Inside a hotel room…
Ash, still basking in his championship victory, was in the middle of preparing a grand feast for his Pokémon.
And when we say grand, we an truly grand.
After all, just one Snorlax could devour more than most restaurants could prepare.
Ash spent half a day cooking everything.
Even with help from Misty, May, Dawn, Anabel, and his mom Delia, it still took that long!
As for Gary, Tyson, Brock, and Lucy—they'd already said their goodbyes to Ash.
Before parting, they all enjoyed one last al together.
But during that dinner… Gary was unusually silent.
Ash knew this was probably a sign—the guy had taken the loss pretty hard.
Ash didn't press him. So things just needed ti.
___
Later, after the grand feast…
Misty, having just helped clean up, leaned in to chat with Ash while May sat beside her.
Delia was packing for the trip ho. Dawn and Anabel were helping her organize.
Misty glanced toward Ash and said, "You know… that Tobias really was sothing else. I still can't believe he caught so many Legendary Pokémon."
Ash nodded calmly, hugging Pikachu close.
"Yeah. But Tobias… there's sothing off about him. And his 'Legendaries'—they're off too."
"Pika-chu," Pikachu added with a nod, clearly in agreent.
Ash continued, "I suspect he's tied to Team Rocket. His so-called 'Legendary Pokémon' don't feel authentic. If anything… they're like clones, just like wtwo."
At that, Ash summoned wtwo directly.
With a subtle hum, the powerful Psychic-type appeared in the room.
"You're right, Ash," wtwo said in his usual deep voice. "I sensed it too. That sa energy I once felt… the energy of artificial replication. They weren't real Legendaries."
"I was created using the best materials, with the most advanced equipnt Team Rocket had… but I destroyed that lab myself."
That could only an one thing: sohow… Team Rocket rebuilt the cloning tech.
Which made Tobias's Pokémon all the more suspicious.
Ash's eyes narrowed.
If Tobias had been allowed to win the Sinnoh League…
In a few years, would Tobias have been officially recognized as the Sinnoh Champion?
Think about it.
Really think about it.
That's terrifying.
It was a brilliant move on Team Rocket's part.
Let Tobias quietly climb the ranks, backed by cloned Legendaries, until he could infiltrate the League from the inside.
Ash felt it was necessary now—he had to return to Kanto.
Visit the Team Rocket HQ.
Pay Giovanni a little visit.
Yes. Right after spending so ti at ho with his mom—he'd head out.
...
anwhile…
In a dark, secluded room elsewhere…
Tobias casually tossed his silver trophy onto a desk.
This was his secret base of operations.
On the desk—a computer.
It was connecting to an encrypted line.
Connection established.
On screen appeared a slick-haired middle-aged man, smoking a thick cigar.
He didn't look surprised—only curious.
The cigar between his fingers twitched slightly.
He took a long drag.
A Persian leapt up onto the table and sat beside him.
Tobias bowed slightly. "Boss… the mission failed."
The man—Giovanni, supre leader of Team Rocket—rested a hand on Persian's head.
"Reason."
Tobias didn't hesitate. He relayed every detail.
"The sa kid again… the one who ruined our plans with wtwo. I didn't expect him to be here in Sinnoh too."
Giovanni's eyes narrowed. "So, he was the one who stopped us from taking the League?"
He leaned back.
"And now, he's even developed so kind of advanced evolution—ga Evolution…?"
Giovanni's mind raced.
If Team Rocket could replicate that tech…
And mass-produce it for their operatives…
Excellent.
Tobias—Rocket Agent #1.
Ash's suspicion? Spot-on.
"Darkrai. Latias. Latios. Articuno. Moltres. Regigigas," Giovanni said slowly. "What's the status on those six Legendaries?"
"We're nearly out of cloning materials, boss," Tobias admitted. "After wtwo, we used our rarest resources. They're practically gone now. It's a sha…"
Giovanni wasn't angry.
He was… contemplative.
"Only Regigigas sustained real damage?" he asked.
"Yes. Three deep claw marks from that kid's Charizard. But otherwise… operational."
"Good. Don't make waves for now. Agent #1, you may be under surveillance. Return to base—quietly."
"Understood."
___
So it was true.
Tobias—Team Rocket's secret weapon, their top operative.
All those Legendaries?
Created using Team Rocket's second-generation cloning machine.
But the materials used this ti weren't on par with what was used for wtwo.
Which is exactly why Ash noticed the flaws.
Yes.
Tobias's mission was exactly what Ash suspected—
To infiltrate and destabilize the Sinnoh League from within.
But it didn't stop there.
Giovanni had already planted agents in Indigo Plateau, Johto, and even Hoenn.
Years of silent infiltration.
All part of Giovanni's long ga.
The man never made a move unless it was part of a grand design.
On his screen, Ash's data was pulled up.
Giovanni stared at it… then dialed another number.
"Agent #2. Begin relocation. Move our headquarters to the fallback base. Make sure it's shielded against psychic or special sensory detection."
"Roger."
This—this was why Giovanni had managed to keep Team Rocket alive all these years.
Ambition paired with paranoia.
He was a true criminal mastermind.
He understood sothing that most villains didn't:
The patient shark always gets the prey.
Team Rocket survived not because of strength alone, but because of Giovanni's relentless caution.
If not for his vigilance, the coalition between Kanto and Johto would've already crushed Team Rocket long ago.
And Giovanni didn't even realize…
It was that very caution that once again saved Team Rocket from destruction.
Then…
He picked up the phone one more ti.
"If Agent #1 couldn't do it… then we'll use Galactic Squad."
"Saturn. Mars. Jupiter. Charon —ti to reinsert yourselves into Sinnoh. Quietly."
"Yes, sir!"
These four?
They were the very sa commanders once under Cyrus of Team Galactic—rescued and repurposed by Giovanni himself.
"Agent #3. Agent #4."
Another call.
"You're to head to Caran Palace. Locate the Tree of Beginning. I want results."
"Understood."
"Iron-Masked Marauder," Giovanni said, calling out another na. "Select a trio from the Rocket candidates. Train them well. Send them to Unova. Let them be our vanguard."
________
PS:
Caran Palace… rember it? Caran Palace is the exclusive location in Kanto, located north of the town of Rota, on an island in the center of a lake. Featured in Lucario and the Mystery of w, it is where Queen Ilene and her ancestor, Queen Rin, resided. According to official maps on the movie, Caran Palace and the town of Rota are located north of Mt. Silver, and is just northwest of Mt. Moon.
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals
Reviews
All reviews (0)