bookbashuk Chapter 437 The Eve of "Dark Night"
Chapter 437 The Eve of "Dark Night"
Chapter 437 The Eve of "Dark Night"
The video ends.
A deathly silence fell over the office.
The holographic projection screen quietly disappeared, leaving only the city neon lights shining through the window.
Loz remained silent for a long time. He leaned back on the sofa, his fingers unconsciously stroking the armrest, his eyes filled with undisguised shock and solemnity.
Although he was mentally prepared, he knew that the forbidden research conducted by the Rockets was no small matter.
But witnessing firsthand the terrifying, almost tyrannical, superpowers that Mewtwo displayed upon waking up still exceeded his expectations.
It wasn't just a powerful Pokémon; it was more like an ultimate weapon forged for destruction and annihilation.
Its potential and danger are probably no less than...
No, in some ways, it may even be more unpredictable than Anuttara.
Because it possesses human-like intelligence and perhaps even more intense emotions.
Sakaki quietly observed Loz's reaction, and that all-controlling smile reappeared on his face.
He picked up the slightly cooled black tea and gently swirled it.
"How is it, Chairman Loz?"
Sakaki's voice broke the silence.
"Now, do you have more confidence in our protection? And this was only when Mewtwo had just awakened and had not yet fully mastered its power. Now, it has received further guidance."
Loz slowly exhaled, refocusing his gaze on Sakaki.
"Amazing power, without a doubt."
Loz's voice rang out calmly: "However, I am quite curious, Gym Leader Giovanni... how exactly did you manage to control such a powerful Pokémon, which, judging from the footage, clearly harbors hostility towards the humans who created it?"
This question reveals a potential paradox.
If Mewtwo is incredibly powerful, how did Team Rocket manage to control it?
If Team Rocket can control it with pure force, then Mewtwo's strength doesn't seem to qualify as the "ultimate weapon".
Sakaki subtly twitched the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating that he had been asked a sensitive question.
"hehe..."
Sakaki chuckled softly.
"President Rose doesn't need to worry about that."
Giovanni calmly said, "If you have a way to control Eterna, then I naturally have the ability to control Mewtwo."
Then, Sakaki changed the subject, "As for Chairman Rose... I have fully demonstrated the sincerity and strength of our cooperation. So, besides those shares and protection that are like chicken bones to me, shouldn't you offer something more substantial in terms of your so-called sufficient sincerity?"
The pressure is back on Loz's side.
Sakaki's meaning is very clear.
Showing off Mewtwo's destructive power is both a way to flex its muscles and to raise its own value.
Now, it's your turn, Loz, to raise the stakes.
Lorz remained silent for a moment.
Inside the office, only the faint noise of the city outside the window and the soft breathing of a few people could be heard.
Olive stood with her hands at her sides, eyes downcast, like a lifeless sculpture, but her ears clearly picked up every word.
Finally, Loz spoke slowly, his tone softening slightly, but his core stance remained firm: "I still insist on my bottom line—ultimate control of Eterna must be in the hands of the Galar Alliance. Any other conditions... we can discuss them in more detail."
"Hahaha!"
Sakaki suddenly burst into laughter, the sound echoing in the empty office.
"President Rose is overthinking it. Eternatus is tied to Galar's destiny. Although I, Giovanni, am not a gentleman, I understand the principle that a gentleman does not take what others want. Team Rocket is seeking cooperation with great sincerity, so naturally they would not make such an excessive request that would put their ally in a difficult position."
He paused for a moment, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and then said, "I don't need the shares of the Marocmon Group or the protection of the Galar Alliance, but there is one place... Team Rocket is very interested in. I wonder if Chairman Rose can be willing to part with it."
"Where?"
Lorz frowned slightly, quickly calculating which areas within Galar might have special value to the Rockets.
Energy-rich region?
Ancient ruins?
Remote islands?
Sakaki leaned forward slightly and uttered four words clearly and slowly: "Crown...Snowfield".
"The Crown Snowfield?"
Loz's brow furrowed even more.
"That's the northernmost, frigid region of Galar, covered in snow year-round, extremely sparsely populated, and the population and variety of wild Pokémon aren't particularly abundant. Aside from a few snowy landscapes and... some ancient legends, there's almost nothing of particular interest in that area. What do you want to do there?"
Sakaki leaned back on the sofa, his hands crossed on his knees. "As for why Team Rocket is interested there... that's our own internal matter," he said. "President Rose, you just need to give me a clear answer."
He paused, his gaze suddenly sharpening. "Yes, or no?"
The air in the room seemed to be drawn tighter again by an invisible force.
