"I'll make sure this gets to Professor Samson Oak," Luo Yuan said, tucking the box into his spatial backpack.
The box was unusually heavy, giving the impression it contained something like rocks. However, Luo Yuan wasn't one to pry, so he didn't bother scanning it with his psychic powers.
"Honestly, Ash and Gary are such a handful. If you've got some free time, could you help me—"
"Nope, can't, goodbye."
Before Professor Oak could finish, Luo Yuan grabbed Sabrina and made a swift exit, leaving Oak to sigh at the 29 Tauros still waiting for their grooming.
"Looks like it's all on me," Oak muttered, resigned to his fate.
Thankfully, Ash had recently found an assistant for him. Although they hadn't officially started yet, Oak looked forward to handing over some of the workload.
---
As Luo Yuan and Sabrina left Pallet Town, they ran into Delia Ketchum, Ash's mother.
After exchanging greetings and graciously accepting Delia's thanks for looking after Ash, they headed to Viridian City's Team Rocket base.
There, Luo Yuan met Giovanni, who was also on leave from his Elite Four duties.
---
"...So that's the gist of it. I think now is the perfect time to restart the Alola Initiative," Luo Yuan said.
As Team Rocket's second-in-command, Luo Yuan had access to the classified details of Giovanni's Alola Initiative.
The plan was thorough, with a network of operatives already embedded in Alola—including some within the Aether Foundation.
With the groundwork laid, infiltrating and taking control of the foundation was only a matter of time.
After hearing Luo Yuan out, Giovanni turned his attention to the invitation on the table.
The timing was fortuitous. Before Luo Yuan's arrival, Giovanni had already been contemplating Team Rocket's next move.
Following recent events, Team Rocket had consolidated its grip on Kanto, Johto, and Kalos, and its foothold in Hoenn was rapidly strengthening.
Despite this growth, Giovanni's cautious nature only heightened with the organization's expansion. He knew that maintaining their momentum required careful planning.
Two targets had been on his mind:
Team Galactic – The audacity of planting a spy within Team Rocket still stung, and Giovanni had been itching to settle the score.
The Aether Foundation – Alola's Ultra Beasts presented an opportunity too tempting to ignore.
Weighing the pros and cons, Giovanni decided the Aether Foundation was the smarter choice.
Giovanni nodded. "This is indeed a good time to restart the Alola Initiative. I'll leave this task to you, Luo Yuan."
As the leader, Giovanni oversaw Team Rocket's operations on a macro scale, while Luo Yuan, as the spearhead of their expansions, handled external missions.
This dual-core leadership had accelerated Team Rocket's rise.
"I take it you can leave Johto without any issues?" Giovanni asked.
Luo Yuan's tenure as Johto's Elite Four member had been notable for how little time he actually spent on League duties.
"Not a problem. I've already cleared it with Professor Oak. I'll also request an official exchange program status from Lance, so it'll look like a work trip."
Luo Yuan grinned. Using League resources to further Team Rocket's goals had become second nature to him.
Giovanni, recalling Luo Yuan's habit of expensing everything during earlier missions, couldn't help but feel both exasperated and amused.
"Well, if you're offloading costs onto the League, that's fine by me," Giovanni said after a pause.
"One more thing," Giovanni added. "Before you leave, stop by New Island Base."
"New Island? Wasn't that place heavily damaged?" Luo Yuan asked, recalling the chaos of its earlier destruction.
"It's been rebuilt and expanded. Dr. Zager and Blaine's project on Mewtwo Mega Evolution has made significant progress. You should check it out."
Luo Yuan raised an eyebrow. "You mean they've completed the Mega Stone?"
"Not entirely," Giovanni replied. "They've managed to develop one of the two projected forms. Blaine calls it the Y Form, optimized for extreme psychic power."
"Mega Mewtwo Y, huh?" Luo Yuan mused.
The form sacrificed physical defense for speed, special attack, and physical attack—an unorthodox but highly effective build.
For Luo Yuan, this specialization was ideal. His battle strategies rarely relied on one-on-one matchups, favoring synergy and specialized roles instead.
---
After fine-tuning the details of the Alola Initiative with Giovanni, Luo Yuan left the base, albeit with a lingering curiosity.
Despite their discussion, Giovanni hadn't mentioned anything about the rumored "neurotoxin" supposedly used to control Lusamine and seize the Aether Foundation.
Luo Yuan couldn't help but wonder what kind of substance it was.
"Looks like dealing with Lusamine will fall on me," Luo Yuan sighed before heading off with Sabrina to request Lance's approval for their "exchange program."
And, while they were at it, Luo Yuan planned to check in on Ash and Gary.
---
T/N: Right... "dealing"
...
If you're reading this, then you've wandered all the way to the end. I'm impressed. Stories are like wine—meant to be savored, not rushed. So if you took your time? Thank you.
Of course, the real thanks goes to WiseTL—the one who turned tangled words into something beautiful. I just got asked to wrap things up with a ribbon. Hopefully this counts!
If you enjoyed the journey and want to support the person who made it possible, you can find them here:
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Go on. Be generous. They've earned it.
Until next time—read well, rest often, and maybe come visit me at the Hostess of Fertility sometime.
– Syr ✨