"Have you confirmed the target's whereabouts?" Giovanni asked again.
Lt. Surge found the question a little strange, but there was no reason to ask why. He quickly replied, "We've already assigned people to watch the target around the clock. There won't be any problems."
"Good..." Giovanni seemed to relax a little. "Keep a close eye on the target from now on. Report anything unusual immediately."
"Yes, sir," Lt. Surge answered respectfully.
* * *
Saffron City, top floor of the Silph Co. building.
Sunlight poured through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, shining from behind the man. From the front, only a dark silhouette could be seen.
Click!
The call ended.
Giovanni stood quietly before the window. A faint light flickered in his deep eyes, making the people in front of him afraid to meet his gaze.
"Surge says there are no issues with Zapdos. What about Articuno and Moltres? Have you confirmed them?"
"Articuno has already been captured. We've confirmed its identity." Sabrina sat on the sofa, casually playing with her hair as if she had nothing to do with the discussion.
"And Moltres?" Giovanni turned his eyes toward the secretary.
The secretary stammered nervously. "Th... the leader... Moltres lives in extremely remote places. The Zapdos that Executive Surge found was only an exception..."
Giovanni's voice immediately turned cold. "So you're saying Surge only succeeded because he got lucky? Then was Sabrina also just lucky enough to capture Articuno?"
"I gave both teams the same amount of time. Surge happened to find that hidden Zapdos by chance, while your team claimed you had already found Moltres' trail. In the end, you came back with nothing."
As soon as he finished speaking, even Sabrina looked at the secretary with clear displeasure.
The secretary trembled violently and did not dare say another word.
Off to the side, Koga dropped to one knee. "Boss, I'm willing to take over this mission and handle it myself."
"Good." Giovanni gave a slight nod. "You've rested long enough. Go."
"Yes, sir."
Koga had barely stood up before he used some unknown technique. In an instant, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Sabrina." Giovanni's voice became even colder. "Take care of it, then get back to work."
"Understood."
Sabrina slowly stood up. Although she still looked young, she carried an overwhelming presence that made people instinctively fear her.
The secretary's legs were already shaking uncontrollably. Before he even had the chance to beg for mercy, psychic power swept him away and both of them vanished.
The enormous room was left with only Giovanni.
He slowly walked to the center sofa, sat down, and closed his eyes in thought.
On the coffee table lay a document titled: Hunters Guild Suppression Operation Report.
It was a copy of the same report that Goodshow had read not long ago. It gave a detailed account of the battle between the two seated hunters, W and J, at the Hunters Guild headquarters. Naturally, it also mentioned the two Legendary Pokémon.
Articuno and Moltres, both at Master-level.
Moreover, judging from their control over their type energy, they were suspected to be the leaders of their species and possessed authority…
But Team Rocket had already captured Articuno a year ago. It was the leader of the Kanto Articuno flock.
Giovanni had already ordered a thorough investigation. There were no more than five Articuno across both Kanto regions. It was impossible for two Legendary Pokémon with authority over ice and leader-level potential to suddenly appear.
But if the one Team Rocket had captured was the real one… Then where did the Articuno that appeared at the Hunters Guild come from? And what about that Moltres?
Were they the Legendary Birds from another region?
A trainer capable of capturing one of the Legendary Birds would need at least Champion-level strength.
Since when had Sinnoh gained a Champion-level trainer like that?
Tap, tap, tap…
Giovanni's fingers kept tapping the table as a growing sense of urgency filled him.
'Hunter W won control of the Hunters Guild and has already reached an agreement with the League. Goodshow is closing in step by step. I have to complete the plan as soon as possible... It's a shame I still can't get the actual document.'
Goodshow had indeed prepared an official document, but he kept it on him at all times. Vice Chairman Abbot refused to reveal anything, leaving no way to break through.
It almost seemed as if Goodshow already knew Team Rocket had an informant inside League headquarters who had been feeding them information all this time. Because of that, Giovanni had no choice but to order those people to stay hidden for now.
What puzzled him the most was Hunter W's cooperation with Goodshow.
The man had somehow convinced the League to absorb the Hunters Guild. Goodshow had even agreed to remove the ban and was intentionally downplaying the Hunters Guild's status as an evil organization… It was impossible not to be curious.
When had someone this capable appeared in the world?
Who exactly was Hunter W?
Hidden within the shadow cast by the sunlight, Giovanni slowly revealed a cold smile as numerous possibilities ran through his mind.
* * *
The Hoenn League was just as busy today.
Concerned citizens had reported that Team Aqua had carried out a criminal operation at the Oceanic Museum in Slateport City. According to the report, several museum exhibits had been stolen.
At the same time, someone had accidentally discovered Team Magma conducting secret operations near Mt. Chimney.
Ever Grande City, Hoenn League Headquarters.
The telephones rang nonstop as operators sat only a few meters apart in four or five long rows, yet none of them had a moment to put down their receivers.
Outside the office, three of the members of Hoenn's Elite Four had been called over. Each wore a different expression.
"Damn it. Can't these evil organizations stay quiet for even one day?" Sidney cursed.
Despite his rather feminine name, he looked every bit like a street thug. His bright red half-mohawk, fighting uniform, cropped pants, shiny leather shoes, and naturally fierce expression made him look anything but friendly.
Sidney specialized in Dark-type Pokémon.
Perhaps it was because trainers gradually became like their Pokémon. Some researchers were studying this phenomenon. They believed trainers and their Pokémon slowly started to resemble one another, much like married couples eventually sharing similar features.
Standing nearby, the veteran trainer Drake quietly observed everyone around him.
As he lowered his head in thought, he tried to remember which researcher had been studying that topic.
The similarity between trainers and Pokémon?
Oh, right. It seemed to be a paper published by one of the assistants working under that new young professor.
The research institute was only halfway finished, yet it had already been named the Hoenn Research Institute.
"How crude."
A calm voice suddenly interrupted Drake's thoughts.
Not far away stood a blonde young woman dressed in an elegant gown that resembled the clothing of a noble lady. She looked at Sidney with open contempt.
"I can't believe I have to work with someone like you. The standards for becoming one of Hoenn's Elite Four are truly pathetic."
Glacia, an Ice-type specialist, was also one of Hoenn's newly appointed Elite Four.
Drake rubbed his forehead with a helpless sigh.
It was true that two veteran Elite Four members had retired one after another, leaving the League short-handed. That was why the selection standards had been relaxed and two younger trainers had been recruited.
Both of them possessed at least Gym-level strength. Still, they clearly needed a lot more experience.
Perhaps that young professor had a way to smooth out their rough personalities.
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