Chapter 411:
Same Day, Same Time.
Team Rocket Headquarters.
"Oh?" Giovanni stroked the Persian purring in his lap. "Aside from Red getting involved, are there other facilities that weren't hit by the League?"
The operation had been devastatingly swift. From Giovanni's perspective, this couldn't have been Lance's doing alone. Red? Not him either. He'd been focused on his training on Mt. Silver since going up there. Among the various Kanto Gym Leaders and other Elite Four members, the only one with a possible motive was Agatha. But she was old; she should have long lost the drive for something like this.
The only real possibility was Blue. As a Breeder, he cared deeply for Pokémon—he had the motive. But did he have the capability?
As Matori projected a video in front of him, Giovanni's eyes widened.
On the screen were a pink-haired... youth? And a figure in white robes—judging by the build, a man. Beside them stood a... Gardevoir?
"Is that a Gardevoir?" Giovanni asked instinctively. "Most shiny Gardevoir are blue, correct?"
But this Gardevoir... A black gown, an imposing stance, and crimson light gleaming in its eyes—it was clearly no ordinary Gardevoir.
"Yes. It's these two and this Gardevoir. The pink-haired individual possesses terrifying psychic power. He can hypnotize nearly every Pokémon and researcher on an entire island in an instant," Matori adjusted her glasses, taking a deep breath. "This Gardevoir is equally formidable. Its power seems no less than Mewtwo's when it escaped."
"A human? With psychic power that strong?" Watching the footage, Giovanni's eyebrow twitched. He wanted to see more, but the transmission stuttered, dissolving into static snow.
Before the image could recover, Giovanni spoke. "That is not human. That's Mewtwo. It must be Mewtwo."
When the feed stabilized, they were at another facility. Then, the same pattern repeated. The second, the third, the fourth... Within just ten minutes, they had appeared at all five offshore facilities.
The sheer efficiency made Giovanni's eyes widen. He acknowledged the Gardevoir was powerful; he had battled Mewtwo himself. But the sea-based facilities... The closest were tens of kilometers apart. The two furthest were over five hundred kilometers apart!
*Five hundred kilometers!* Even Lance's Dragonite couldn't cover that distance in a few minutes.
The stunned silence wasn't Giovanni's alone. Matori, watching beside him, was equally speechless.
"Matori, what's your assessment?"
Matori: "???"
"Matori is unaware of any Psychic-type Pokémon capable of this level of spatial movement."
"Perhaps... he possesses another Pokémon that can traverse space? Sinnoh legends speak of a Spatial Deity..." She first cautiously offered her analysis, then raised a new issue. "Sir, some of our officers within the League are asking for instructions on how to handle this situation."
"Forget it. Let it go. Lance has mobilized such immense force this time. Opposing them further is meaningless. Tell them to prioritize their own safety and survival."
Giovanni picked up a cigar, clipped its end, his brow furrowed with unresolvable worry. Persian took the cue to leap from his lap onto the desk.
The facilities being raided? Annoying, but not heartbreaking. What truly pained him was the scale of this exposure. It had spread across all of Kanto. From now on, Team Rocket's operations in the region would likely shrink dramatically. Not only was a river of revenue drying up, but Team Rocket would also become synonymous with infamy in Kanto.
He issued another order to Matori: "For the foreseeable future, everyone is to lay low. I don't want to see anyone causing trouble at a time like this!"
"Understood, sir." Matori nodded obediently, then asked, "And the individuals in the video? Should we investigate?"
Giovanni's hand, holding the cigar, paused. He tapped the desk thoughtfully. After a long moment, he said, "Look into it, but keep it within Kanto. Don't extend the search to other regions."
"Understood!"
.....
The operation's progress was unexpectedly smooth. Perhaps Kaede's actions were too swift for Team Rocket to react. Or perhaps, with practice, the subsequent facilities took even less time.
In any case, by the time they returned to the first island, the League reinforcements had not yet arrived, and no Team Rocket backup was in sight.
Salamence and Dragonite stood guard on the island. The researchers and Team Rocket members hadn't vanished; they were huddled together, surrounded by the two Dragon-types, their faces etched with pure terror and shock, as if they had just endured something unspeakably horrifying.
Kaede, Gardevoir, and Mewtwo emerged from the sea, landing on the shore. Seeing Salamence's bloodshot eyes and Dragonite's conflicted, speechless expression, Kaede placed a hand on Salamence's side.
Immediately, he understood what had transpired.
Salamence had used Hyper Beam. It had used Dragon Claw. It had used Dragon Rush. It had unleashed every powerful move in its arsenal. The instruments, equipment, even the walls inside the facility—each strike carried devastating force. Yet, every single attack had deliberately missed the huddled group of humans, landing only on the inanimate machinery.
Through their connection, Kaede felt Salamence's raging fury. But he also sensed its restraint. It was afraid that going too far would create significant trouble for Kaede. Moreover, Salamence had come to understand that the true root of this suffering wasn't these low-level researchers, but those who had originally captured it, and those who demanded the fruits of such cruel research. It was because of them that Pokémon were captured, one after another.
Kaede patted Salamence's back, saying nothing. From this vantage point, Pidgeot could already be seen approaching in the sky, and speedboats were rapidly closing in on the water. The Kanto League's support had arrived.
"Roooaar!" Salamence looked down at the humans cowering beneath its claws. Their faces held nothing but fear. The desire to tear them apart, which had haunted countless nightmares, finally began to subside. One swipe of its claws—that's all it would take for these people now. But if captured, their future days would likely be miserable enough, wouldn't they?
"Salamence!" It turned its head to look at Kaede.
"Let's go home. We're going home." Kaede understood. He patted Salamence's back once more, then climbed onto it. With his remaining two Pokémon, they flew towards the opposite side of the island, descending into the water and entering the Distortion World, leaving a somewhat disgruntled Giratina behind.
*So... My help wasn't really needed after all?*