A peaceful night passed quickly, and by early the next morning, Lucas had already called out to Marnie, who—as usual—was still trying to stay in bed.
When they arrived at the entrance of the inn, Karen and Will were already waiting outside.
"So, where are we heading next?"
Karen crossed her arms, glanced over at Marnie, who was following behind Lucas with an expressionless face, and then turned to ask him directly.
The Masked Man had already issued his orders—going forward, both she and Will were to obey Lucas's commands.
Although she was clearly unhappy about this, Karen naturally didn't dare to go against the Masked Man's will.
"To Viridian City. Our next destination is Viridian City."
Lucas answered without the slightest hesitation. He was indeed planning to head to Viridian City to find Giovanni. After all, Giovanni had contacted him previously, saying there was a special mission that required his personal involvement.
"This is Marnie. She's quite a talented girl, and she's basically a Dark-type specialist. Karen, if you have the time, teach her a thing or two."
Lucas gave a simple introduction of Marnie to Karen and Will. Marnie could indeed be considered a specialist in the Dark-type.
For someone as proud and arrogant as Lucas to call someone "quite talented" … well, that actually piqued Karen's interest.
After all,...
Perhaps it was due to public perception, but Dark, Ghost, and Poison-type Pokémon were generally among the least popular.
People were, ultimately, visual creatures. Since Dark-types often didn't have the aesthetic appeal that other Pokémon had, they rarely had a strong following.
In the eyes of most trainers, Fire, Water, Grass, Psychic, and Dragon types were the hottest picks.
Dark and Poison-types, on the other hand, were often seen as the standard lineup for villainous organizations.
A slight frown appeared on Marnie's delicate face. Her eyes flicked briefly over Karen, then she turned a questioning gaze toward Lucas.
Who the heck was this strange woman?
"That's Karen, and the guy over there is Will. You could say they're my colleagues. Karen is a Champion-level Dark-type trainer. Her strength is... acceptable."
Understanding Marnie's confusion, Lucas smiled as he casually introduced the two.
Champion-level... Dark-type trainer?
Marnie's brows furrowed even deeper. A Champion-level trainer, even if not the official Champion of a region, was at least on par with an Elite Four.
And yet... she had never even heard of someone named Karen.
After learning that Lucas was from Kanto, she had actually done quite a bit of homework on the region that housed the Pokémon League Headquarters.
"Oh."
Marnie's pretty face remained expressionless as she parted her soft lips to give a single, curt reply—her tone icy and indifferent.
So what if she was a Champion-level trainer?
For some reason, Marnie didn't have a good impression of Karen. Maybe it was the woman's flirtatious, slightly wicked aura… or perhaps her vibrant, youthful appearance?
From looks alone, Karen didn't seem all that much older—maybe just two or three years.
While Marnie's appearance was cool and aloof, inside, she had her pride too.
"Surprisingly proud, aren't you?"
Raising her brow, Karen looked into Marnie's eyes with a glint of amusement.
This petite girl's personality was clearly the opposite of her exterior.
The group of four set off toward Goldenrod City. If they wanted to get to Kanto, the fastest options were trains or planes from Goldenrod, or ships from Olivine.
Of course, for sheer speed, flying was the obvious choice.
Around midday, Lucas and the others landed in Saffron City and began heading toward Viridian City.
"Now that I think about it, I've rarely been to Kanto. Lucas, when exactly did you join Team Rocket?"
On the way to Viridian City, Will was driving a rental car, while Karen, seated in the passenger seat, was absentmindedly filing her nails. She looked up, curiosity piqued, and asked Lucas.
She didn't like Lucas's personality much, but she couldn't help wondering—how did someone as proud as him end up joining Team Rocket?
Maybe it was because she and Will had grown up under the Masked Man, but their standards were set absurdly high.
After all, who was the Masked Man? A figure who had even captured Lugia and Ho-Oh!
