Upon hearing the news, Carl felt a wave of relief but knew he had to inform his backup team first. "We might need to put the double agent issue on hold for now," he announced.
Everyone's expression changed instantly.
"What's happened?" Professor Oak asked, his smile disappearing.
"If Koga is genuinely turning over a new leaf, we can't knowingly push him into a trap," Carl replied.
"Carl, what do you mean?" Koga's sister, Grace, asked, her voice filled with concern.
Earlier, she had watched her brother surrounded by the Elite Four, admitting his ties to Team Rocket. Her heart was pounding the entire time.
Luckily, Koga hadn't fallen too deep and had a chance to redeem himself, or he would have been arrested on the spot. Yet, the situation seemed even more dire now.
"It's simple," Carl said calmly. "Koga's defection has already been leaked."
"What?" Everyone's face turned pale.
The room was filled with the league's top officials; there were no outsiders. Professor Oak had just brought up Koga's role as a double agent.
If the information leaked, there could only be one explanation—there's a high-ranking Team Rocket member among us.
"Who could it be?"
The group began eyeing each other with suspicion.
Some, however, were beyond doubt. For instance, if Cynthia and Caitlin had joined Team Rocket, they would have conquered the world by now. Carl, Lance, Professor Oak, and Granny Joyce were also beyond suspicion.
Lorelei's hometown was destroyed by Team Rocket, so she couldn't be involved either.
That left the rest, all under suspicion, albeit to varying degrees.
"Carl, just tell us who it is," Professor Oak demanded, pulling out a Pokéball, his expression severe.
Aside from Koga, Blaine, and Sabrina, a Team Rocket mole was hiding in the room, leaving the league's defenses in shambles. Carl was rarely this angry.
Suddenly, Lt. Surge, standing in the corner, threw out two Pokéballs. "Electrode, Explosion! Magnezone, get us out of here!"
Before Carl could respond to Professor Oak, the man in military attire couldn't hold back any longer. He cursed his bad luck internally, cursing the day he got involved in this mess.
When he received the league's summons, Lt. Surge had considered finding an excuse to avoid it. But remembering Giovanni's secret letter, he decided to hedge his bets: defect to whichever side seemed more advantageous.
Carl's appearance disrupted his entire plan. Knowing the consequences of his ties to Team Rocket being exposed, he saw escape as the only option. If he could reunite with Giovanni, there might still be a chance.
Two beams of red light shot out, with Electrode charging directly at Carl, ready to explode, while Magnezone grabbed Lt. Surge, lifting him into the air.
"Dragonite!" Lance's furious shout echoed.
The clouds split open, and an orange figure dove down like lightning. Its fiery fist smashed into Magnezone, slamming it to the ground, with Lt. Surge pinned under Dragonite's claw.
Faced with Dragonite's fierce gaze, the brawny man froze, not daring to make any sudden moves. For the first time, he truly understood the power gap at the champion level. The idea of escaping now seemed laughably futile.
Meanwhile, a commanding figure stepped in front of Carl.
Cynthia's Garchomp swiftly acted, its claws brimming with Dragon energy, slashing forward. A powerful gust whipped up a small storm, carrying Electrode skyward.
With a thunderous explosion, Electrode detonated mid-air, its blinding light illuminating the entire area. The explosion's shockwave was like fireworks bursting at close range, forcing everyone to squint. The power of this near-elite Pokémon's self-destruction rivaled the destructive force of a champion's Hyper Beam.
Smoke spread rapidly, driven by the shockwave, threatening to engulf the entire scene. Lance's Dragonite flapped its wings lightly, dispersing the smoke in an instant.
In those brief seconds, the situation shifted dramatically. A masked figure appeared behind Carl, a silver dagger mere inches from its target. Caitlin and Sabrina materialized simultaneously, their eyes glowing blue, using their psychic abilities to immobilize the attacker.
"Damn it!" The masked man struggled in vain. As a skilled psychic, he was no match for two trainers of champion-level prowess. Even his main Pokémon, Bronzong, couldn't escape their combined might.
Sabrina spoke calmly, "I foresaw your actions. Trying to take a hostage when you know you can't escape is walking right into a trap."
"A trainer resorting to a sneak attack instead of battling is disgraceful," Caitlin added with disdain.
Beneath the mask, the man's expression soured.
"Unbelievable!" Lance's voice thundered, "Two of the strongest gym leaders, acting as Team Rocket members. What a revelation!"
Lance was seething, pounding the table in frustration. "Giovanni is too much! He might as well take my position and legalize Team Rocket, seizing control of the league!"
The meeting room's atmosphere was heavy. Among the Elite Four from two regions, two were confirmed as Team Rocket members. Worse yet, nearly all the gym leaders in the Kanto region had ties to Team Rocket. It was a disgrace to the league.
"Have we rounded up everyone, or are there more?" Lance's voice was sharp as he scanned the room.
As the tension eased slightly, Erika hesitantly spoke up, "Um, actually... I am too."
The room fell silent. Lance's face turned ashen, and everyone else was stunned.
At the top floor of the league's headquarters, the Kanto league's leaders were gathered. With Erika's confession, the oppressive atmosphere hit its peak. Holding the presidency of two regional leagues, Lance's expression was grim.
But the greatest blow was to Lance. As the champion of the Johto Elite Four, three of his four members were from Team Rocket. Adding to the irony was his role as an investigator specializing in criminal pursuit.
"Bruno, you aren't part of Team Rocket, are you?" Lance glared at the sturdy man beside him, his eyes fierce.
Bruno patted his chest, "With my brain, if I were part of Team Rocket, you'd have caught me long ago!"
The room fell silent again. Lance's forehead veins bulged, realizing that his most trusted subordinate was just a simple, honest man.
"Could you please secure everyone first?" Carl reminded them helplessly. The masked attacker was still behind him with a dagger, restrained by Sabrina and Caitlin, but what if something unexpected happened?
[Note: This is a fictional work. Support original creations and enjoy the joy of reading!]