Chapter 300: We Can Take On Team Rocket!
The next morning.
A conference room at Indigo Plateau.
Goodshow sat at the head of the table, the Kanto Elite Four seated to one side, Looker standing before the projection screen. Lance, blood-red hair and a face carved from cold pride, stood with arms crossed; Koga sat with one leg over the other, arms folded, expression equally aloof. Karen still had her nose buried in an old tome, while Sabrina rested her chin on one hand, looking thoroughly bored.
"Everyone's here. Looker, go ahead."
Goodshow addressed her.
"Yes, sir. Per yesterday's report from the Sinnoh League — after deliberation, they've reached a conclusion: they'll recognize the legitimacy of Team Rocket's registered enterprises across the Sinnoh region." Looker's expression was grave, her tone heavy.
"That makes a full four regions now that have legalized Team Rocket's business operations."
"Four?" Koga's brow furrowed.
"Yes. Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Alola, where it all began."
"Alola's Team Rocket branch has developed the furthest of any of them — the Alola League itself is still newly established there, and was never in a position to push back against Team Rocket effectively to begin with."
"Word has it Team Rocket's own Alpaca Resort has essentially become the signature entertainment venue on Melemele Island."
Looker's voice remained heavy.
"Heh~ that Mammon fellow really does have some ability, doesn't he." Koga let out a cold chuckle, offering no clear judgment either way.
"So what exactly is today's meeting meant to decide? War against Team Rocket?" Karen looked up from her book, her voice rasping.
Lance remained expressionless as ever, utterly unreadable.
"The chairman and I went to meet with Mammon previously. The conversation didn't go well."
"Oh? What does Mammon actually want?" Karen's interest was piqued. Honestly, she found the young man genuinely fascinating — a Gym Leader's son who'd joined Team Rocket from nothing, climbed his way up through pure ability, and once fully grown into his power, had struck down the organization's original boss and taken his place — now standing as the head of one of this world's major powers. Setting aside Team Rocket's original conduct, that was a genuinely inspiring story, wasn't it?
"Team Rocket can guarantee they won't commit wrongdoing — but they want authority over the underworld's management, with the Pokémon League barred from interfering." Looker summarized concisely.
"Heheheh~ splitting the light and dark sides of the world with us, is it. Quite an ambitious young man." Karen's mouth curled into a smile, her aged face chilling in its amusement.
"Though don't you think a boy with an appetite this large might be moving a little too fast for his own good?"
"Not especially surprising. The man really is that arrogant." Koga scoffed, though honestly, she didn't harbor much genuine ill will toward Mammon. Arrogant as he was, he genuinely got things done, and enforced real discipline within Team Rocket — banning the theft of others' Pokémon, banning cruelty toward Pokémon, and so on. That alone tempered Koga's dislike of the new Team Rocket considerably. Her deep-seated hatred for the old Team Rocket, after all, had always stemmed from the fact that they'd never treated Pokémon as living beings — only as tools and test subjects. Mammon, by contrast, genuinely respected Pokémon.
"Team Rocket wants to rule the underworld free of League jurisdiction — wants Team Rocket entirely unconstrained by League oversight. That is absolutely unacceptable." Looker said firmly.
"We have no guarantee Team Rocket will remain as stable as it is now, and unconstrained means uncontrolled. What if, someday, Team Rocket's ambitions grow larger still?"
Hearing this, everyone in the room sank into thought.
Over the past century-plus, the Pokémon League had gradually risen to become this world's sole dominant power. And under the League's governance, while evil organizations and poacher networks still existed here and there, they'd remained a minority presence — the world, on the whole, had stayed peaceful and stable. Now, with Team Rocket rising to demand equal standing with the League itself, carving off a share of underworld authority — that was, understandably, cause for real concern.
But what worried Goodshow and Looker wasn't a shrinking of the League's own power, exactly — it was the destabilizing risk Team Rocket itself represented. When it came down to it, unified order was the surest path to lasting stability. The moment an uncontrolled power entered the equation, that stability became fragile, easily shattered. Especially with Team Rocket demanding sole management of the underworld and insisting the League stay entirely out of it — that made the concern considerably more pressing.
"So, Chairman, what's your view?" Karen asked quietly, looking to Goodshow.
"I can't agree to Mammon's demands. Whatever else, granting Team Rocket this much latitude is simply not a good idea." Goodshow shook his head.
"Quite the rare show of backbone from you, Chairman." Karen teased with a laugh.
Goodshow let out a wry chuckle, recognizing the jab at some of his past decisions. Still, the two of them were old partners by now — a little ribbing like this was harmless enough.
"I agree with that assessment as well. Team Rocket, under Mammon's leadership, has transformed from an evil organization into something with real discipline and structure, sure — but letting them govern the underworld carries enormous risk regardless." Karen mused, leaning on her cane.
"Put bluntly — set this precedent, and the League's authority inevitably erodes. That's never a positive outcome for long-term stability. And we have no real means of restraining Team Rocket besides."
"So there's no room to negotiate at all?" Karen asked Goodshow and Looker.
"Mammon's position was extremely firm." Looker shook her head.
"That does make things difficult. If it comes down to actual war with Team Rocket, the losses could be incalculable." Karen mulled it over.
"Team Rocket's confidence fundamentally comes down to Mammon himself. If we had a way to defeat him personally, we'd regain the upper hand in this negotiation." Koga said flatly.
