Giovanni's offer did tempt Vance a little.
The treasures held in Team Rocket's logistics stores were probably a step below what the League had, but there would still be no shortage of good things among them.
There might well be something he wanted.
At present, on top of what raising his Pokémon took, Vance was also putting a share of his resources into Deoxys, so there was pressure on his resources, certainly.
"I hear you've been made the number two of the League's Inspection Department, and that you're about to go round inspecting the eight Gyms of Kanto."
That came from Giovanni's end, and what he was speaking of had happened only that day.
The remark made Vance realise that within the League — even here at the Indigo Plateau headquarters — Team Rocket had no small number of people in place.
Pemberton had only got back that day, had called Vance in and had only just finished setting out the business with him, and by the time Vance had turned round Giovanni already knew of it. It did not take much thinking about.
The news had travelled fast, and travelled accurately. Nobody below a certain standing would have access to it at all, let alone have it right.
*Who is it, then?*
Vance guessed at it privately, letting nothing show on his face, and went on talking with Giovanni.
"What are your orders, Boss? There's the upheaval at the Cerulean Gym in all this — I could work something there, in support of the organisation's operations."
Vance said it respectfully. He still remembered Team Rocket's full-scale attack on Cerulean City; there must have been some large operation behind it. But that was a while ago now, and he had no idea how it stood at present, or what had changed.
As it happened, Vance now held the authority to inspect Gyms. He could strip the Cerulean Gym of its standing and quietly put a Team Rocket man in its place, turning Cerulean City into another of their own strongholds, as with Vermilion City and Saffron City.
That would raise the number of Gyms under Team Rocket's covert control by one more.
"That won't be necessary."
At his end Giovanni gave a slight shake of the head to say it was not needed.
"The plan has changed. Hold the ground we have; there's no intention of expanding outward for the time being."
"Is that so. A pity, then."
Vance murmured it, and he understood well enough why Giovanni had said it.
Team Rocket was drawing its strength in now, with no plan to expand for the moment, concentrating everything on developing a super Legendary Pokémon. The investment in the project was clearly no small one.
Giovanni then explained the reason.
"The organisation is putting the weight of its work on one thing just now. It matters a great deal, and what it takes in effort and resources is enormous. Blaine will have told you about it."
"Yes. Senior Blaine has already spoken to me about it."
"Good. There's nothing you need to do at present — stay dormant inside the League for the time being. We'll give you support from this end. Matori will send you a list shortly; everyone on it is inside the League's system, and you may direct them."
Giovanni said it evenly.
"Understood."
"Keep an eye on the Godbeast Gang. If you have anything, you can contact me. And if you need help, any branch in the Kanto region is yours to call on, with priority."
Giovanni was handing down more authority, which meant Vance had still more of Team Rocket's strength to draw on.
"All right, we'll leave it there for today. Anything else?"
"No."
"Good. That's that, then."
Then the screen went black, and the call with Giovanni ended.
Vance put the thing away and walked out of the room with his face perfectly ordinary.
From this call with Giovanni he had learned not only how terrifyingly deep Team Rocket's infiltration of the League ran, but also what his own work would be from here on.
They had no need of his help for the moment, so all he had to do was his own proper job.
...............
"Elder Vayne still isn't back. It's been days now, no word at all. Can nobody reach him?"
At that same moment, in a courtyard somewhere on the Indigo Plateau, a group of people were talking it over among themselves.
The subject of their talk was Elder Vayne, who had not been seen for days now, of whom there was no word, and who could not be reached.
They were all from the Godbeast Gang, the people responsible for liaison with the League, and at their head was Elder Vayne himself.
And just now the man at their head, Elder Vayne, had been silent for a long while, which had left them all somewhat rattled. Elder Vayne did go out on business, and sometimes for longer than this, but even then he could still be reached now and again.
Now he could not be reached at all, and so they had begun to worry.
"Gaunt, Elder Vayne hasn't come back and we can't reach him. What do we do next? Should we notify headquarters?"
One of the party came up to a man named Gaunt and spoke to him.
Gaunt was the number two of the team after Elder Vayne, and an elite member sent out by the Godbeast Gang's own headquarters.
"Notify them. It feels wrong to me as well. Better to be safe."
Gaunt said it with his brows drawn together.
"Yes, sir."
Having his orders, the member went off to see to it.
"This is a difficult business."
Gaunt rubbed his face. Since Elder Vayne had gone, a great many things had become awkward.
At least the League people they worked with were still the same as ever.
"I heard that before Elder Vayne left — well and good, then — he went to Vance's place. Could this have something to do with him? Surely not..."
Gaunt made the guess, then found it absurd and dismissed it.
Not likely.
Vance might have taken the Conference championship, but he was certainly no match for Elder Vayne. That much was perfectly clear.
So there was no need to give such a ridiculous guess a moment's thought.
The first thing to consider was the League. Could it have been Lance of the Dragon Clan?
He still remembered how, during the days of the Conference, Lance of the Dragon Clan had come storming up in a fury and clashed with Elder Vayne.
Yes. That would be it.
With that, Gaunt hurriedly took out his communicator and contacted headquarters.
"The League is moving against us. Requesting support."
"Haa. I may well end up dying here myself. This is rough going."
......
Elsewhere, Vance packed his things and went straight for Celadon City.
The first Gym to be inspected was the Celadon Gym, in Celadon City.
Celadon City counted as his home town, more or less.
Now, coming to the Celadon Gym to carry out an inspection as champion of the Conference — that counted as returning home in glory, surely.
"Rraah, rraah—"
Aerodactyl gave a few roars; they had reached the sky above Celadon City.
With his standing as an investigator out of League Headquarters, Vance went straight for the Celadon Gym.
He had dressed formally for it too, in a new inspector's uniform that fitted him well and looked smart on him.
Below, in front of the Celadon Gym, a crowd already stood waiting.
"Whoosh, whoosh—"
Aerodactyl came down out of the sky to the ground, and as everyone turned to look they saw a handsome youth in an inspector's uniform leap down from the back of a fierce-looking Aerodactyl, straight-backed, and come walking unhurriedly toward them.
"Welcome, Inspector Vance, to the inspection of the Celadon Gym."
Erika, Gym Leader of the Celadon Gym, was the first to step forward.
"You're too kind, Gym Leader Erika. As it happens, the Celadon Gym was the first Gym I ever won a Badge from, so I've had first-hand experience of what this Gym can do."
Vance said it with a smile on his face.
The Celadon Gym's strength was nothing to sniff at.
It was a Gym built around Grass types, but in real fighting strength it was in no way behind other Gyms, and Erika, its Gym Leader, was an experienced Trainer.
Her strongest Pokémon had reached Elite-Four-class as well.
"Good day to you, Champion Vance, I'm from the Celadon City Trainers' Association......"
"I'm with the city bureau......"
"Good day, Champion, I'm from Celadon University......"
After Erika a great crowd of people closed in, greeting Vance like old friends, introducing themselves and the bodies behind them, making sure he saw their faces.