Team Rocket Headquarters
The Senior Executives were gathered in Giovanni's office. A heavy silence filled the room, and Apollo, in particular, found it hard to lift his head. He truly hadn't known that Sasaki Taro was one of the secret financial pillars of Team Rocket. If he could do it over, he never would have made such a blunder. This hijacking had yielded nothing but trouble.
"According to the intel sent by Feng Che, the Kanto League has successfully captured Rayquaza," Giovanni began, his voice cold. "It is currently being held in Goldenrod City, Johto."
"Goodshow kept this extremely quiet. Even the news of their battle with Rayquaza was buried by the media frenzy surrounding the Sea Star hijacking." As he said this, Giovanni shot a meaningful glare at Apollo.
Apollo's face turned bright red, and he lowered his gaze further. The other Executives nearby wore expressions of thinly veiled schadenfreude.
"Listen well. The capture of Rayquaza is a matter of life and death for Team Rocket," Giovanni continued grimly. "If Goodshow tames it, our Mewtwo project and the Triple-Bird Fusion will become worthless. Attacking the League now would be walking into a trap, giving Goodshow the perfect excuse to mobilize his forces and wipe us out."
"Sabrina, is there any way for you to infiltrate the Goldenrod lab and release Rayquaza undetected?" Giovanni asked.
"I can't," Sabrina shook her head helplessly. "Lady Alice, the League's hidden Psychic Elite, has powers no less than mine. If I get close to Rayquaza, she will sense me instantly."
"Koga, what about you? Can you slip into the city?"
"The intelligence says Rayquaza is in the Sky Tower," Koga replied in a low voice. "But we don't know which floor. I suggest we gather more specific intel before making a move."
"Since Feng Che is already there and discovered this, let's leave the scouting to him," Koga proposed. "Let him find a way into the tower to gather data. Once we have the layout, we can formulate a rescue plan."
"Very well. Koga, you and Surge coordinate with him. If we can capture Rayquaza for ourselves, that's ideal. If not, we must at least ensure the League cannot tame it."
Goldenrod City Safehouse
Shiori had fallen into a deep, drug-induced sleep.
"Lola, these herbs contain sedative properties. Shiori will sleep for three days and nights," Feng Che instructed. "Take care of her. By the time she wakes, her body should be mostly recovered."
Feng Che took out the token Shiori had given him: a palm-sized dragon scale. Rayquaza had given it to her on her eighth birthday, and after years of being nourished by her Viridian-like dragon power, it had become a top-tier relic. If Feng Che could show this to Rayquaza, the dragon would temporarily follow his lead, allowing for an escape.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Feng Che received an encrypted message from Sabrina.
Sabrina: Boss Giovanni is taking your intel very seriously. Sabrina: Koga and Surge are being dispatched to Johto. Sabrina: You are tasked with infiltrating the Sky Tower to gather data on Rayquaza. Sabrina: Orders are: capture Rayquaza if possible. If not, destroy the League's control over it at all costs. It's too big a threat to leave in their hands.
The League capturing Rayquaza has really put Giovanni on edge, Feng Che thought. A few seconds later, another message popped up.
Sabrina: Be careful.
Feng Che smiled at those two words. I was planning to sneak in anyway. If I can get the approval of a "Big Boss" like Rayquaza, I'll have the support of a Super-God. High-tier beings like that hate being in debt; the favor he'd owe me would be priceless.
Plus, this is the perfect chance to boost Corvisquire's potential. As the king of the skies, even a few scraps of Rayquaza's resources could boost my bird's potential ten times over.
"Ditto, I'm counting on you for this one."
The Embedded Tower Ruins
A girl with short brown hair, a grey cape, and bare feet landed on the ruins atop a Salamence. She looked at the decimated tower and sighed.
This was Zinnia, the future leader of the Draconids. "I heard the Lord of the Sky was attacked and rushed here as fast as I could. At least I can still sense that my sister is alive."
Zinnia had a special resonance with Shiori. "I'll scout the area. I need to know who took him and where he's being hidden." Though young, Zinnia was already an Elite-tier trainer with a terrifying talent for battle.
Goldenrod Sky Tower
As a landmark of the city, the Sky Tower usually attracted thousands of tourists. It also housed the League's regional offices. However, since Rayquaza's arrival, the tower had been placed under lockdown, sparking outrage among the tourists.
Executives Blaze and Alice were currently patrolling the perimeter under Goodshow's orders.
"The Gym Leader exams are coming up, and applicants are piling up. Keeping the tower closed like this is going to cause a PR nightmare," Alice noted worriedly.
"Alice, if we tame Rayquaza, the Kanto League will stand at the top of the world," Blaze said coldly. "We can reclaim Johto and end the Tin Tower's dominance once and for all. You should know which is more important."
The Kanto and Johto regions were once a unified territory, but due to the resistance of the Tin Tower, the Kanto League had been forced to cede half their land.
"Have you set up the psychic barrier yet?" Blaze asked. "We need an early warning if anyone tries to break in."
"Do you think my psychic power grows on trees?" Alice snapped. "Covering the entire exterior of the Sky Tower? Have you no shame even asking that?"
"Enough," Goodshow barked, approaching them. "Alice, you must set the barrier. If you lack the energy, I'll authorize a squad of Duosion to act as batteries for you. If we tame Rayquaza, I will personally petition the High League to recognize you as official Kanto Elites, rather than just 'Shadow' Elites."
Sky Tower Perimeter
Disguised as a tourist, Feng Che released several microscopic drone bots to scan the tower's structure.
Intel says Alice is a psychic on par with Sabrina, Feng Che thought. I need to get inside before she completes the barrier. Once I'm in, I can't use high-level psychic powers or she'll sniff me out.
He looked at the tower. The ground was swarming with guards, and a flock of Murkrow patrolled the skies. Getting in was going to be a headache.