Johto Region, Violet City, Team Rocket secret base, central battle zone.
"Go, Ninetales! Tear that Electivire apart!"
"Electivire, fight back! What, didn't eat breakfast or something?"
"Damn it…"
In the audience stands, a dense crowd of Team Rocket grunts all dressed in black uniforms.
Perhaps they'd been repressed for too long; a long-awaited life-or-death battle had their minds exploding with excitement.
On the battlefield, the agile Ninetales was relentlessly pummeling the opposing Electivire.
Voya, with her long wavy red hair, coldly issued the order to kill Electivire.
And Ninetales didn't hesitate to carry it out.
Splat~
Ninetales' tails, glowing with silver light, stabbed into Electivire's body from multiple angles. Blood splattered across the ground, further igniting the violent instincts of those watching.
For a moment, the cheers nearly shattered the entire central battle zone.
"What a prodigy… She broke down and rebuilt herself, then grew this strong. As expected, our dear Ariana knows how to train talent~"
In a room with one-way visibility -impossible to see from outside but perfectly clear from within- Miyamoto's face was flushed red as she stretched out her fingers toward Ariana's waist.
Ariana silently shifted two meters to the side, eyes fixed straight ahead at the battle zone. "The Deputy Leader will be at the base today to oversee this operation."
At the words "Deputy Leader," Miyamoto's body trembled for no apparent reason.
The next second, her already flushed face turned even redder.
"She's coming…? Kyaaaaa~! No way, no way! I forgot to put on my face mask last night! Quick, check me. How's my complexion?!"
Miyamoto jumped up in a panic, scrambling to find her spatial satchel to touch up her makeup.
Ariana quietly stepped another two meters away, then calmly replied, "Lady Miyamoto, you're a natural beauty… dazzling, radiant, an unmatched goddess… your complexion couldn't be better."
Miyamoto beamed at the compliment, turning to Ariana with a glowing smile.
"Waaaaah~! My lovely Ariana-chan knows exactly what to say. Come here and let me give you a hug!"
Ariana flinched and instantly used Teleport to dodge Miyamoto's "pouncing Pyroar"!
Just then, the door opened.
Admin Kaiser rushed in with a look of urgency. Before he could register Miyamoto's predatory glare, he blurted out, "Deputy Leader is here!"
Miyamoto's expression changed instantly. She ignored both Ariana and Kaiser and floated out like a gust of wind.
"Kyaaa! Oneesama, I'm coming!"
Ariana wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, relieved to have escaped disaster. She then shot Kaiser a cold glance and vanished from the room with a single Teleport.
Kaiser, now realizing too late what had just happened, stared at the empty room. A shiver ran down his spine as he suddenly remembered something terrifying and he quickly bolted as well.
"…Notify all Elite level personnel in the base. Assemble at the plaza in five minutes!"
"Yes, sir!"
Only the echoes of Kaiser and his subordinate remained in the dark corridor.
---◓---
Ding-dong…
The doorbell rang. Joseph, who was closest, opened the door, only for Lance, Clair, and their group to rush in like a tidal wave.
"Team Rocket's city assault has been delayed! Sato, we need to depart immediately and provide support!"
In an instant, everyone in the room stood up, faces turning solemn as they looked toward Lance.
"Where?"
Sato grabbed the coat beside him, slipping it on as he walked toward the door, not forgetting to ask, "Where?"
"Violet City!"
"Let's go!"
"We're coming too!" Mark stepped in front of the decisive and fast-moving Sato, eager to help.
"Team Rocket is coming in strong. There's no way this is their only move, all of you will be assigned tasks soon enough."
Lance held Mark back, his eyes sweeping across everyone else in the room.
"Don't worry. None of you will be idle."
The next moment, Lance was already leading Sato out of the room, leaving Joseph, Mark, and the others staring at each other.
"He hasn't even officially been appointed as Elite Four yet, and it's already starting…?"
Mark mumbled, though his tone carried a hint of envy.
Joseph adjusted his newly bought glasses and said, "Maybe this is what they call… 'working soul of a working man'. Work makes you the best of mankind!"
Everyone: ...?????
Soon, Kōmei, who was already prepared to step down, knocked on the door once again.
"Times are chaotic. For this counterattack, I'll assist President Goodshow with the overall deployment.
Elite Four candidate Mark, Investigator Will. You're both to depart within eight hours…"
Elite Four Kōmei didn't say much after entering. He clearly and precisely assigned tasks to everyone, then left without delay.
There were far too many matters waiting for him to coordinate. If it weren't for the sheer number of people here with Sato, he wouldn't have made the trip personally.
Everyone in the room snapped out of their surprise. More than half were now League Investigators, and it wasn't their first emergency mission.
Those with assignments nodded and left without hesitation, leaving behind only Joseph, Sia, and Ponyo.
The three of them weren't part of the combat personnel and were only registered as Shadownight Gym Breeders within the League, so they weren't assigned.
"We'll return and protect Shadownight City," Joseph said to the two girls. Then he glanced around the room, which had just been full of noise and energy.
He shook his head and muttered softly.
"Let's hope everything turns out okay…"
---◓---
In the sky, Sato rode atop Honchkrow, while Lance sat on the back of Dragonite.
Both Pokémon were going full throttle, streaking through the sky like black and yellow afterimages.
Ahead of Sato, Gengar's Spatial Barrier kept the wind away, allowing him to browse mission info on his phone without interruption.
"Team Rocket moved ahead of schedule…?"
[Yeah. The League has always had moles, leaks are inevitable. But I didn't think it'd be today.]
The airflow in front of Lance was similarly deflected. He spoke with Sato through an earpiece.
"What's the situation in Violet City?"
Sato didn't dwell too much on the mole issue. After so many years, the League and Team Rocket had long since infiltrated each other completely.
Sometimes… even the moles don't know which side they're on!
[Not good. Violet Gym has been overrun, the city guard forces have completely collapsed, and the stationed Elite Four Trainers are all unaccounted for.
In addition, intel says the Team Rocket 'Twin Empresses' were seen in Violet City, along with two Admins and four Star Hunters.]
"Hss…" Sato inhaled sharply. That Team Rocket lineup was terrifying; they were clearly planning something big!
"Is it just the two of us on support?" Sato suddenly realized something serious.
[Pfff! Of course not…] Lance replied.
But before Sato could relax, Lance continued, [Ahem! But the only Elite Four-level combatants are us.]
Sato: ???
Never mind the four Ace-level Star Hunters, just the "Admins" and "Empresses" alone were Elite Four level Trainers!
He hadn't even officially become an Elite Four yet… and he was already facing a two-on-four situation?