Kalos Region
Team Flare's Secret Base
Lysandre stood before a large oil painting, his expression dark and brooding.
After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Have you seen it, Chalmers?"
The butler-like figure behind him, Chalmers, bowed slightly. "Are you referring to the matter with Malva, sir?"
"Yes."
Yesterday, after nearly ten days of complete silence, Malva had finally updated her social media with a new holographic post.
The message claimed that her communicator had malfunctioned during a vacation in Kanto. She explained that she had only just repaired it and apologized for causing concern.
On the surface, it seemed like a reasonable explanation. Most people accepted it without question.
But Lysandre, who had personally sent Malva to Kanto to confront Team Rocket, was deeply suspicious.
After all, following the disappearance of Celosia and the other Team Flare operatives, Malva had been dispatched to investigate their whereabouts. Yet, she too vanished without a trace for ten days, leaving Lysandre to assume she had been captured by Team Rocket.
Now that she had reappeared—without first reporting to him—and posted on social media instead, Lysandre couldn't help but harbor doubts.
"Are you suggesting that Malva has betrayed the organization?" Chalmers asked cautiously.
Though unwilling to believe it, Chalmers also couldn't ignore the catastrophic implications of such a betrayal.
As one of Team Flare's core leaders responsible for infiltrating Kalos's political and corporate circles, Malva held knowledge of their entire operational plan, the identities of their key members, and the locations of nearly all their secret bases.
If she truly defected, it would spell disaster for Team Flare.
Lysandre's grim expression revealed that he was fully aware of the risks. However, he still clung to a shred of hope.
"We'll know for sure once we establish contact with her," he said.
Just as he was about to dismiss Chalmers, the communicator on his desk suddenly buzzed to life.
Both men turned to look at the caller ID.
Malva.
At Lysandre's signal, Chalmers stepped forward and pressed the answer button.
Shhhh!
Malva's holographic image materialized in the office.
"Leader," she greeted, her expression calm and composed.
From her demeanor alone, there was no hint that she had recently defected to Team Rocket.
Lysandre scrutinized her carefully before asking, "Malva, what happened in Kanto?"
Malva began recounting her experience. She explained that while searching for Celosia, she had tracked her trail to Laverre City. There, she encountered a mysterious Team Rocket executive, leading to an ambush.
She described how Celosia and the others had been captured, while she barely managed to escape on her Talonflame. The battle had damaged her communicator, forcing her to evade capture on the open sea until she could repair it and send an update.
Her story was dramatic yet seamless, with every detail logically fitting together. Lysandre listened intently, finding no apparent flaws.
With Malva currently in Kanto, he had no means to verify her claims more thoroughly, so for now, his suspicions were temporarily eased.
"So, Celosia and the others were captured by Team Rocket?" Lysandre muttered, his frustration mounting.
Though he had suspected as much, hearing it confirmed still left a bitter taste.
Including Aliana, this now made two of Team Flare's senior operatives who had fallen into Rocket's hands.
What were his options?
Another rescue mission?
Malva was among Team Flare's strongest members, second only to Lysandre himself. Yet even she had been forced into hiding by Team Rocket. The difficulty of extracting their captives was beyond measure.
As for a potential exchange, Lysandre doubted Rocket would entertain the idea after repeated provocations. And even if they did, what leverage did he have to offer?
"Return to Kalos for now. We'll deal with this matter later," Lysandre said finally, unable to devise a better plan in the moment.
Unnoticed by him, a flicker of disappointment flashed in Malva's eyes. She nodded and ended the call.
Turning to the man beside her, she asked, "Satisfied now?"
Luo Yuan, casually flipping through the intelligence Malva had provided on Team Flare, looked up at her with a faint smile.
"What do you mean 'satisfied'? You're a Team Rocket member now—don't act like you're not," he teased.
"...…" Malva was momentarily speechless.
Setting aside the files, Luo Yuan said, "According to your intel, Team Flare is split into two main divisions. The first is the Science Division led by Xerosic. With Aliana and Celosia captured, that leaves Bryony and Mable."
"The second division consists of the elite operatives under Chalmers's command."
Malva nodded. "Correct. Additionally, the Lumiose Press is under my leadership for external propaganda and media control."
Team Flare's operations differed significantly from Team Rocket's.
Unlike Rocket, which openly claimed responsibility for its actions, Team Flare relied on political influence and media manipulation to downplay its activities.
This strategy had allowed them to operate extensively in Kalos without provoking a large-scale response from the League.
"If we want to eliminate Team Flare, we'll need to take out their remaining leaders as quickly as possible. Including Lysandre, that's five targets in total," Luo Yuan mused, rubbing his chin.
Then he turned to Malva. "How many can you handle?"
"One-on-one, I can't beat Lysandre," she admitted. "But I can hold my own against Chalmers and Xerosic, or take on Bryony and Mable together."
"Good. Then Chalmers is yours. I'll handle Lysandre and Xerosic. As for Bryony and Mable… we'll leave them to Matori and Sabrina."
Luo Yuan decided it was time to borrow Mewtwo from Giovanni again.
With Mewtwo and Deoxys on their side, the plan was practically foolproof.
Even if Team Flare had already secured Xerneas and Yveltal, Luo Yuan was confident he wouldn't be outmatched.
Watching him calmly lay out the plan, Malva felt a wave of complicated emotions.
But at this point, she had no way out.