After the plan to capture Zapdos failed, Lt. Surge successfully evacuated Team Rocket to Cerulean City. However, Agatha, who had been relentlessly pursuing them, managed to find some clues and continued her chase.
Even if he were at full strength, Lt. Surge would have struggled against Agatha. But after battling Zapdos and escaping, his Pokémon were exhausted and severely injured. There was no way he could fight back, at least not for a while.
To make matters worse, his team composition had been fully exposed to Agatha. Since his specialty was Electric-type Pokémon, it would be easy for the Pokémon League to track him. Lt. Surge knew that he would be under surveillance for the foreseeable future.
Fortunately, he had already put a backup plan in place at the Vermilion City Gym to help divert suspicion. However, for now, he needed to lay low and avoid drawing unnecessary attention.
Back at Team Rocket's hideout, as Giovanni's orders were relayed through his secretary Manori, all the executives listened attentively.
Manori concluded her briefing with a final statement:
"All large-scale Team Rocket operations are to be halted immediately. The League is intensifying its search efforts, and if necessary, we will abandon some of our less important bases to mislead their investigators."
After finishing her transmission, the screen went dark, leaving the room in silence.
Lt. Surge clenched his fists in frustration, glaring at Proton before storming out of the meeting room.
Once outside the Rocket hideout, he boarded a vehicle heading toward Vermilion City. As he stared out of the window, his phone suddenly rang. It was his younger brother.
"This is Lt. Surge. What's wrong? Did something happen at the gym?"
There was a brief hesitation on the other end before his younger brother answered in a nervous tone:
"Boss… I just got word from the League. Zapdos was recaptured by Agatha and traded to the Pokémon League. It's officially in their hands now."
BANG!
Lt. Surge slammed his phone onto the car seat, cutting off the call abruptly. His heart pounded with rage.
He had prepared himself for the possibility that Zapdos might have escaped. If that had been the case, he could have still tracked it down and attempted another capture. But now, with Zapdos securely in the League's possession, he had no chance.
To make matters worse, all the resources he had spent—renting Weavile, acquiring special equipment, and using rare items to lure Zapdos—had come from his own pocket. Since this operation had been his personal endeavor, he had no way to recover his losses.
The realization made his blood boil.
---
Maen's Trade with the Pokémon League
Meanwhile, on the other side of Kanto, Maen was in high spirits as he received the resources promised by the Pokémon League. It had been three days since the trade was finalized, and now, his rewards were finally arriving.
The first set of items included three top-quality Dusk Stones.
Although evolutionary stones are primarily used to evolve Pokémon, they also contain an immense amount of elemental energy. The stronger the stone's quality, the greater the energy it provides.
As soon as Maen received the stones, his Haunter eagerly devoured one, absorbing its power. The remaining two were stored in a newly acquired snack container, a special item included in the trade.
The container was made from reinforced material, designed to withstand Haunter's mischievous nature. It even had a custom Gengar pattern on it, making Haunter grin in excitement.
For the past three days, Maen had been studying the recipes for high-grade Pokéblocks at the Cerulean City Pokémon Center. These recipes, which had been obtained as part of the trade, were particularly beneficial for Ghost- and Dark-type Pokémon.
Normally, these formulas were highly exclusive, developed by master breeders over generations. It would have been nearly impossible for Maen to obtain them under normal circumstances. Only an organization as powerful as the Pokémon League had the resources to collect such valuable knowledge.
Additionally, Maen had also acquired state-of-the-art Pokéblock production equipment. To top it off, he now had the ability to purchase raw materials for Pokéblocks at wholesale prices from League-owned stores.
These were all valuable gains, but none of them were the true highlight of the trade.
For the past three days, Maen had been eagerly awaiting confirmation on his final request—the most important part of the deal.
Finally, on the third day, a League representative arrived. To Maen's surprise, it was someone he knew well—Lance.
---
An Unexpected Journey to Johto
"Huh? Why is it you, Lance?" Maen asked, raising an eyebrow.
Lance cleared his throat. "Ahem. This time, I'm here as an official League representative. I'll be escorting you to claim your final request."
Maen's eyes lit up with excitement. "Wait… don't tell me…"
Lance smirked. "That's right. We're going to Johto—to Blackthorn City. Specifically, to the pride of the Dragon Clan—the Dragon's Den."
A proud expression appeared on Lance's face as he spoke.
Maen, on the other hand, was momentarily speechless.
The Dragon's Den—the sacred ground of the Dragon Clan—was a place every dragon-type trainer dreamed of visiting. It was home to some of the rarest and most powerful Dragon Pokémon in the world.
Even for trainers who didn't specialize in dragon-types, the prospect of encountering a Dratini or Bagon was extremely enticing.
However, access to the Dragon's Den was strictly limited.
Only those who had been personally acknowledged by the Dragon Clan elders were allowed inside. Anyone who attempted to enter without permission would be met with overwhelming resistance from the powerful Pokémon and trainers who guarded the sanctuary.
Maen had never expected his trade with the League to grant him entry into such a sacred place.
This was far better than he had imagined.
With a grin, he turned to Lance. "So… when do we leave?"
Lance chuckled. "Right now. The sooner we go, the better. I have a Dragonite ready to fly us there."
Excitement surged through Maen as he nodded eagerly.
This trip to Johto's Dragon's Den might just be his greatest opportunity yet.
---
To Be Continued…
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