The next day, after spending a night at Steven’s mansion, Cain got into his new car and left Rustboro City.
However, before leaving Saffron City, he had sent Alec and Skye to Leafy Town to investigate the situation.
Alec had lived in the Hoenn region for a while, so he was quite familiar with local customs.
Additionally, Alec’s uncle owned property in Leafy Town, which ant entering the area unannounced wouldn’t raise unnecessary suspicion.
The purpose of his subordinates was to help Cain handle those tasks that, while necessary, were tedious and didn’t offer any tangible benefits.
After briefly observing Rustboro City, Cain learned about the situation of the underground forces in the Hoenn region.
Since there wasn’t a single power capable of commanding respect across the entire region, no one obeyed anyone, and every group was vying to beco the strongest.
It was utter chaos.
He hoped that a small town like Leafy Town would be sowhat better; otherwise, there would be too many issues to resolve.
The car was new and high-value, so it traveled at high speed.
In the world of Pokémon, such vehicles weren’t very popular, so it was rare to encounter another car on the road.
Between Rustboro City and Verdanturf Town, there was only one tunnel called the Rusturf Tunnel. Two hours later, Cain arrived in Verdanturf Town.
Without stopping, Cain continued along a sowhat bumpy road toward Leafy Town.
"If we want to develop Leafy Town, these kinds of ordinary roads must be improved. With such difficult routes, who would want to co to such a remote place?" Cain thought as he drove.
After two full hours of jolting along, he finally arrived in Leafy Town.
How to describe it?
When Cain arrived, he truly felt that it was a place too remote and rudintary.
Verdanturf Town and Leafy Town were both towns, but the difference between them was night and day.
At least in Verdanturf Town, there were so tall buildings as reference points. In Leafy Town, as far as the eye could see, the tallest building was no more than five stories high.
Many houses were small two- or three-story hos, built by their owners.
The streets of the town weren’t easy to navigate either.
The center of Leafy Town didn’t have bustling streets or crowds passing through; it felt as if one had left a luxurious city for a small, forgotten village in the mountains.
Following Alec’s directions, Cain headed directly to the lands and houses that Alec’s uncle had purchased.
Half an hour later, Cain finally reached the site.
Seeing six people waiting at the entrance, Cain got out of the car imdiately.
"Mr. Cain!" the six greeted him respectfully.
There was no need to worry about being seen since there were almost no people around.
The house was quite unique, five stories high, consisting of a front and rear building connected together.
Behind the house was a massive empty area, with mountains in the background.
As for the front and surroundings of the house, there were several kiloters of vacant land. According to Alec, the entire area belonged to his uncle, purchased at a very low price due to its remoteness.
"Let’s talk inside," Cain said, nodding and entering first.
Alec followed behind, giving Cain a brief explanation of the house’s layout and the use of each room.
First, the first floor was a large, open living area with no furniture.
The second floor had a large eting room equipped with a massive conference table and so necessary tools. Other rooms on the second floor served as offices for the team.
The third floor housed a training room, a kitchen, and a dining area, all spacious and well-equipped.
The fourth floor had a library and a rest area. Alec’s uncle had been quite ticulous when designing the house.
The fifth floor was dedicated to bedrooms. There were enough rooms to accommodate twenty or thirty people without issue.
The rear building belonged entirely to Cain. Although it had only two floors, it was fully furnished and equipped with all the anities.
Alec’s uncle had planned this house as a final refuge, but before he could use it, he was killed by Lucius.
Overall, Cain was quite satisfied with the place, as it had all the necessary facilities, saving a lot of ti.
"Let’s go to the eting room on the second floor," Cain said.
The six followed him to the second floor, where they sat around the elongated conference table.
Cain took the head seat, while Skye, Fox, Kai, and Rand sat on one side in that order. Alec and Miyamoto sat on the other side.
"First, I need to say sothing: from today onward, I want you all to get rid of any Team Rocket symbols you have, whether on your bodies or elsewhere," Cain declared.
Hearing this, the six exchanged glances, their expressions changing.
What did Cain an by this? Was he planning to leave Team Rocket? That would put them at risk of being hunted down, even in the Hoenn region!
"I have no intention of leaving Team Rocket," Cain clarified. "The Hoenn region is quite resistant to outside influences. If people find out we’re from Team Rocket, do you think they won’t hunt us down imdiately?"
"Although Hoenn’s underground forces are fragnted, all it would take is external pressure for a leader to erge and unify them. After all, nobody likes foreign forces."
"So it’s absolutely essential to remove any symbols or references to Team Rocket," Cain concluded.
The others breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he wasn’t planning to leave the organization.
"Now, I’ll talk about what we need to do moving forward."
"First: Tomorrow, everyone must register as hunters with the Hunter Guild. If you don’t know how, you can ask Miyamoto, who is familiar with the process."
"Second: Regardless of the current state of Leafy Town’s underground forces, we must bring them under our control and establish absolute dominance."
"Third: I’m going to establish a gym in Leafy Town to give us a public, respected identity."
"Those are the three main tasks we must accomplish in the near future. Of course, everything must be done step by step, and I will assign tasks to each of you accordingly."
Upon hearing Cain’s three objectives, everyone was stunned.
Registering with the Hunter Guild was fine. Catching Pokémon and earning so money would allow everyone to improve their skills more quickly.
Taking control of Leafy Town’s underground forces would be difficult, but if this was Team Rocket’s starting point in Hoenn, it made sense for Cain to take charge of those forces.
Though challenging, they were willing to do it.
But a gym?
They were from Team Rocket—they didn’t even have an official identity within the Pokémon League!
Let alone establish a gym, sothing only trusted League mbers could do.
How could that be possible?
(End of Chapter)
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