Cynthia remained as striking as ever, clad in her familiar black trench coat, her waterfall-like golden hair flowing elegantly. Her modest high heels complemented her unique aura, making her stand out in any crowd.
"Wait, is that... Miss Cynthia?"
"Miss Cynthia's here... to pick someone up?"
"Could it be Professor Rowan?"
Passengers disembarking from the flight started streaming out, catching sight of Cynthia waiting at the terminal. Two individuals approached her.
One was an older man with white hair, glasses, and a smile tinged with mild surprise.
The other was a young man, around the same age as Cynthia, dressed in a sharp black suit. His intellectual and composed demeanor exuded scholarly charm.
And the crowd had to admit: this guy was incredibly handsome.
When they saw the older man, many onlookers had a moment of realization.
"So, it's Mr. Mitch Berlitz!"
The Berlitz family wasn't just the wealthiest in Sinnoh; many members of the family were also researchers.
For example, the recently graduated Dr. Berlitz, an assistant to Professor Rowan, had undoubtedly worked closely with Cynthia, another of Rowan's protégés.
However...
After Mitch Berlitz exchanged a few pleasantries with Cynthia and the young man before leaving, the onlookers were left stunned.
Cynthia wasn't here to pick up Mitch Berlitz—she was here for this young man?!
A few younger onlookers, realizing they'd stumbled upon some potentially explosive news, discreetly pulled out their phones to snap photos of the pair.
This was headline material!
But...
When they checked the pictures they'd taken, their expressions shifted to disbelief.
Haunter?!
In every shot, regardless of the angle or timing, the photos featured Haunter instead of the intended subjects!
Each image depicted Haunter in different poses—grinning, sticking its tongue out, flashing peace signs, or donning sunglasses.
"What the..."
They weren't imagining things—this was actual ghostly interference.
And it wasn't just one person experiencing this; every single person who tried to take a photo ended up with the same results!
"Oowu~~"
Vulpix leapt into Cynthia's arms the moment it saw her, nuzzling affectionately against her.
Cynthia smiled warmly, her tone gentle. "You're here."
Johan nodded, smiling back. "Long time no see."
His gaze shifted to the Spiritomb holding a sign at Cynthia's feet, and he chuckled.
"Spiritomb, you've gotten prettier since I last saw you."
He turned back to Cynthia, and they exchanged a knowing smile.
"Fss... fss... fwap... o(////▽////)q"
Spiritomb's shadowy essence curled bashfully at the compliment.
"Shall we go?" Cynthia suggested, noting the growing attention from bystanders.
Johan glanced around. Indeed, several people were already pulling out their phones, likely trying to snap a picture.
However...
Realizing Haunter was nowhere to be seen, Johan's expression grew a bit peculiar.
"Everything's fine," he said with a chuckle.
Kanto Region, Team Rocket HQ.
"Boss!"
Domino burst into Giovanni's office, practically breathless.
Giovanni frowned, his tone laced with disapproval. "Domino."
Leaning over, hands on her knees, she panted, "Boss... Nidoqueen... she beat up Nidoking!"
"Hm?"
Giovanni raised an eyebrow, genuinely caught off guard.
It was the first time Domino had seen such surprise on his face.
"Say that again?" Giovanni asked for confirmation.
Taking a deep breath, Domino repeated, "The Nidoqueen that just returned from Johan's care beat up the Nidoking that dumped her. He's still kneeling there."
Giovanni: "..."
Pokémon fights weren't uncommon, especially among Nidoqueen and Nidoking, whose species often had internal disputes.
But...
If Giovanni remembered correctly, that Nidoking was significantly stronger than Nidoqueen.
And now it was the one getting pummeled?
"How is Nidoqueen? What's her current state?" Giovanni asked.
Domino quickly handed over a report.
"This is the data we gathered after her return, compared to her original stats. Her growth is... quite significant."
After skimming the document, Giovanni chuckled.
Significant was an understatement.
He quickly noticed that while Nidoqueen's overall physical stats had improved, the power of her moves had skyrocketed!
Move mastery?
"Let's take a look."
Giovanni stood, his Persian lazily stretching before padding after him.
The pair, along with Domino, headed to a lush habitat simulation area within the base.
From a distance, they spotted Nidoqueen standing tall, hands on her hips, exuding dominance.
In front of her knelt a battered Nidoking, its expression a mix of disbelief and resignation.
