Western slums of Goldenrod City.
A garbage dump that goes completely unnoticed.
In the midst of a group of Muk, amongst the piles of trash, a vacuum space has been cleared.
The drizzling rain cannot affect what is happening at this moment.
A freshly manicured hand extends from a black raincoat, lightly pinching a golden feather, and amidst the crowd of Pokémon, the feather falls onto the conversion device at the center of the vacuum.
Rumble——
The white light from rumbling thunder illuminates the exquisite face hidden beneath the raincoat, with an unruly arc at the corner of the mouth.
The visitor recalls the experiences of recent times.
...
"The foolish Alliance, the so-called Reserve Elite Four is nothing but a means of appeasement, to control more strong individuals. They foolishly hope to have a chance to join the Elite Four and enter the power center of the Alliance, yet they have no idea it's a total scam."
"I, Tom Rokicki, decide to betray the Alliance! Betray this Alliance full of lies and hypocrisy! But I must wait for the right opportunity!"
...
"The opportunity has come!"
"For some reason, the Champion and the Elite Four have all left the Alliance Headquarters! That item in the secret vault, I've coveted it for so long, but my application has never gone through. Damn it, it's certainly because I'm just a damn reserve, just a henchman!"
"The item is in hand!"
"I must leave! Where to? Hoenn? Sinnoh? Unova? No, none will do! Since the item is already in hand, I absolutely cannot leave Kanto empty-handed, that Pokémon is in Kanto!"
"To Goldenrod City! Rocket Team has invested so much power in Goldenrod City, even the Alliance cannot completely infiltrate it, Rocket Team will be my best shield."
"Goldenrod City is truly prosperous, behind this bustling city lurks so much gray and black, they will allow me to hide perfectly."
"Great, I successfully entered Rocket Team; indeed, it's not a meticulous organization, of course, I also disguised well."
"I met Giovanni, the leader of Rocket Team, an extraordinary man with great charisma, I have to admit... he is more suited to be an outstanding leader than anyone in the Alliance, I'm kind of admiring him."
"Unfortunately, I have my own plan, if this plan can successfully be carried out and avoid the Alliance's eyes, Rocket Team is a good destination."
...
"The Alliance has issued a capture order for me in a small circle, that's okay, they don't dare to make it public, they won't find me, I just need an identity for action."
"Terrifying! The Alliance would never have imagined, behind the mighty Silver Company, lies shadows of Rocket Team everywhere, how powerful is Rocket Team really?"
"I've successfully acquired a relatively high status identity, but I still need to hide; being flashy doesn't benefit me."
"Disguising identity, nothing is as effective as finding a substitute. It's been a long time since I wore women's clothes, a bit awkward, but the benefit is I can completely sever the ties to my original identity."
"Every detail of the substitute cannot be overlooked, name, attire, habits must all be deceptive. Oh yes! The Pure Gold Feather, it will be the best deceptive tool. Lotto will play an important role at the most critical moment!"
"Nancy! The Superpower Girl from Goldenrod City's dojo, turns out she is a high-ranking officer of Rocket Team! Rocket Team has infiltrated the Alliance to this extent? How much has the Alliance been penetrated internally? Alliance... seems really starting to rot?"
"The investigators of Goldenrod City left, I can start attempting my plan."
"Look at this lustrous golden feather, it is simply the incarnation of thunder; legend... it is said to summon the legendary bird Pokémon... Zapdos!"
...
"As expected, it failed."
"Only summoned a continuous drizzle. When the sky is dark and thunder strikes continuously, legend will appear... is it because the conditions of just relying on this feather are not met? Missing something? Thunder? But it seems not without any change, it feels like something happened, or maybe nothing happened."
"I found an alley that might have doubts, inside were only three unconscious societal scumbags, they were parasites, I killed them all."
"Dragon Master Lance arrived in Goldenrod City, did he come as a Reserve Investigator to investigate my whereabouts? No, probably not, just a small fry, but I can make good use of his identity."
"A lucky kid appeared in the club, must admit he is lucky, an ordinary Weedle could actually join the club, his luck is a blessing to my plan, he can stay."
"My acting skills are getting more sophisticated, Lotto also enjoys the changes brought by this identity, he performed the identity well, it is an honor for him to play me Tom Rokicki!"
