The conference opened under clear skies. Pallet Town swelled with visitors.
Madam moved through the crowds like she belonged there, Silas at her side as her official guest.
Chimchar rode his shoulder. Elekid and Tangrowth stayed in their Pokéballs.
At the lab auditorium, they met Bruno and Zane. The group sat together. The audience was a mix of scholars, officials, and trainers whose names carried weight.
Professor Oak took the stage and began with recent research on base stats—how potential could be expressed in numbers: HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, Speed.
He explained why Pokémon like Dragonite, Hydreigon, Salamence, and Metagross tended to dominate.
Their base stat totals pushed them into the "pseudo-legendary" class—at 600, often with minimal weaknesses.
He compared them to the offspring of legendary birds, which sat at 570 BST but could bridge the gap with inherited divine techniques.
After a break, Oaks shifted tone.
Original legendaries were real, he said. They were forces of nature.
Zapdos-O was one such being—capable of summoning storms and shaping the skies. Most known "Zapdos" were offspring: powerful, but incomplete.
The one some people had seen causing massive thunderstorms was Zapdos-O itself: BST 680, towering over the 570 of its offspring.
The infant Zapdos currently under League protection was one of those offspring. Born with SS-rank potential, it would one day serve as Kanto's Guardian Deity.
Silas felt the weight of those words. He scanned it from their closer seats.
Zapdos — Level 8
Ability: Static
Potential: SS
Moves: Rank C Divine Bolt, Rank C Roost, Rank C Peck, Rank B Thunder Shock
It had a divine move. Divine Bolt was two turns, but devastating—two giant bolts in rapid succession with pinpoint accuracy. A move built to kill. Luckily, it likely couldn't unleash that full power for years.
Hidden among the audience, Giovanni and Jaden scoffed. To them, the League's "protector" posture was performance. Wolves in sheep clothing.
Jaden felt irritation turn to rage. He'd vowed to carve society open and reshape it. Not for justice. For power. For the thrill of being feared.
Here the league was, doing the same thing but under the guise of justice.
The crowd hung on Oak's words. Oak kept going, feeding them more: natural treasures that boosted latent power—ambrosia, origins, plates, orbs.
Arceus plates were the most powerful, capable of unlocking divine power. But they were ultra-rare—almost impossible to acquire.
Oak explained Arceus "copies," manifestations that carried plates of every type, boasting BST 700–800 depending on the plate grade.
The only way to claim a plate was to earn acknowledgement through battle.
The last time an Arceus copy was defeated was when Oak had been Kanto Champion—through combined efforts with the Elite Four of that era.
Silas and Zane stared at Oak with new respect.
During the break, Bruno asked in a serious tone, "What do you think happened to the plates Arceus dropped back then?"
No one answered.
Bruno continued. "That copy dropped five plates: poison, dragon, ice, ground, and fighting. The League broke them into pieces and fed them to their Pokémon."
Even Madam looked surprised. She hadn't known the League's foundation ran that deep.
Now it made sense how they consistently produced top-tier Pokémon.
Bruno turned to Zane. "That Machop of yours is descended from the first generation Elite Four's Machamp.
His name was Chase. He could decisively defeat Pokémon up to level 50 which is unheard of."
Bruno kept going, peeling back League history. Giovanni's mother had been in the Elite Four back then.
Her Rhyperior had played a pivotal role in the battle against Arceus.
"Keep this to yourselves," Bruno warned. "This is classified intel but I'm sharing because I trust you all"
"Naturally," Madam said, like the concept of betrayal offended her personally.
Silas and Zane agreed quickly.They returned to their seat as his mind churned.
Arceus plates. Divine power. League secrets.
I need one.
The first day ended "peacefully," but tension sat under everything.
The League knew Team Rocket and the Purple Biker Gang were nearby. Security was tight, but planning didn't erase human error.
Giovanni sat at a food stall in a flawless disguise, reviewing security intel on his phone.
The League had released false information—so he improvised. Improvisation was his talent.
He was Team Rocket's boss not only because he was wealthy, but because he was careful, cunning, and flexible.
He put down his phone and smiled.