So for an organization like Team Rocket, which most people feared as an "evil" group... Karen didn't think that highly of them.
"It was probably early last year. Due to certain... circumstances, I ended up joining Team Rocket."
Lucas stared out the window, watching the scenery flash by. His left hand casually played with Marnie's small hand, and he answered without much thought.
"Wait, aren't you all with Team Rocket?"
Marnie asked in surprise, turning her gaze to Karen. She had assumed when Lucas said "colleagues," he was referring to Rocket members.
Karen's brow lifted slightly—so this girl Lucas brought along didn't even know their real background?
"Besides Team Rocket, I'm also part of another organization."
Lucas chuckled as he explained.
Marnie was someone he could trust completely. He understood that. The reason he hadn't told her before was simply because it hadn't been necessary.
"I see... So Team Rocket is basically your cover, huh?"
Marnie blinked, a realization hitting her.
Lucas had been causing chaos under the identity of a Rocket Executive... Maybe, besides his unshakable confidence, he also had a hidden agenda—to create problems for Team Rocket itself?
Come to think of it, it made sense.
In such a short time, Lucas had already offended the Galar League and nearly started a fight with the Sinnoh League.
"In a sense, you could say that."
Lucas's smile deepened.
Yes, without hiding his identity at all, he was dragging Team Rocket into conflict.
Take Rose, for instance—he now definitely viewed Team Rocket as a thorn in his side.
Fortunately, Team Rocket operated out of Kanto. If they had been based elsewhere, Rose would've probably had the entire region declare them wanted fugitives.
From Lucas's perspective, the world right now was just too peaceful.
And he wasn't someone who enjoyed peace and quiet. He didn't just want to stir things up himself—he wanted to ignite the whole world!
And what better tool than Team Rocket to take the blame?
After all, Lance, Champion of the Kanto League, already had a massive grudge against Team Rocket. If he could rope the other leagues into the mess, wouldn't that be fun?
"Team Rocket isn't all that, really. Suppressed by the League, they're forced to operate in the shadows, sneaky and quiet."
Karen stretched lazily as she spoke.
That was her biggest gripe with Team Rocket. Despite their reputation as Kanto's underworld overlords, they were ultimately forced to hide in the dark.
To put it bluntly, they didn't even dare speak loudly in front of the Kanto League.
"Karen's right. Team Rocket's influence is definitely not small, but with the Kanto League pressing down on them, growing further is tough."
Will nodded from the driver's seat. He shared the same view as Karen.
"You two really underestimate Team Rocket. It's not that simple."
Lucas couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh?" Karen replied with surprise.
"Team Rocket's reach is far more terrifying than you think. Do you really think building an organization this big in just over a decade was easy?"
"Don't use your low-tier logic to simplify something so complex."
A mocking smile curled at the corners of Lucas's lips.
If they hadn't been cast as villains, Team Rocket's rise would be the stuff of legends.
Ever since the Pokémon League's founding, the entire world had basically fallen under its control.
To put it harshly, no region had managed to escape its grip.
Even Alola, which hadn't yet officially formed a League, had already welcomed Officer Jennies and Nurse Joys.
The only reason the Alola League didn't exist yet was due to the threat of Ultra Beasts.
But in truth, Alola had already been branded by the League, and it was desperately trying to officially join.
The Pokémon League's influence was unmatched.
Why else would Kukui make annual pilgrimages to the Indigo Plateau to petition for the Alola League's founding?
Yet under such global circumstances, Giovanni had taken over Team Rocket from his mother and, in just over ten years, transformed it from a no-name group into an underground empire ruling all of Kanto!
"Forget the countless low- and mid-tier grunts. Do you even know who Team Rocket's boss is? He's a top-tier Champion, fully capable of going toe-to-toe with Lance."
Lucas's eyes glinted.
Giovanni's strength absolutely rivaled Lance's—no doubt about it.
His ace was a Beedrill!
