"Team Rocket's base?!"
Diantha briefly suspected she'd misheard.
Sinnoh's esteemed Champion—the righteous figure constantly promoted by the Pokémon League—not only neglected her duties in Sinnoh, but was currently staying at Team Rocket's headquarters?
Although Cynthia's voice had a teasing undertone, Diantha had a strong feeling she wasn't joking this time.
"Hold on, let me process this…"
Suddenly, as if something had occurred to her, Diantha hesitantly asked:
"Cynthia, this person you have feelings for…he isn't a Team Rocket Executive, is he?"
Thinking carefully, Diantha felt this was the only logical possibility.
The two events were suspiciously close, and Cynthia's behavior was far too abnormal to ignore.
Seeing Diantha had almost guessed correctly, Cynthia nodded slightly and admitted:
"You're about half right."
"Looks like you've gotten smarter, Diantha."
From her perspective, Elias wasn't precisely a Team Rocket Executive, but more of Giovanni's collaborator. Still, Diantha's guess was close enough.
Hearing Cynthia so readily confirm her suspicion, Diantha fell briefly silent, carefully considering her next words before gently cautioning:
"Cynthia, matters of the heart can be tricky… Don't let yourself be blinded by feelings."
Right now, Diantha would honestly prefer if Cynthia's crush were something outrageous—like a Kabutops—instead of a Team Rocket executive. Given Cynthia's complete lack of romantic experience, Diantha strongly suspected she might have been deliberately deceived by Team Rocket.
After a long pause, Cynthia sighed deeply into the phone:
"You can rest assured—I'm not that naive."
"When I have the chance to introduce you to him, you'll understand."
Cynthia smiled faintly. Despite Diantha's picky nature, she was confident Elias would easily pass any inspection.
On the other end, sensing Cynthia wasn't completely blinded by love, Diantha finally relaxed. Still, she didn't take Cynthia's reassurance too seriously.
As a renowned actress, she firmly believed her judgment would be far better than Cynthia's, who spent her days buried in ancient ruins. Even if Cynthia liked an Aerodactyl, it didn't mean Diantha would be interested too.
After advising Cynthia a bit more, Diantha hung up.
Staring down at the disconnected call, Cynthia pouted.
What was that attitude just now…?
Clearly, Diantha hadn't taken her words seriously at all.
Still, after pondering briefly, Cynthia's lips curled into a mischievous smile.
If she remembered correctly, Diantha had an absolute soft spot for Gardevoir—both styling herself after the Pokémon and choosing it as her primary partner.
Next time, she'd definitely bring Elias's unique, shiny Gardevoir along—just to make Diantha hopelessly jealous!
Clenching her fist in determination, Cynthia finally had the perfect revenge plan.
---
After a restful night, Elias stepped out of his room refreshed and cheerful.
Thanks to the meticulous care from Latias and Gardevoir—as well as the surprisingly comfortable mattress Giovanni had provided—he'd enjoyed one of the best sleeps of his life.
"Morning, Cynthia," Elias greeted upon arriving at their agreed breakfast spot.
"Good morning," Cynthia smiled warmly, waving back.
Her eyes unintentionally landed on Gardevoir beside Elias, and she visibly brightened.
Today was the first time she'd found the Pokémon so pleasing to the eye.
With Gardevoir's elegant figure, lustrous fur, and unique shiny coloring, she'd definitely leave Diantha speechless.
Feeling Cynthia's intense gaze, Gardevoir anxiously clung to Elias's sleeve and cautiously took several steps back, sensing an odd threat.
"Oh right, Cynthia—we're heading to Kanto today," Elias mentioned casually.
Cynthia nodded readily, voicing no objections. Her main goal on this trip was simply to accompany Elias, so wherever they went hardly mattered. Even staying at Team Rocket's base hadn't bothered her.
After breakfast, Elias briefly met with Giovanni once more.
In addition to finalizing future collaborations, Elias informed Giovanni of his intention to leave, which the latter had already anticipated.
"I'll be taking Mewtwo along with me," Elias said, gently stroking the small Pokémon's head.
Since this had been agreed upon earlier, Giovanni naturally didn't object, even generously offering a large batch of specially-formulated Pokéblocks for Mewtwo's use.
"With your skills, creating your own improved Pokéblocks shouldn't be difficult," Giovanni noted, "but you can use these in the meantime."
Elias gratefully accepted. Though Team Rocket's specialists might not have created the absolute best, their products were definitely more than adequate.
Before leaving, Gardevoir unexpectedly approached Giovanni again.
"A… mattress?"
Giovanni stared blankly at the Pokémon standing before him.
Gardevoir had come to him looking so secretive and serious, he'd expected some critical issue—he'd even asked Matori to take detailed notes just in case.
But it turned out…
All she wanted was a few more of last night's exceptionally comfortable mattresses.
"Elias seemed to really like the mattress from last night," Gardevoir stated proudly, pleased with her careful observation.
Speechless, Giovanni looked at this thoughtful Gardevoir, then thought of his own Persian, who only ever ate and slept.
Suddenly, he had a strong urge to replace his own Pokémon.
"All right, I understand," Giovanni sighed, waving his hand. "I'll arrange to have some delivered to you later."
Satisfied with Giovanni's promise, Gardevoir contentedly boarded the waiting helicopter with Elias.
Unlike their previous transport, this helicopter was significantly larger, comfortably accommodating everyone with room to spare.
"Elias, is this vast blue area below us really the sea?"
Mewtwo gazed out with sparkling eyes. From the day she'd been born until now, she'd never had the chance to properly observe the ocean.
Seeing her curiosity, Elias patiently explained various facts about the sea. Although Mewtwo possessed immense knowledge, she still lacked practical experiences. This was a good opportunity to teach her more about the world.
Amidst their casual chatter, time passed swiftly, and soon the helicopter was already flying over the Kanto region. The Alliance headquarters would be visible shortly.
---
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