Everything was proceeding according to plan, just as it had been carefully arranged.
After leaving Mt. Silver, Luo Yuan didn't head home right away. Instead, he made a stop in Goldenrod City.
Inside a towering office building, he reunited with three familiar faces—Jessie, James, and Meowth.
The trio had undergone an incredible transformation.
Under their management, the once-small news agency had flourished into a booming media empire. Their newly established television network was also growing at a rapid pace.
Jessie had become a frontline journalist. Thanks to Team Rocket's intelligence network, combined with her bold and tenacious attitude, she always managed to report directly from the heart of major events, delivering exclusive firsthand news.
James was responsible for organizing and publishing reports. His vast knowledge allowed him to sift through overwhelming amounts of information, skillfully extracting the most valuable news.
Meowth handled the internal affairs of the TV station, taking on the role of a manager.
Now at the television network's headquarters, Luo Yuan reviewed the detailed reports they had prepared and gave his approval.
"You've done an excellent job. Giovanni is very pleased with your work," Luo Yuan said.
"And now, I have an important task for you."
"If you complete this mission successfully, you'll be promoted to mid-ranking officers in Team Rocket!"
Hearing this, the trio's faces lit up with excitement.
While they had made significant achievements in the media industry and received promotions, they were still only considered lower-ranking members of Team Rocket.
And lower-ranking members were everywhere in the organization.
To truly gain Giovanni's recognition, mid-ranking officer status was the minimum requirement.
Now, the chance to be promoted was right in front of them. Naturally, they were beyond thrilled.
As for whether Luo Yuan was telling the truth…
There was no doubt at all!
Standing before them was Luo Yuan, the publicly recognized second-in-command of Team Rocket.
If he said it, it was as good as guaranteed.
"What's the mission?" The trio eagerly rolled up their sleeves, already mentally preparing themselves to steal some rare Pokémon for Team Rocket.
Luo Yuan took one look at their faces and immediately knew they were completely mistaken.
"No need to get all worked up. I'm not sending you to steal any Pokémon," Luo Yuan waved his hand dismissively.
"That kind of outdated practice is a thing of the past."
Sure, stealing Pokémon saved time in training, but they would never have the same level of trust and synergy as Pokémon raised from scratch.
In the past, Team Rocket might not have cared about such details.
But ever since they expanded into Kalos, Hoenn, and Alola, with their influence and ambitions growing rapidly, Giovanni had raised his standards for the organization.
Stolen Pokémon were far too inconsistent in quality. Their strength depended entirely on luck, which didn't align with Team Rocket's long-term development strategy.
Because of this, Giovanni had established a specialized breeding facility within Team Rocket.
This facility provided starter Pokémon for new recruits.
Through scientific breeding methods, the Pokémon distributed to Team Rocket members were of exceptional quality—second only to the official starter Pokémon given to rookie Trainers by the Pokémon League.
But in terms of quantity, Team Rocket far exceeded what the League could provide.
If Team Rocket members wanted additional Pokémon, they could either catch them themselves or use their Team Rocket points to exchange for Pokémon from the breeding facility.
From Rattata to Dratini, they had everything.
As a result, modern Team Rocket members had no reason to steal Pokémon from other Trainers.
"So, what's the mission, Meowth?" Meowth asked curiously.
"You've heard about the upcoming Kanto Champion election, right?" Luo Yuan asked.
The trio nodded immediately.
As media professionals, there was no way they wouldn't be aware of this major event.
"It's simple. Giovanni is running for Kanto Champion, and we need you to use your TV station to boost his campaign." Luo Yuan stated.
Champion election? Helping with the campaign?
Upon hearing this, Jessie, James, and Meowth's imaginations ran wild.
If Giovanni became the Champion of Kanto—
Sitting upon the Champion's throne, ruling the region—
Surely, he would remember them, his loyal subordinates who worked tirelessly for Team Rocket's cause!
At that point, they wouldn't just be mid-ranking officers—
They would earn Giovanni's personal trust and favor!
"Leave it to us!" The trio declared in unison.
Seeing their enthusiastic expressions, Luo Yuan couldn't help but marvel at how deeply devoted they were to Giovanni.
"Do you actually know how to go about this?" he asked cautiously.
While their loyalty was unquestionable, they weren't exactly the most reliable people at times.
Upon hearing his question, the trio—who had been deeply immersed in the media industry for some time—immediately launched into an extensive explanation.
They discussed fake news, clickbait headlines, public opinion manipulation, rigged polls, and various other journalistic tricks with surprising expertise.
They even had plans to organize a special televised interview with Giovanni, allowing the people of Kanto to witness his charisma and leadership abilities firsthand.
The trio had absolute confidence in Giovanni's charisma.
Luo Yuan had to admit—he agreed.
After outlining the general strategy, Luo Yuan left the finer details in their hands and set off for Kanto.
While Team Galactic had been informed of the plan, their personnel would take a few more days to arrive.
So Luo Yuan wasn't in a hurry to head to the Sevii Islands just yet.
First, he planned to meet up with Sabrina and Lillie and take a trip to Professor Oak's lab in Pallet Town!
...
Despite the chaos of the outside world, Pallet Town remained as peaceful as ever.
Nestled at the edge of Viridian Forest, the small town was completely untouched by the noise and restlessness of the outside world.
After regrouping with Sabrina and Lillie, Luo Yuan made his way to Professor Oak's laboratory.
Inside the lab, for once, Professor Oak wasn't busy giving his Tauros a bath.
Instead, that job had been handed over to his new assistant, Tracey Sketchit.
"Luo Yuan, what brings you here?!"
Professor Oak had expected Sabrina and Lillie to visit, as Luo Yuan had informed him in advance.
But he hadn't expected Luo Yuan himself to come along.
After all, he had heard about the disturbance in Mt. Silver and knew that Luo Yuan had gone to handle the situation.
He hadn't expected to see Luo Yuan in Kanto so soon.
"The issue at Mt. Silver has been resolved," Luo Yuan explained. "But then Lance assigned me another task—helping Kanto prepare for potential interference from Team Rocket during the Champion selection."
"So I figured I'd drop by while I was here."
"Also, I have something else for you. Previously, I only sent over Nihilego's Poké Ball, but I have another item to deliver to you."
Luo Yuan gestured to the massive wooden crate behind him, which was taller than a person.
"This is a special delivery from Professor Burnet—an exclusive Alolan specialty for you."
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T/N: WHAT from rattata to dratini... where can i sign up?