Edwin listened in silence. He drew a slow, heavy breath, the weight of Giovanni's presence pressing down on him, and could only manage a dull nod. "…Alright."
"Wrap up your affairs here as soon as you can. Once this mission is done, I'll have someone take over the operations of Paradise Group." Each word Jacob added came like another push past a line Edwin hadn't expected to be crossed. His expression darkened further with every sentence.
If the gap between their strength hadn't been so painfully obvious, Edwin would have thrown aside every pretense of civility without a second thought.
Jacob, of course, knew exactly what he was doing. He let a small smile cross his face and softened his tone. "Don't worry. I meant what I said — I never let my own people take a loss they can't recover from. What you stand to gain will far outweigh what you give up now. And to start — if the intelligence I give you doesn't lead to an Eternal Gigantamax Pokémon, I'll provide you with one myself. That's a promise."
Edwin exhaled slowly. The tightness in his chest eased just a little.
"There's one more thing I'm offering you. See for yourself." Jacob extended his hand, and a folder appeared as if from nowhere. He tossed it onto the table without ceremony.
Edwin reached over and picked it up, reading carefully.
Secret Realm: City of Water — Alto Mare.
Latias and Latios…
Even just the heading was enough to make Edwin's pupils sharpen. He looked up at Jacob with undisguised disbelief.
Intelligence on Legendary Pokémon — and he'd just tossed it onto the table like it was nothing?
Then again, Giovanni already had a Darkrai, a Gigantamax Lapras, and a massive Metagross. Perhaps Legendary Pokémon really didn't carry the same weight for a man like him.
Edwin turned the pages slowly. The information on the Alto Mare Secret Realm was thorough and detailed — but certain key sections had clearly been redacted. Jacob didn't fully trust him yet. That much was obvious. Still, there was no question that what remained was genuine. Jacob wasn't the kind of man to waste a fabricated document on someone he was trying to win over.
"The reason I want someone else handling Paradise Group's day-to-day is because I have something more important planned for you," Jacob continued. "After this operation wraps up, you can begin preparing for Alto Mare. I already have news on the Soul Dew — the key to opening that Secret Realm. When the time comes, we'll explore it together."
In truth, the Soul Dew was already in Jacob's possession. But Jacob was never one to show his full hand, and so he kept just enough ambiguity in his words to make the truth impossible to read.
"Beyond that, I can promise you this: once Alto Mare falls under Team Rocket's control, you will be one of its real administrators. A genuine stake in the City of Water."
He paused, then added with measured weight, "That said, taking Alto Mare will not be easy. We'll be facing pressure from two directions at once — from this region, and from Sakura Country. I can manage things on one side, but the pressure from Sakura Country will fall on you."
"So you need to get stronger, Edwin."
"Your current strength is impressive by most standards. But you'll be going up against Sakura Country's Four Heavenly Kings at minimum. Paradise Group isn't an asset right now — it's a distraction. Think honestly about how long it's been since your own strength has actually grown. The life you've been living here isn't helping that."
Jacob had a gift for this — knowing exactly which pressure points to press, and exactly when to follow them up with something tempting. Coercion and incentive, woven together smoothly, applied until the outcome he wanted became the only logical conclusion. He was confident Edwin wouldn't refuse. And once Edwin agreed and personally took part in the operation, he would be bound to Team Rocket in a way that couldn't easily be undone.
"…Alright. I agree." Edwin didn't deliberate for long. "Boss."
He knew exactly what the scales looked like. Paradise Group on one side — an Eternal Gigantamax Pokémon, a Legendary Pokémon, and the Alto Mare Secret Realm on the other. It wasn't a difficult calculation. With a Gigantamax Pokémon and a Legendary by his side, he could build a hundred Paradise Groups if he wanted to.
"Good." Jacob gave a single nod. "Edwin, I know what kind of person you are. Ambition is something I respect — it means you're capable. Don't disappoint me."
Edwin looked at Giovanni in that moment and saw something he hadn't expected: absolute certainty. Not arrogance — just a deep, unshakeable confidence in his own power, in his own judgment. It seemed to radiate off the man without any effort at all.
Even with an ambitious subordinate sitting across from him, Giovanni showed not the slightest flicker of concern. Because he already knew, without any doubt, that he could manage it.
Edwin let out a quiet breath. No wonder he was able to build Team Rocket from nothing. That kind of bearing doesn't come from strength alone.
What Edwin didn't know, of course, was that this same man — the picture of composed authority — had been completely at a loss just the previous day, tangled up in the competing demands of three women at once.
Jacob stepped into the hotel suite Edwin had arranged for him, pausing briefly as he crossed the threshold. "Darkrai," he said quietly, "stay alert. If anything feels off, act immediately."
Darkrai was already there, folded into the shadows, invisible. In unfamiliar territory like Siam, Jacob kept his guard up without exception.
He had briefly considered asking Iron Valiant to keep watch instead, but quickly dismissed the thought. If he made that request, Iron Valiant would probably respond by swinging a blade in his direction. Besides, a Pokémon of that caliber wasn't meant to stand in a hallway all night. Darkrai was more than sufficient.
"There's someone in the bedroom," Darkrai's voice came, low and even.
Jacob's footsteps slowed. His gaze shifted toward the bedroom door.
"Who?" His voice dropped to something cool and flat. "Come out."
"Sir… Boss Edwin asked me to come." A woman's soft, unhurried voice drifted through the door.
Jacob walked in and flicked on the light. In the dim glow, a woman lay in the bed, the covers pulled up to her shoulders, her fair neck and face turned toward him with a practiced, languid look.
So that's what Edwin's doing. Sending someone to test his new boss.
The woman was undeniably attractive. But Jacob had no intention of walking into a trap set by someone he barely trusted. His survival instincts were sharper than that.
And beyond that — between Nina, Raya, and Julia, he was already exhausted just thinking about women. The last thing he needed was to add another complication to that particular mess.
"Get dressed," Jacob said, his voice completely flat. "And leave."
"Sir…"
"Leave."
"…Yes. Of course." The woman slipped into a thin robe and padded toward the door, glancing back at him once, twice, three times as she went — each look carrying the same quiet invitation.
Jacob didn't so much as glance in her direction. After she was gone, he had Darkrai sweep the entire suite — checking for any surveillance equipment or listening devices — before finally settling in for the night.
Time moved on. By January 2nd, two days remained before the scheduled transaction.
That evening, Jacob planned to give Meyer the time and general location of the meeting. The exact coordinates, he would pass along one hour before the handoff. That much caution, he always kept.
At the same time, Jacob began pulling together the rest of his people. He summoned nearly the full roster of available Team Rocket members for the upcoming operation.
Zion, Layne, Sylvia, Nina, Whitney, and Edwin — six in total — all made their way toward Siam.
Davis and Caleb were left out of this one. Their strength wasn't at the level the operation would require, and there was no point in bringing them along.