After carrying out missions for a period of time and making himself somewhat noticeable, Cain once again disappeared quietly.
Although his disappearance was somewhat abrupt, no one paid it any special attention. They thought that perhaps he had gone into hiding to train his Pokémon, or that he had gone off to capture an important criminal.
In reality, Cain had left the Hoenn region directly and was heading toward the turbulent and chaotic Kanto region.
The current Kanto region was truly filled with all kinds of people.
Since the division between the Kanto region and the Johto region was no longer a secret, many opportunists appeared, as well as many outsiders, all hoping to gain some kind of benefit.
Cain had not come seeking profit, but because Giovanni had summoned him.
After half a year, Giovanni finally contacted Cain again; he said that there was an extremely important meeting within Team Rocket that Cain had to attend.
Thus, Cain once again returned to the Team Rocket base in Viridian City.
Dressed in his black robe and command insignia, he walked through the base without any obstruction.
Perhaps due to the imminent important meeting, security at the place was much stricter, and even Officers were not allowed to walk around freely.
Cain went straight to Giovanni's office.
Knock, knock.
"Come in," Giovanni replied in his always steady and confident voice.
Cain opened the door and entered.
The office had not changed at all, but the sofas were occupied by several people.
It seemed that Giovanni had not summoned Cain individually.
Cain briefly observed those seated in the room.
On a single sofa sat a man dressed in a tight purple ninja suit, revealing only his eyes. In his hand he played with a special four-pointed weapon, clearly a ninja shuriken.
On another single sofa opposite him was a middle-aged man with a martial bearing, sitting with his back straight, dressed in a military uniform, imposing and arrogant.
On the longest sofa were four people, three men and one woman, all wearing white Team Rocket uniforms. None of them spoke; they were simply doing their own things.
A short distance away from the sofa, floating in the air with her legs crossed, was a woman who seemed unwilling to mingle with the others.
Although Cain personally knew only one of them—the woman floating using psychic powers—their identities were clear. He could even name them all.
They were the three most mysterious Executives of Team Rocket, infiltrated within the League under high-ranking identities:
The Psychic Queen of Saffron City, Sabrina.
General Surge, leader of the Vermilion City Gym.
Koga, the supreme assassin, leader of the Fuchsia City Gym.
And the four seated on the large sofa were the most active Executives of Team Rocket in Johto: Proton, Archer, Ariana, and Petrel.
All those present were high-ranking members of Team Rocket, Giovanni's most trusted subordinates.
When Cain entered, everyone glanced sideways at him. Noticing that his face was covered by a psychic mist that concealed his identity, several of them frowned.
Hiding himself even inside Giovanni's office?
Sabrina, however, recognized him instantly. Although his psychic mist could not be completely penetrated, she—being the source of his psychic awakening—identified him right away.
With an instantaneous movement, she appeared in front of him, observing him with curiosity and confusion.
"Your psychic talent has reached this level... truly surprising."
For Sabrina, although Cain's psychic power could not compare to hers, he was no longer someone completely incapable of resisting her.
When she appeared before him, the two experienced a brief and subtle clash of powers. Although Sabrina won easily, she perceived the message Cain projected: he was no longer that defenseless boy.
Not only Sabrina. Anyone who had followed information about Cain could guess who he was, including Koga.
Sabrina observed Cain for a long time, but in the end she restrained herself and did not test him.
First, because they were in Giovanni's office; although she did not respect most of those present, in front of Giovanni she did not dare to act without permission.
Second, because of the videos circulating on the internet, in which the Sandstorm Elite Four ravaged an entire island beneath a red sky of sand, Sabrina knew that Cain might no longer be someone she could shape at will. His strength already exerted pressure even on her.
"Miss Sabrina truly has admirable psychic talent," Cain replied calmly.
Even so, he maintained the psychic mist over his face.
If he showed his true face in the League, he had to conceal it here in Team Rocket.
A shared name could be overlooked, but too many coincidences would arouse suspicion.
Koga, seated, cast several discreet glances. He knew who Cain was and also knew that, despite being younger than him, Cain had managed to become an Elite Four before him... something admirable.
Another Elite Four had emerged in Kanto, but it was not him—it was Lorelei, that young girl. The elders of the League believed she had more potential and greater ability to attract the public.
As an Ice-type Elite Four, and with an image friendly to the League, she was the ideal choice.
For those absurd reasons, they once again rejected Koga's candidacy, accumulating within him a silent fury that nearly drove him to attempt to assassinate Lorelei.
In fact, aside from Agatha, an old master difficult to approach, Koga had the ability to assassinate any of the other Elite Four without leaving a trace.
As an expert ninja assassin, his skills were unimaginable.
However, Giovanni stopped him before he could act.
When Cain entered, Giovanni only gave him a slight nod, as if he were waiting for something.
And he did not wait long: the door was knocked again and three more people entered, lined up like three signal bars on a phone.
The Three Beasts, one of Giovanni's secret weapons.
When they entered with such presence, the atmosphere in the room immediately became tense.
Team Rocket's fighting force had gathered in full.
(End of chapter)