Although Giovanni's identity had been exposed, Ophelia was well aware that his true status would not be publicly revealed to the world anytime soon.
For one, Silph Co. was an enormous enterprise, entangled with countless companies and influential families worldwide. The Pokémon League needed time to sort things out and handle the situation—especially when it came to high-ranking executives like Andreas. Their exact relationship with Team Rocket required further investigation.
After all, the Andreas family was one of Kanto's oldest financial powerhouses, wielding significant influence within the League. Mishandling the situation could lead to considerable backlash.
Balancing these factors would be one of the League's major tasks moving forward.
Most importantly, there needed to be the right timing and justification for making this matter public. Dropping a bombshell announcement that the Viridian City Gym Leader was the head of Team Rocket would immediately put the League on the defensive.
How could the leader of an infamous criminal syndicate infiltrate the League's upper ranks? Had the League been blind all this time?
If the Viridian City Gym Leader was working for Team Rocket, could Viridian City even be considered safe? Would people still want to visit? How would the residents feel about the stigma?
A reckless public disclosure would inevitably lead to widespread doubt about the League's competence. If handled poorly, it could severely damage the League's reputation among ordinary citizens.
Based on her understanding of the League, Ophelia was certain their first move would be to secretly apprehend Giovanni, keep him under control, and then gradually release information to the public. They would carefully manipulate public opinion, rallying people to denounce Giovanni while simultaneously praising the League's wisdom and vigilance in unmasking the root of darkness and thwarting his sinister plans.
With such a carefully orchestrated approach, they could significantly reduce public skepticism about the League's capabilities—and if executed well, they might even be hailed as heroes for exposing Giovanni's deception.
If Ophelia could anticipate this, Lucius certainly could as well.
That's why, without hesitation, he anonymously leaked the information to the news networks.
By morning, the entire world would know the truth about Team Rocket's leader—and the League's incompetence.
Of course, weakening Team Rocket was necessary. But the League was also a future adversary, so throwing them into a state of chaos in advance wouldn't hurt.
...
The next morning, Lucius was jolted awake by his phone ringing. It was Jasmine.
"Volkner, is what they're saying on the news true?" Jasmine's voice sounded unsteady.
The news?
Lucius rubbed his eyes. It seemed Giovanni's identity had already been exposed to the public.
"It's true," he replied.
"You…" Jasmine's breathing was heavy, as if she were trying to suppress something.
"What's wrong?" Lucius was puzzled. Why was Jasmine reacting so strongly to Giovanni's exposure?
"…Nothing. If it's true, then I wish you happiness." Her tone was low, and without waiting for a response, she hung up.
Wish me happiness? What the hell?
Lucius scratched his head and turned on the TV—only to be met with an unexpected broadcast.
A female news anchor was dramatically pointing at a photograph: a snapshot of him and Lorelei dining at an upscale restaurant. The picture had been taken at just the right moment, capturing them exchanging smiles.
Below it, a bold headline read:
"Sinnoh's Most Handsome Gym Leader and Kanto's Ice Queen—Romance Confirmed Over Dinner?"
WTF?!
A cold sweat broke out on Lucius's forehead.
Who the hell had nothing better to do than take paparazzi shots in this world?!
More importantly—why was this nonsense getting more coverage than Giovanni's exposure?!
Flipping through the channels, he found not a single report about Giovanni. Instead, it was the usual stream of trivial, sensationalized gossip.
So the League had intercepted the news. The media must have consulted them before running the story, and the League had swiftly shut it down.
They were fast. He'd need to resort to other means.
Lucius thought for a moment before calling Jasmine back to properly explain the situation.
As he listened to her gradually shift from frustration back to cheerfulness, he was reminded of his past life—back when he had to constantly reassure his girlfriend over the smallest misunderstandings.
Girls… It didn't matter whether they believed you or not. The important thing was that they had to be coaxed.
Not long after, Lucius received a confidential League transmission. They had officially classified Giovanni's case as a high-priority political matter and ordered all involved personnel to be prepared for his capture. Until further notice, the issue was to remain undisclosed to the public.
Looks like they had failed to capture Giovanni last night. He had escaped.
Lucius wasn't sure how many people the League had dispatched to apprehend him, but Giovanni slipping through their grasp didn't surprise him in the least.
For years, Giovanni had been regarded as an Elite Four-level Trainer, but in reality, his strength was likely on par with a Champion-tier leader. Not to mention his ever-present, lazy-looking Persian—a deceptively formidable Pokémon.
Meanwhile, Hun and Attila, whom Lucius had sent out the previous day, had successfully infiltrated and taken control of a Team Rocket base. Though the operation had caused some minor disruptions, it had been relatively easy to cover up, given that the Saffron City division was already under Hive's control.
At the same time, Dolores had also absorbed Syndicate's Vermilion City branch into Hive's ranks.
The integration here wasn't just about absorbing new personnel—every piece of information they possessed, every resource they controlled, and even the equipment within their bases were now fully assimilated into Hive.
In just a few days, Hive's strength had skyrocketed multiple times over.
But it still wasn't enough. This was barely a quarter of Team Rocket's total power.
For now, while the Pokémon League remained focused on Giovanni, Lucius had other matters to attend to.
Riding upon Gardevoir, Lucius teleported all the way to Hoenn.
The distance between Kanto and Hoenn spanned well over ten thousand miles. Normally, Trainers would take a plane or ferry to travel between the two regions.
Even for a King-level Pokémon like Gardevoir, continuously using Teleport to cross such an immense distance was exhausting. Lucius himself felt dizzy and disoriented, forcing him to take several breaks over the ocean to avoid damaging Volkner's body.
Still, to save time, he chose to endure the strain.
South of Route 130 lay a vast complex known to the Pokémon League as the Battle Frontier.
This facility had been newly constructed not long ago. The only way to reach it was by ferry from either Slateport City or Lilycove City.
Despite the inconvenient travel, Trainers from all over the world were drawn to the Battle Frontier's prestigious facilities.
The most renowned buildings here were the Battle Factory, Battle Arena, Battle Dome, Battle Pike, Battle Palace, Battle Tower, and Battle Pyramid.
These structures were designed to provide Trainers worldwide with a place to test their skills and push their limits. Each facility housed specialized staff members, utilizing Pokémon of various types and unique move combinations, allowing challengers to refine their battle strategies from every possible angle.
Among them, the Battle Tower and Battle Pyramid were particularly famous, each governed by an elite leader. Any Trainer who could conquer these facilities would earn the right to face the ultimate Frontier Brains—Tower Tycoon Anabel and Pyramid King Brandon—two of the strongest Trainers in the world.
Rumors even suggested that the Legendary Pokémon Raikou had been captured by Anabel and now resided within the Battle Tower. That meant that any Trainer skilled enough to claim victory throughout the tower would ultimately have the chance to battle against the mighty Thunder Beast itself.
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