"It's Team Rocket."
Lorelei's voice came through the communicator.
Hearing that name from her lips was both within Nozomi's expectations—and beyond them.
On one hand, it made sense. There weren't many things that could force one of the Kanto Elite Four to ask for help, and Team Rocket was one of the few organizations capable of giving even Lorelei trouble.
But on the other hand, it didn't add up. During the S.S. Anne incident, the two of them had already dealt a heavy blow to Team Rocket. Nozomi had even exposed the truth—that Giovanni himself was the Rocket Boss—to the League. By all logic, the League should've gained the upper hand since then.
Yet judging by Lorelei's tone, that clearly wasn't the case.
"What happened with Team Rocket?" Nozomi asked instinctively.
"Team Rocket has launched coordinated attacks across multiple League cities," Lorelei replied swiftly. "Viridian City, Fuchsia City, Cerulean City, Saffron City—each one has reported numerous incidents of Rocket agents robbing Trainers of their Pokémon."
"That kind of petty raid should be something the League can handle, shouldn't it?" Nozomi frowned.
If the League couldn't even manage that much, then Team Rocket would have long since replaced them entirely.
"It's not that simple," Lorelei said gravely. "Just moments ago, Giovanni himself led a direct assault on Indigo Plateau. Bruno, who was in charge of guarding the Plateau, fought him but lost. One of the Beasts—Chakra, the one we captured earlier—was broken out by Giovanni personally."
"..."
Even Nozomi was momentarily speechless.
Giovanni personally stormed Indigo Plateau, defeated one of the Elite Four, and rescued Chakra from League custody?That was an absurd amount of information to process all at once.
"This is insane," Nozomi muttered.
Indigo Plateau was the very heart of the Kanto League. The defenses there were notoriously strict. Yet Giovanni had apparently strolled in, taken down Bruno, and walked out with a prisoner?It was exactly as Nozomi said—utterly unbelievable.
Lorelei's tone carried an edge of embarrassment. It was humiliating.
After all, while Team Rocket often caused trouble, the League's overall strength still far surpassed them. The League always boasted that it had more than enough power to wipe Team Rocket out if it truly wished.
But now, Giovanni's actions were like a slap to the League's face—burning and loud.Perhaps the incident could be excused since Bruno had been the only one stationed there at the time, but as one of the Elite Four herself, Lorelei couldn't escape a share of responsibility.
"But why come to me?" Nozomi asked. "If the League's going to full-on war with Team Rocket, I'm not exactly the person who can help."
He might have his grudges against Team Rocket and didn't mind making their lives difficult now and then, but a full-scale war? No way. Wars were chaos—no one could predict who'd make it out alive.
"You're overthinking it. That's not it," Lorelei quickly clarified. "Even though the higher-ups are furious, they know it's not yet time to go all-out against Team Rocket."
"Then what do you want me to do?" Nozomi asked, brow furrowed.
"I want you to investigate something for me."
"Go ahead," Nozomi said immediately. Investigation was his kind of work.
"During the attack, Giovanni used a Pokémon—white and purple in color. He defeated all four of Bruno's main Pokémon using only that one. I want you to find out where that Pokémon came from. I'll send you an image later."
Nozomi couldn't help but smirk inwardly. "So it's Mewtwo after all."
It made perfect sense. A reckless, confident move like storming Indigo Plateau was entirely out of character for Giovanni—unless he had something extraordinary to rely on.
And Mewtwo was exactly that.
The Rocket-created powerhouse possessed the terrifying strength of a Tier 1 Legendary. With Bruno being a Fighting-type Master—whose Pokémon were naturally weak to Psychic attacks—it wasn't surprising he'd been overwhelmed.
Nozomi knew perfectly well what Mewtwo was, but he wasn't about to reveal that information. There was no way to explain how he knew it, anyway.
He simply nodded with practiced calm. "Understood. I'll look into it."
He would find a chance later to leak pieces of information to the League—carefully and anonymously.
"According to witnesses," Lorelei continued, "Giovanni headed toward the Saffron–Celadon area after leaving Indigo Plateau. Be careful out there. Do what you can, but don't take unnecessary risks."
Their time together during the S.S. Anne operation had brought them closer than a mere superior and subordinate. There was something subtler between them now—something that made her concern sound warmer than protocol required.
Nozomi wasn't the type to sacrifice himself for the League just because they paid him, but he still gave a polite nod. "Of course."
Still, Team Rocket creating Mewtwo was no small matter. It was a direct threat to him as well. Thankfully, he had his own trump card—his Metagross, which could now Mega Evolve.
A Mega Metagross might not guarantee victory over Mewtwo, but it would at least make the fight unpredictable.
"Then I'll leave it to you," Lorelei said. "Ah—one last thing. Bruno mentioned Giovanni called that Pokémon 'Mewtwo.' You can use that name to track your leads."
"Mewtwo, got it."
The call ended.
Nozomi sat on the edge of his bed, exhaling deeply.
"Just finished dealing with the S.S. Anne mess, and now this," he sighed. "Let's just hope Giovanni doesn't come after me before Mewtwo decides to ditch Team Rocket."
Even with a Mega Metagross on his side, Nozomi had no real certainty who would win between it and Mewtwo. Betting his life on that wasn't an option.
"Forget it," he muttered. "Let's draw a prize and see what fate has for me."
Pushing his worries aside, he turned his attention to the Golden Lottery.
Maybe, just maybe, he'd get something that could help turn the tables.
With that faint hope in mind, Nozomi said to the system, "System, start the draw!"