"Olivine City, huh? Well, that actually works out—it's right along the way."
Lucas slipped his phone back into his pocket, quietly considering his next course of action.
Since Giovanni had already decided to make a move against the Silph Co., that man could no longer sit back and take it easy.
Once Team Rocket seized control of Silph Co., the ultimate large-scale showdown between the Team Rocket and the Indigo League would inevitably begin.
And why was that?
Because Team Rocket had already crossed the League's absolute bottom line!
Though Silph might not seem impressive in the eyes of those truly massive powers, the reality was that Silph Co. remained one of the world's top enterprises.
For Team Rocket to takeover and occupy Silph was not just a matter of business rivalry—the symbolic meaning behind it was far greater.
Silph represented the pinnacle of the life industries. But for Team Rocket, an organization rooted in the world of Trainers, to overstep that line and infiltrate Silph Co. meant that boundaries had been broken.
If word of this incident were to spread, then the entire life industry would be thrown into chaos.
This was a blatant slap across the face of the Pokémon League, shaking the balance of the world itself—a balance that the League had always been the one to maintain.
If Silph Co. could be taken over silently and without resistance, then what about the other corporations? How would the top conglomerates of the world interpret this?
Would they see it as nothing but the League's incompetence?
Therefore, if the League discovered that Team Rocket had carried out a complete usurpation of Silph, then they would have no choice but to launch an all-out counterattack!
They had to preserve the authority of the League at any cost!
Thus, the Indigo League and Team Rocket would inevitably engage in a battle that, in this era, could only be described as a true war between great powers.
And this war was unavoidable.
"The Saffron City campaign arc… it's finally about to begin, huh~"
The corners of Lucas's lips slowly curved upward. In the games and the Special manga, it was Red and Ash, as the central protagonists, who struck down Giovanni in Saffron City, utterly shattering Team Rocket's foundation in Kanto.
It was that very battle in Saffron that reduced Team Rocket in Kanto to a crippled shadow of itself.
From that point onward, the Kanto branch of Team Rocket no longer had even the slightest ability to contend against the League.
But this time…
"The stage is already set. I wonder what kind of lineup the League will deploy this time."
Lucas's crimson eyes shimmered faintly. He firmly believed that unless Chairman Loki had taken complete leave of his senses, he would never rely solely on the Kanto Elite Four to handle this war.
(TN: Chairman Logi -> Chairman Loki)
And why? Because the strength Team Rocket had displayed by now had already surpassed that possibility.
There was the mysterious leader of Team Rocket, the Champion-level executive Karen, and the strongest executive—Lucas himself.
Especially the Legendary Dragon Trainer, Lucas Blackthorn—his mere existence alone ensured that Loki would respond with absolute seriousness. All the more so since Lucas had subdued Rayquaza during the Hoenn incident.
If the League relied solely on the Indigo Elite Four, what were their chances of victory?
Slim at best.
So, seeking reinforcements from other regions had already become an inevitable outcome.
After a long silence, Lucas slowly exhaled a breath. Although he very much looked forward to a direct showdown with the Pokémon League, there was still some time before that day came.
No need to rush.
"Lucas, where are we going next? Olivine City?" Marnie pulled out a map and asked him.
"Yeah. That traitor from Team Rocket still has to be dealt with."
Lucas nodded in response. Vicious and the Dark Ball—he still had some impression of them.
That guy was a villain from the original anime. But honestly, he wasn't very smart. He thought that by capturing Celebi, he could rule the entire world… Well, it made sense in a way. With a small-fry villain, their vision could only reach that far.
The three Legendary Birds, once captured by the Team Rocket executives Surge, Koga, and the others, had found him amusing.
"And then there's Suicune…"
The moment Suicune came to mind, Lucas raised his brows slightly, a flicker of unusual color flashing in his eyes.
In truth, Suicune had always been incredibly popular. After all, as one of the legendary beast trio, it was Ho-Oh's emissary, praised as the incarnation of the North Wind.
And among all the legendaries, Suicune's appearances had always been fairly consistent. Its strength and reputation were nothing to scoff at.
Not to mention Eusine—an entire lifetime dedicated to chasing after Suicune. That alone elevated Suicune's mystique and prestige.
But…
All of that had been completely ruined in the latest season of the anime's journey arc, where Suicune was disgracefully caught by a bunch of utterly incompetent Pokémon Hunters using nothing more than a net… Yes, the exact same kind of net Bug Catcher kids used to chase after Caterpie.
In the end, it was captured by Ash's new companion—an "Ultra Ball-Thrower" kind of prodigy—who managed to catch it with a single Poké Ball…
Suicune! One of the three Legendary Beasts! The incarnation of the North Wind! And yet it was ensnared by ordinary Pokémon Hunters with a normal net, then caught in a single throw of a basic red-and-white Poké Ball, without even a battle.
Eusine must have felt completely devastated.
This was even more absurd than the Sun and Moon arc, where Kyogre was hunted by Pokémon Poachers. At least in that case, Kyogre had been poisoned.
But here? A dignified legendary, trapped in an ordinary net, reduced to howling helplessly, only to be caught instantly with one throw.
Even Lucas, as he was now, couldn't imagine doing something so ridiculous.
Thinking of this, Lucas shook his head. Back in his previous life, he had already been furious at Ash for being so incompetent, but for that one-ball wonder kid, Lucas had absolutely no goodwill whatsoever.
