The high-ranking officials present were all aware of the gravity of the situation, their expressions grim.
After a long silence, Goodshow let out a deep breath. "Storms will always pass... The dissolution of Team Rocket might bring a little more peace to the world."
Though the chairman said this, no one in the room truly believed it would be that simple.
The official statement had been issued by Proton, one of Team Rocket's Four Executives, and Pierce, the Special Operations Unit commander. Both of them were high-ranking members within Team Rocket, making their declaration highly authoritative. But had Team Rocket really disbanded?
This was an organization that had operated for years, deeply entrenched in Kanto. Their influence was vast, their networks sprawling—even the Pokémon League had never been able to fully uncover them.
Could such a massive organization simply dissolve because its leader had gone missing?
Highly unlikely.
But if they were merely rebranding under a different name? That didn't seem probable either.
After all, even a bad reputation was still a reputation. It was better than obscurity. More importantly, no matter what disguise they wore, as long as their actions remained the same, they could never truly clear their name.
Even though these officials had weathered countless crises before, none of them had anticipated that Team Rocket in Kanto had been unknowingly replaced by another organization.
Their most reasonable assumption was that, with Giovanni's fate unknown, Team Rocket had fractured due to a lack of leadership.
In this scenario, Proton and Pierce had likely seized the largest share of resources and formed a new organization.
This was the conclusion that seemed most plausible to them.
"Agatha, I need you to oversee the Viridian Gym. It must be handled properly," Goodshow instructed an elderly woman seated to his right.
"Understood," Agatha nodded.
A regular Gym wouldn't require her personal involvement, but Viridian City was at the heart of a major upheaval. They needed someone capable of maintaining control.
As a long-standing member of the Elite Four, Agatha had both the experience and strength to suppress any unrest. With her influence, any troublemakers would think twice before making a move.
"Diantha, use your influence to shift public attention elsewhere," Goodshow continued, addressing the Kalos Champion.
A new controversy always rises on the heels of another's disappearance. For those outside of Kanto and Johto, whether or not Team Rocket had truly disbanded was just a sensational headline with little impact on their lives. Diantha, as an idol and celebrity, had the means to generate fresh distractions to redirect the public's focus.
Of course, this didn't mean she had to personally create the news—her agency managed numerous entertainers, forming a significant media force.
"Steven, Devon Corporation has numerous dealings with Silph Co., correct?" Goodshow turned to the Hoenn Champion, a composed man in a tailored suit. "Leverage Devon's resources to initiate a merger with Silph's assets."
"Understood, Chairman." Steven gave a slight nod, a glint of intrigue in his eyes.
As Devon's heir and the League's Champion, he understood the League's stance toward mega-corporations. Historically, they sought to curb their power—companies like Silph Co. and Macro Cosmos were always under scrutiny.
These conglomerates were simply too vast, posing a potential threat to the League's authority.
But if Devon absorbed Silph Co., it would propel Devon into the top position globally, making it the most powerful corporation in the world.
It was a risky move—but also a tempting one.
By issuing this directive in front of so many officials, Goodshow was both giving Steven his full backing and placing immense trust in him.
After issuing several more strategic directives, Goodshow finally concluded the meeting.
Once all but seven people had left the room, only the most powerful remained.
Besides Goodshow himself, the others were Lance, Brandon, Palmer, Cynthia, Alder, and Mustard.
They were the Champions of Kanto, the Pyramid King of the Hoenn Battle Frontier, the Tower Tycoon of the Sinnoh Battle Frontier, the Sinnoh Champion, the Unova Champion, and the former Champion of Galar.
Goodshow surveyed the room. The six individuals before him collectively represented nearly half of the League's combat power. Each of them alone could single-handedly suppress an entire region.
If they joined forces, they could obliterate a region in a single day.
Mustard, in particular, was a legendary figure—Leon's mentor and an undefeated Champion for 18 consecutive years before his retirement. Goodshow had personally invited him from the Isle of Armor in eastern Galar.
"Lance, please share Anabel's plan with everyone here," Goodshow said slowly.
Meanwhile, in the depths of Team Rocket's secret base in Goldenrod City, Giovanni sat in his private office, staring at the broadcast of Proton and Pierce's statement, his fury barely contained.
Those traitorous fools—what were they thinking?
Proton's betrayal was one thing, but even Pierce had lost his mind?
Giovanni had come to Goldenrod City in secret. Not even Petrel, who oversaw operations there, knew of his presence.
After all, two of the Four Executives—Ariana and Archer—had already been eliminated. The ones who stood to gain the most from their deaths were Proton and Petrel.
Pierce had been one of the few people Giovanni trusted completely. He had even been assigned to investigate the internal traitors.
So why had he suddenly pulled off a stunt like this?
As Team Rocket's supreme leader, Giovanni had the highest level of clearance. He immediately accessed Goldenrod's servers to regain control over Kanto's bases.
But he found that every single Kanto facility had severed its connection to him.
They were completely out of his control.
This meant that even the S-Class base in Saffron City had fallen.
In the past, Team Rocket had implemented strict security measures to ensure that the fall of one base would not compromise the others. Each facility operated semi-independently, with only the regional S-Class base having supreme authority.
For Kanto, that base had been the Saffron City division.
Damn it...
Giovanni slammed his fist onto the desk, leaving deep cracks in the surface.
Decades of effort in Kanto—wiped out overnight.
And the worst part?
He didn't even know how it had happened.
After a moment of forced composure, Giovanni ran another system check and confirmed that all of Johto's bases, as well as the S-Class headquarters in the Sevii Islands, were still under his command.
In other words, while Kanto had been lost, the bulk of Team Rocket's forces remained intact.
"Matori, reassign control of all remaining Team Rocket bases to this location," Giovanni ordered.
"Understood, Boss Giovanni," Matori replied without hesitation, immediately beginning the transfer of command.
Given the current unprecedented circumstances, their previous decentralized system was no longer viable. Giovanni needed absolute control over Johto, the Sevii Islands, and the Whirl Islands. He couldn't allow a single weakness to remain.
With the loss of the Viridian Gym and Silph Co., his next move was clear.
If his identity as Team Rocket's leader was now exposed, then he would fully embrace it.
Giovanni's eyes gleamed with a cold, ruthless light.
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