"I wonder how Oak will like the surprise I prepared."
He left cash behind. Moments later, two men in black suits rose and followed—bodyguards who moved like professionals.
Jaden moved differently.
He strolled through town with two beautiful women on his arms, both with flowing blue hair.
He wasn't as famous as Giovanni so he did not worry as much about his disguise. It was good enough.
The Purple Biker Gang was a new power, rising fast. Stealing a baby legendary from the League would cement their status.
Maybe when Zapdos matured, he could take Kanto itself.
Jaden and the women left town toward the river where seating areas would likely be empty now at night.
He was a heavy smoker. In Kanto, thick cigars in public were a criminal's handshake—an invitation to police or rivals.
He wanted quiet before the operation.
Once they sat, the women produced liquor and shot glasses. Jaden drank hard, laughing loudly between each shot.
The night blurred.When he took his eighth shot, both women stood abruptly and released Pokéballs.
Two Arcanine, a Poliwrath, and a Heracross appeared—surrounding him.
"Did you really think two beautiful women wanted to hang out with just you?" one woman mocked.
"When something seems too good to be true, it usually is." Her smile turned cruel.
"Let's reintroduce ourselves. We are Officer Jennys. Nice to meet you."
They believed he was too drunk to summon his Pokémon. They were confident they could subdue him before he reacted.
"Arcanine—Extreme Speed! Subdue him!"
The Arcanine blurred forward—
—and something else blurred faster.
A cutting sound. A wet tearing. The Arcanine's head separated cleanly.
Its body kept moving on momentum before collapsing. Extreme Speed had been outsped!
Both Jennys froze, terror climbing their throats. From start to finish, they'd only seen a shadow of motion.
The assailant was still hidden. They realized too late: they might have chosen the wrong target.
Their plan had been secret so there was no backup, no witnesses, and no help.
Jaden rose slowly, smiling. "Wow," he said. "You ladies really don't know what's good for you."
He'd known they had ulterior motives. He'd just assumed the night would still end in his favor.
Now humiliation sharpened into rage. He felt it physically—heat in his chest, bloodlust crawling up his spine.
He stepped closer. "You could've had a great night. But instead… you decided you wanted to die."
The blur struck again—Heracross split vertically, blood spraying as the halves hit dirt. Poliwrath and the second Arcanine trembled.
There was a violent aura in the air—something that came only from a Pokémon that had killed before, many times.
The Arcanine did the unthinkable and turned to flee.
It made 2 strides before its head separated too.
Jaden stared coldy at the women and the remaining pokemon. "Make this one hurt."
After that single command there were 4 distinct swish sounds. Poliwrath had several deep cuts as it fell to the ground lifeless.
Poliwrath had tried to use protect but it didn't matter. In the face of overwhelming power, nothing could save it.
Now only the Jennys remained—hands shaking, mouths open, no Pokémon left.
"What are you going to do with us?" one whispered, voice breaking. Everyone in Kanto knew what kind of man Jaden was.
The other Jenny tried to act brave. "Don't you dare touch us or I promise you will regret it."
Jaden laughed, slow and menacingly. "Relax." He spread his hands and continued; "I'm a beast, but not that kind of beast. I would never do that to a woman."
For a second, hope flickered in their eyes.
"We promise not to tell anyone about you if you let us go. We would even owe you a favor."
"Yeah, a connection in law enforcement would be beneficial to a man in your position"
The 2 officers desperately pleaded their cases.
Jaden's grin widened. "Let you go? Favor?" he echoed, amused. "You must be dreaming."
Two purple-glowing blades emerged from their chests at the same time.
Both Jennys died in shock. Inexperience and naivete had gotten them killed.
Jaden snapped his fingers. His shadow rippled and rose.
A Gengar materialized beside him.It saw the scene and, without command, began to "clean up."
Poison broke down flesh. The remaining life-force was pulled like smoke into its grin.
Some Gengar fed on the freshly dead to increase their power.
When it finished, it sank back into Jaden's shadow like it had never existed.
Jaden lit another cigar. His hands were steady now. Violence was his personal therapy.
He slowly exhaled smoke into the night .