The neon lights outside the window shimmered and reflected on Loz's sharply defined profile, creating an interplay of light and shadow.
Olive instinctively held her breath; she could sense that the president's decision might even determine the future of Galar.
Time passed second by second, and Lorz's fingers unconsciously caressed the leather surface of the sofa.
He was weighing his options.
Compared to the success of the entire "Infinite Energy Project," is the control of the Crown Snowfield more important than its overall success?
Sakaki relinquished his demand for control of Mugentana and instead sought a seemingly barren piece of land. Could this be a larger scheme at play?
But on the other hand, if I refuse this relatively minor condition, which leads to the breakdown of the cooperation with the Rockets, how much will the success rate of my plan decrease when facing Xia Chi, such a powerful obstacle?
Ultimately, rationality and an urgent desire for the plan's success outweighed concerns about unknown risks.
Loz slowly raised his head, looked directly at Sakaki, and said in a deep voice, "Alright, if the cooperation goes smoothly, after it's done, the Crown Tundra... thirty years of exploration and development rights can be transferred to Team Rocket."
However, Sakaki gently shook his head, his smile unchanged. "No, Chairman Rose, you misunderstand. Not after it's done," but now, immediately.
"That's impossible."
Lorz almost instinctively retorted, "Our plan has reached its final critical stage and could be launched at any time. Although the Crown Snowfield is remote, its sovereignty belongs to the Galar Alliance. Any transfer of authority requires a complicated procedure. Making a big fuss at this critical juncture could easily attract unnecessary attention and disrupt our deployment."
Sakaki interrupted, "So what's the difference between now and after it's all done?"
He countered, "Are you suggesting that Chairman Loz intends to deny everything afterward?"
These words pierced Loz's heart like a cold needle.
He did have similar considerations, using the Crown Snowfield as "post-event reward" to allow himself to retain more initiative and means of control in the cooperation.
But Giovanni clearly saw through this and didn't hesitate to bring it up, forcing him to make substantial concessions immediately.
Somewhat irritated, Loz raised his hand and rubbed the carefully styled bangs on his forehead.
After a long ten seconds, Lorz finally lowered his hand, his eyes regaining their resolve, as if he had made a do-or-die decision.
He met Sakaki's eyes and slowly nodded.
"...Okay, I will arrange it as soon as possible. The relevant permissions for the Crown Snowfield will be transferred to you."
"A wise decision, Chairman Lotz."
A satisfied smile finally appeared on Sakaki's face as he calmly stood up from the sofa.
Sakaki was already tall, and when he stood up straight, his shadow under the light almost completely enveloped Loz, who was sitting on the sofa.
He lowered his head slightly, looking at Lóz in an almost condescending manner.
"Well then, I'll head back now and await the good news of Chairman Rose's plan officially launching."
Loz remained seated on the sofa, not getting up, and simply nodded expressionlessly. "The plan will proceed smoothly within a week."
"Excellent, I look forward to our collaboration and creating a brand new future."
Sakaki left with a final remark, then turned and walked towards the door.
The real bird immediately followed, and the cat leader, who had been quietly crouching in the corner, also rose lightly and followed closely behind with elegant and silent steps.
The door closed gently, isolating the outside world from everything.
Lorz sat alone in the empty office, gazing out the window at the bustling night view of Quanguan City, remaining motionless for a long time.
Meanwhile, in a luxury hotel suite just a few blocks away...
Having no idea of Sakaki's arrival, Xia Chi finished dinner and took the elves back to their hotel suite to rest.
Although they knew that "Mugentana" was about to awaken and that a conflict with Rose was inevitable, they had no idea of the exact timing.
This kind of unresolved waiting is the most mentally taxing.
What Xia Chi was most worried about was that Loz would deliberately delay until he had to leave Galar for other reasons before launching the plan.
In that case, I would be in an extremely passive situation, and distant water would be of little use in my immediate predicament.
However, upon closer examination, this possibility seems unlikely.
Dante and Master Mash are searching for the "sword" and "shield" somewhere in Galar. Once Zacian and Zamazenta are found and their positions are clarified, Loth's plan will face greater variables and obstacles.
However, it's really hard to say for sure about these things.
Anyway, Xia Chi is prepared to stay in Galar.
If you're so capable, wait until the Masters Tournament starts, then I'll have to go to the Alola region to restart the plan.
Xia Chi was completely at a loss.
After resting for a short while after dinner, the "disciplined group," led by Miaoha and Master Xiong, had already gone into the training room for extra practice.
The "retirement faction," led by Peng, Victini, and Lami, either slept or played games.