"I wonder if that Goh brat is around…"
Lucas rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes. If memory served, Goh was from Vermilion City in Kanto.
Forget it. Just an ant. If there was ever a chance to meet him in the future, Lucas would make sure the boy understood exactly how cruel the world could be.
"After Olivine City, we'll head to the Whirl Islands." Lucas gathered his thoughts and spoke calmly.
This was something he had already planned before. After returning from Hoenn, he intended to pay a visit to the Whirl Islands.
The Whirl Islands had once been sanctuaries under the protection of Lugia, and ancient legends about Lugia had always circulated there.
"As for you, Zinnia, do you want to travel with us?" Lucas turned to look at her.
"Lucas, I'd like to travel alone for a while, to other places." Zinnia froze for a moment, then thought it over and replied.
After all, she had spent her whole life living in Meteor Falls, only emerging from the Meteor Village a couple of months ago.
The outside world was still something she was deeply curious about.
"No problem. If you run into trouble, just contact me." Lucas nodded without hesitation, handing her a bank card.
Though Zinnia was technically his subordinate now, she wasn't of any immediate use to him at present.
Letting her relax and explore in Kanto for a while was fine.
"Thanks. Oh, by the way—the Team Magma has disbanded. Some of its people want to follow me." Zinnia accepted the card, then remembered something and reported it to Lucas.
That morning, Courtney had contacted her, hoping to bring a portion of the Team Magma to join her.
"Oh? Looks like you had quite the network within Team Magma." Lucas glanced at her with mild surprise.
But thinking about it, it made sense. Zinnia was strong, straightforward, and easy to get along with—naturally, she would build connections.
"You don't need to report those things to me. If you're willing, then take them in. Having subordinates isn't a bad thing.
And if you don't want to, just ask their opinion. You can send them to Blackthorn City under the Blackthorn Clan. Just tell them I recommended it."
Lucas's tone was indifferent. He really didn't care about the Team Magma members. Aside from Maxie and a handful of executives, the rest were practically useless.
Since the Groudon-Kyogre incident, both Maxie and Archie had been arrested by the Hoenn League. They'd probably spend the rest of their lives behind bars.
Naturally, both Team Aqua and Team Magma were officially disbanded—but a couple of their executives had managed to escape.
Still, even survival wasn't of much use to them. There was practically no place left for them in Hoenn.
"I understand." Zinnia blinked.
"When your tribespeople arrive, they can head to Blackthorn as well. My father will make all the arrangements." Lucas smiled at her. He had already spoken to his father, Cassius about the people of Meteor Village.
With the Blackthorn Clan's power, taking them in would be effortless.
Olivine City—Johto's largest port, known as the city of ocean breezes, where the waves and whirlpools could always be heard.
After leaving Saffron, Lucas and his group of three arrived at Olivine.
"…If we want to head to the Whirl Islands, there's a ship leaving this afternoon, but…"
Green glanced at the departure schedule on her phone. Olivine was located between Ecruteak and Cianwood, not particularly far from the Whirl Islands.
But Lucas still needed to catch Vicious first.
"Carr doesn't know Vicious's exact location either. But if he was chasing after Suicune, then…"
Lucas looked toward the horizon over Olivine City. Vicious had abandoned his base after discovering Suicune's whereabouts.
From that deduction, Suicune had to be somewhere nearby.
"You little freeloader, eating and drinking off me every day—it's about time you contributed something."
Lucas reached into Marnie's bag and pulled out a small, blue turtle-like creature.
Right now, the little thing was sleeping soundly. Lucas tapped its shiny bald head impatiently.
This Mew was becoming more useless by the day.
"Mi… Why'd you hit me, mi?"
The "Squirtle" was jolted awake, clutching its shiny head with teary eyes, its voice soft and childlike, brimming with grievance.
It had been sleeping so peacefully! What had it done wrong?
"Don't act like I'm bullying you. Can you sense Suicune's aura or not?"
Lucas handed it a small biscuit as he asked directly.
As one of the oldest legends of Kanto, Mew should be… familiar with the aura of the Legendary Beasts, right?
Not to mention, Mew was a Psychic-type. Its powers were immensely strong—perfect for detection.
"Of course I can, mi! I know those three big doggies very well~"
The little water turtle's eyes lit up with joy as it accepted the biscuit, patting its tiny chest with confidence.
"That's good. Lead me to Suicune."
"Uh… Why do you want Suicune, mi?" Mew happily nibbled its biscuit, tilting its head curiously.
"It's a legendary. Isn't that reason enough?" Lucas rolled his eyes.
"But Ho-Oh is my friend, you know. Those three big doggies are all its underlings, mi. If you make me do this, it'll put me in a really difficult spot."
Mew chewed its paw in worry. After all, the three Legendary Beasts were emissaries of Ho-Oh, sent to seek out humans with pure hearts.
If it brought someone to capture Suicune… would that be betraying Ho-Oh's trust?
They had been friends, after all.
"For the next two days, Marnie and Green will give you full-body massages and prepare customized meals for you three times a day." Lucas didn't hesitate to name his price.
"Emmm, but… mi…"
"Five days!"
"Don't be like this, mi! Ho-Oh is my friend—it'll be really hard for me…"
"A week. Not a day more."
"…West! Suicune is in the west, mi!"
The "Squirtle" immediately extended its stubby little paw, pointing decisively in one direction.
Ho-Oh? Suicune?
Sorry—never heard of them!
(End of Chapter)