Chapter 86: Private Discussion

"Roar!"

With Raikou's thunderous roar, dark clouds rolled across the sky, lightning crackled violently, and an overwhelming pressure surged toward the human standing before it like a raging torrent.

A purple Pokémon dashed forward in an instant. The crimson gem on its forehead gleamed brilliantly, and a light blue energy barrier expanded outward, shielding a strikingly beautiful woman with violet hair, clad in a sleek black suit.

The mere clash of their auras stirred up fierce winds, sending dust and debris swirling through the air.

Raikou's expression shifted slightly. Its tsunami-like presence had been firmly blocked by this Espeon. It seemed this human wouldn't be easy to deal with.

"Raikou, I am Anabel, Head of the Ultra Beast Countermeasure Headquarters under the Pokémon League," she declared solemnly. "I know you received Ho-Oh's command, but this is no longer just your battle. This is a crisis that all of humanity and Pokémon must face together. I need you to stop acting alone."

Over the past few days, Raikou had slaughtered multiple people in Cerulean City—adults and even children—some of whom weren't even confirmed to be virus carriers. Leaving such a hostile Legendary Pokémon unchecked posed a grave risk, so the League had ordered Anabel to intervene.

Electricity crackled around Raikou's body. It had no interest in conversing with humans, responding instead with its actions.

After purging those tainted with evil auras in Cerulean City, Raikou had been tracking the same dark presence toward Saffron City. Now, however, it had been intercepted on this mountain path.

Ridiculous. I'll do as I please. Who are you, a mere human, to lecture me? You may have some power, but if you stand in my way, I won't hesitate to eliminate you too.

"Chief Anabel, it seems Raikou has no intention of stopping. Should we retreat for now?" asked a younger man in a black suit standing behind her.

"No need. You all leave first—I will handle Raikou alone." Anabel's expression remained calm, showing no fear before the enraged Legendary Pokémon.

"...Understood." The young man immediately turned and ran toward the helicopter. He knew a battle was inevitable, and although they were dealing with a Legendary Pokémon, he had complete faith in his superior's strength.

...

Meanwhile, Ophelia returned to Silph Co. headquarters with Flora and immediately instructed HR to arrange a position for her.

"Could you tell me which university you graduated from?" The HR representative, a young woman, glanced at the completely blank electronic résumé, her lips twitching slightly.

Under normal circumstances, an application like this wouldn't even pass the automated screening system. But since this candidate had been sent directly by the vice president's secretary, she was undoubtedly a high-level referral. If she were a recruited expert, there'd be no need for this formality—so she had to be a connected hire.

"Uh... I studied at the 29th Public Academy in Mandarin City, but I dropped out before graduating," Flora admitted, slightly embarrassed. Even though she had become a superhuman, questions about her past weaknesses still made her uncomfortable.

The HR representative mentally sighed. Dropped out of high school? In Silph Co.?

She maintained a polite smile without a hint of ridicule. "And what was your last job?"

A high school dropout being recommended for a position at Silph Co. could only mean one thing—she was a nepotism hire. Since she likely had no particular expertise, it was best to ask her directly what she could do. Fortunately, Silph Co. spanned multiple industries, including aerospace, energy, technology, banking, entertainment, and logistics. Surely, there was something for her.

"My last job? I was a bar hostess," Flora replied honestly. Now that she was superhuman, she had come to accept all parts of her past. While the question was slightly awkward, she saw it as just another stepping stone in her rise to power—nothing to be ashamed of.

The HR representative kept her smile, though she was internally screaming. A bar hostess?! So she has zero professional skills... What was Ms. Ophelia thinking, bringing someone like this in?

Well, whatever. Every piece of trash has its designated landfill. Keeping her professionalism in check, she asked, "Silph Co. owns several gaming arcades. Would you be interested in working there?"

"Sure! But… what exactly would I be doing?" Flora asked curiously. She was no stranger to game arcades—back in Mandarin Island, it had been one of her favorite hangouts, though back then, she had to endure bullies. Now, however, she was the one people should fear.

"You would be an observer," the HR rep said smoothly. "Our arcades offer various prizes, including rare Pokémon, so we get customers trying to cheat their way to big rewards. Your job would be to observe and identify those individuals."

"Hmm… that actually sounds pretty fun." Flora thought about it for a moment before nodding, flashing a smile of gratitude.

Finally, a legitimate job.

A gaming arcade was the perfect place to observe all sorts of people and find potential recruits for Hive.

And if she caught someone cheating? Well… she'd eat them.

At the thought of consuming prey, her body stirred with excitement. She hadn't killed anyone since leaving Mandarin Island.

Seeing Flora's satisfied expression, the HR representative let out a silent sigh of relief. If this hire had been completely useless and still demanded a prestigious position, it would've been a nightmare.

Even nepotism hires had to be placed where they wouldn't cause trouble. If she had assigned Flora to an important role and things went south, she'd be dragged into the mess too.

"All set?" Ophelia asked, sipping her coffee at a dessert shop outside Silph Co. She watched as Flora approached, looking thrilled.

"Yeah." Flora nodded, taking a bite of the dessert Ophelia had ordered for her before recounting her interview.

"A game arcade…" Ophelia immediately knew this fool had been tricked. Although the arcades were technically under Silph Co., they were part of an independent system. The HR rep had basically dumped her there with no real oversight.

Oh well. I was only responsible for getting her in—I never said where. This should be enough to complete Hive's assignment.

Just then, a new location marker appeared in both their minds—it was the site of a Pokémon Gym.

"Damn, the boss is calling. Looks like I won't get to finish this," Flora lamented, eyeing the untouched desserts.

Any shop in downtown Saffron City had to be top-tier, and she had just ordered extra portions.

"We'd better get moving. I'll treat you next time," Ophelia said, equally surprised by the sudden summons.

If the Shadow Ops had a method of relaying orders like this, their secrecy would be nearly impenetrable.

Apart from the command to get Flora into Silph Co., this was the first time she had received such a clear mental directive.

Perfect. Looks like I'm finally going to meet the mysterious leader of Hive.

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