Lorelei frowned. It wasn't that she craved power — it was simply that no one liked having the League Council looming over their heads.
After so many years as an Elite Four member, Lorelei knew exactly what kind of people sat on that council.
It wasn't that they were incompetent at their jobs, but their skill at vying for power far outstripped their professional abilities.
It was easy to foresee: if the League Council got involved in Kanto's affairs, whether they could handle Team Rocket was one thing — the chaos they'd inevitably bring to the region was another certainty entirely.
And it wasn't just Lorelei who thought this way.
The other senior officials of the Kanto League shared the same concern.
They might often be called bureaucrats themselves, but compared to the council members, they liked to think they were a cut above.
And as bureaucrats, the last thing they wanted was a bigger bureaucracy breathing down their necks.
All at once, everyone turned to look at Giovanni.
"Let's try to find another way," someone suggested.
"Mr. Giovanni, let's not trouble the League Council just yet."
"I believe we can still handle Team Rocket ourselves."
Their words weren't just empty excuses, either.
Though Team Rocket had expanded rapidly over the past two years, incidents of severe criminal activity had actually dropped sharply.
Over the past year, aside from the occasional "Tech Hunter" making headlines, Team Rocket had kept a remarkably low profile.
The worst thing they'd been caught doing lately was large-scale illegal Pokémon poaching.
In fact, ironically enough, Team Rocket's presence had cleaned up the entire Kanto underworld — today, Kanto's public security was at its highest level in history.
If one could put aside moral qualms about their methods, Team Rocket's existence hadn't harmed Kanto — it had actually done it some good.
For that reason, none of Kanto's League officials were willing to pay the price of letting the League Council meddle in order to fight Team Rocket.
Team Rocket had to be dealt with — but not this way.
Everyone spoke up, trying to dissuade Giovanni.
Even Agatha and Lorelei fell into silent agreement.
Facing their collective persuasion, Giovanni wore a look of hesitation — but inwardly, he was very pleased.
Because it proved that under his leadership, Team Rocket was following the right path.
Over the past year, under the subtle influence of Champion Giovanni, Team Rocket hadn't just deeply infiltrated Kanto's power structures — they had also shifted public perception.
Had this meeting happened a year ago, no matter how much the Kanto officials resented the League Council, they would never have dared to voice such opinions out loud.
Now, part of Team Rocket's revenue came from investments by Silph Co., the Aether Foundation, and the Flare Research Institute.
Another part came from secretly controlling various corporations behind the scenes.
The old days of black market dealings were long behind them — Team Rocket had successfully transformed itself.
Through this meeting, Giovanni had not only tested their attitudes but also planted further discord between Kanto's League and the Council.
He had achieved his goals.
Outwardly, after a moment of thought, Giovanni said, "In that case, let's observe the situation a little longer."
"As for dealing with Team Rocket," he added, "I'll reach out to the other regional leagues and see if we can establish some cooperation."
Of course, this was nothing but an excuse.
Every high-ranking Rocket member knew that aside from Unova, all the other regions were already under Team Rocket's influence.
Forget helping Kanto — they could barely manage themselves.
But for the Kanto officials, Giovanni's words were exactly what they wanted to hear.
One after another, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
The meeting adjourned.
League officials filed out, leaving only Giovanni, Luo Yuan, Sabrina, Lorelei, and Agatha behind.
Giovanni turned serious. "Although we've decided not to call on the League Council for now, we still need to maintain surveillance on Team Rocket. Lorelei, I'll leave that to you."
"I understand!" Lorelei nodded earnestly.
No, you don't understand at all, Luo Yuan and Sabrina exchanged a glance, silently complaining in their hearts.
It had to be said — Giovanni's acting skills were truly remarkable.
From his expressions, to his gestures, even the subtle movements he made when 'hesitating' — everything was flawless.
Even Luo Yuan, who was in on the truth, had almost been fooled.
No wonder the Kanto officials trusted Giovanni so completely.
As Luo Yuan was venting telepathically to Sabrina, he heard Giovanni continue,
"Currently, there's still a vacancy among the Kanto Elite Four.
To better prepare for the coming conflict with Team Rocket, I propose we fill the open spot.
Given Sabrina's contributions during the Galar incident, I suggest appointing her as the new Elite Four member."
Luo Yuan froze for a moment, a little surprised — Giovanni hadn't mentioned this plan to him beforehand.
But when their eyes met, and he caught the look Giovanni gave him, Luo Yuan understood immediately.
This was part of the rewards for their success in the Galar operation.
Whether in the light or behind the scenes, Luo Yuan and Sabrina had performed flawlessly.
As League Champion, Giovanni fully understood the principle: if you have power, use it before it goes to waste.
Seizing the opportunity, he was pushing Sabrina up into the Elite Four ranks.
With this move, among Kanto's eight Elite Four seats, Team Rocket would now control five —
a guaranteed majority.