Around them were other members of the Nido family—Nidoqueen, Nidoking, Nidoran, and Nidorino—watching the spectacle.
Giovanni stopped a fair distance away, a smile forming on his lips.
"I see now."
With his innate Viridian Aura, Giovanni could sense the shift in Nidoqueen's demeanor from afar.
Domino, who had followed him closely, seemed puzzled.
"What's the reason for this, boss?"
Giovanni turned to leave, clearly uninterested in interfering with Nidoqueen's affairs.
"Didn't you notice?"
"Notice what?" Domino asked, confused.
"It's confidence, Domino."
Pokémon were fascinating creatures, with diverse abilities, traits, and characteristics.
And they were profoundly influenced by emotions—both their own and their trainer's.
When a Pokémon felt anger, excitement, or an unwavering sense of purpose, it could unleash extraordinary power.
Nidoqueen's biggest transformation was her newfound confidence.
Confidence in her strength, her abilities, even her appearance.
Giovanni's Viridian Aura even picked up on Nidoqueen's inner monologue:
"I'm terrifyingly strong now. You're out of my league!"
This self-assured mindset left Giovanni slightly amused.
What exactly did Johan do to instill this?
If...
If Giovanni could arrange for Johan to provide similar "confidence coaching" to every Team Rocket member's Pokémon before their missions...
Not even to the same extent—just half the results Nidoqueen showed would be enough.
What heights could Team Rocket's strength reach?
What a talent!
A bona fide, invaluable talent.
He's practically a walking, multi-purpose buff for Pokémon!
"Domino," Giovanni said suddenly.
"Yes, sir!" Domino responded after a delayed beat.
"Elevate Johan's clearance to executive level."
Executives were second only to Giovanni himself within Team Rocket. Even among themselves, executives couldn't freely access one another's files.
"Yes, sir!"
Internally, Domino couldn't help but wonder...
Does Johan even know he's considered a Team Rocket executive?
"Also, transfer this Nidoqueen to Squad Three. Her potential is remarkable."
"Yes, sir!"
As Domino turned to carry out his orders, she hesitated, then produced another document, handing it to Giovanni.
"Boss, this... is the expense report Johan sent back with Nidoqueen. It details her consumption over the past few days."
Her expression turned strange as she spoke—it was quite the list.
Giovanni scanned it briefly, his mouth twitching.
Domino adjusted her glasses and added quietly, "Um... boss, Johan suggested 'converting it to cash.'"
Exiting Hearthome City's airport, Johan followed Cynthia into the parking lot.
Hearthome was one of Sinnoh's major cities, renowned as the most livable city in the region.
Despite hosting a Ghost-type gym, the city radiated a warm, inviting atmosphere. Its mild climate and excellent environment made it highly desirable.
Additionally, Hearthome was home to Sinnoh's largest Contest Hall.
"Are we driving?"
Johan glanced at the lot as they walked.
Cynthia shook her head.
"Then—"
She smiled, retrieving a Poké Ball.
In a flash of red light, a massive, menacing Garchomp materialized under the streetlamp.
Frankly, seeing a Garchomp out at night could easily scare most people.
"Roar—"
Garchomp shot Johan a cold glance.
"Ka-kah~~"
Haunter floated over to greet its old acquaintance, easing some of Garchomp's icy demeanor.
Johan, on the other hand, felt a chill run down his spine.
"Wait... are we flying on Garchomp?" he murmured.
"Roar!!"
Garchomp's gaze turned even frostier, its scythe-like claws gleaming ominously under the lamplight.
Cynthia tilted her head, her eyes dancing with mischief.
One bead of sweat slid down Johan's temple.
The idea of flying on Garchomp with Cynthia was admittedly tempting.
But...
"Are you sure Garchomp won't throw me off midway?"
One look at Garchomp's expression quickly answered that question.
"No, I'd probably die on the spot."
Cynthia's melodious laughter rang out.
Retrieving another Poké Ball, she released a plump, cheerful Dragonite.
"Rawr~~"
Johan blinked in surprise.
Dragonite?
Approaching, Cynthia patted Dragonite's soft, round belly.
"Dragonite will take you."
Johan breathed a sigh of relief.
Compared to Garchomp, Dragonite was far more approachable.
Slipping it two Pokéblocks, he quickly won over the gentle dragon.
"Rawr~ Rawr~ (`)"
----------
Powerstones?
For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates