"The Masked Corps is under your control now?"
Hearing this, Giovanni glanced curiously at Gardevoir.
He vaguely rembered soone ntioning earlier that Elias's Gardevoir had connections to the Masked Corps, but he'd paid little attention at the ti.
Now, hearing it from Gardevoir herself, Giovanni beca genuinely intrigued.
"Of course."
Gardevoir proudly lifted her head upon hearing his inquiry.
"For the past few years, I've been the leader of the Masked Corps."
"Our recent expansion into Sinnoh was also planned entirely by ."
Giovanni nodded approvingly after hearing Gardevoir's explanation.
To have already arranged her organization's growth trajectory so swiftly after returning from the Distortion World clearly demonstrated Gardevoir's remarkable capability. Moreover, the Masked Corp had grown rapidly over recent years—already establishing itself as a regional powerhouse in Johto, even surpassing Team Rocket's influence there.
Giovanni pondered briefly before saying:
"How about this—the assets Team Rocket obtained in Sinnoh can be partly ceded to the Masked Corp."
"In return, I'd ask for more collaborative operations between our two organizations."
Given the Masked Corp's promising potential—and the fact that Gardevoir was Elias's Pokémon, making her practically one of his own—this concession was undoubtedly a profitable move for Giovanni.
anwhile, watching Giovanni and Gardevoir openly discussing how to split Sinnoh's resources between their criminal organizations, Cynthia—Sinnoh's Champion—couldn't help but feel a bit stunned.
These two criminal bosses were casually dividing up her region as if she weren't even there.
Cynthia sighed inwardly, sending Elias a helpless glance.
Still, despite her mild indignation, she quietly morized the list of businesses Giovanni and Gardevoir casually ntioned.
For the mont, Cynthia had no intention of taking action against Team Rocket or the Masked Corp.
Firstly, Sinnoh's current Alliance strength might not be sufficient to handle these two formidable criminal organizations simultaneously—especially given Elias's strong connections to Giovanni and Gardevoir.
Secondly, these criminal groups weren't entirely detrintal.
Surprisingly, under Team Rocket's organized managent, businesses often thrived better than before, yielding increased tax revenue for the Alliance. And once these enterprises beca sufficiently profitable, the Alliance could conveniently raid their operations—thus greatly benefiting Sinnoh's economy in the long run.
After so brief negotiations, Gardevoir finalized a cooperation agreent with Giovanni. Cynthia quietly noted down several businesses' nas, deciding she'd revisit them whenever Sinnoh's coffers ran low.
After having dinner at Team Rocket's base, Elias returned to his temporary room.
His phone suddenly vibrated:
[Elias, are you there?]
Seeing Lance's ssage, Elias guessed the other must have sothing important to discuss.
[Yes.]
He quickly replied.
Lance responded almost instantly:
[Can you drop by the Kanto Alliance Headquarters tomorrow?]
[I've got a surprise waiting for you.]
He even attached a Dragonite sticker to emphasize the authenticity of his claim.
Elias stared thoughtfully at his phone, unsure what Lance could possibly be planning.
Finally, he replied:
[As long as it's nothing too bizarre, I'll co by.]
Conveniently, he'd already planned to leave Team Rocket's base tomorrow. Lance's invitation was an excellent opportunity to take Cynthia and the others to explore Kanto.
Moreover, Elias hadn't forgotten—he was officially still a rookie trainer who'd only recently left Pallet Town, aiming to beco a Pokémon Master.
Earlier, he'd even promised Professor Oak that he'd catch so rare Pokémon for research. Perhaps he should take the chance to introduce Oak to w, wtwo, Latias, Hisuian Zoroark, his uniquely colored Gardevoir, and Giratina lurking quietly in the shadows.
Thinking about this, Elias smiled unconsciously.
"Elias, your smile looks a bit strange."
Just then, the wooden door swung open as Gardevoir and Latias entered.
Latias had been lucky tonight, beating Zoroark and w repeatedly in their gas—thus earning the right to sleep indoors.
Shifting gracefully, Latias reverted to her human form—a slender, red-haired girl standing elegantly before Elias.
Noticing her appearance, Elias felt an odd sense of déjà vu. Earlier today, w had transford into exactly this form, making him seriously wonder what questionable materials that silly kitten had been secretly viewing.
"It's still early—shall we wait a bit before sleeping?" Elias asked, glancing at both Pokémon.
"Mm."
"Gar~"
Neither Latias nor Gardevoir had any objections.
Stepping quietly toward the window, Gardevoir gazed thoughtfully into the moonlit night.
It was another full moon, yet the atmosphere was unexpectedly calm and peaceful. With Team Rocket's tight defenses, even aggressive wild Pokémon couldn't approach this island easily.
"Oh right, Gardevoir—could your Masked Corp keep an eye out for Dialga and Palkia?"
"And Tias, your monitoring equipnt should be capable too, right?"
Recalling important business, Elias turned seriously toward the two Pokémon.
There were still so people he deeply wished to see again in Hisui.
But traveling back required assistance from those two legendary dragons.
Hearing this request, Gardevoir and Latias nodded in unison.
---
Elsewhere in the base, Cynthia was also on a call.
The caller ID displayed Diantha—Champion of the Kalos Region.
"I heard about you, Cynthia," Diantha teased lightly. "Visiting your crush's ho... Those definitely aren't words I'd have imagined hearing from you."
Mimicking Cynthia's composed tone, Diantha playfully poked fun at her friend. Both female Champions shared a close relationship, and upon learning Cynthia was safe, Diantha had imdiately called her up.
"What would you know," Cynthia murmured, a faint blush appearing under the gentle moonlight. Normally calm and collected, even during intense battles, Cynthia now felt uncharacteristically flustered.
"Oh, don't tell your crush is actually an Aerodactyl, or perhaps a Kabutops?" Diantha teased further, enjoying Cynthia's rare embarrassnt.
Not often did she have the chance to tease Cynthia like this.
"In any case, congratulations," Diantha finally said gently, deciding not to tease her friend too harshly.
She trusted Cynthia's judgnt and knew whoever had captured her attention must be soone truly exceptional.
"If you get the chance, let et him."
"I'll help you inspect the rchandise," Diantha joked warmly.
Sensing Cynthia's silence, Diantha quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, let's not talk about that for now. Where are you exactly?"
"I heard you aren't in Sinnoh at the mont?"
Diantha rembered Cynthia had asked her to help locate a [Lucarionite], the [ga Stone] for Lucario. Now that she'd finally acquired it, she'd planned to deliver it personally—but Cynthia apparently wasn't ho.
For a champion to leave their own region at this ti, Diantha couldn't help but be curious.
At Diantha's question, Cynthia's eyes suddenly lit up, sensing a perfect opportunity for retaliation.
She curled her lips playfully, replying casually:
"I'm currently at Team Rocket's base."
Diantha: ?
---
T/N: heh
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