Seeing the starkly different states of his companions, Xia Chi smiled and didn't disturb any of them.
Feeling a bit bored, he took out his Rotom phone and decided to make a video call to Yui.
It's definitely not because she misses Yui, but because she misses her two "left-behind children" at home, Fa Jie and Kuai Long.
The call was answered quickly.
It was afternoon in Donghuang, and the sun was shining brightly.
On the other side of the screen, Yui seemed to have just returned from outdoors. She was wearing a light gray work uniform that was easy to move in, her hair was casually tied into a ponytail, and there were still a few small blades of grass stuck to her forehead. Her cheeks had a healthy blush from working, and her eyes were bright and spirited.
"Oh, what a rare guest!"
When Yui saw Xia Chi, a hint of surprise flashed across her eyes, followed by a mocking smile.
She shook the dirt off her hands and joked at the camera, "Why does the boss have time to take care of his junior employees today?"
Xia Chi coughed lightly and said, "I just missed you, didn't I?"
Yui rolled her eyes and said, "Fine, I'm satisfied with what you said. Great Queen Yan, please call Vibrating Wing and Dragonite over here."
Clearly, she was very clear about the purpose of Xia Chi's phone call.
Xia Chi gave an awkward smile, but still stubbornly insisted, "You really misunderstood me, Yui. I was just thinking that you must be having a hard time working alone on the island, so I wanted to check on you..."
Yui chuckled: "Da Wang Yan, no need to go and call him."
Xia Chi immediately said, "No, let's just go and call them. It's just a quick thing to do."
Yui chuckled, her meaning clear without a word.
Da Wang Yan was extremely efficient. In less than half a minute, two sharp, piercing sounds came from the other end of the phone, growing louder as they approached.
The speed of the winged machine was clearly superior. A blurry shadow darted in from the edge of the screen like a ghost, almost pressing its entire face against the camera of the Rotom phone.
His usually somewhat mischievous crimson eyes were now filled with laughter as he cheerfully exclaimed, "Whoa—"
Summer Pond:
'
'
After awakening his Aura power, he had long been accustomed to being able to "understand" Elvish.
But it stopped working now.
There's no way around it; the two places, Galilean and Eastern Hell, are separated by countless miles, and the waveguide can't transmit the signal across them!
Without the aid of Aura, Xia Chi became an illiterate trainer who couldn't understand Elvish.
Left with no other option, Xia Chi resorted to her universal response formula: "Yeah, I miss you too, Zhenyifa. How are you doing on the island?"
To everyone's surprise, Sister Fa immediately showed a disgusted expression and exclaimed, "Ugh!"
Seeing that Xia Chi looked completely bewildered and couldn't understand, they realized that...
It immediately stepped back and began to twist and change its translucent spiritual body, which was made of gas and energy.
A few seconds later, right in front of Xia Chi, the beggar himself formed a big "V" shape.
Xia Chi finally understood; it turned out that Fa Jie wanted her best friend to play with hard bicotini.
Xia Chi was somewhat amused and exasperated. He turned and called out towards the living room, "Bictigini, come here for a second, someone's looking for you."
""
Victini, who was engrossed in watching a documentary about the Grand Contest with Yukichi, heard Yukichi's call, her small ears twitched, and she happily flew from the living room into the bedroom.
When it saw the image on Rotom's phone screen—a bird struggling to maintain a "V" sign with an anxious look—Victini immediately cheered, pounced on the screen, its little paws gripping the edge, and excitedly shouted, "Victini!"
Two Pokémon, separated by thousands of miles, chatted enthusiastically across the screen.
The two sprites began communicating with "woo-yo" and "tini" across the screen.
Xia Chi couldn't understand what Zhen Yi was saying on the other end of the phone, but he could understand what Bictini was saying through the power of waveguide.
They'll probably say things like, "Galar is so boring," or "I really want to go back and play with you."
The two elves were chatting enthusiastically when a chubby face squeezed in front of the screen.
It was Dragonite that was huffing and puffing as it flew over after being flung far away by Wingshot.
"Phew~"
Dragonite gave a goofy smile.
Xia Chi thought that it was like Fa Jie, wanting to chat and have long phone conversations with some guy.
He then said, "Do you want me to call someone over for you, Dragonite?"
Dragonite shook its head, its chubby little finger pointing at Xia Chi.
The meaning is obvious: he wants to play with Xia Chi.
Xia Chi, who had just been hurt emotionally by Zhen Yifa, was so moved that she almost cried.
Dragonite, and it certainly wasn't for nothing that I spoiled you!