Sending both Leon and Raihan to Kanto might fulfill the League Council's assignment—but if something were to happen in Galar while they're gone, it would be a real problem.
Of course Rose hadn't overlooked Oleana's concerns.
"Pulling Leon and Raihan away works more in our favor."
The moment she heard him mention "the plan," Oleana's eyes lit up in understanding.
"Chairman Rose… you're planning to take this opportunity to seize full control of Eternatus, aren't you?"
"Exactly."
In order to control Eternatus and resolve Galar's potential future energy crisis, Rose had been laying the groundwork for a long time. And for that, everything had to go perfectly.
Leon, as Galar's Champion, was the biggest obstacle. If the plan was to move forward, he had to be taken out of the picture first.
As for including Raihan too—well, wasn't Eternatus currently slumbering beneath Hammerlocke? There was no avoiding it.
"When will the plan begin?" Oleana asked, her tone just a shade off from normal.
But Rose, fully immersed in his vision for the future, didn't notice.
"Three days from now. We move as soon as Leon and Raihan depart. The longer we wait, the greater the risk." Rose's tone was resolute.
"I'll leave the corporation and League affairs in your hands."
With that, it was as if Rose could already see it—Eternatus under his control, the energy crisis vanquished, and Galar shining on the world stage under his leadership.
Oleana nodded. "Understood, Chairman Rose!"
After the call ended, Rose remained in his daydream of a glorious future.
---
What he didn't know was that on the other end of the line, in Oleana's office, every word of their supposedly confidential conversation had been overheard by a third person.
"Looks like Rose really does trust you. Thanks for the hard work, Oleana."
Luo Yuan smiled as he addressed Oleana, who had just ended the call.
But she didn't react at all to his words.
"Oh, right. You're still under hypnosis."
As if suddenly remembering, Luo Yuan snapped his fingers.
Snap!
The blue glow vanished from Oleana's eyes.
She stared at Luo Yuan, confused at first—then shocked. Her expression quickly twisted into fury as she swung a clenched fist toward him.
Buzz—
Luo Yuan didn't flinch in the slightest. Calmly raising his hand, he made a subtle motion, and in the next instant, Oleana froze mid-swing—like a statue caught in motion. Only her eyes and the trembling rise and fall of her chest remained mobile.
"You bastard!" Oleana snarled, teeth clenched.
An hour ago, Luo Yuan had appeared in her office without anyone noticing.
She had been surprised and puzzled by his sudden arrival, but hadn't felt particularly alarmed. After all, although Luo Yuan had gone head-to-head with the Galar side during negotiations, that was just business. They were on opposing sides, each representing their own region. Now that the negotiations were over, she thought the conflict ended there.
What she hadn't expected was that Luo Yuan would immediately use psychic power to hypnotize and control her, forcing her to call Chairman Rose—and then eavesdrop on his entire plan.
"What are you really after?!"
Beneath the anger, fear crept in.
Someone with strength like Luo Yuan's—who had just emerged victorious in a major negotiation—should have had every reason to leave cleanly and return to Kanto as a hero.
So why go out of his way to control her with psychic power?
What was he really plotting?
Oleana couldn't shake the feeling that Luo Yuan's identity wasn't as simple as a Johto Elite Four member.
"Figured it out, have you? Not bad—your mind works quickly."
Still keeping her body bound with psychic energy, Luo Yuan could easily sense her racing thoughts. He wasn't surprised she had pieced it together. As the secretary who managed Rose's affairs, if Oleana couldn't guess what he was up to, that would've made him suspicious.
"My ambitions aren't all that grand," Luo Yuan said with a faint smile, seeing he had her attention.
"I merely want to bring Galar under Team Rocket's control."
He said it so casually, as if he were commenting on the weather.
"Team Rocket!"
The name struck Oleana like a thunderclap.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. She'd never imagined that Luo Yuan—the man who had always seemed to be working so diligently for Kanto's interests—was actually a member of Team Rocket.
Is he insane?! An Elite Four member, part of Team Rocket? What the hell is the Kanto League even doing?
It felt absurd—and terrifying.
In that instant, countless thoughts rushed through her mind.
If Luo Yuan was a member of Team Rocket… then what about Sabrina, who had come along as part of the exchange delegation—and who was also Luo Yuan's girlfriend? Could she be one of them too?
She'd heard Sabrina's position had been given up by Lorelei. Lorelei and Luo Yuan were close. Did that make Lorelei a suspect as well?
And Luo Yuan's current post as Elite Four—wasn't it Lance who had first recommended him? With such a massive breach in background checks, it was hard to believe it was just coincidence. Could Lance himself… also be part of Team Rocket?
The more you think about it, the more horrifying it gets.
In the blink of an eye, Kanto—what she and Chairman Rose had seen as the future market for Macro Cosmos—now looked like a carefully constructed trap.