Yes, that Giovanni from the Special manga. The same man who easily defeated and captured a heavily injured Deoxys that Ash had fought to a standstill.
He even stood his ground against one of Sinnoh's Creation Trio—his strength had reached the peak of what a trainer could achieve.
"Top-tier Champion…"
Karen and Will frowned slightly in unison. After all, Lucas himself was at that level.
They knew very well just how powerful that meant Giovanni was.
"And beyond the boss, Team Rocket also has three Executives, four Generals, the Three Beast, and various scattered senior operatives—all of whom are, on average, Elite Four-level trainers."
Lucas's smile turned cold. Underestimating Team Rocket?
Their hidden power wasn't weaker than that of most regional Leagues.
Yes, that was the truly terrifying thing about Team Rocket.
With Giovanni—a top-tier Champion—at the helm, and followed by senior operatives like Koga, Sabrina, Sird, Proton, Petrel, and others...
Only Lucas and Giovanni truly knew how frightening Team Rocket's full strength was.
Strictly speaking, outside of Kanto, no other region could contend with Team Rocket.
That was thanks to Kanto's uniquely strong Elite Four.
Lance was a top-tier Champion, capable of keeping Giovanni in check.
Agatha, Bruno, and Lorelei—yes, even Lorelei, the weakest among them—was still at the peak of the Elite Four, if not Champion level herself.
Champions like Wallace, Alder, or Diantha? Honestly, Giovanni could probably beat them into tears.
"Tss—"
Marnie instinctively sucked in a breath.
Even Karen and Will couldn't help but look shaken.
A top-tier Champion and an average of ten Elite-level cadres?
This was nuts!
"This has to be a joke. If that's true, why would Team Rocket need to stay in hiding?"
Even though Lucas said it, Marnie found it hard to believe.
Elite Four-level trainers were already considered absolute powerhouses, yet Team Rocket had a whole army of them. Why would they fear the League?
"When power reaches a certain level, numbers don't matter anymore."
Lucas shook his head.
While Team Rocket did have quantity, they lacked quality.
Even if they had ten Elite-tier operatives, the Kanto Elite Four—Agatha, Bruno, Lorelei—could easily wipe them out.
Don't be fooled by the term "Elite Four." The power gap between them was huge.
A standard Elite like Petrel wouldn't stand a chance against someone like Lorelei, who could easily 3v1, if not more.
And that was assuming Lorelei was only at Elite level. If she was Champion-level? She'd sweep through even more.
That's why Kanto's Elite Four were considered the strongest.
Their strength far surpassed those of other regions.
"However..."
Lucas's lips curled into a grin full of malice.
"With us joining, Team Rocket truly has the power to face the Kanto League head-on."
Yes.
Originally, Team Rocket had the numbers but not the quality.
Now, with the addition of Lucas and Karen—two Champion-level trainers—and Lucas being a top-tier Champion at that...
Team Rocket was no longer weaker than the League!
As for Will… he was just a forgettable little Elite. What could he do?
"You really haven't changed at all. Still as wicked as ever."
Karen rolled her eyes.
This chaotic personality—what else could she expect from "Lucas"?
"No no, I just want to witness the winds of change. And if I can be the one to stir them up? Well, that would be even better."
Lucas shrugged.
His casual tone carried with it an unmistakable anticipation.
By afternoon, the group had finally arrived in Viridian City.
The Viridian Gym—this place was the symbol of the entire city.
And right now, the four of them stood in front of it.
"What are we doing here?"
Karen glanced around the luxurious-looking Viridian Gym.
Lucas had brought them here with a clear purpose.
She had her suspicions, but she didn't dare believe them. Otherwise, it would just be too ridiculous.
"You'll see once we go in."
Lucas pushed open the gym doors and walked in.
What greeted him was a wide, open space.
But almost immediately, a sharp glint flickered in his eyes.
(End of Chapter)