"What's the bad news?"
"After capturing Mars and Jupiter, we interrogated them and obtained some intel," Matori reported. "Team Galactic has already discovered a way to summon Dialga and Palkia. Their original plan was to capture them once this operation was over."
"Even though we've arrested Jupiter and Mars, which has disrupted Team Galactic's plans to some extent, it's not enough to put a stop to them entirely." Matori's expression was serious.
"In other words, Team Galactic is very likely to summon Dialga and Palkia soon?" Luo Yuan asked.
Matori nodded. "That's right. This is going to be troublesome."
Dialga and Palkia—one controls time, the other controls space.
If Team Galactic, an organization with a grudge against Team Rocket, got their hands on these two Legendary Pokémon, it would be disastrous for Rocket.
Luo Yuan agreed with Matori's assessment.
Dialga and Palkia were no ordinary Pokémon. If a battle truly broke out, even with the four Legendary Pokémon he currently possessed, things would get complicated.
Speaking of Dialga, Luo Yuan was reminded of the brief glimpse he had caught during his time-traveling experience with Celebi.
Could it be that Dialga wasn't there because it detected illegal time travel, but rather because it foresaw our future connection?
The thought crossed Luo Yuan's mind.
It wasn't impossible. As a Legendary Pokémon that controlled time, Dialga had the ability to traverse time and space. Seeing the future wouldn't be unusual.
He shook off his scattered thoughts and looked at Matori on the screen, her face still serious.
"You'll have to gather as much intel on Team Galactic as you can. You know our current situation—Team Rocket is barely managing to hold its territories with our existing manpower. We don't have the resources to deal with Team Galactic right now."
"If we want to take them on, we'll at least need to wait until we've selected a new batch of executives."
Matori knew that Luo Yuan was speaking the truth.
Right now, Rocket was severely understaffed.
It wasn't just the lack of top executives—even the mid-level members were spread thin, with many deployed to Hoenn and Alola. The organization was struggling across all fronts.
And Team Galactic wasn't as weak as groups like Team Skull or the Aether Foundation. Nor was it like Hoenn, where Team Rocket had been operating for years…
Structurally, Team Galactic was quite similar to Team Rocket, holding immense power within the Sinnoh region.
Moreover, Sinnoh was completely unfamiliar territory for Team Rocket.
Blindly barging in could lead to consequences they weren't prepared for.
"Besides, didn't you just mention that we've now mastered the technology behind artificial [Mega Stones]? Once our elite unit is assembled, dealing with Team Galactic will be much easier," Luo Yuan said with a smirk.
Matori nodded. She understood that confronting Team Galactic now wasn't practical.
For now, they would have to be put on the watchlist.
After concluding their discussion on Team Galactic, Luo Yuan and Matori briefly chatted about Rocket's internal affairs before ending the call.
Luo Yuan stretched and sighed. "Looks like dealing with Team Galactic is going to be added to my to-do list."
Taking care of them wasn't the real problem—his bigger concern was finding a reasonable excuse to request time off from Luo Yuan.
If he went up to him now and said he needed to work in Sinnoh for a while, Luo Yuan would probably lose it…
He tossed the communicator aside and deactivated the psychic soundproof barrier.
His gaze shifted to Lillie by the pool. She had successfully taught her Alolan Vulpix how to swim.
Inside the house, Sabrina and Lusamine were bringing out the freshly prepared lunch.
The one who reacted the fastest was, unsurprisingly, the ever-lazy Slowpoke.
The moment it caught the scent of food, its nose twitched, and its eyes snapped open.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Slowpoke yanked Shellder off its tail and bolted to the dining table, waiting for the meal to begin.
Luo Yuan twitched at the sight. "You don't get this enthusiastic about anything else…"
Life at home was peaceful and comfortable.
But such peace wouldn't last forever.
After all, Luo Yuan was still one of Johto's Elite Four.
As time passed, the Silver Conference was drawing near. Luo Yuan and Koga were busy with preparations, and he couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
Trainers traveling through the Johto region were adjusting their schedules, all heading toward Mt. Silver in anticipation of the tournament.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be an issue.
However, Mt. Silver had recently experienced an upheaval, and the situation hadn't fully settled yet.
With a surge of trainers entering the area, unexpected incidents were bound to occur.
That was why Luo Yuan had been assigned by the League to oversee security at Mt. Silver during the conference.
For Luo Yuan, it was a rather agreeable task.
His Tyranitar still commanded great influence as Mt. Silver's ruler. If any trouble arose, he just needed to bring Tyranitar along, and the problem would be solved instantly.
Beyond that, Luo Yuan also relied on Team Rocket's influence.
The Rocket branch in Johto had swiftly cleaned up the street gangs in the area.
The Officer Jennys in Johto found their workload suddenly reduced, but they couldn't pinpoint the reason. In the end, they simply attributed it to improved regional security.
As a result, Johto was more peaceful than ever before.
During these quiet days, Luo Yuan happened to run into someone in Silver Town—Gary Oak, who had just finished his Gym Challenge and earned all eight badges.
On the streets of Silver Town, Gary strutted down the road in the middle of the lane, completely unbothered by traffic.
Compared to the last time Luo Yuan had seen him, Gary looked even more arrogant.
He wasn't driving his flashy red sports car today, but his bright red Scizor walking beside him still drew plenty of attention from nearby trainers.
Paired with his deliberately cool expression, he had plenty of female trainers practically swooning over him.
Luo Yuan observed this scene and couldn't help but sigh—Gary's ability to flaunt had truly improved since they last met.
Gone were the days of flaunting wealth.
Now, a Scizor's appeal to trainers easily outclassed that of a sports car.
As an older brother figure, Luo Yuan felt the need to give his little brother a friendly reminder.
So, he patted his Tyranitar.
Understanding the message, Tyranitar stomped forward with an even more arrogant stride, heading straight for Gary.
Gary, still basking in the envious gazes around him, suddenly felt the ground tremble beneath his feet…