Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [469]

That question had truly been beneath standard—so much so that it dragged down the average credibility of the entire Pokémon Association.

The official who had asked it clearly realized his mistake. He said no more, quietly returned to his seat, and remained silent.

Having shut that down, Cynthia exhaled, just slightly.

Though she had managed to deflect the question with a sharp retort, she was well aware that—strictly speaking—regardless of the League's capabilities, as Champion, it had been her responsibility to report what she knew and inform the League leadership.

So yes, technically, she had overstepped.

Fortunately, she'd gotten away with it—for now.

But it wasn't time to relax just yet. This inquiry had been carefully premeditated. There was no way they'd let it end so easily.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for that same Association official to speak again:

"Then tell us, Champion Cynthia. Based on your account, Team Rocket had already taken control of many League trainers and held an overwhelming advantage at the time. Why, then, did they let you go and agree to a hostage exchange with us?"

The moment the question was asked, it drew the full attention of everyone present.

Because this was something they all wanted to understand.

Team Rocket… perhaps they hadn't known much about them before. But with Rocket's recent escalations and increasingly bold actions, every League executive had long since committed Rocket's files to memory.

Rocket's agenda was clear: to expand their influence until they could dominate the entire world.

Now, with a golden opportunity to cripple or even replace the Sinnoh League outright, why would Rocket back off?

All eyes turned to Cynthia, waiting for her explanation.

Being stared at by so many people, Cynthia felt a surge of irritation—along with genuine confusion.

Because she couldn't figure it out either.

Even from her perspective, it had seemed like the perfect moment.

Could Team Rocket be working on some deeper scheme? Cynthia couldn't make sense of it.

That was the limitation of perspective.

Having spent so long stationed in Sinnoh, Cynthia—like many in the Sinnoh League leadership—lacked a broader, higher-level view.

Rocket, now a colossal organization spanning six regions, no longer made decisions based on the fate of a single League or territory.

Would destroying the Sinnoh League benefit Rocket? Of course. But the advantage was marginal—because even without annihilating the League, Rocket could already operate as the region's de facto rulers.

On the flip side, the drawbacks of destroying Sinnoh's League far outweighed that limited gain.

Rocket was thinking on a much deeper level.

The Association official who had posed the question saw that Cynthia had no answer, but didn't press further. After all, they were all high-level members of the League—decorum mattered. Their true aim wasn't to oust Cynthia from her position.

The inquiry continued, stretching on for the entire day.

By the time the meeting finally adjourned and the participants had all filed out, Cynthia was the only one left in the large conference room, still seated.

She was filled with frustration.

After serving as Sinnoh Champion for so long, she was no naïve girl. She understood full well what the real purpose of this meeting had been.

The so-called "inquiry" was just a pretext. Its true aim was to chip away at her prestige within Sinnoh, and more deeply, to weaken her influence within the League.

At its core, it was a political power struggle.

And Cynthia also knew why the Pokémon Association was so eager to snatch that power for itself.

Ever since the Hoenn incident, the region's Pokémon Association—once dominant in the Hoenn League—had failed miserably at every stage: initial planning, mid-crisis response, and post-crisis resolution.

They hadn't stopped Groudon and Kyogre from tearing through the cities.

They hadn't prevented Rocket from walking away with a major win.

In the end, it had taken the intervention of Kanto's Elite Four to salvage even a shred of dignity.

The Hoenn Association's credibility had taken a catastrophic hit.

Especially after Steven stepped down and Wallace took over.

With Wallace and the Four Heavenly Kings' inspection team applying pressure at every turn, the Association had effectively lost its authority within the Hoenn League.

Having lost control of Hoenn, only Unova and Galar remained under direct Pokémon Association leadership on the global stage.

For an organization born from the League itself, power was its foundation. The Association couldn't afford to give up its influence—or let it be taken.

And so, it was inevitable they would fight to retain their voice.

In that light, Sinnoh—where the Association shared power with the Champion and Elite Four—had become the next battleground.

Seen this way, the Association's eagerness to undermine Cynthia and wrest control made perfect sense.

Cynthia didn't entirely begrudge them for it. After all, her decision-making during the recent events hadn't been flawless.

But understanding their motives didn't mean she approved of them.

Especially now, when the threat of Team Rocket loomed so large—and the Association still chose to focus on internal power plays rather than dealing with the real problem.

Did they really think exchanging hostages had bought them peace of mind?

On one side: a League still mired in infighting. On the other: a unified, ironclad Rocket.

Cynthia couldn't help but feel deeply concerned for the League's future.

She sighed.

But as Sinnoh's Champion, caught in the heart of it all, she had no power to change the tide.

Straightening her jacket, she was just about to leave the meeting room when her communicator buzzed at her waist.

She glanced down.

A frown crept onto her face—it was an unfamiliar number.

Very few people had her private contact. And this wasn't any of them.

Who could it be?

Still frowning, she answered the call—only to see a familiar face appear via hologram.

"I heard you got grilled at the meeting. The Pokémon Association really knows how to..." Onscreen, Luo Yuan, wearing his usual mask, shook his head with feigned pity.

At those words, Cynthia's frown deepened.

This had been a confidential League meeting. All attendees had been required to maintain strict secrecy.

How did Rocket know?

Could there be Rocket operatives embedded in the League itself?

Once that thought occurred to her, it refused to leave.

This bastard... he's a master of manipulation. Just one sentence, and he's already rattled me.

She stared hard at the figure in the hologram—the man they called the Tech Hunter—and finally spoke:

"............"