” Gary said flatly.

“NO!” I blurted, far too loudly. “Absolutely not! Why would you even—okay, yes, but only because someone has to stop them!”

Blue groaned. “Mia, this is dangerous! You’re going to get yourself into serious trouble!”

“And what are you going to do about it?” I challenged, crossing my arms. “Ground me? Tell Professor Oak? Call Officer Jenny?”

Gary smirked. “Actually, I was thinking about dragging you back downstairs and locking you in a closet until this is over.”

I gasped. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Try me.”

Pikachu growled, sparks flying from her cheeks.

I smirked. " Pikachuuuu.... Now."

Pikachu let out a thunderbolt.

It shocked the boys, then made them black out

Quickly, I grabbed some rope, tied them together, and stuffed them into a bathroom stall

" Sorry, you just have to understand." I muttered as I closed the stall door.

Pikachu hopped onto my shoulder, her little face radiating smug satisfaction. “Chu!”

I grinned, patting her head. “Good girl. They’ll thank us later… probably.”

Turning back toward the staircase, I adjusted my makeshift disguise and started sneaking up to the next floor. “Alright, Pikachu, the plan is simple. We find Team Rocket, stop whatever shady nonsense they’re up to, and get out before Gary and Blue wake up and come after us.”

“Pika,” Pikachu agreed, giving a determined nod.

We crept through the hallways, dodging a couple of suspicious-looking guards and slipping into a small supply closet to regroup. “Okay,” I whispered, pulling out a blueprint I’d swiped earlier. “If my totally flawless detective instincts are correct, they’ve got to be in the penthouse. Typical Team Rocket. Always so dramatic.”

“Chu,” Pikachu muttered, rolling her eyes.

I was about to sneak out of the closet when I heard footsteps approaching. Holding my breath, I pressed myself against the wall, Pikachu perched tensely on my shoulder.

“Did you hear about the two kids knocked out in the bathroom?” a gruff voice asked.

My stomach dropped.

“Yeah,” another voice replied. “Apparently, some kid dressed like a clown and her Pikachu did it. Boss is not gonna be happy if she gets in his way.”

Pikachu and I exchanged a look.

“Great,” I whispered. “They’re onto us. Time to speed things up.”

I slipped out of the closet as soon as the guards passed, sprinting toward the emergency staircase leading to the rooftop. Bursting through the door, I froze.

There they were—Jessie, James, and Meowth, standing beside a massive machine that looked like it belonged in a sci-fi movie.

Jessie smirked, tossing her hair. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the twerpy little detective!”

James grinned. “And her overcharged rat!”

“Hey!” I snapped. “Pikachu is not a rat! She’s a highly trained… um… zappy professional!”

Pikachu facepalmed.

Meowth sneered. “Well, youse just walked right into our trap, kid. Say goodbye to yer Pikachu!”

Jessie hit a button, and a giant net shot out from the machine. Pikachu yelped as the net descended.

“Not today!” I shouted, diving forward and yanking Pikachu out of the way just in time. The net crashed to the ground, missing us by inches.

“Pikachu, Thunderbolt!”

Pikachu leapt from my arms, sparks flying as she unleashed a powerful bolt of electricity.

The machine exploded in a shower of sparks, sending Jessie, James, and Meowth flying into the sky.

“Looks like Team Rocket’s blasting off agaaaaaain!” they screamed, disappearing into the distance.

I dusted off my hands, grinning. “And that’s how you handle Team Rocket!”

Pikachu hopped back onto my shoulder, looking proud.

But my victory was short-lived as I heard a groan from behind me. Turning, I saw Gary and Blue stumbling out onto the rooftop, their hair frazzled and their faces set in matching glares.

“Mia,” Gary growled, “you’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

I gave them my most innocent smile. “Would you believe I just saved the day?”