Right — when it came down to it, wasn't Team Rocket's current unshakeable confidence rooted entirely in Mammon's belief that Team Rocket outmatched the League? If the League could actually beat Team Rocket, Mammon wouldn't be able to afford this level of arrogance. And Mammon surely had no desire for a mutually destructive war with the League either — there'd be no benefit in that for him. His Team Rocket, after all, wasn't out to conquer the world.
"What makes Team Rocket so strong right now isn't just Mammon individually — though he certainly is the single most important factor." Goodshow sighed. He'd genuinely never expected they'd find themselves this troubled by a single organization.
"It also comes down to Legendary Pokémon. If Lance here had one of his own, we wouldn't need to fear Team Rocket quite so much." Looker said, exasperated.
Lance said nothing, only his sharp brows knitting slightly. For all his cold pride, and his genuine belief that his Dragon Corps had no equal, Mammon's track record really was formidable.
"There's a way. We, too, could have Legendary Pokémon of our own."
Karen's grin, at that, turned genuinely sinister.
"?!"
Everyone else in the room startled at that.
"I found a method in this old text for obtaining a Legendary Pokémon. I believe we should attempt it — have Lance take command of that Legendary."
Karen said slowly.
"Excellent work, Karen!" Goodshow brightened.
"Is this information reliable?" Koga looked skeptical.
"It should be accurate. Though we'll need to prepare additional materials — the eight original badges from the very first generation," Karen confirmed.
"Consider it done! I'll have Giovanni and the other Gym Leaders send over the original badges." Goodshow trusted Karen implicitly on this.
"If Lance secures a Legendary Pokémon, and we add Giovanni's own Primal Groudon, and mobilize additional forces from other regions—"
"We can take on Team Rocket!"
Looker's mind raced through the odds of victory. Team Rocket was exceptionally powerful, sure, but the League had a real chance here — this wasn't a fight to the death, after all, but a contest over "authority." If the League could genuinely overpower Team Rocket in this confrontation, they'd have the standing to refuse Team Rocket's demands outright. Fail, and they'd simply have to accept whatever demands came next, likely worse than these.
"If we can still negotiate, that would be preferable—" Goodshow hesitated.
"Chairman, there's no room left to negotiate on this. We must demonstrate our military strength to Team Rocket directly, or they'll only grow more entrenched and demanding." Looker urged him, in dead earnest.
Wiping out Team Rocket entirely was, given the current balance of power, essentially off the table. But the League absolutely had to preserve its own standing and authority in Team Rocket's eyes — otherwise, today it was demanding rule over the underworld, and tomorrow what — demanding the Pokémon League rename itself the Rocket League? Strength was the only real currency that mattered here. Only by breaking Team Rocket's current momentum could the League hope to keep them in check.
"Alright." Goodshow sighed inwardly. If it had been up to him, he'd genuinely have preferred a peaceful resolution. But under these circumstances, Mammon clearly wasn't backing down, and neither was the League — which left only one option: a real, unambiguous fight. The victor would get to keep what they wanted.
...
Near the Tree of Beginning.
"Whoa~ the Pokémon around here feel really strong."
A boy in a baseball cap stared in astonishment at the Kangaskhan locked in a fierce battle with his own Dragonite up ahead. Sure, his Dragonite had only just evolved, hadn't been with him long at all — but it was still impressively strong in its own right. And the Kangaskhan across from it was a wild one, no less.
"Yeah, the wild Pokémon around here are running unusually high-level across the board. Can't believe we never noticed this place before," Brock said, equally amazed.
After finishing off the wild Kangaskhan, Ash and his companions pressed onward. The environment here really was beautiful — fruit trees dotting the landscape everywhere, clear evidence of just how resource-rich this area was.
"So sweet~"
"Pika~chu!"
Ash plucked a large apple from a branch, wiped it off, and took a bite — his eyes lighting up instantly. Pikachu, perched on his shoulder, held an apple of its own, thoroughly delighted.
Just then, the sound of fierce battle rang out from somewhere nearby — along with what sounded like voices.
"Huh? Someone's up ahead?"
Ash's group startled, hurrying toward the sound. Reaching an open clearing, Ash spotted two figures right away — a chestnut-haired girl in a black dress, and a red-haired boy. The boy was currently in the middle of battle, directing a Teddiursa against—
"That's — the legendary... Regirock?!"
Brock stared, stunned, at the rock-bodied Pokémon across the clearing. Wasn't that one of the legendary giants?
"Huh? Someone snuck their way in here too? Wait — Red? No, you're not Red."
The girl in the black dress turned, her bright, striking eyes sweeping over the three of them with an easy, charming smile — before tilting her head in confusion at the sight of Ash. The resemblance between the two boys was uncanny.
"Do you know my brother?" Ash's eyes lit up.
"Oh my, oh my~ so you're Red's little brother, huh. I'm Blue — a friend of Red's." Blue flashed a dazzling grin, waving at the three of them.
"And that's Silver, my little brother — though he's a bit busy with a capture battle right now." Blue pointed toward Silver.
"Ohh." Ash blinked, watching the red-haired boy directing his Teddiursa as it steadily overpowered Regirock. That Teddiursa is seriously strong! And why did this "Silver" kid's features seem oddly familiar somehow? Ash scratched his head, puzzled — the guy also carried this distinctly icy, standoffish air, like he wasn't exactly easy to get along with.
"Oh, right — how did you three even get in here?" Blue asked, curious.
"Huh? You mean you can't just walk in?" Ash looked thoroughly confused at the question.
"Wait — you didn't run into any security?" Blue looked even more confused.
"Nope."
"..."
(End of Chapter)
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