The response from her subordinate was completely beyond Lorelei's expectations.
Team Galactic?
That's a Sinnoh-based organization. Why on earth are they suddenly showing up in the Sevii Islands?
Having Team Rocket in the Sevii Islands was already a headache. Now, with Team Galactic thrown into the mix, Lorelei felt an even greater sense of dread.
Especially at such a crucial time...
"How many of them?" Lorelei asked.
Her only hope now was that Team Galactic hadn't sent too many people.
If they had come in force, Team Rocket—given their usual methods—would definitely engage in all-out combat. And if that happened, the entire Sevii Islands region would descend into chaos.
"We don't have an exact number... but there's a lot of them."
That response only made Lorelei's mood worse.
"It looks like I have to return to the Sevii Islands."
Becoming Champion was important, but the Sevii Islands were her home. As their long-standing protector, she couldn't just stand by and watch them turn into a battlefield for Team Rocket and Team Galactic.
Besides, the Sevii Islands were a crucial support base for her candidacy. No matter what, she couldn't allow this to happen.
...
After instructing her subordinates to closely monitor Team Rocket and Team Galactic, and to report any developments immediately, Lorelei hung up the call.
She turned to find the others in the room looking at her expectantly.
She gave them a brief summary of the situation in the Sevii Islands.
Upon hearing it, everyone frowned.
A crisis like this, right when the Champion election was underway, was the last thing anyone wanted.
Especially since one of the candidates for Champion was directly involved.
That said, no one suspected Giovanni of orchestrating this incident to sabotage Lorelei.
After all, this whole mess had been caused by Sinnoh's Team Galactic. And Giovanni, as a former Kanto Gym Leader and the current Ground-type Elite Four, had no conceivable way of influencing Team Galactic.
When Lorelei announced her intention to personally return to the Sevii Islands, everyone's frowns deepened.
"If you go now, you might not make it back in time," Agatha said, leaning on her cane from her seat on the sofa.
With her many years of experience as an Elite Four, she could smell the danger in this situation.
Did Team Galactic not know that the Sevii Islands were Team Rocket's turf?
Of course they did!
For them to come anyway meant they were fully prepared for a confrontation.
As for Team Rocket... well, not to undermine the League's own intelligence efforts, but since Team Rocket had been entrenched in the Sevii Islands for years, they had undoubtedly received word about this before the League had.
A large-scale battle was inevitable.
Lorelei had already braced herself for that possibility. But as she had said—this was her home. She couldn't just abandon it and let it fall into chaos because of Team Rocket and Team Galactic's conflict.
Agatha understood how much the Sevii Islands meant to Lorelei. And because of that, there was no easy solution.
As the room fell into a contemplative silence, Luo Yuan suddenly spoke.
"As an outsider in this matter, I have a modest proposal..."
At once, all eyes turned toward him.
Meeting their gazes, Luo Yuan remained perfectly at ease, offering a slight smile.
"I propose that we make resolving the Sevii Islands incident part of the Champion selection criteria."
He let that sink in for a moment before continuing.
"Send both Giovanni and Lorelei to handle the situation. Whoever performs better will be chosen as Champion."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Then, gradually, the others' eyes lit up as they began considering the feasibility of this proposal.
After some thought, Bruno was the first to raise a question.
"If both of them go to the Sevii Islands, what if Team Rocket stirs up trouble here in Kanto while they're gone?"
"There's no need to worry about that," Luo Yuan replied. "Team Galactic's invasion of the Sevii Islands is a far bigger concern for Team Rocket than it is for us. They won't have the resources to cause trouble in Kanto at the same time."
Agatha nodded in agreement.
It was ironic, in a way.
Team Rocket was more invested in protecting the Sevii Islands than the Pokémon League was.
Then, Agatha raised another question.
"What will be the criteria for determining the winner?"
"We'll judge it collectively," Luo Yuan said smoothly. "Whoever contributes the most to resolving the situation will be declared the winner."
And just like that, he subtly included himself in the panel of judges.
Slipping himself into the decision-making process.
None of the others objected.
In their eyes, Luo Yuan had come here as a reinforcement specifically to help out. Giving him a say in the matter wasn't unreasonable.
Besides, considering his strength and influence, he was qualified to be a judge.
Additionally, including Luo Yuan as a judge would prevent the possibility of a tied vote.
Lorelei also had no objections.
Regardless of whether she won or lost, Luo Yuan's proposal was the best way to ensure she could still protect her home.
As for Giovanni...
Did he even have a reason to refuse?
Luo Yuan's proposal perfectly solved the current dilemma.
After a brief discussion, the group unanimously agreed to his plan.
Of course, while they believed Team Rocket would be too preoccupied with the Sevii Islands to cause trouble elsewhere, they still made the necessary precautions.
Agatha and Bruno would remain at League headquarters as a precaution against any unexpected moves from Team Rocket.
Meanwhile, Giovanni and Lorelei would head to the Sevii Islands, with Luo Yuan accompanying them—alongside Deoxys—as their backup. His presence would help suppress any unforeseen threats.
No time was wasted.
After making their preparations, Luo Yuan, Giovanni, and Lorelei—along with a team of elite League Trainers—set off from Indigo Plateau toward the Sevii Islands!
---
While Luo Yuan was rallying the League to move toward the Sevii Islands...
On Team Rocket's side, the Masked Corps had already gathered in the Sevii Islands.
After inspecting the unit, Matori sent a report to Luo Yuan.
Meanwhile, Team Galactic had arrived on the Sevii Islands under the leadership of Mars and Jupiter.
"So this is the place where Sird has been staying?" Mars remarked as she looked around.
Their purpose in coming here was simple: Sird.
Their spies had reported that Sird had betrayed Team Galactic.
Though they found it hard to believe, the fact remained that Sird had failed to report back for an extended period.
That was enough for Cyrus to send them to investigate.
Their mission was simple—
If Sird had betrayed Team Galactic, they were to eliminate him.
If Sird hadn't betrayed them but was instead in some kind of trouble, they were to rescue him and bring him back.
What they didn't realize was that, perched on a nearby palm tree, a Crobat—equipped with a small surveillance camera—was watching their every move.
Transmitting everything directly to Team Rocket headquarters.