"Falling Leaves Forest, I'm conducting the third experiment."
"There's a change!"
"As expected, it's due to the lack of sufficient current. My Pokémon unleashed Electric-type Techniques on the golden feather, and it reacted! Although it still couldn't summon Zapdos, the free electrons and Electric Energy in the air significantly increased, making it easier for Pokémon to grasp Electric-type Techniques."
"This proves my idea wasn't wrong, but it also attracted a lot of Electric-type Pokémon to approach."
"The lucky guy is still riding his luck; that Weedle actually evolved. But a Weedle is just a Weedle, an unremarkable Pokémon. However, I can't deny that his luck benefited me too, bringing me closer to my goal.
Given this, I'll grant him the Intermediate Trainer qualification. Lucky guy, I hope he continues to be this lucky.
However, one thing I find somewhat distasteful is his shabby dress, which undoubtedly lowers my impression of him."
"He saw the shadow of Rocket Team behind the Silver Pokémon Battle Club, but he didn't seem very surprised, nor did he want to flee. He's a smart guy, knowing how to maximize benefits."
"A smart guy, of course, I need to use his intelligence. He'll become friends with Dragon Master Lance, and I'll subtly influence him using the methods I used on Lotto, which is what my Pokémon excel at."
...
"It turns out the problem was the current transmission, but that's no problem for me. The power plant in Goldenrod City has such devices; let Rocket Team carry out a mission to attract the Alliance's attention."
"Rocket Team is conducting secret Pokémon experiments. The psychic powers of these Psychic-type Pokémon are dangerously close to being uncontrollable. But they're indeed very useful. Putting them in robes, don't they look like a group of people?"
"As expected, two Pokémon lost themselves. A Drowzee ran back to Goldenrod City, and a clever Yujira ran deep into the woods. Its body seemed somewhat strange. What's happening? No matter, they can't escape the psychic blockade."
"I've got the Conversion Device; the rest is up to Rocket Team. The bigger the commotion, the better, to draw the Alliance's attention."
"The city is starting to experience intermittent blackouts; the power plant's issues will eventually be exposed."
"Oh? Drowzee has been dealt with? His progress is indeed swift, which is excellent."
"Natsuhiko and Lance pinpointed the power plant's problem, confirming the loss of the Conversion Device. But they mistakenly focused their attention on Rocket Team, very good, their intelligence can indeed be utilized."
"Trying again, I still can't meet the Conversion Device's requirements. I need some auxiliary materials. The Pokémon at Fengluo River suffered a bit of lightning, and in such a remote place, no one would notice, thanks to Goldenrod City's neglect of the slums."
"Looks like I need to remain silent for a while to make preparations."
"I've almost gathered everything I need, just lacking the wool of a Mareep that can store a large amount of current. Under Sato Kenta's obedient surface hides a restless heart; he decided to break free from his constraints, so I'll lend him a hand in return."
"Quietly waiting for the goods to arrive."
...
"Natsuhiko's luck seems to continue; who would've thought he'd encounter that Yujira and come back alive, albeit slightly injured. This indeed appears to be mere coincidence, but it has raised his vigilance, which is commendable. In his backpack... is a Pokémon Egg?"
"This Pokémon Egg will be crucial. I'll guide him to leave the Pokémon Egg at the Club. He hasn't noticed the Pokémon subtly guiding him, which aligns with common sense, but I can't control him; everything must appear reasonable."
"The coincidence of the mission has made him focus entirely on Lotto, which is good."
"He won't have time to react; I'm already prepared, just waiting for the Electric Energy to fully accumulate."
"The Muk did an excellent job masking all smells, but it also forced me to use some perfume to cover the scent. How long has it been since I last used perfume?"
"Very good, the Alliance's attention is indeed diverted to the Club."
"Time to summon that legendary existence, that great and enchanting presence! It shines brighter than starlight, fiercer than thunder..."
"It's coming!"
"Tomorrow, the sun will rise as usual, and the lucky residents of Goldenrod City will be fortunate to witness the moment of this deity's descent!"
"Zapdos!"
"Just one more step, one more step..."
——————
This chapter almost covers all the groundwork for my first volume. Some of you might have noticed, and some might not, but that's okay; after reading, you should more or less understand.
It seems like I wrote a lot at once, this chapter is 2800 words...