So much treasure, gone without a trace. Team Rocket had been hijacked by a hijacker.
Talon's heart felt as if it had been trampled over by ten thousand Tauros.
"It's too late. Everyone, retreat!"
By the time Apollo received the terrible news, he was already inside the Team Rocket stealth submarine.
"Hmph, that little thief who stole the treasure must still be on the ship." Apollo's teeth ground together with a sharp clack, his eyes filled with malice. "All my hard work, only for someone else to reap the rewards? Since that's the case, you can all sink to the bottom of the sea to feed the Sharpedo!"
Apollo ordered Talon to press the detonation switch for the explosives rigged throughout the liner.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Team Rocket submarine suddenly spun violently in the water.
"What happened?!" Apollo yelled, frantically grabbing onto a support handle as the vessel tilted.
After a long while, the spinning stopped. The grunt responsible for piloting the sub had been knocked unconscious. Talon, suppressing his nausea, pushed the grunt aside and began a diagnostic check. The monitors were flashing red in multiple sectors.
"Lord Apollo, multiple systems are reporting critical failures. This sub is no longer fit for long-range travel. We must reach the nearest island for repairs immediately."
Talon looked at the data and added, "The shockwave just now... it was caused by our own explosives. It seems the League Elite Four found them and threw them into the sea near our path before they went off."
"Useless! All of you are useless!" Apollo was nearly bursting with rage. His long-planned operation had ended with him "going for the hen and losing the grain"—failing to get the prize and losing his own resources in the process.
Just then, Apollo received a video call from Giovanni.
"Apollo, you have utterly failed me!" Giovanni's voice was white-hot with fury. "Do you not know that Sasaki Taro is our biggest financier? And yet you openly kidnapped him under the Rocket name! Your stupidity has made us a public target! Now the League is on high alert, and any move we make is under investigation!"
"Goodshow must be laughing at me right now for offending our golden goose. Get back here. I want to see you in my office in twenty-four hours." Giovanni cut the connection.
"I'm finished... I've really stepped in it this time," Apollo muttered, his eyes vacant.
After hanging up on Apollo, Giovanni called Sasaki Taro.
"Mr. Sasaki, my apologies. My subordinates acted without my oversight. I hope you are unharmed."
"Leader Giovanni, your people are certainly... ambitious," Sasaki replied, his voice heavy with anger. "Kidnapping me is one thing—money is just a pile of numbers to me. But your man should not have laid a finger on my Divine Crystals. They vanished in the chaos."
"I understand. Tell me, Mr. Sasaki... would you be interested in possessing the Legendary Birds?" Giovanni asked suddenly.
"The Birds? So you did capture them. I'm very interested. Are you willing to hand them over?" Sasaki's anger vanished instantly, replaced by greed. Legendary Pokémon were far more valuable than crystals.
"Haha, Rocket is currently developing cloning technology for them. If you're interested, I can send a few specimens your way as compensation."
"Clones, eh? Well, it's better than nothing. No one will know the difference." Sasaki chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up, mollified.
Two hours later, the sky over the Sea Star was filled with armed helicopters. As they touched down, a short, white-bearded old man in a sharp suit hurried out. This was President Goodshow. He leaned on his cane and walked quickly to Sasaki Taro's side.
Feng Che watched their intimate conversation from a distance, rolling his eyes. After registering with the League inspectors, he retreated to his cabin.
I've made a killing this time. If Apollo knew I was the one who cleared out his vault, he'd cough up blood.
He opened the small box he had swiped. Inside were three irregular crystals: fiery red, bright yellow, and deep blue.
"The Fire, Thunder, and Water Divine Crystals," Feng Che whispered. "Legendary resources crystallized from the blood of the Gods. Sasaki truly is a titan of wealth. Now, the resources for Torracat and Frogadier's evolutions are secured."
He looked at his team: Ditto, Corvisquire, Torracat, Frogadier, Venusaur, and Aerodactyl. Once I find the relics in the Embedded Tower, their strength will be unimaginable.
One Day Later: Cianwood City
Giovanni had postponed the attack on the League to let the heat from the kidnapping die down.
This works for me, Feng Che thought. It gives me more time to train.
He headed toward Route 47 in Johto. When he arrived at the Embedded Tower, he froze. The site looked like a war zone. Half the tower had been reduced to rubble, with debris scattered everywhere.
"Something happened here... something big," Feng Che muttered, looking at the ruins. "The tower was massive, and now half is gone. Where am I supposed to find the relics now?"
The Sea Star
Goodshow and Sasaki were sitting together.
"What?! You've captured Rayquaza?!" Sasaki shouted, losing his composure. He coughed to cover his shock. "Is this true?"
"It is," Goodshow said, showing him a tablet. On the screen, a massive green dragon was imprisoned in a high-tech alloy cage, weak from continuous electrical shocks. "Unfortunately, its 'Dragon Messenger' escaped during the struggle. We are currently developing a device to control it. Once it's ready, Kanto will be a League with a True God under its command."
"But we lack the funds to finish the project," Goodshow added pointedly.
"No problem," Sasaki agreed instantly. "The stronger you are, the better my business thrives. Tell me the number—it's just a bit of money."