"Excellent. Frogadier has broken through to the Senior Elite level."
"Half of my current team has now reached the Senior Elite stage."
"However, my progress is too rapid; it might arouse Giovanni's suspicion. I must remain as low-profile as possible in his presence," Feng Che analyzed silently. Navigating both the light and dark sides of this world required impeccable caution.
"But with all these Sea Gems, I should be able to trade for plenty of resources."
"Besides leaving a portion for Gyarados and Frogadier's training, the rest can be exchanged for cultivation materials for my other Pokémon."
Feng Che's gaze swept over the Sea Gems lining the Poseidon Grotto. When the Sea Monster saw Feng Che sizing up its treasure, a wave of dread washed over it. Predictably, its worst nightmare began to unfold.
Feng Che started sweeping the Sea Gems into his storage devices.
"Human, stop! Those Sea Gems are the result of a thousand years of my painstaking effort!" the Sea Monster screamed in frantic desperation.
"Since you can't break the seal anyway, I'll be taking these with me," Feng Che replied coolly. "Keep up the hard work, though. When I come back, I hope the grotto is filled with gems again."
Frogadier became a blur of blue light. Wherever it passed, Sea Gems fell like rain.
"STOP! STOP IT!"
The Sea Monster's eyes were bloodshot. It watched helplessly as this greedy human plucked the fruits of its labor. It realized the greatest mistake of its long existence was ever baiting this specific human into its lair.
"Human, I have remembered you! Once I am free, I will unleash every follower I have to hunt you down!"
"Remember this! I will have my revenge for today!"
The Sea Monster issued a blood-curdling vow of vengeance, followed by the sound of its own sobbing. Feng Che's expression turned somewhat peculiar as he listened to the harrowing, heart-wrenching cries.
"I feel like I've become the villain here."
"Well, if I'm going to be the bad guy, I might as well be thorough."
With that, Feng Che stripped the Poseidon Grotto completely bare.
[Sea Monster: This human is too much... I brought him here, and now my Sea Gems, my Alpha Sapphire, and half my divinity are gone!][Sea Monster: Am I the monster, or are you? You've picked the grotto clean! How can a human be so wicked?]
The Sea Monster stared at its now-barren home, its spirit utterly crushed.
"Aerodactyl, just to make sure no other victims stumble in here, use Hyper Beam to collapse the entrance," Feng Che commanded as he stepped outside.
A massive pillar of white light struck the cliffside. With a thunderous explosion, the mountain shook, and falling boulders completely buried the mouth of the Poseidon Grotto.
[Sea Monster: HUMAN! MY HATRED FOR YOU IS ETERNAL!]
Feng Che recalled Aerodactyl. "A bit of a problem. Shizukawa and Hanabi were consumed by the monster, and I don't know how to pilot that speedboat."
He scavenged the remaining supplies from the boat and abandoned it on the island. "I'll have to use the submarine to reach Unova. Since I'm already in the Hoenn sea, I'm halfway there. The sub can handle the distance."
He dove into the depths and set a course for the distant continent.
Team Rocket Headquarters: Giovanni's Office.
The four Generals and three Executives sat in a somber circle.
"Our moles in the League report that Lance and Goodshow have officially reached a breaking point. They had a public shouting match, and Lance stormed out," Giovanni announced, reading from a decrypted scroll.
"Leader, is it possible this is a play staged by them to lure us out?" Proton asked.
"No. Goodshow's ambition is too great. He wants absolute unification of Kanto, and both the Dragon Clan and Team Rocket are in his way," Giovanni explained, visibly pleased. "He tried to bribe the Dragon Clan elders and sabotaged their sacred Dragon Blood fruit trees. Lance won't forgive that."
"Lance is now in a state of 'ignoring all summons.' Even if we strike a major League city, he won't intervene. He wants the League in chaos so Goodshow is too busy to target his family."
Giovanni looked at his high-ranking officers. "I've called you here because the Triple-Bird Project is entering its final stage. Only Articuno remains."
"But word is Lorelei has vanished from Seafoam Island following Lance's departure. We don't know where the hidden Elites are, so we must remain vigilant," Athena cautioned.
"It doesn't matter," Giovanni dismissed the concern. "Goodshow is a coward. Without the Four Kings, he will pull the 'Shadow Elites' closer to protect his own skin. Once Articuno is ours, we launch the project and seize control of the region."
Five Days Later: Driftveil City, Unova.
A shark-shaped submarine breached the surface under the cover of night. Feng Che stepped onto the Driftveil docks, clad in his black cloak and smiling mask.
"Finally, Unova. Now, how to get into Team Plasma..."
He disappeared into the city, heading toward the local underworld. He ended up at the Ship-Axe Bar, the largest dive in the city. Sifting through the noise with his Heart Sight, he locked onto a man dressed as a researcher.
"Kiyoma, what kind of secret work are you doing at that institute anyway?" the man's friends asked over a round of beers.
"Shh! I signed a non-disclosure agreement. I can't say a word," the researcher, Kiyoma, whispered.
Feng Che smirked. He placed a psychic brand on the man and waited. Once Kiyoma was sufficiently drunk and headed home, Feng Che followed him to a dilapidated apartment.
A simple psychic pulse bypassed the lock. Inside, the room was filled with books on Pokémon genetics. Kiyoma lay passed out on the bed.
Feng Che opened the man's laptop, bypassed the encryption, and found files on Pokémon cloning. He then placed his hand on Kiyoma's forehead, reading his recent memories.
"As I thought. He works in Colress's lab, specifically in the cloning department. And the lab isn't on land—it's hidden on a massive transport vessel."
"Team Plasma is well-hidden. I'll take his place."
He paused as he dug deeper into the memories. "Wait... Zeraora? They've captured a Zeraora? And it's a Shiny specimen?"
Feng Che's eyes gleamed. A Shiny Zeraora was a prize too great to ignore. "It's being held at the bottom of the ship under heavy guard. Rescuing it won't be easy. I'll focus on the data first, then look for a window to 'liberate' the Mythical."
He looked at the sleeping researcher. "Sorry, friend. You're going to be on ice for a while."
The next morning, the real Kiyoma was sealed within a massive block of ice, hidden safely in the apartment.