Chapter 173: Aftermath and the League's Compromise
Lance, looking at the subdued Legendary Pokémon, practically gnashed his teeth. He angrily said, "Let's retreat!"
He was about to leave, but the two Mewtwo stopped him. Ryan said, "The rest of this discussion is between us. All League members must evacuate my Day Care and return all the money they embezzled from me. In return, I won't tell anyone about your dirty dealings, but I will build my own organization, which must be officially recognized by the League."
Lance said sternly, "Don't push your luck!"
"If I had lost, what do you think the League would have done to me?" Ryan said calmly. "So, in one week, at my estate, we'll sign an agreement. If you don't agree, you'll have to deal with my wrath."
Lance sneered and said, "Can you still summon Arceus?"
Arceus pulled the Plates out of its body, and the Plates returned to Ryan's hands. Arceus said, "Young man, thank you for helping me collect all the Plates. But I'm still atoning, so I won't need them. I'll leave them with you for now."
Ryan held up the Plates toward Lance. Lance's stern expression faded, and he said, "Retreat!"
Ryan laughed and said, "Don't forget—I'll only wait one week."
The League and Team Rocket members quickly withdrew, and soon they were all gone. Wallace then came over with Drake and Sidney and said, "Ryan, I won't say anything else. Take care of Ruby and Sapphire."
"I will," Ryan said.
Wallace sighed, looked at Phoebe and Glacia, and said, "The League has wronged you, so whether you return or not is your choice. I won't say anything. Just take care of yourselves."
Phoebe and Glacia nodded at Wallace. They knew that betraying the League would make their future difficult, but they had no regrets. Wallace nodded and left with Drake and Sidney.
Seeing that the matter was resolved, Arceus also shattered the void and departed.
Only Ryan and his group, Phoebe, Glacia, and a large number of Pokémon remained.
Ryan and Lillie jumped off Rayquaza's back and reunited with Ruby and the others. Ryan turned to look at the three Legendary Pokémon and said, "You can't stay in the Hoenn region anymore. The League might make some moves. So, if you don't mind, go to Pallet Town. I'll establish my organization and set up my headquarters there."
The three Legendary Pokémon nodded, and then, before Ryan and the others' eyes, one soared into the sky, one burrowed underground, and one submerged in the sea—all vanishing.
The next matter was other business to handle. Ryan gathered everyone and said, "Lillie, I'll ask the Aether Foundation to take care of the Day Care temporarily. I'll take over when there are enough people."
"No problem," Lillie said.
At this time, Ruby said, "Ryan, I'm curious why you don't expose the relationship between the League and Team Rocket."
"It's very simple," Lillie said. "Because the League is so powerful, not many people will believe what we say. Even if others believe it, they won't expose it. After all, the power of the League is not something they can afford to provoke. Even if everyone believes it, or the League announces it themselves, how many fearless people do you think will stand against them?"
Ryan nodded and said, "It's because we have Arceus backing us that the League doesn't dare touch us. I also miscalculated. I thought the Legendary Trio could suppress the League. I didn't expect the League even had Mew on their side, and I almost lost everything."
Then Ryan looked at Phoebe and Glacia, the two former Elite Four members, and said, "Phoebe, Glacia, are you willing to join my organization? At least I won't restrict you in anything, and you've seen our prospects—we're doing pretty well."
Phoebe smiled and said, "Is there a place to live? I want to bring my grandparents over. After all, the orb is gone, and their mission of guarding it is over."
"That's no problem," Ryan nodded and said.
"Are there any strong opponents?" Glacia asked.
"Plenty. And as you know, my Day Care has excellent employee benefits," Ryan smiled.
"I'm in," Glacia said.
Then the group prepared to leave. Ruby and Sapphire headed to Petalburg City, challenging Gyms while awaiting Ryan's return. After all, they had agreed to compete in the Ever Grande Conference together. Phoebe went to pick up her grandparents, while Glacia followed Ryan. The three of them headed directly to Pallet Town to handle matters.
Ryan's situation had been sorted out, but the League was in an uproar.
The League's top brass was buzzing with discussion, but after Lance's report, they understood the various points of contention, all centered around the same principle: with Arceus, the ultimate deterrent, they couldn't touch Ryan! They also had to apologize to Ryan and return all the items they had embezzled from the Day Care. While these were minor issues, Ryan still had to build his organization, and the League had to acknowledge its legitimacy. This was truly humiliating.
After all, establishing an independent organization was obviously in opposition to the League. But the League couldn't suppress it and had to recognize its legitimacy. This was a complete embarrassment.
But the League really couldn't refute this matter. After all, Ryan had Arceus as his backer. If they really pushed too hard, they might be severely punished.
"But the current emergency is the shortage of Elite Four members. Two vacancies must be filled," one of the League's senior officials said.
"Is there any solution?"
"This Ever Grande Conference is the answer. The top three finishers can challenge the Elite Four. If they achieve a draw, they can become Elite Four members."
"I doubt it will work. The gap between the strength of the competitors and the Elite Four is too great."
"Then set up rewards. First place will be rewarded with a Legendary Pokémon."
"This is possible. After all, there are many members in the families of the major Legendary Pokémon. It doesn't matter if one or two are given away."
A week passed quickly. All League members evacuated Ryan's estate, leaving it to the Aether Foundation. At the same time, representatives from the League's leadership arrived at the estate to sign the terms of the contract.
As Ryan had promised, the terms included an apology from the League, a substantial refund of Ryan's money, and recognition of the legitimacy of his organization.
However, the League representatives were stunned by the clause promising peaceful coexistence and mutual support. Believing Ryan was trying to curry favor with the League, they signed without hesitation. However, when the meteor crisis unfolded, the League representatives were livid. It was clear Ryan was using them as a shield, sending them ahead to test the waters.
With the League representatives gone, Ryan began redesigning the estate. He planned the main hall, member residences, research institute, and transportation routes, then handed the work over to the engineering team dispatched by Lillie's connections.
Lillie's family was quite wealthy. Ryan, freed from the League's control, also worked closely with the Aether Foundation. After all, he still had to rely on them for the Pokémon food supplies.
With the Pokémon's help, the building complex was constructed at rapid speed, and it was all completed in just one month. It was also on this day that Ryan's organization, the Mercenary Guild, was established!
Yes, this name was Ryan's personal choice. After all, the development direction Ryan had in mind was similar to that of mercenaries, except that the missions were directed toward helping Pokémon and trainers.
Then Ryan released the personnel structure and recruitment advertisements, which was the first step in opening up his organization.
(End of Chapter)
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